1304.5 - Stats Talk WA (Newsletter), Dec 2004  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 27/01/2005   
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2004-05 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey

It is recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians suffer greater ill health than other Australians. On 30 August 2004, the ABS commenced collecting data for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS), an important survey on the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults and children. The survey is being conducted across urban, rural and remote areas of Australia and will be completed in early July 2005.

The NATSIHS will collect information on:

    • health service use, such as availability and type of services and perceived barriers to their use;
    • health risk factors, such as exercise, diet, and smoking; and
    • health status indicators, such as asthma, cancer, diabetes etc.

The NATSIHS was developed with help and advice from the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation along with other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and government agencies. The survey will be repeated every six years and is the largest nation-wide survey of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health ever conducted. Given the current limitations of the availability and quality of health data for Indigenous peoples, this survey is a key component in the process of developing and enhancing information already available. The data from the NATSIHS will be used by both the community controlled health sector and governments to target the improvement of the health of Indigenous Australians.

The ABS will release the first results from the survey in 2006 in a summary national publication. It is also intended that State and territory summary tables will be released around the same time as the national publication.