Australians lived longer and healthier lives in the 1990s-but
there is still room for improvement, according to Australian
Health Trends 2001, a new Australian Institute of Health and
Welfare report released today in Sydney at the 33rd Public Health
Association of Australia conference.
In the last 10 years, fewer Australians died prematurely from
coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, road accidents and other
injuries. As a result, life expectancy continues to increase. An
Australian boy born in 1999 can expect to live 76 years, and a girl
born in the same year can expect to live almost 82 years.
Authors of the report, Michael de Looper and Dr Kuldeep Bhatia,
said that other favourable trends included fewer people smoking
overall, improved dental health, a fall in the prevalence of high
blood pressure, improved levels of immunisation and substantial
falls in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
'Many of these trends suggest that improvements in health should
continue-but there are a number of areas for concern,' said Dr
Bhatia.
'There are more people overweight now. In 1999, 65% of men and
45% of women aged 25-64 years were reportedly overweight - compared
with 52% of men and 35% of women 10 years earlier.'
'And there are still too many people smoking - especially among
young people. Smoking is a risk factor for many diseases, including
lung cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke and a range of other
chronic diseases.'
'Also, death rates among our Indigenous population have only
fallen slightly in recent years and remain more than double those
for non-Indigenous Australians.'
Australian Health Trends 2001 reports the latest
10-year data to show time trends in more than 80 indicators, or
measures, of health - covering health status, the health of
specific populations, the National Health Priority Areas, health
determinants and risk factors, use of health services and health
spending in Australia.
Other findings in this report include:
- a downward trend in male deaths from lung cancer, but an
increasing number of females dying from the disease;
- increasing death rates from opiate overdose;
- increases in health and hospital expenditure per person, but
falling average lengths of hospital stay; and
- increases in the number of coronary procedures, particularly
angioplasty and stenting.
26 September 2001
Further information: Mr Michael de Looper,
AIHW, tel. 02 6244 1137,
or mobile: 0409 307 671
Dr Kuldeep Bhatia, AIHW, tel. 02 6244 1144 or mobile: 0417 880
300
Dr Paul Jelfs, AIHW, tel 02 6244 1145
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 02 244 1032
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability.