 HEALTH
Self-Assessed Health
Self-assessed health status data provides an indicator of overall health. This measure may be influenced by several factors including individual expectations, access to health services and health information.
In 2004–05, around 43% of the Indigenous population aged 15 years and over reported their health as excellent or very good, 35% reported their health as being good and 22% reported their health as fair or poor.
Overall Self-Assessed Health, Indigenous persons (a) 2004–05
 | Persons |
| Health Rating | No. | % |
| Excellent | 39 981 | 14 |
| Very good | 86 946 | 30 |
| Good | 102 407 | 35 |
| Fair | 45 862 | 16 |
| Poor | 18 374 | 6 |
| Total (b) | 293 571 | 100.0 |
(a) Persons aged 15 years and over.
(b) Percent total does not equal 100% due to rounding errors.
Source: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, Australia, 2004–05 (cat. no. 4715.0). |
Overall Self-Assessed Health, Indigenous persons (a) 2004–05
(a) Persons aged 15 years and over.
Source: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, Australia, 2004–05 (cat. no. 4715.0) |
Age standardised rates
Half (50%) of Indigenous people aged 55 years and over rated their health as fair or poor, while only 9% of those aged 15 to 24 years rated their health as fair or poor in 2004–05.
After adjusting for differences in the age structure between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous population (see Age standardisation in Glossary), Indigenous persons were almost twice as likely as non-Indigenous persons to report their health as fair or poor (29% compared to 15% respectively).
Fair or Poor Self-Assessed Health by Indigenous status (a) 2004–05
| Age group (years) | Indigenous
% | Non-Indigenous
% |
|
| 15–24 | 9 | 7 |
| 25–34 | 15 | 8 |
| 35–44 | 24 | 11 |
| 45–54 | 36 | 16 |
| 55 and over | 50 | 29 |
(a) Persons aged 15 years and over
Source: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey: Australia, 2004–05 (cat. no. 4715.0). |
Fair or Poor Self-Assessed Health by Indigenous status (a) 2004–05
(a) Persons aged 15 years and over
Source: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey: Australia, 2004–05 (cat. no. 4715.0). |
Changes in self-assessed health over time
Between 1994 and 2004–05, the proportion of Indigenous Australians who reported their health as fair or poor increased from 18% to 22%. There were corresponding decreases in the proportion reporting their health status as good and excellent/very good.
The increase in the proportion reporting fair/poor health was more pronounced among Indigenous females, rising by 7.3% between 1994 and 2004–05, compared to a rise of 1.3% for Indigenous males during the same period.
Health Status By Sex, Indigenous persons aged 15 years and over, 1994 and 2004–05
| 1994 NATSISS | | 2004-05 NATSIHS |
| Health Status | Males
% | Females
% | Persons
% | Males
% | Females
% | Persons
% |
| Excellent/ Very good | 48.8 | 42.1 | 45.3 | 44.9 | 41.7 | 43.2 |
| Good | 32.8 | 40.9 | 37.1 | 35.7 | 34.1 | 34.9 |
| Fair/Poor | 18.1 | 16.8 | 17.5 | 19.4 | 24.1 | 21.9 |
Source: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, Australia, 2004–05 (cat. no. 4715.0)
and National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, Australia, 2002 (cat. no. 4714.0).
Further Information:
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health: 2004–05, Australia, 2004–05 (cat. no. 4715.0)
Health and Welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Australia, 2008 (cat. no. 4704.0).
Vos, T., B. Barker, L. Stanley & A Lopez (2007), The Burden of Disease and Injury in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, 2003, School of Population Health, Brisbane.
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