Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jan;36(1):e940.
doi: 10.1002/hpja.940.

Investigating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander male health and wellbeing programs and their key elements: A scoping review

Kootsy Canuto  1   2 , Celina Gaweda  1   2 , Bryce Brickley  1 , Rosie Neate  1   2 , Courtney Hammond  2   3 , Leah Newcombe  4 , Graham Gee  5 , Oliver Black  1   6 , Douglas Clinch  2 , James A Smith  1 , Karla J Canuto  1   2
Affiliations

Investigating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander male health and wellbeing programs and their key elements: A scoping review

Kootsy Canuto et al. Health Promot J Austr. 2025 Jan.

Abstract

Issue addressed: This scoping review aims to explore the size and scope of the body of literature relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander male health and wellbeing programs and describe key program elements.

Methods: This review considered unpublished and published literature from electronic peer-reviewed databases and grey literature sources. Included articles must refer to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander male health and wellbeing program. Descriptive data synthesised, and seven key program elements were analysed: (1) Origin of Design, (2) Governance, (3) Leads/Facilitators, (4) Funding, (5) Length and Frequency, (6) Outcomes and Measures, and (7) Monitoring and Evaluation.

Results: The review identified 54 programs described in 49 publications that were published between 1998 and 2022. Only 20 publications were peer-reviewed articles. Most programs (n = 44) were instigated, co-designed or adapted by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to suit cultural and community needs. Reporting on key program elements varied, with only n = 25 of the included publications reporting governance systems.

Conclusions: This work is the first to synthesise the literature and describe the key elements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander male health and wellbeing programs. Relatively few publications were found describing programs designed specifically for this population group. SO WHAT?: While the descriptive findings of the programs and their key elements in this review can assist health promotion and primary care practitioners, further investment and research are required to strengthen the evidence base and achieve the best health and wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males.

Keywords: first nations; health; indigenous; men's health; primary health care; quality improvement.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Key program elements.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
PRISMA flow chart detailing results of the literature search and study inclusion.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Wenitong M. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander male health, wellbeing and leadership. Med J Aust. 2006;185(8):466–467. 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2006.tb00652.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet . Overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health status, 2022. Perth: ECU; 2023. 105. Available from: https://healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/learn/health-facts/%20overview-aborigin...
    1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2023 . Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework: summary report July 2023. Canberra: AIHW; 2023. Available from: https://indigenoushpf.gov.au/Report-overview/Overview/Summary-Report/4-T...
    1. Bailie J, Matthews V, Laycock A, Schultz R, Burgess CP, Peiris D, et al. Improving preventive health care in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary care settings. Glob Health. 2017;13(1):48. 10.1186/s12992-017-0267-z - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Smith JA, Braunack‐Mayer A, Wittert G, Warin M. “It's sort of like being a detective”: understanding how Australian men self‐monitor their health prior to seeking help. BMC Health Serv Res. 2008;8:56. 10.1186/1472-6963-8-56 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms