Refugee men in Australia have a higher likelihood of depression and mental distress compared to other men who are also at risk of chronic conditions.
The Real Face of Men's Health report released by the Movember Institute of Men's Health and Welcoming Australia on Wednesday found around $10.7 billion in 2023 was spent on healthcare to treat five conditions that cause the most years life lost in men.
They are coronary heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke and suicide.
Suicide is the leading cause of death among men aged 15-44 in Australia regardless of their background.
Between 2020 and 2022, suicide was the third-leading cause of premature death among men of across all age categories.
A total of 1658 men were polled on their health and if they see a GP or go to a hospital.
Some 77 per cent those of African descent in the survey said gender stereotypes of masculinity affected their decisions of not being attentive to their health.
Western Bulldogs AFL player Buku Khamis came to Australia from Sudan as a refugee in 2006.
He understands how heavy the psychological burden of seeing people killed in the protracted civil war in Sudan and growing up in refugee camps affects young men in his South Sudanese community.
"In my experience, many men in migrant and refugee communities hesitate to seek help for mental health issues - that's certainly true for some of my mates and family," he said.
"There's often a stigma around discussing mental health openly, and it's just not something we are used to sharing culturally."
He is breaking the cycle by volunteering with Sons of the West, a mental health and fitness program targeting migrant and refugee men in Melbourne run by the club and Movember.
Gautam Raju, Movember's Global Director of Advocacy and Policy, said health disparities for culturally and linguistically diverse men and the wider population are a cause for concern.
He called on the government to urgently fund the Australian Men's Health Strategy 2020–2030 with a focus on health literacy to prevent future deaths.
"We know that men from migrant and refugee communities encounter 70 per cent higher odds of facing barriers to health services, leading to increased hospital admissions and mortality rates," he said.
Some men choose to self-monitor symptoms for longer before formally seeking help, and it also depends on the perceived urgency, sensitivity of the condition and prior experience, the 128-page report noted.
"We know far less about what happens when men do engage with the health system, how the health system responds and how and why men drop out of care."
