4364.0.55.001 - Australian Health Survey: First Results, 2011-12  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 29/10/2012  First Issue
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Contents >> General health >> Self-assessed health status


SELF-ASSESSED HEALTH STATUS

Self-assessed health status is a commonly used measure of overall health. While it may not always be equivalent to health status as measured by a medical professional, it does reflect a person's perception of his or her own health at a given point in time. Therefore, it is a useful measure of a person's current health status, as well as providing a broad picture of a population's overall health.

In 2011-12, over half of all Australians aged 15 years and over considered themselves to be in very good or excellent health (55.6%), while 4.0% rated their health as poor. There was no significant change in the way Australians rated their overall health between 2007-08 and 2011-12.

Older Australians generally rated themselves as having poorer health than younger people, with persons aged 75 years and over recording the highest proportion of poor health (10.5%). Men and women showed no differences in the way they assessed their overall health in 2011-12.

Graph Image for Self-assessed health status(a), 2011-12

Footnote(s): (a) Persons aged 15 years and over.

Source(s): Australian Health Survey: First Results





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