Death rates in regional and remote areas are 10% higher than in
major cities, and in very remote areas are 50% higher, according to
a new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
(AIHW).
Using major city death rates as a benchmark, between 1997 and
1999 there were about 3,300 more deaths a year in the bush than
would have been expected.
The report, Rural, Regional and Remote Health-a study on
mortality, compares the death rates of people living in rural,
regional and remote areas with those in Australia's major cities,
and looks at trends in these rates over time. It also disentangles
the effects of high Indigenous death rates and high overall rural
mortality Australia-wide-the first time that this has been
done.
The major causes of higher death rates outside major cities are
heart disease/other circulatory diseases, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease, motor vehicle accidents, diabetes, suicide and
other injuries. Most of these are potentially preventable.
According to report author, Andrew Phillips, the good news is
that death rates in all areas are coming down, especially in very
remote areas.
'Since 1992 death rates have declined by about 3% a year for men
and 2% a year for women in both metropolitan and rural areas. In
very remote areas there has been a much bigger improvement-death
rates have fallen by 10% per year for both men and women over the
same period.'
The main drivers of the improvements over the 1990s in rural
areas have been declines in deaths due to circulatory disease, and
to a lesser extent, respiratory disease and cancer. There was,
however, little change in death rates due to injury.
Mr Phillips said there were many factors likely to affect higher
death rates outside major cities.
'Higher death rates in rural, regional and remote areas are
likely to be explained by a combination of lifestyle and behaviour
factors, lower access to some health services, riskier occupations,
country driving conditions, and generally lower socioeconomic
status.
'It had been widely speculated that high death rates outside
major cities are due to the large numbers of Indigenous people who
live there, coupled with their high overall death rates, which are
three times those for other Australians.'
'In fact, even if we focus just on the non-Indigenous population
in those areas, the death rates are still 10% higher than in
metropolitan areas.
'Interestingly, the death rates for non-Indigenous people over
65 years of age in remote areas are frequently lower than in major
cities.
'It may be that in order to access health and aged care
services, the frail aged migrate to less remote centres, leaving
the healthier people behind, who live longer,' Mr Phillips
said.
31 October 2003
Further information: Mr Andrew Phillips, AIHW,
tel. 02 6244 1027
Media copies of the report: Publications Officer,
AIHW, tel. 02 6244 1032
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for details on the full
report and the summary
report.