• Privacy statement
• Ethics

The study is bound by State and Commonwealth privacy laws, and we have set up a range of procedures to protect your privacy and confidentiality. 

Participation is voluntary. If you are thinking about leaving the study, you can call us on 1800 019 606. 

Personal information, such as name, date of birth, Medicare number and address, is separated from survey responses and from any health data we get from other sources. No-one can identify you from your survey answers.

Privacy statement

Ten to Men: The Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health (Ten to Men) investigates the health and lifestyle of men and boys. The Ten to Men study is managed by the Australian Institute of Family Studies in collaboration with the Social Research Centre (SRC). The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care funds the study.

The study collects important health information via surveys and health services records, and follows participants over time to see how their health changes. Information is being used by policy makers and researchers to develop services and programs that will help improve the health of Australian men and boys.

The management of the study is governed by strict procedures to ensure that only authorised people have access to participants' information, and that they comply with the Privacy Act 1988. All the providers involved in collecting the survey information adhere to the Australian Market and Social Research Society (AMSRS) code of professional practice and ISO 20252 standards. If the organisation responsible for collecting data for Ten to Men changes in the future, AIFS will inform you who it is.

Data released to researchers or policy makers is de-identified, and only combined results (aggregate) are published. Stringent data sharing and review procedures are in place to ensure data is only accessible via the Australian Data Archive (ADA) at the Australian National University (ANU). The ADA is a secured data storage facility. Access to data is managed by Ten to Men’s Data Access Review Committee. International researchers from various fields of study also use the data. By comparing Ten to Men data with data from similar longitudinal studies conducted in other countries, researchers can examine similarities and differences in male health between countries.

Participation in the study is voluntary. Ten to Men study participants may withdraw from the study at any time or choose not to take part in some aspects of the study. Any information collected prior to withdrawal that has been released to researchers, analysed and/or used in a publication would continue to be used and form part of the Ten to Men study.

If you have a question, complaint or concern about a data breach, please contact Ten to Men at:

• 1800 019 606 (freecall, excluding mobile phones)
• Ten to Men (C/O The Social Research Centre, Reply Paid 92020, Law Courts VIC 8010)
• info@tentomen.org.au

You are also able to correct your personal information by the methods above. We strive to ensure your personal information is accurate, complete and up-to-date.

Ethics

The first two waves of Ten to Men were approved by the University of Melbourne Human Research Ethics Committee. In 2018, oversight of the study was given to the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) Human Research Ethics Committee. Since then, the research methodology and survey content of Ten to Men is reviewed and approved by the AIFS Ethics Committee, which is a Human Research Ethics Committee registered with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). The Ethics Committee ensures that Ten to Men meets the ethical standards outlined in the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans.

Concerns regarding the ethical conduct of the study

AIFS is committed to research integrity and the ethical conduct of all research projects. If you have any ethical concerns with the conduct of the study, you may contact the AIFS Ethics Committee Secretariat on (03) 9214 7888 or ethicssecretariat@aifs.gov.au. The Ethics Committee secretariat is not connected to the research project and can respond to your concern impartially.

The AIFS Ethics Committee provided approval for data collection activities for Waves 3 and 4 of Ten to Men. The ethics application numbers and approval dates are listed below.

Wave 3:

• Application number 2019-13 (approved 23 June 2020)

Wave 4:

• Application number 2021-02 (last approved 20 June 2022)
• Application number 2022-05 (approved 20 June 2022)