KEY FINDINGS
This publication contains information from the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (AATSIHS) core sample of around 12,900 people (a combined data file of both the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS) and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NATSINPAS) for people aged 2 years and over). The core sample is larger than the NATSIHS sample of around 9,300 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people which was used for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey: First Results, 2012-13 (cat. no. 4727.0.55.001). For more information on the structure of the AATSIHS, see Structure of the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey.
Results in this publication are, for the most part, consistent with those in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey: First Results, 2012-13 (cat. no. 4727.0.55.001). For information on the comparability of estimates from the NATSIHS and core sample, see Comparison of First Results and Updated Results. For a summary of data updates and additions between the First Results publication and this publication, see Table 22: First Results to Updated Results—comparability of tables in the Downloads section.
General health
- In 2012–13, around two in five (39.3%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over rated their health as excellent or very good, while 6.9% rated their health as poor.
- Based on age standardised proportions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over were around half as likely as non-Indigenous people to have reported excellent or very good health (rate ratio of 0.6).
Selected long-term health conditions
In 2012–13, the proportions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 2 years and over with the following long-term health conditions were:
- diabetes/high sugar levels — 8.6%
- hypertensive disease — 5.8%
- heart, stroke and vascular diseases — 3.9%
- kidney disease —1.8%.
Selected health risk factors
Tobacco smoking
- ln 2012–13, two in five (41.6%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over smoked on a daily basis.
- Rates of daily smoking for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have come down from 48.6% in 2002 and 44.6% in 2008.
- In 2012–13, current daily smoking was more prevalent among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people than non-Indigenous people in every age group.
- Based on age standardised proportions, the gap between the daily smoking rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 18 years and over and non-Indigenous adults was 26.7 percentage points in 2001 and 26.1 percentage points in 2012–13.
Overweight and obesity
- In 2012–13, almost one-third (29.7%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 2–14 years were overweight (19.6%) or obese (10.2%) according to their BMI.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 2–14 years were significantly more likely than non-Indigenous children to be obese (10.2% compared with 6.5%).
- In 2012–13, two-thirds (66.0%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over were overweight (28.6%) or obese (37.4%), according to their BMI.
- Obesity rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males and females were significantly higher than the comparable rates for non-Indigenous people in almost every age group.
Daily fruit intake
- In 2012–13, just over three-quarters (78.4%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 2–14 years met the guidelines for daily fruit intake.
- In 2012–13, less than half (42.0%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over met the guidelines for daily fruit intake.
- Based on age standardised proportions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over were significantly less likely than non-Indigenous people to be meeting the guidelines for daily fruit intake (rate ratio of 0.9).
Daily vegetable intake
- In 2012–13, around one in six (15.7%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 2–14 years met the guidelines for daily vegetable intake.
- In 2012–13, around one in twenty (4.8%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over met the guidelines for daily vegetable intake.
- Based on age standardised proportions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over were significantly less likely than non-Indigenous people to be meeting the guidelines for daily vegetable intake (rate ratio of 0.8).
Measured blood pressure
- In 2012–13, one in five (20.4%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults had measured high blood pressure (systolic or diastolic blood pressure equal to or greater than 140/90 mmHg).
- In 2012–13, four in five (79.4%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults with measured high blood pressure did not report high blood pressure as a long-term health condition.
- Based on age standardised proportions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults were more likely than non-Indigenous adults to have measured high blood pressure (rate ratio of 1.2).
Selected socioeconomic characteristics
Labour force characteristics
- In 2012–13, just under half (47.5%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15–64 years were employed — 29.7% working full-time and 17.8% working part-time.
- In 2012–13, the unemployment rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15–64 years was 20.9%.
- Based on age standardised proportions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15–64 years were around half as likely as non-Indigenous people to be employed (rate ratio of 0.6).
- Based on age standardised proportions, the unemployment rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15–64 years was four times as high as the unemployment rate for non-Indigenous people (rate ratio of 4.2).
Highest educational attainment
- In 2012–13, just under half (45.7%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 20 years and over had completed Year 12 or a Certificate III or above.
- Based on age standardised proportions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 20 years and over were around half as likely as non-Indigenous people to have completed Year 12 or a Certificate III or above (rate ratio of 0.6).
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