The latest report on Australia's children, released today by the
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, shows a continuing fall
in child death rates - mostly due to fewer injury deaths - as well
as declining asthma hospitalisations, teen births and smoking rates
in older children.
'Combined with favourable trends in some risk and protective
factors, such as immunisation coverage, these factors suggest that
overall Australian children are doing well,' said Deanna Eldridge
of the Institute's Children, Youth and Families Unit.
'Improvements in leukaemia survival rates are also encouraging,
as is the fact that most children meet national physical activity
guidelines and achieve national minimum standards for reading and
numeracy,' she said.
In terms of international comparisons however, Australia doesn't
measure up to other OECD countries on infant and under 5 mortality
rates, teenage birth rates and jobless families with children. And
there are other areas that also need improvement.
According to the report, A picture of Australia's children
2009, far too many children spend more than the recommended
time of 2 hours a day in front of a video screen (including
television and computers), are overweight or obese, and are not
eating recommended amounts of vegetables.
'Rising rates of severe disability, diabetes, and the
disadvantages faced by Indigenous children and children who live in
remote areas are also a concern,' Ms Eldridge said.
'Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are far more
likely to be disadvantaged across a broad range of health and
socioeconomic indicators,' she said.
Indigenous children are 2 to 3 times as likely as other
Australian children to die, be of low birthweight and have dental
decay.
They are 5 times as likely to be born to teenage mothers; 8 to 9
times as likely to be in the child protection system; and 24 times
as likely to be under juvenile justice supervision.
The report also shows that children living in remote areas had
higher death rates, higher rates of neural tube defects, lower
rates of cancer survival, worse dental decay, and were less likely
to meet minimum standards for reading and numeracy than their
counterparts living in major cities.
A picture of Australia's children 2009 is the fourth in a series
of AIHW national statistical reports on children aged 0-14 years.
It provides the latest available information on how Australia's
children are faring according to key national indicators of health,
development and wellbeing. This includes reporting, for the first
time, against the Children's Headline Indicators endorsed by
Ministerial Councils for Health, Community Services and Disability,
and Education.
Wednesday 17 June 2009
Further information: Ms Deanna Eldridge, AIHW,
tel. 02 6244 1011, mob. 0418 271 395.
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. (02) 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications area
for the availability of A picture of Australia's
children 2009.