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KEY FINDINGS |
Results in this publication contain information from the full Australian Health Survey Core sample of 32,000 people (a combined data file of both the National Health Survey (NHS) and the National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS)
for persons aged 2 years and over). This compares with a sample of 20,500 people used for
Australian Health Survey: First Results, 2011-12 (cat. no. 4364.0.55.001). For more information on the structure of the AHS, see
Structure of the Australian Health Survey.
With a larger sample size, the Core provides more accurate estimates and allows for analysis at a finer level of disaggregation. Results in this publication are, for the most part, consistent with those in
Australian Health Survey: First Results, 2011-12 (cat. no. 4364.0.55.001), with the key exception of diabetes due to a definitional change
. For further information
on the comparability between estimates from the two publications see
Comparison of First Results and Updated Results).
General health
- In 2011-12, over half (55.1%) of all Australians aged 15 years and over considered themselves to be in very good or excellent health, while 4.0% rated their health as poor.
Long-term health conditions
In 2011-12, the number of people aged 2 years and over with the following long-term health conditions were:
- diabetes mellitus - 1.0 million people (4.6%)
- heart disease - 1.1 million people (5.0%)
- hypertensive disease - 2.3 million people (10.6%)
- kidney disease - 183,400 people (0.9%)
Health risk factors
Tobacco smoking
- Rates of daily smoking have continued to drop to 16.1% of people aged 18 years and over (2.8 million people) in 2011-12, from 18.9% in 2007-08 and 22.4% in 2001.
- Proportionally, more men smoke daily than women (18.3% and 14.1%, respectively).
- Those who live in outer regional and remote areas of Australia had higher rates of daily smoking (22.4%) compared with those who live in inner regional (18.4%) or major cities of Australia (14.7%).
- Rates of smoking increased as the level of disadvantage increased with people living in areas of most disadvantage more likely to smoke (23.0%) compared with those living in areas of least disadvantage (9.9%).
Overweight and obesity
- The prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults aged 18 years and over has continued to rise to 62.8% in 2011-12, from 61.2% in 2007-08 and 56.3% in 1995.
- The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children aged 5-17 years has increased between 1995 and 2007-08 (20.9% and 24.7%, respectively) and then remained stable to 2011-12 (25.7%).
- Adults living in outer regional and remote areas of Australia were more likely to be overweight or obese (69.5%) compared with adults living in major cities (60.2%).
- Proportionally, more adult women living in areas of most disadvantage were overweight or obese (63.8%) compared with women living in areas of least disadvantage (47.7%). This pattern was not apparent for adult men, with men equally as likely to be overweight or obese in areas of most disadvantage (69.0%) compared with least disadvantage (68.6%).
Blood pressure
- In 2011-12, just over one in five people (21.5%) aged 18 years and over had measured high blood pressure (systolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 140mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 90mmHg).
- Of those people with measured high blood pressure, 71.9% did not self-report hypertensive disease.
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