Data user guide
About this guide
The data user guide is a reference tool for users of the Ten to Men: The Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health datasets.
It is intended to provide the necessary information to be able to use the Ten to Men data. This includes information on the study design, questionnaires, data files, data linkage, user resources, statistical considerations and access to the Ten to Men data.
Additional resources available for users of the Ten to Men data include:
- Study questionnaires
- Data dictionary
- Data books
- Data issues paper
- Guide to items and scales
- Technical reports
- Change log registry
If you have any feedback, or would like us to include additional information, please do not hesitate to email us at: [email protected]
Copyright
Some of the material included or referred to in the data user guide is subject to copyright. The copyright information will progressively be added to the study materials. For more information about copyright permissions, email us at: [email protected]
The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) does not guarantee the accuracy, currency or completeness of any copyright information provided in the Ten to Men study materials.
- AIFS accepts no legal liability in relation to any use of the material included or referred to in the data user guide.
- Users should ensure that they seek and obtain the appropriate copyright permissions from the owner of any copyright in this material prior to use.
- AIFS is not responsible for obtaining or assisting users with copyright permissions.
Data user guide updates
| Date | Version | Update | Suggested citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2016 | 1.0 | Original release of Data User Guide for Wave 1. | Currier, D., Koelmeyer, R., Spittal, M. J., Gordon, I., English, D., Gurrin, L., Carlin, J., Sahabandu, S., & Pirkis, J. (2015) Ten to Men - Data User Manual (Version 1). Melbourne: The University of Melbourne. |
| December 2017 | 2.0 | Original release of Data User Guide for Wave 1 and Wave 2. | Currier, D., Koelmeyer, R., Spittal, M. J., Gordon, I., English, D., Gurrin, L., Carlin, J., Sahabandu, S., & Pirkis, J. (2015) Ten to Men - Data User Manual (Version 2). Melbourne: The University of Melbourne. |
| September 2019 | 3.0 | Updated Data User Guide for Release 2.1, Wave 1 and Wave 2. | Bandara, D., Howell, L., Silbert, M., Mohal, J., Garrard, B., & Daraganova, G. (2019). Ten to Men: The Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health - Data User Guide, Version 3.0, September 2019. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies. |
| September 2021 | 4.0 | Original release of Data User Guide for Wave 3. | Bandara, D., Howell, L., Silbert, M., & Daraganova, G. (2021). Ten to Men: The Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health - Data User Guide, Version 4.0, September 2021. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies. |
| September 2023 | 5.0 | Original release of Data User Guide for Wave 4. | Volpe, F. Suares, M., Silbert, M., & Martin, S. (2023). Ten to Men: The Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health - Data User Guide, Version 5.0, September 2023. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies. |
| December 2024 | 6.0 | Updated Data User Guide for Release 4.0.1, Waves 1-4. | Volpe, F., Biddiscombe, K., Silbert, M., & Martin, S. (2024). Ten to Men: The Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health – Data User Guide, Version 6.0, December 2024. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies. |
| August 2025 | 7.0 | Original release of Data User Guide for Sample Top Up. | Volpe, F., Biddiscombe, K., Silbert, M., & Martin, S. (2025). Ten to Men: The Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health – Data User Guide, Version 7.0, August 2025. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies. |
| October 2025 | 8.0 | Original release of Data User Guide for Wave 5 | Volpe, F., Biddiscombe, K., Silbert, M., & Martin, S. (2025). Ten to Men: The Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health – Data User Guide, Version 8.0, October 2025. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies. |
References
- Currier, D., Pirkis, J., Carlin, J., Degenhardt, L., Dharmage, S. C., Giles-Corti, B. et al. (2016). The Australian longitudinal study on male health-methods. BMC Public Health, 16(Suppl 3), 1030. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-3698-1
- Kalton, G. (1983). Introduction to Survey Sampling. Newburry Park, CA: Sage Publications.
- Spittal, M. J., Carlin J. B., Currier, D., Downes, M., English, D. R., Gordon, I. et al. (2016). The Australian longitudinal study on male health sampling design and weighting: Implications for analysis and interpretation of clustered data. BMC Public Health, 16(Suppl 3), 1062. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-3699-0
- Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2011). Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 5 - Remoteness Structure. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Glossary
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| ABS | Australian Bureau of Statistics |
| ADA | Australian Data Archive |
| AIFS | Australian Institute of Family Studies |
| ANZSCO | Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations |
| ASCCEG | Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups |
| ASCL | Australian Standard Classification of Languages |
| ASGS | Australian Statistical Geographic Standards |
| CAPI | Computer-Assisted Personal Interview |
| Data Books | Documents providing the frequency distribution of variables by questionnaire |
| Data Dictionary | Spreadsheet listing all variables and their attributes |
| DoHDA | Department of Health, Disability and Ageing |
| DOI | Digital Object Identifier |
| G-NAF | Geo-Coded National Address File |
| IEO | Index of Education and Occupation |
| IER | Index of Economic Resources |
| IRSD | Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage |
| IRSAD | Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and Disadvantage |
| MB | Mesh Block |
| MMM | Modified Monash Model |
| NHMRC | National Health and Medical Research Council |
| RA | Remoteness Area |
| SA1 | Statistical Area 1 |
| SA2 | Statistical Area 2 |
| SACC | Standard Australian Classification of Countries |
| SEIFA | Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas |
| SRC | Social Research Centre |
| TTM | Ten to Men study |
Acknowledgements
Ten to Men: The Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health is the first large-scale, nationally representative, longitudinal study to focus exclusively on investigating and improving the health and wellbeing of males in Australia. It is also the largest longitudinal study of male health in the world.
Ten to Men was commissioned and is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (formerly the Department of Health) to inform the National Male Health Policy. The study was initially conducted by the University of Melbourne who released datasets, including data documentation, for Wave 1 and Wave 2. Roy Morgan Research undertook the data collection and initial data processing for these 2 waves.
After a competitive tender process in 2017, the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) was awarded with the responsibility to conduct Waves 3 and 4. Since then, AIFS has updated the Wave 1 and Wave 2 datasets, including data documentation.
In 2020, the study team re-evaluated and revised the survey content and methodology to enable contactless interviewing for Wave 3. The online survey went live at the end of July 2020, with data collection concluding in February 2021.
Minimal changes, both in terms of the survey content and the data collection method, occurred between Wave 3 and Wave 4. The Wave 4 online survey data collection period was from August 2022 to December 2022.
Due to attrition of the original sample, a top-up of the sample was undertaken, with empanelment occurring at Wave 5.
Wave 5 of Ten to Men was conducted from August 2024 to March 2025. In addition to participants from the original cohort recruited in 2013/14, this wave included the Sample Top-Up cohort, recruited between 2022 and 2024, participating in a wave for the first time. Additional recruitment was also undertaken during this period, and those participants are included in the Wave 5 dataset.
The Social Research Centre (SRC) was contracted to undertake the fieldwork component for Waves 3 and 4, the Sample Top Up and Wave 5 of the study.
Volpe, F., Biddiscombe, K., Silbert, M., & Martin, S. (2025). Ten to Men: The Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health – Data User Guide, Version 8.0, October 2025. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies
23 October 2025