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Violence is a major public health problem. There is a lot of research that shows the harmful health effects of violence against women; however, there is very little known about how it affects men.

A University of New Brunswick research team will receive $383,676 over the next five years by the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) to examine 600 English-speaking New Brunswick men between the ages of 19-65 to understand how men see themselves as men, their patterns of lifetime violence and health outcomes.

“As a team, we have been conducting research in the areas of gender, health, and violence for many years and we are aware that throughout life, men experience higher rates of illness, accidents and premature deaths than their female counterparts,” said co-principal investigator, Kelly Scott-Storey.  “Despite the prevalence of violence in men’s lives, there is little understanding of men’s experiences of violence and how it impacts their long-term health.”

This research is timely, as the state of men’s health is a growing concern worldwide, and in New Brunswick it has emerged as an important area for action according to Dr. Scott-Storey.

“Overall, men’s health and health service use has been shown to lag behind women’s. In striving for equality and equity in health services, a better understanding of the health of men is required.”

The findings of this study will be useful for programs and policies promoting and managing men's health. 

The principal investigators are UNB nursing researchers Dr. Judy Wuest and Dr. Kelly Scott-Storey.  Their team is currently recruiting 50 men from the Fredericton, N.B., area for a men’s health pilot study, funded by the New Brunswick Health Research Foundation. The larger CIHR study will begin later this year. For more information contact health@unb.ca.

To arrange a media interview, please contact Natasha Ashfield.