Information on health, use of health services, health risk factors and social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Any reference to persons/people/peoples in this product refers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons/people/peoples.
This release has been developed in consultation with the ABS’ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Surveys Advisory Group, a group of external stakeholders who have guided the ABS on the content and release of data from this survey.
Long-term health conditions are conditions which were current at the time of interview and had lasted, or were expected to last, 6 months or more. This survey collects information about a broad range of long-term health conditions, with a focus on conditions that are common, pose significant health problems, and have been a focus of ongoing public health monitoring.
A person’s level of psychological distress provides an indication of their mental health and wellbeing.
Data available in Tables 1 to 4 and Table 6 in Data downloads.
There are many kinds of disability – some result from accidents, illness or genetic disorders, while others have no known cause. People with more restrictive disabilities may have difficulty with mobility, communication or caring for themselves. Having disability may also affect a person’s participation in education, employment and social or community activities.
Caring for a person with a long-term health condition, disability or problems related to old age can impact a carer’s physical and emotional health and wellbeing[5].
Regular monitoring of health may help prevent illness or injury. Consultations with health professionals can assist in many ways, including the treatment and management of short-term illnesses and injuries and long-term health conditions, monitoring health risk factors, and general maintenance of good health.
This survey collects information about selected health risk factors which are behaviours, events and circumstances that may increase the likelihood of developing a health condition.
Cultural determinants of health and social and emotional wellbeing are protective factors that enhance resilience, strengthen identity, and support good health and social and emotional wellbeing. These include but are not limited to:
Some selected cultural determinants corresponded with lower levels of psychological distress for people aged 18 years and over. For example:
For some other selected cultural determinants, there was no statistically significant difference in the survey data for the proportion of people experiencing low or moderate levels of psychological distress.
Data available in Table 12 in Data downloads.
A dwelling may not be suitable for a household if additional bedrooms are required based on the size and composition of the household.
In this survey, the bedroom requirements of a household have been assessed using the Canadian National Occupancy Standard. This Standard does not adequately reflect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural norms such as maintaining a large, open household. These cultural norms mean household size can vary due to visiting family seeking accommodation for reasons such as accessing health or other services in the area or attending cultural events[16].
Almost one in ten households (7%) were living in a dwelling that required at least one additional bedroom, down from 9% in 2018–19[6].
Households in remote areas were around 4 times as likely to live in a dwelling that required at least one additional bedroom (20%) than households in non-remote areas (5%).
The quality of housing can influence a range of health indicators, including chronic disease, disability, and life expectancy[17]. A dwelling is of an acceptable standard if there are 4 working facilities (for washing people, for washing clothes or bedding, for storing and preparing food, and sewerage) and no more than 2 major structural problems.
Data available in Table 24 in Data downloads.
The ability to use the internet may influence the information and services a person can access or their ability to connect with family, friends and the wider community.
In 2022–23:
People aged 15 years and over living in non-remote areas were more likely to have personally used the internet every day (85%) than those in living in remote areas (61%).
The most common reasons for using the internet in the last 3 months for children aged 5–14 years were entertainment (95%), formal educational activities (56%) and social networking (37%).
For people aged 15 years and over who had personally used the internet in the last 3 months:
The main reason people aged 15 years and over had not used the internet in the last 3 months was not wanting or needing to use the internet (46%).
People aged 15 years and over living in non-remote areas were more likely to have not used the internet in the last 3 months because of a lack of confidence or knowledge in accessing the internet (30%) than those living in remote areas (19%). For all other reasons for not using the internet in the last 3 months, there was no significant difference between the proportions for people living in non-remote and remote areas.
Data available in Table 25 in Data downloads.
Includes the Data item list and Tables 1 to 74.
Includes food security status, smoking and vaping, alcohol consumption, substance use, dietary behaviours, waist circumference risk level and Body Mass Index (BMI), measured blood pressure, physical activity, and selected stressors and unfair treatment.
Includes
non-remote and remote areas of Australia, including discrete Indigenous communities.
The data available includes estimates for:
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Face-to-face interview with an Australian Bureau of Statistics Interviewer.
Health conditions are presented using a classification which is based on the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10).
See Comparability with previous surveys for history of changes.