PERSONS AGED 15-74 YEARS

Persons aged 75 years and over comprised around two-thirds (64.9%) of all deaths amongst the total Australian population in 2011-12. Given the likelihood of death from particular causes differs across age, information on causes of death for all persons can mask patterns of causes of death amongst other age groups. Consideration of deaths of persons aged 15-74 years is important as many deaths amongst this age group are potentially avoidable (that is, potentially preventable through individualised care and/or treatable through existing primary or hospital care) [1]. Leading causes of death for persons aged 15-74 years are therefore presented below.

There were 26,375 deaths of persons aged 15-74 years who accessed mental health-related treatments in 2011, with a standardised death rate almost two and a half times (2.4) that of the total Australian population of the same age (7.4 deaths per 1,000 population compared with 3.0 deaths per 1,000 population respectively). The pattern of higher death rates amongst persons aged 15-74 years who accessed mental health-related treatments was evident across all leading causes of death.

The leading cause of death for persons aged 15-74 years who accessed mental health-related treatments in 2011 was Lung cancer (Cancer of the trachea, bronchus or lung), with 2,919 deaths (accounting for 11.1% of all deaths amongst this population), followed by Ischaemic heart disease (1,978 deaths, or 7.5% of all deaths of persons who accessed mental health-related treatments). The leading causes of death amongst the total Australian population aged 15-74 years were Ischaemic heart disease (10.4%) and Lung cancer (9.8%).

The standardised death rate for Lung cancer for persons aged 15-74 years who accessed mental health-related treatments was 74.8 deaths per 100,000 population, more than two and a half times (2.6) that of the total Australian population of the same age (29.1 deaths per 100,000 population). For Ischaemic heart disease the standardised death rate for persons aged 15-74 years who accessed mental health-related treatments was 50.9 deaths per 100,000 population, compared with 31.2 deaths per 100,000 population amongst the total Australian population of the same age. While it is not possible to attribute causality between behavioural risks factors, use of mental health-related treatments and causes of death, the 2014-15 National Health Survey showed that of the 3.4 million persons in Australia aged 15-74 years who reported having a mental or behavioural condition, almost one quarter (23.9%) smoked currently, compared with 16.3% of all persons aged 15-74 years.

Chronic lower respiratory diseases and Colon cancer were the third and fourth leading causes of death of persons aged 15-74 years who accessed mental health-related treatments in 2011, with 1,437 deaths (5.4%) and 1,210 deaths (4.6%) respectively. This order was reversed amongst the total Australian population aged 15-74 years, with Colon cancer accounting for 4.4% of all deaths of 15-74 year olds and Chronic lower respiratory diseases accounting for 4.2%.

Breast cancer and Intentional self-harm were the fifth and sixth leading causes of death of persons aged 15-74 years who accessed mental health-related treatments in 2011, with 1,151 deaths (4.4%) and 1,072 deaths (4.1%) respectively. This order was reversed amongst the total Australian population aged 15-74 years, with Intentional self-harm accounting for 3.9% of all deaths of 15-74 year olds and Breast cancer accounting for 3.8%.

The standardised death rate for deaths due to Intentional self-harm (43.7 deaths per 100,000 population) was the third highest of all leading causes of death amongst persons aged 15-74 years who accessed mental health-related treatments, behind Lung cancer and Ischaemic heart disease. This rate was almost three and a half times (3.4) higher than that of the total Australian population of the same age (13.0 deaths per 100,000 population).

The standardised death rate for Breast cancer amongst persons aged 15-74 years who accessed mental health-related treatments was almost three times (2.9) higher than the total Australian population of the same age (33.8 deaths per 100,000 population compared with 11.7 deaths per 100,000 population respectively).

Underlying cause	Rank(a)	Number of deaths no.	Proportion of all deaths %	Standardised death rate rate(b)	Rate ratio ratio(c)
PERSONS AGED 15-74 YEARS WHO ACCESSED MENTAL HEALTH-RELATED TREATMENTS IN 2011
Lung cancer (Cancer of the trachea, bronchus or lung)	1st	2 919	11.1	74.8	2.6
Ischaemic heart disease	2nd	1 978	7.5	50.9	1.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases (e.g. asthma, emphysema)	3rd	1 437	5.4	35.0	2.8
Colon cancer	4th	1 210	4.6	33.4	2.5
Breast cancer	5th	1 151	4.4	33.8	2.9
Intentional self-harm	6th	1 072	4.1	43.7	3.4
All causes of death	. .	26 375	100.0	(d)7.4	2.4
TOTAL AUSTRALIAN POPULATION AGED 15-74 YEARS
Ischaemic heart disease	1st	5 529	10.4	31.2	. .
Lung cancer (Cancer of the trachea, bronchus or lung)	2nd	5 228	9.8	29.1	. .
Colon cancer	3rd	2 367	4.4	13.4	. .
Chronic lower respiratory diseases (e.g. asthma, emphysema)	4th	2 243	4.2	12.6	. .
Intentional self-harm	5th	2 067	3.9	13.0
Breast cancer	6th	2 043	3.8	11.7	. .
All causes of death	. .	53 289	100.0	(d)3.0	. .
(a) Data ranked according to leading cause of death. (b) Deaths per 100,000 population, age standardised to the 2001 Australian population. (c) Ratio of standardised death rate of persons who accessed mental health-related treatments in 2011 to standardised death rate of total Australian population (d) Deaths per 1,000 population, age standardised to the 2001 Australian population.

ENDNOTES

1 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2017, Metadata Online Registry, National Healthcare Agreement: PI 16–Potentially avoidable deaths, 2017, viewed 24 August 2017, <http://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/630024>