Life expectancy in Australia increased by 24 years for newborn
males and 25 years for newborn females in the course of a century,
according to a new report released today by the Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
The report, Mortality over the twentieth century,
charts for the first time, trends in mortality in Australia over
the last century. It highlights major diseases and conditions that
contributed to mortality in Australia, and describes the public
health successes that have helped substantially lower the death
rate, which has fallen by over two-thirds since 1900.
Mr Krys Sadkowsky of the AIHW's National Health Priorities and
Environmental Health Unit said, 'A significant success story to
emerge from over the century trend analysis is a huge reduction in
infant mortality rate.'
Deaths from tuberculosis have also been all but eliminated, and
there have been considerable reductions in death rates for stomach
and cervical cancers as well.
For males, there has been a marked decrease in deaths from lung
cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) since the
1980s, which can be mainly attributed to a large decrease in
smoking.
Reductions in smoking have also helped to reduce the death rate
from cardiovascular disease.
'Unfortunately, in females, death rates for lung cancer and
other smoking-related respiratory diseases have increased since the
1950s,' Mr Sadkowsky said.
In general however, deaths from infectious diseases and
respiratory diseases have reduced considerably over the
century.
Cancer deaths, which remained at even rates during most of the
twentieth century, have recently shown signs of decline.
Deaths from circulatory disease, which increased considerably
during the first two-thirds of the century, have also since
fallen.
While great strides have been made in many areas of public
health, the death rate for nervous system diseases and mental
health problems in older people has been increasing since the
1980s. There has also been an increase in death rate for blood
poisoning (septicaemia) among older persons since the late
1970s.
The increase in life expectancy has been similar for both men
and women. A newborn boy in 1900 could have expected to live on
average 54 years, whereas in 2000, he could expect to live, on
average, into his late seventies. Similarly, a newborn girl in 1900
could have expected to live until her late fifties, but by the end
of the century the life expectancy was into early eighties.
Success stories
There have been some notable successes including
A two-thirds reduction in overall death rates
A 96% decrease in deaths from infectious diseases
A 95% decrease in death rate for children aged 0-4 years
(including infants)
An 85% reduction in stomach cancer mortality
An 80% reduction in cervical and uterine cancer
mortality
An 80% reduction in respiratory disease mortality
Over two third reduction in circulatory diseases deaths
after the 1970s
A 30% reduction in male lung cancer deaths
A 70% reduction in motor vehicle accident deaths since peak
in 1970s.
Areas of concern
A seven fold increase in lung cancer deaths for
females
Increased death rates for septicaemia (blood poisoning)
among older Australians
Increasing death rates for mental health and nervous system
diseases
A recent increase in infectious disease mortality
Relatively constant death rate from cancer after adjusting
for lung cancer among males.
5 April 2006
Further information: Mr Krys Sadkowsky tel. 02
6244 1059
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 61 2 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability of Mortality over the twentieth
century in Australia: trends and patterns in major causes of
death.