A three community study was carried out in northern New South Wales, Australia, to determine the effectiveness of interventions via media and media plus community programmes in altering behaviours of life style, including smoking, dietary fat intake, and exercise. Results were analysed of one aspect of the "North Coast Healthy Lifestyle Programme" entitled "Quit for Life," which aimed at reducing cigarette smoking over a two year period.There was a significant decline in the prevalence of smoking in both test towns, ranging from 16% in younger men to 6% in older women. These were significantly greater than the declines in the control town. The declines were more sustained over the two year period in the town subjected to media plus community programmes.

Men's health is a significant public health issue in Australia. Increasingly, health indices show poor health outcomes for them. Literature suggests limitations in the health services dealing with their needs. If we are to improve boys' and men's health, we should look at the efficacy of these services and address their limitations. This study provides data from a survey about the types of services available for boys and men. The service provider respondents expressed major concerns MEN'S HEALTH ISSUES have been raised by health professionals and health care agencies in Australia. 1 Most epidemiological indicators suggest a markedly lower health status in men as compared with women in Australia. 2,3 Differences in the health of the population are influenced by existing features of the society in which they live. Stress, early life experiences, social inclusion/ exclusion, working conditions, social support are some of the determinants of health in contemporary societies. 4,5 The relative disadvantage in the life expectancy of men compared with women is greater in the unskilled/manual category than that of the professional group. 5 Large scale studies show that many men and adolescent boys are out of touch with the health care system, face barriers to effective utilisation of health care and use services less frequently. 6-10 The psycho-social forces in men' s lives and attitudinal factors are still obscure; how health services can be made more accessible and appropriate has not been widely explored. Service providers are at the forefront of locally delivered health services, yet there is a lack of data on their opinions about why boys and men do not seek them out. When the interaction of men and health services is more systematically explored, fresh insights can be gained into what barriers exist and what more appropriate service configuration might actually engage men with the health system. 11 Using aspects of action research, 12 this study attempted to investigate the perceptions and

Smoking is normalised in Arabic-speaking society and is socially acceptable. Strategies to de-normalise smoking, particularly among men, are critical. Ongoing ETS exposure of wives is concerning and suggests the need to empower women to control their exposure. There is an opportunity to create locally tailored interventions by engaging leaders in religious settings and to improve perceptions of telephone support services. SO WHAT?: Culturally appropriate strategies to de-normalise smoking for Arabic-speaking male smokers are needed together with novel approaches that incorporate families and involve community leaders.

Gender is increasingly recognised as a significant determinant of health. Not only are there marked differences in measures of health between men and women, but also among men themselves. This article briefly describes the health of males in NSW as presented in readily available sources, in particular The Health of the People of NSW-

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