Monitoring the impact of air pollution on asthma in Australia: a methods paper
Air pollution can trigger asthma and, in severe cases, has been associated with hospitalisation and death. How much of a problem is air pollution though? What proportion of asthma exacerbations are due to air pollution each year? How much does this vary with extreme events such as bushfires and dust storms? This paper discusses the challenges associated with this type of monitoring, outlines the work that has so far been done in Australia in this area and presents a method for estimating the contribution of air pollution to asthma hospitalisations. The method has been applied to a particular case study 'Melbourne in 2006' to test its potential usefulness.
The problem of osteoporotic hip fracture in Australia
Hip fractures are serious and may lead to disability, reduced quality of life, loss of independence and even premature death. Every day in 2006-07, more than 40 Australians - most of them aged 65 or over - broke their hip. But the incidence rate is on the decline, having fallen by 14% in males and 20% in females since 1997-98.
Medication use for arthritis and osteoporosis
Medicines are central to managing arthritis and osteoporosis, to improve musculoskeletal functions, slow disease progression and reduce pain and inflammation. Pharmaceutical innovations over the last several years have improved the efficacy and diversity of medicines available to manage these conditions. However, the adoption of new and more effective drugs is often costly. This report provides information on what medicines Australians areusing to manage their musculoskeletal problems, how much do these medicines cost them and trends in the prescription of newer medicines.
A guide to Australian eye health data, 2nd edition
A guide to Australian eye health data describes key Australian data collections which indicate the prevalence and outcomes of eye diseases and injuries and eye health care utilisation. It assesses how these collections inform the National Framework for Action to Promote Eye Health and Prevent Avoidable Blindness and Vision Loss.
AIHW Access no. 26: November 2009
Access is a newsletter published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, profiling the Institute's work and its people.
Asthma in Australian children: findings from Growing Up in Australia, the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
Within the first 3 years of life, 16.9% of infants experience asthma or wheeze. Among non-asthmatic children aged 4 to 5 years, 4.1% will develop asthma by the seventh year of life. These and other new insights into the incidence, natural progression and outcomes associated with childhood asthma are presented in this report, based on analysis of Growing up in Australia: the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children.
Health expenditure for arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions, 2004-05
Arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions affect more than 6 million Australians. In 2004-05, direct health expenditure on these conditions amounted to $4.0 billion or 7.5% of total allocated health expenditure in Australia. Osteoarthritis alone accounted for nearly one-third of the expenditure, mostly due to hospital costs associated with knee and hip replacements. Other major sources of expenditure included prescription pharmaceuticals for osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. This report provides detailed information on health expenditure on these diseases and conditions using estimates derived from the AIHW Disease expenditure database, supported by information from various other data sources.
Health care expenditure on chronic kidney disease in Australia 2004-05
Chronic kidney disease is a common and serious problem in Australia. Those with the most severe form, end-stage kidney disease, usually require dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive. It is with these resource intensive and technologically advanced treatments that much of the health costs for chronic kidney disease are incurred, with regular dialysis the most common reason for hospitalisation in Australia.Chronic kidney disease contributes substantially to health care expenditure in Australia and is increasing much faster than expenditure on total health care. In 2004-05 it accounted for 1.7% of total expenditure ($898.7 million), an increase of 33% since 2000-01 ($573.6 million).
Burden of disease due to asthma in Australia 2003
In 2003 asthma was the leading cause of burden of disease in Australian children, contributing 17.4% of total DALYs and the eleventh-leading contributor to the overall burden of disease in Australia, accounting for 2.4% of the total number of DALYs. Asthma also contributed a substantial proportion to the Indigenous health gap in the burden of non-communicable conditions. It is predicted that asthma will continue to rank as one of the major causes of disease burden in Australia for the next 2 decades, particularly among females.
Refining national asthma indicators: Delphi survey and correlation analysis
This report is the result of a systematic review undertaken by the Australian Centre for Asthma Monitoring (ACAM) to refine and simplify asthma monitoring in Australia. A Delphi survey and correlation analysis were used to review the currently recommended list of 24 national asthma indicators in order to identify a smaller set of core indicators, which provide the most important and relevant information and which are more effective at signalling change for future asthma monitoring activities.
Key indicators of progress for chronic disease and associated determinants: technical report
The reporting of statistics about chronic diseases and their associated determinants enables the monitoring of outcomes of interventions and health programs, and helps to assess the needs for health services in the future. This report describes forty-two indicators developed to measure the progress in prevention of chronic disease in Australia. For each indicator, operational definitions are provided in terms of recommended data sources, availability of data, and the presentation of the indicators.
A picture of Australia's children 2009
This report delivers the latest information on how, as a nation, we are faring according to key indicators of child health, development and wellbeing. Death rates among children have fallen dramatically, and most children are physically active and meet minimum standards for reading and numeracy. But it is not all good news. Rates of severe disability and diabetes are on the rise. Too many children are overweight or obese, or are at risk of homelessness, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children fare worse on most key indicators.
An overview of chronic kidney disease in Australia, 2009
This report explains what chronic kidney disease is and describes its extent and patterns in the Australian community. Chronic kidney disease contributed to nearly 10% of all deaths in Australia in 2006 and over 1.1 million hospitalisations in 2006-07. Risk factors for chronic kidney disease are highly prevalent in Australia and the number of Australians at risk is increasing. Indigenous Australians in particular are at high risk.
Cervical screening in Australia 2006-2007
The major objective of the National Cervical Screening Program is to reduce incidence and mortality from cervical cancer. Over 3.5 million women (61.5%) aged 20-69 years participated in the Program in 2006-2007, up from the last report. Incidence and mortality remain low at 9 new cases in 2005 and 2 deaths in 2006 per 100,000 women aged 20-69 years.
The geography of disability and economic disadvantage in Australian capital cities
How is severe disability distributed within Australian capital cities? What is the relationship between the percentage of people with severe disability living in a local metropolitan area and the socioeconomic disadvantage of the area? This report presents data on the geographical distribution of severe disability among people aged less than 65 years living in Australian capital cities, based on analysis of the 2006 Census of Population and Housing.
A picture of rheumatoid arthritis in Australia
Rheumatoid arthritis is an often serious joint disease that affects around 400,000 Australians and is the second most common type of arthritis, after osteoarthritis. The disease is more common among females and in older age groups. The underlying cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not well understood but genetic factors play a key role (smoking also increases the risk of developing the disease). The disease reduces a person's capacity to work, with only 31% of those affected in fulltime employment in 2004-05 compared with 53% of the general population. This report provides information on other symptoms, effects and treatments, as well as looking at prevention.
Third study of mortality and cancer incidence in aircraft maintenance personnel: a continuing study of F-111 Deseal/Reseal personnel 2009
In 1977, the Royal Australian Air Force commenced a series of Deseal / Reseal (DSRS) programs on the fuel tanks of F-111 aircraft. These programs were implemented to correct fuel leaks inside the F-111 fuel tanks. A number of concerns were raised about health outcomes in personnel who worked on these programs.This report builds on previous findings from studies on mortality and cancer incidence of personnel who worked on the DSRS programs. The report will be a valuable resource for policy makers, program managers and health professionals interested in health outcomes of military personnel.
Chronic disease and participation in work
With the Australian population ageing and experiencing increasing rates of some risk factors such as obesity, chronic disease prevalence is on the rise. Chronic disease can result in functional limitation and disability associated with ill health. As a result, people with chronic disease may be limited in their ability to participate fully in the workforce. For this report, the 2004-05 National Health Survey has been used to assess the association between selected chronic diseases and workforce participation and absenteeism from work. The report also includes an estimate of the loss to the workforce due to death from selected chronic diseases. This report is a timely reminder of the cost of chronic disease to both the community and economy and provides further evidence for national action to prevent chronic disease.
Outline of the National Centre for Monitoring Chronic Kidney Disease
In late 2007 the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare established the National Centre for Monitoring Chronic Kidney Disease. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common chronic disease in Australia. The disease is highly preventable and progression can be slowed by controlling common risk factors and by improving disease treatment and management.The burden of CKD in Australia is expected to rise. Work in this area is critical for improving capacity to assess the health impact of CKD, evaluate progress in disease prevention and management, and therefore provide evidence for developing policy to reduce the associated burden and outcomes for people at risk of or living with CKD. There is considerable potential for health, social and economic gains through CKD monitoring. This report is intended to be a brief outline of the rationale for and role of the National Centre for Monitoring Chronic Kidney Disease. It outlines the rationale behind starting a national monitoring centre, the structure of the centre, key areas of monitoring and major data sources to be used for monitoring.
Arthritis and osteoporosis in Australia 2008
Arthritis and osteoporosis are among the world's leading causes of pain and disability, and impose a substantial burden on the Australian community. These highly prevalent conditions are major reasons for the use of health and allied health services, community assistance programs, and formal and informal care. Under the National Health Priority Area of arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions, national action is focused on osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile arthritis and osteoporosis. This report brings together data and information from a wide variety of sources to provide a picture of arthritis and ostoeporosis in Australia, and highlight some of the main issues relating to these conditions. The report should be useful to policy makers, the broader community, and anyone with an interest in arthritis and osteoporosis.
Review and evaluation of Australian information about primary health care: a focus on general practice
Primary health care services are generally the first port of call when Australians need health care. Services provided through general practice are the core of Australia's primary health-care system, and it is vital that accurate, reliable and timely information about these services is available to support policy and practice decisions. Although several national and regional data collections contain information relevant to general practice, few sources provide comprehensive information that can be used to assess the value, quality and outcomes of the care provided. This leads to significant gaps in our understanding of the performance and effectiveness of the Australian primary health-care system.This report presents the results of a critical evaluation of Australian data collections relating to general practice services. It describes the usefulness of these data collections for meeting priority information needs, and recommends strategies to address data gaps and limitations. The report also outlines methods currently being used to collect general practice data electronically, and establishes options for further investigation.
Juvenile arthritis in Australia
Juvenile arthritis is one of the common chronic diseases affecting Australian children. The disease contributes significantly to ill health, affecting growth and skeletal maturity of children. The life course of the disease entails a variety of complications, activity limitations and need for regular support and care. This report brings together the latest data to highlight the impact of juvenile arthritis in Australia. It includes information on the prevalence, associated disability and management of the disease. The information should be useful to the broader community, policy makers and anyone with an interest in the health of children.
Asthma in Australia 2008
Asthma is an important health problem in Australia. This report brings together data from a wide range of sources to describe the current status of asthma in Australia. It includes information on the number of people who have asthma and who visit their GP, are hospitalised or die due to asthma. Time trends and profiles of people who receive various treatments for asthma are also presented, along with information on those who have written asthma action plans. In addition, comorbidities and quality of life among people with asthma are investigated. This report also includes a chapter that focuses on asthma among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
Making progress: the health, development and wellbeing of Australia's children and young people
Ensuring that children get the best possible start in life is a key priority for the Australian Government. This report delivers the latest and most reliable information on how, as a nation, we are faring according to key statistical indicators of child and youth health, development and wellbeing. The report covers children and young people aged 0-19 years, and includes indicators for the entire 0-19 year age range as well as indicators for three different stages of development: 1) infancy and early childhood; 2) school age childhood; and 3) adolescence. Information is presented on important issues such as mental health, disability, risk factors for chronic disease, mortality, education, homelessness, crime, jobless families and family economic situation. Particular attention is given to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth, and to how Australia compares internationally. This is an essential resource for policy makers, researchers, practitioners and anyone interested in the progress of Australia's children and youth.
Eye health in Australia: a hospital perspective
Reducing preventable vision loss has recently been identified as a priority by Australian governments and non-government organisations. Eye health in Australia: a hospital perspective is the first in a series of national reports providing an overview of eye health in Australia. The report presents information about the treatment of eye disorders in Australian hospitals. This includes trends in hospitalisations, differences across population groups, treatment costs, and waiting times. The report is a valuable resource for policy makers, health professionals, advocacy groups and others interested in knowing more about eye health in Australia.