Page 47 - SAMRC Annual Report 2023-24

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Masculinity and
Health Research Unit

Unit director:
Prof. Ashley van Niekerk

Prioritising responsive research safety policy. The key research enactments in 2023
through impactful interventions were realised through the expansion of MaHRU's
injury mortality surveillance system, consolidation
Masculinity and Health Research Unit (MaHRU)'s of its community safety instrument research, full
focus is in recognition of the disproportionate implementation of the violence and injury prevention
involvement of boys and men in injury and violence studies, and implementation of community
as victims and perpetrators, their more limited use engagement activities.
of healthcare than women, and their shorter life
expectancy. MaHRU's overall objective is to host MaHRU produced peer-reviewed journal articles in
research that contributes towards understanding a range of national, continental, and international
the contribution of boys, men, and masculinities in journals, book chapters and a book. The influence
health, and how best to engage men and boys toward of MaHRU is also indicated in several invited
improved health outcomes. The unit's research editorials or commentaries, several technical
seeks to contribute to the prevention of violence reports, policy-related technical standards initiated,
and injury, specifically through (1) studies on the key and through a significant number of keynote and
risks, determinants, and protectors against injury invited presentations. MaHRU staff have been
and violence where boys and men are involved or recognised by a range of science and discipline-
implicated; (2) the development of methodological specific organisations. Dr Kimemia served on
tools to assess such injury and violence prevalence; the South African Bureau of Standards Technical
(3) studies on prevention interventions; and (4) Committee on Domestic Solid and Liquid Fuelled
the mobilisation of empirical support to enable and the Appliances and the SABS Working Group on

MaHRU and the Limpopo Forensic Pathology Services collaborating on an injury prevention workshop
discussing the next steps in injury prevention priorities

SAMRC ANNUAL REPOR T 2023-24 45