About

Men’s health came to be central to RUKA’s work when researchers found that men had life expectancies that were, on average, 5 years shorter than women. In addition, they also had higher mortality rates for most diseases compared to their female counterparts – facts that RUKA researchers attributed to genetics, environmental factors, as well as the male-leaning personality trait of delaying necessary medical advice and treatment.

In sensing this lack of awareness among men and the shortage of easily available information on the state of men’s health, RUKA researchers sought to explore how men of all ages seek healthcare advice and treatment, and to develop effective interventions that cater to their needs inside and outside of Malaysia.

The rise in studies on men’s health published by the RUKA faculty has led to the development of various projects and tools that supplement the Department’s goals of improving the state of men’s health worldwide.

In fact, their specific goals for studying the topic are as below:

• To publish innovative research that explores men’s behavioural patterns in relation to their health, the influence of said behaviours and the effects on their overall health
• To conduct epidemiological studies, which investigate the clinical and social determinants of men’s health and their associated health outcomes on men
• To develop and evaluate interventions, which could improve the state of men’s health at the individual and community-wide level
• To publish and disseminate accurate and updated information on the topic of men’s health
• To provide scientific and research-based evidence to supplement the development and implementation of healthcare policies that can improve the state of men’s health
• To organize scholarly activities and campaigns that raise public awareness on men’s health

Projects

• The Prostate Cancer Training Programme (PCaT)
• The ScreenMen Study
• The GeMM Study
• The MHIndex
• Asian Men’s Health Report
• MySAMH
• HIM
• ProCaSS
• Screen-M