4364.0.55.002 - Health Service Usage and Health Related Actions, Australia, 2014-15  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 27/03/2017   
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL HEALTH SURVEY

The 2014-15 National Health Survey is the most recent in a series of Australia-wide health surveys conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The survey was designed to collect a range of information about the health of Australians, including:

  • prevalence of long-term health conditions;
  • health risk factors such as smoking, overweight and obesity, alcohol consumption and exercise;
  • use of health services such as consultations with health practitioners and actions people have recently taken for their health; and
  • demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.

The survey was conducted in all states and territories and across urban, rural and remote areas of Australia (other than very remote areas) from July 2014 to June 2015, and included around 19,000 people in nearly 15,000 private dwellings.

Previous surveys were conducted in 1989-90, 1995, 2001, 2004-05, 2007-08 and 2011-12. Health surveys conducted by the ABS in 1977-78 and 1983, while not part of the National Health Survey series, collected similar information.

This publication compliments the earlier release of National Health Survey: First Results, 2014-15 (cat. no. 4364.0.55.001).

Results presented in this publication include:
  • Australians' health service usage, such as consultations with health professionals and use of medical facilities;
  • health-related actions, including medication use, self-management of long-term health conditions, days away from work or study/school due to ill-health and condition related testing;
  • breastfeeding information for children aged 0-3 years;
  • numbers of people with hypertension, calculated from data on measured blood pressure and hypertension medication; and
  • information about Australians' private health insurance membership.