General
The disability status of Indigenous people can be compared, using the broader criteria, to that of the non-Indigenous population aged 18 years or over in non-remote areas only. The Indigenous to non-Indigenous age standardised rate ratio for people in non-remote areas with a profound or severe core activity limitation was 2.1. This means that, if the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations had the same size and age structure as the total Australian population, the number of Indigenous people in non-remote areas with a profound or severe core activity limitation would be 2.1 times the corresponding number of non-Indigenous people.
The rate ratio for non-remote areas may be an underestimate for the total Indigenous to non-Indigenous comparison. If the rate of profound or severe core activity restriction in remote areas for Indigenous people had been measured using the broader criteria and was higher than that recorded in non-remote areas, and if a measure was also available for non-Indigenous people in remote areas, then the rate ratios would have probably been higher.
Different age patterns of disability
Table 5.7 shows age standardised rate ratios for non-remote areas for different levels of limitation by sex and age. Among people aged 18 years and over, the rate ratios for both males and females were generally greater than 1.0. Thus, Indigenous people had higher rates of disability at the different levels of limitation than non-Indigenous people. Among those with a profound or severe core activity limitation, the rate ratio was 2.5 for males and 1.8 for females.
Indigenous people had a higher rate of profound or severe core activity limitation than non-Indigenous people in all age groups. The rate ratio for profound or severe core activity limitation peaked for people aged 45-54 years (3.5), with a secondary peak for those aged 25-34 years (3.1).
The prevalence rates for profound and severe core activity limitation in the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations which underlie the trends in the rate ratios are shown in graph 5.6. The prevalence rates for profound and severe core activity limitation are significantly higher for Indigenous than non-Indigenous people in the middle age groups of 25-34 years, 35-44 years, 45-54 years and 55-64 years. The prevalence of profound and severe core activity limitation among Indigenous people aged 45-54 years was as high as that among non-Indigenous people aged 65 years or over. This suggests that there is a relatively higher need for service provision for Indigenous people with a disability at younger ages than for non-Indigenous people.
5.6 Age-specific rates of profound or severe core activity limitation, Persons aged 18 years or over - 2002
In non-remote areas, the age standardised rate ratios for all people with a disability or long-term health condition for both males (1.4) and females (1.4) were lower than those for people with a profound or severe core activity limitation (table 5.7). These results reflect that among all people with a disability or long-term health condition, a higher proportion of Indigenous than non-Indigenous people have a profound or severe core activity limitation. It may be the case that Indigenous people are generally less likely to report a condition if it is not associated with a profound or severe core activity limitation.
5.7 Indigenous to non-Indigenous rate ratios for disability status(a)(b), Persons aged 18 years or over in non-remote areas - 2002 |
|  |
| Profound or severe core activity limitation | Moderate or mild core activity limitation | Schooling or employment restriction only | No specific limitation or restriction | Total exluding profound or severe | Total with a disability or long term health condition | No disability or long-term health condition | |
Males | |
| |
| Total (age standardised) | 2.5 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.7 | |
Females | |
| |
| Total (age standardised) | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.7 | |
Persons | |
| |
| 18-24 | *2.0 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 0.9 | |
| 25-34 | 3.1 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 0.8 | |
| 35-44 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 0.7 | |
| 45-54 | 3.5 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 0.7 | |
| 55-64 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.5 | |
| 65 or over | 1.6 | 1.2 | - | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.1 | *0.7 | |
| Total (age standardised) | 2.1 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.7 | |
| |
| * estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution |
| - nil or rounded to zero (including null cells) |
| (a) Indigenous to non-Indigenous rate ratios are calculated by dividing the proportion of Indigenous people with a particular characteristic by the proportion of non-Indigenous people with the same characteristic. |
| (b) Broader criteria used to identify people with a disability in non-remote areas only. |
| ABS, 2002 NATSISS |
There was little variation with age in the rate ratio for all disabilities and long-term health conditions (table 5.7). This was because the overall rate of disability or long-term health condition showed a general increase with age for both the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations.
Australia’s national research and policy goals include the promotion of good health and wellbeing for all Australians throughout life. In particular, the specific goal of ‘ageing well, ageing productively’ is intended to stimulate efforts to improve the mental and physical capacities of ageing people. Achieving this goal for Indigenous people will be especially challenging.
Disability type
Indigenous people were more likely to have disabilities of all types than non-Indigenous people. In non-remote areas in 2002, age standardised rate ratios for disability types were similar for males and females, and for both sexes the disability type with the highest rate ratio was intellectual (4.0 for males and 3.7 for females; table 5.8). For each disability type the association with age differed for males and females.
5.8 Indigenous to non-Indigenous rate ratios for each disability type(a)(b), Persons aged 18 years or over in non-remote areas - 2002 |
| |
| Age (years) | Sight, hearing, speech | Physical | Intellectual | Psychological | Type not specified | Total with a disability or long-term health condition(c) | |
Males | |
| |
| 18-44 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 4.2 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.4 | |
| 45-64 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 5.2 | 2.7 | 1.9 | 1.5 | |
| 65 or over | 1.1 | 1.5 | **2.8 | **0.9 | 1.3 | 1.1 | |
| Total (age standardised) | 1.3 | 1.6 | 4.0 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 1.4 | |
Females | |
| |
| 18-44 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 4.6 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 1.7 | |
| 45-64 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 1.4 | |
| 65 or over | 1.0 | 1.2 | **3.2 | *1.3 | 1.2 | 1.1 | |
| Total (age standardised) | 1.5 | 1.6 | 3.7 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 1.4 | |
Persons | |
| |
| 18-44 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 4.3 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 1.6 | |
| 45-64 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 3.7 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 1.4 | |
| 65 or over | 1.1 | 1.3 | *3.0 | *1.1 | 1.3 | 1.1 | |
| Total (age standardised) | 1.4 | 1.6 | 3.8 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.4 | |
| |
| * estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution |
| ** estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use |
| (a) Indigenous to non-Indigenous rate ratios are calculated by dividing the proportion of Indigenous people with a particular characteristic by the proportion of non-Indigenous people with the same characteristic. |
| (b) Broader criteria used to identify persons with a disability in non-remote areas only. |
| (c) A person may have more than one type of disability. |
| ABS, 2002 NATSISS |
For females, the difference in prevalence between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people was greatest for younger people. The rate ratios for all disability types were generally higher for females aged 18-44 years, than for those in the older age groups. For males the rate ratio for sight, hearing and speech disabilities was highest for those aged 18-44 years while for the other disability types the rate ratio peaked at the middle age group of 45-64 years.
Indigenous people were more likely to have two or more disability types than non-Indigenous people. As a result, the disability rate ratio for the total number of people with a disability is generally lower than the rate ratios for each disability type separately.
For all disability types Indigenous people with a disability or long-term health condition were more likely to have a specific limitation of some kind than non-Indigenous people with a disability or long-term health condition. Therefore, the age standardised rate ratio for people who had a disability or long-term health condition but no specific limitation was less than 1.0 regardless of disability type (table 5.9).
For all disability types except intellectual, Indigenous males were more likely than non-Indigenous males to have a profound or severe core activity limitation (table 5.9). The rate ratio was highest for sight, hearing and speech (2.4). Indigenous females were more likely than non-Indigenous females to have a profound or severe core activity limitation associated with a physical disability (1.2), psychological disability (1.3), or an unspecified disability (1.5).
5.9 Indigenous to non-Indigenous rate ratios, disability type by disability status(a)(b), Persons aged 18 years or over in non-remote areas - 2002 |
| |
| Disability status | Sight, hearing, speech | Physical | Intellectual | Psychological | Type not specified | Total with a disability or long-term health condition(c) | |
Males | |
| |
| Profound or severe core activity limitation | 2.4 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.8 | |
| Moderate or mild core activity limitation | 1.0 | 0.8 | *1.2 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.8 | |
| Schooling/employment restriction only | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.2 | *1.6 | 1.9 | 1.7 | |
| No specific limitation or restriction | 0.7 | 0.7 | *0.8 | *0.3 | 0.7 | 0.7 | |
Females | |
| |
| Profound or severe core activity limitation | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.3 | |
| Moderate or mild core activity limitation | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 1.1 | |
| Schooling/employment restriction only | 2.1 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.0 | |
| No specific limitation or restriction | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.9 | |
| |
| * estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution |
| (a) Indigenous to non-Indigenous rate ratios are calculated by dividing the proportion of Indigenous people with a particular characteristic by the proportion of non-Indigenous people with the same characteristic. |
| (b) Broader criteria to identify persons with a disability in non-remote areas only. |
| (c) A person may have more than one type of disability. |
| ABS, 2002 NATSISS |
Health status
For all disability types, as well as for people with no disability or long-term health condition, the proportion reporting fair or poor health was much higher among people in older age groups (45 years or over) than at younger ages. In non-remote areas, 50% of Indigenous people with a disability or long-term health condition reported that their health was fair or poor compared to 10% of Indigenous people without a disability (table 5.10). The proportions for remote areas were 43% and 7% respectively.
5.10 Disability type by age and remoteness, Indigenous persons aged 15 years or over with fair or poor self-assessed health - 2002 |
| |
| | 15-44 years | 45-64 years | 65 years or over | Total | |
| Disability type | Non-remote | Remote | Non-remote | Remote | Non-remote | Remote | Non-remote | Remote | |
| |
| Sight, hearing, speech | % | 34.1 | 31.5 | 66.0 | 54.0 | 67.1 | *75.8 | 47.9 | 46.2 | |
| Physical | % | 44.7 | 33.3 | 73.8 | 61.6 | 76.2 | 77.6 | 57.6 | 49.0 | |
| Intellectual | % | 42.2 | *32.7 | 82.7 | *52.9 | *86.6 | **87.8 | 51.6 | 45.9 | |
| Type not specified | % | 62.3 | 40.6 | 80.6 | 58.2 | 75.9 | *73.3 | 71.1 | 53.2 | |
| Total with a disability or long-term health condition | % | 37.9 | 31.4 | 69.5 | 53.4 | 69.9 | 69.4 | 50.1 | 43.1 | |
| No disability or long-term health condition | % | 8.3 | 6.1 | 15.0 | 13.8 | *22.6 | *18.4 | 9.6 | 7.4 | |
| Total | no. | 26 500 | 7 400 | 18 900 | 5 700 | 4 900 | 2 400 | 50 300 | 15 400 | |
| |
| * estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution |
| ** estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use |
| ABS, 2002 NATSISS |
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