Learn about the type of data we collect and how we protect it.

Information we collect

The Ten to Men study collects important health information through surveys and health service records. We follow the same participants over time to see how their health changes. Policy makers and researchers use this information to develop services and programs to help improve the health of Australian boys and men.  

We collect data about participants’:

  • physical and emotional health
  • health service usage
  • behaviours, risk, protective factors
  • personal and family situation
  • life stages and life events
  • social and environmental factors.

How your data is stored

To ensure your online survey information is kept secure, we use strong encryption technology. This means that the information you provide is only accessed by study team members authorised to do so. To protect your stored data, multi-level password protection is used on all electronic storage systems. To ensure security and confidentiality, all survey information will be stored, analysed and reported on with your identifying details removed.

All providers involved in collecting the survey information adhere to 

You can find further information on privacy in relation to the Ten to Men study, including the Ten to Men Privacy Statement on our website.

Access to data is managed by Ten to Men’s Data Access 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.

Your contact information will be securely stored for 7 years at AIFS following the completion of the study. Consent forms will also be stored at AIFS until 20 years after the completion of the study as per National Archives of Australian General Records Authority requirements (see General Records Authority 37). After this period, records will be destroyed in a manner appropriate to the security classification of the record content. If the organisation responsible for future data collection phases of the study changes, AIFS will be required to disclose your information to that organisation.

As Ten to Men has been determined as a nationally significant study, the de-identified research datasets will be stored at the National Archives at the completion of the study.

How your data is used

The information you provide is de-identified and combined with data from other study participants. The Ten to Men data are then approved for use by data users such as researchers and policy makers from universities, service providers, not-for-profit organisations and government departments. This data can be used to help Government, service providers and not-for-profit organisations to improve services and programs that can benefit Australian men and boys. The data can also be used by researchers at universities and other organisations to increase knowledge about male health. 

International researchers from various fields can also apply to become approved data users (as for all data users, the data will be de-identified so no individual can be identified). By comparing Ten to Men data with data from similar longitudinal studies conducted in other countries, similarities and differences in male health between countries can be explored.

All data is de-identified when released, and only combined results (aggregate) are published. We have stringent data sharing and review procedures in place to ensure data is only accessible via the Australian Data Archive (ADA) at the Australian National University (ANU). The ADA is a secure data-storage facility. 

We require all approved users of Ten to Men study data sign a deed of confidentiality that prohibits them from trying to identify any participants or sharing any potentially identifiable information.

Data linkage

This year we will also ask for your consent to link your survey data to relevant government data.

Data linkage is the process of combining data sources to produce a better picture of the factors affecting you. You can’t be identified when our researchers do this.

If you joined the study as a boy in 2013/2014 (Wave 1) or as a new study participant in 2023/2024, we are seeking permission to link:

  • Medicare Benefit Scheme (MBS)
  • Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS)
  • National Death Index (NDI) – Cause of Death
  • Centrelink data

If you joined the study before 2023, we are seeking permission to link:

  • National Death Index (NDI) – Cause of Death
  • Centrelink data

What data linkage is

Data linkage brings together information from several data sources to produce a more complete picture of what has been happening in your life by linking your survey responses with existing data.

Linked data improves and adds to Ten to Men survey data. When your survey data is linked with government data such as Medicare, Centrelink and death registers, it is better able to help improve health and health care services. These records provide administrative and classification information on health events, medical conditions, treatments and medications and welfare data such as Centrelink payments received, and the types of health services you have used. This wider perspective allows us to further examine when government data is combined with demographic, social and health information in Ten to Men:

  • Researchers can determine how men’s access to health services is affected by where you live by putting Medicare data together with survey data. This means they can investigate why some people might not access health services and treatments available.
  • Information about prescription medicine subsidised by the Australian Government allows researchers to understand how many prescriptions and the type of medicines have been filled over an individual’s lifetime. This means researchers can examine associations between specific medicines and health conditions amongst Australian men.
  • Information on parenting payments obtained from Centrelink can be used to examine the impact of payments. This helps us understand whether policies such as welfare payments are addressing intergenerational disadvantage.

MBS and PBS data

Linking Medicare Benefit Scheme (MBS) and Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS) data to your Ten to Men survey responses has the potential to strengthen the impact of Ten to Men. This is good for both you and the research and policy community to help understand the health and health care service needs of Australian males and how they might be improved in the future. This also means that researchers and policy makers have strong evidence for better health policy.

We will be asking your permission to link your survey data to MBS and PBS data. Medicare collects information on your medical visits and procedures and the associated costs. The PBS collects information on the prescription medication you have filled at pharmacies.

Centrelink data 

In the past, it has been difficult to determine how changes to Centrelink payments impact on people’s lives. The government needs to understand whether and how Centrelink payments work for the people who receive them. By linking Ten to Men survey data with Centrelink data, researchers can study how and why payments do or don’t help.

We are hoping that insights provided through data linkage from the Australian Government Department of Social Services can make better policies in relation to Centrelink payments.

Linked data is used for research purposes only and will have no impact on your Centrelink payments. Your contact details are removed before the Centrelink records are attached to your Ten to Men survey responses. This means you cannot be identified from the linked data.

NDI – (Cause of Death) data

Cause of death is usually the last relevant information that can be collected about a person’s health. By combining information about date and cause of death with the extensive health and wellbeing data collected in Ten to Men throughout a man’s life, we hope that our research will discover more about how men can live longer, healthier lives.

Find out more about data linkage in the Ten to Men study by viewing our brochures.

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