4704.0 - The Health and Welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, 2005  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 14/10/2005   
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Contents >> Chapter 5: Disability and Ageing >> Disability in Non-Remote Areas

As noted above, the broader criteria that could be used to estimate psychological or physical disability in non-remote areas increased the number of people identified with a disability in those areas from 75,600 (using the common criteria) to 96,900 (using the broader criteria) - that is, the common criteria underestimated physical and psychological disability. Relatively few additional (less than 1,000) people were identified as having a profound or severe core activity limitation using the broader criteria. Therefore, overall, a smaller proportion (16%) of all people with a disability or long-term health condition in non-remote areas had a profound or severe core activity limitation using the broader criteria. A further 17% had a moderate or mild core activity limitation and 22% had a schooling or employment restriction only (table 5.5).


Among people in non-remote areas with a psychological disability, males were more likely to have a core activity limitation (93%) than females (76%) (table 5.5).

5.5 Disability type by disability status(a), Indigenous persons aged 15 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 with a disability or long-term health condition
Disability type
%
%
%
%
%
no.
Males
Sight, hearing, speech
26.7
14.4
17.7
41.3
100.0
14 300
Physical
20.0
16.7
29.8
33.5
100.0
31 000
Intellectual
35.5
*16.6
30.4
*17.5
100.0
9 100
Psychological
31.5
24.7
37.3
*6.6
100.0
8 400
Type not specified
23.9
15.6
28.8
31.7
100.0
24 300
Total(b)
16.2
14.0
27.9
41.9
100.0
45 000
Females
Sight, hearing, speech
19.8
19.6
16.4
44.1
100.0
13 400
Physical
20.0
20.9
18.2
40.9
100.0
37 500
Intellectual
32.5
18.4
24.2
25.0
100.0
6 700
Psychological
28.1
27.3
20.8
23.9
100.0
10 400
Type not specified
26.3
20.0
16.8
36.9
100.0
26 400
Total(b)
16.3
18.8
17.1
47.7
100.0
51 800
Persons
Sight, hearing, speech
23.3
16.9
17.1
42.7
100.0
27 700
Physical
20.0
19.0
23.4
37.6
100.0
68 500
Intellectual
34.2
17.4
27.7
20.7
100.0
15 800
Psychological
29.6
26.1
28.2
16.1
100.0
18 700
Type not specified
25.1
17.9
22.6
34.4
100.0
50 700
Total(b)
16.2
16.6
22.1
45.0
100.0
96 900
* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution
(a) Broader criteria used to identify persons with a disability in non-remote areas only.
(b) Components exceed total as a person may have more than one type of disability.
ABS, 2002 NATSISS


The prevalence of psychological disability in the non-remote Indigenous population was 9% and was highest in the 45-64 year age group (15% for males and 14% for females). Some 5,500 (or 30%) of Indigenous people with a psychological disability had a profound or severe core activity limitation.



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