A three-year research programme to find out about men's health needs has been announced by the South Eastern Health Board.
A limited amount is known about men's health, the board says, although recent reports indicate that on average men die six years younger than women.
Men are more likely to suffer accidents, injuries on the road and incidents in the workplace. They also have a higher rate of suicide, which is the leading cause of death among young men.
Ms Biddy O'Neill, the board's health promotion manager, said that while women's health had been placed at the top of the strategic agenda for health services in Ireland, men's health had had no specific targeted strategy.
With funding of £70,000 from the Department of Health and Children, the board is to undertake a region-wide consultation programme with men about health issues. A researcher to carry out the work is to be appointed shortly.
As men are not inclined to talk about their health, a proactive approach will be taken.
"We'll be targeting workplaces, sports organisations, community groups, wherever we can access men. We have to go to them because men are not great at coming to meetings," Ms O'Neill said.
A campaign to advise building workers of the dangers of working in the sun without adequate protection was highly successful when health board personnel went on site.
"We were telling them of the need to wear T-shirts and apply protection to the skin and we got a very good response. We even had calls from other building sites asking us to visit them. Now if we'd held a meeting in some hall and asked men to come along, it would not have been as successful," she said.
The research project follows the establishment by the board of a working group in 1999 to review the area of men's health and identify opportunities for development. The findings will be sent to the Department and will help inform a strategic approach to men's health at national level.