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Health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians
HEALTH OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER AUSTRALIANS
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience disadvantage across a range of socioeconomic indicators. There is strong evidence from Australia and other developed countries that low socioeconomic status is associated with poor health and increased exposure to a range of health risk factors.
General health
In the 2004-05 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS), conducted by the ABS, just over three-quarters of Indigenous people aged 15 years and over assessed their health as good, very good or excellent while 22% reported their health as fair or poor. After adjusting for differences in the age structure between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations, Indigenous people were almost twice as likely to report their health as fair or poor.
Long-term conditions
Around two-thirds (65%) of Indigenous people had at least one long-term health condition in 2004-05 (table 11.24). While Indigenous and non-Indigenous people overall were equally likely to report a long-term condition, the prevalence of long-term condition(s) was higher among Indigenous Australians than non-Indigenous Australians in the age groups from 25-54 years.
Eye/sight problems (30%), asthma (15%), back and disc disorders (13%), heart/circulatory diseases (12%) and ear/hearing problems (12%) were the most commonly reported long-term health conditions among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in 2004-05. In addition, 6% of Indigenous people reported diabetes and 2% reported kidney disease. After adjusting for differences in the age structure between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations, Indigenous people were more than ten times as likely as non-Indigenous people to have kidney disease, three times as likely to have diabetes, and one-and-a-half times as likely to have asthma.
For detailed information on cardiovascular disease, diabetes and kidney disease among Indigenous Australians, refer to 'Selected chronic conditions among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' in Australian Social Trends, 2007 (4102.0).
11.24 INDIGENOUS PERSONS, Selected long-term health conditions and risk factors - 2004-05 |
|  |
| | Total Indigenous | Indigenous to non-Indigenous rate | |
| Long-term health conditions (ICD-10) | % | ratio | |
| |
| Arthritis | 9 | 1.2 | |
| Asthma | 15 | 1.6 | |
| Back pain/problems n.e.c., disc disorders | 13 | 1.2 | |
| Diabetes/high sugar levels | 6 | 3.4 | |
| Ear/hearing problems(a) | 12 | 1.0 | |
| Eye/sight problems | 30 | 0.9 | |
| Heart and circulatory problems/diseases | 12 | 1.3 | |
| Kidney disease | 2 | 10.0 | |
| Neoplasms/cancer | 1 | 0.7 | |
| Osteoporosis | 1 | 0.7 | |
| Lifestyle risk factors(b) | | | |
| Overweight/obese | 60 | 1.2 | |
| Current daily smoker | 50 | 2.2 | |
| Risky/high risk alcohol consumption - short-term | 19 | 2.1 | |
| Risky/high risk alcohol consumption - long-term | 16 | 1.1 | |
| |
| (a) Rate ratio is not age-standardised for ear/hearing problems. |
| (b) Persons aged 18 years and over. |
| Source: ABS data available on request, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, Australia (4715.0). |
Lifestyle risk factors
Based on self-reported height and weight information collected in the 2004-05 NATSIHS, six in ten Indigenous adults were overweight (29%) or obese (31%), similar to non-Indigenous adults (rate ratio of 1.2) (table 11.24). The proportion of Indigenous adults who smoked regularly (one or more cigarettes a day, on average) was also high at 50%, and more than twice the rate for non-Indigenous adults.
Alcohol consumption risk levels are based on National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines for risk of harm in the short and long-term. In the 2004-05 NATSIHS, around half of all Indigenous adults (49%) reported having consumed alcohol in the week prior to being surveyed, and 16% reported drinking at long-term risky/high risk levels. In addition, one in five Indigenous adults (19%) reported drinking at short-term risky/high risk levels at least once a week in the last 12 months, double the rate reported by non-Indigenous adults.
11.25 NATIONAL NOTIFIABLE DISEASE SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM REPORTS |
| |
| | Notifications | Rate(a) | |
| Disease(c) | 2005(b) | 2006 | 2004(b) | 2005(b) | 2006 | |
| |
| Blood-borne diseases | | | | | | |
| Hepatitis B (incident) | 251 | 295 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.4 | |
| Hepatitis B (unspecified) | 6 336 | 6 296 | 28.8 | 31.2 | 30.6 | |
| Hepatitis C (incident) | 374 | 431 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 2.1 | |
| Hepatitis C (unspecified) | 12 023 | 12 057 | 63.4 | 59.1 | 58.5 | |
| Hepatitis D | 30 | 31 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | |
| Hepatitis n.e.c. | - | 1 | - | - | - | |
| Gastrointestinal diseases | | | | | | |
| Botulism | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | |
| Campylobacteriosis | 16 488 | 15 398 | 116.4 | 121.6 | 111.8 | |
| Cryptosporidiosis | 3 211 | 3 201 | 8.4 | 15.8 | 15.5 | |
| Haemolytic uraemic syndrome | 20 | 13 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | |
| Hepatitis A | 326 | 280 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.4 | |
| Hepatitis E | 30 | 23 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | |
| Listeriosis | 54 | 61 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | |
| Salmonellosis | 8 425 | 8 261 | 39.0 | 41.4 | 40.1 | |
| Shigellosis | 729 | 543 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 2.6 | |
| SLTEC, VTEC(d) | 86 | 70 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.3 | |
| Typhoid | 52 | 78 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.4 | |
| Quarantinable diseases | | | | | | |
| Cholera | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | |
| Sexually transmissible diseases | | | | | | |
| Chlamydial infection | 41 376 | 47 030 | 180.1 | 203.5 | 228.2 | |
| Donovanosis | 13 | 4 | - | 0.1 | - | |
| Gonococcal infection | 8 083 | 8 550 | 35.7 | 39.8 | 41.5 | |
| Syphilis less than 2 years duration | 632 | 815 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 4.0 | |
| Syphilis more than 2 years duration | 1 589 | 1 581 | 7.9 | 7.8 | 7.7 | |
| Syphilis - congenital | 15 | 14 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | |
| Vaccine preventable diseases | | | | | | |
| Diphtheria | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Haemophilus influenza type b | 17 | 22 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | |
| Influenza (laboratory confirmed) | 4 565 | 3 159 | 10.6 | 22.5 | 15.3 | |
| Measles | 10 | 125 | 0.2 | - | 0.6 | |
| Mumps | 241 | 275 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.3 | |
| Pertussis | 11 197 | 10 998 | 43.5 | 55.1 | 53.4 | |
| Pneumococcal disease | 1 749 | 1 443 | 11.8 | 8.6 | 7.0 | |
| Rubella | 31 | 59 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | |
| Rubella - congenital | 1 | - | - | - | - | |
| Tetanus | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | |
| Varicella Infection (Chicken Pox)(e) | - | 1 514 | - | - | 11.0 | |
| Varicella Infection (unspecified)(e) | - | 3 565 | - | - | 25.9 | |
| Varicella zoster infection(e) | - | 1 077 | - | - | 7.8 | |
| Vector-borne diseases | | | | | | |
| Barmah Forest virus infection | 1 322 | 2 120 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 10.3 | |
| Dengue | 221 | 187 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.9 | |
| Flavivirus n.e.c. | 29 | 33 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | |
| Japanese encephalitis | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Kunjin virus | 1 | 3 | 0.1 | - | - | |
| Malaria | 823 | 775 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 3.8 | |
| Murray Valley encephalitis | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | |
| Ross River virus infection | 2 546 | 5 487 | 20.9 | 12.5 | 26.6 | |
| Zoonoses | | | | | | |
| Anthrax | - | 1 | - | - | - | |
| Brucellosis | 41 | 49 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | |
| Leptospirosis | 129 | 147 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.7 | |
| Ornithosis | 164 | 168 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.8 | |
| Q fever | 355 | 402 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 2.0 | |
| Other diseases | | | | | | |
| Legionnellosis | 334 | 348 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.7 | |
| Leprosy | 10 | 5 | - | - | - | |
| Meningococcal infection | 392 | 318 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.5 | |
| Tuberculosis | 1 083 | 1 229 | 5.6 | 5.3 | 6.0 | |
| Total | 125 414 | 138 550 | 565.1 | 616.9 | 672.4 | |
| |
| - nil or rounded to zero (including null cells) |
| (a) Revised totals for 2004 to 2006 as at July 2007. Totals may vary over time as notifications are subject to revision. |
| (b) Diseases reported to NNDSS from all jurisdictions except incident hepatitis C not reported from Qld; campylobacteriosis not reported from NSW. |
| (c) Rate per 100,000 population is calculated using the estimated resident population at the midpoint (30 June) of the relevant calendar year. |
| (d) SLTEC/VTEC: Shiga-like toxin/verotoxin producing E. coli infections. |
| (e) Not notifiable prior to 2006. |
Source: Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, 'National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System', last viewed July 2007,
<http://www.health.gov.au/cda/source/CDA-index.cfm>. |
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