Dental health of Indigenous children in the Northern Territory: progress of the Closing the Gap Child Oral Health Program
This Bulletin presents information on the oral health status of Indigenous children who received dental services under the Northern Territory Closing the Gap Child Oral Health Program. Between August 2007 and December 2011 more than 8,000 children were provided with over 14,000 dental services through the program. About 56% of children who received a dental service were treated for at least one oral health problem. The most commonly treated problem was dental caries (52%). Of the children who received a dental service over a 6 month period between 1 January and 30 June 2011, 82% had a dental caries experience with an average of 4.5 caries per child.Analysis of a sample of children who received more than one dental service showed that about 60% of children who received treatment for dental caries at their first dental service did not require treatment for the same condition at their most recent dental service, highlighting an improvement in their oral health status.
AIHW Access no. 32, April 2012
Access is a newsletter published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, profiling the Institute's work and its people.
Social and emotional wellbeing: development of a children's headline indicator
A child's social and emotional wellbeing is integral to their overall health, development and wellbeing. Children with high levels of social and emotional wellbeing are more likely to successfully negotiate physical, intellectual and social challenges during childhood and adolescence. This report describes the process of developing a Children's Headline Indicator to measure social and emotional wellbeing. It presents research evidence on the links between social and emotional wellbeing and children's health, development and wellbeing outcomes; assesses potential indicators and data sources; and recommends an indicator of social and emotional wellbeing for Australian children.
Specialist Homelessness Services Collection: first results, September quarter 2011
Each year many Australians experience homelessness or find themselves in circumstances of risk of becoming homeless. This report presents the first quarterly results of the new Specialist Homelessness Services Collection. This collection replaces the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program National Data Collection which collected data on homelessness service provision by Australian governments since 1996.
Oral health and use of dental services 2008: findings from the National Dental Telephone Interview Survey 2008
This publication presents results from the sixth National Dental Telephone Interview Survey, conducted in 2008. It reports on self-reported oral health status and impacts of oral conditions of Australian adults. Key results on dental visiting, receipt of services and financial barriers to dental care are features of this report.
Risk factors contributing to chronic disease
Chronic diseases are responsible for a large portion of the disease burden in Australia, and many are highly preventable by reducing known risk factors. This report shows that:Most people have at least one risk factor and more than 90% do not consume enough vegetables.Social disadvantage is associated with risky health behaviours.Nearly 60%of Australians do not undertake sufficient levels of physical activity, and many of us (almost 80%) usually spend 3 or more hours sitting during our leisure time.
Medical workforce 2010
The supply of employed medical practitioners increased between 2006 and 2010, from 346 to 366 full-time equivalent practitioners per 100,000 population. The increase reflected a 13% rise in practitioner numbers. The gender balance continued to shift, with women making up 37% of practitioners in 2010 compared to 34% in 2006. The average hours worked each week by medical practitioners declined slightly from 43.5 to 43.3 hours. The group with the longest average hours worked per week was Specialists-in-training at 49.9 hours, while General practitioners averaged 39.2 hours a week.
Cancer incidence projections, Australia 2011 to 2020
This report presents detailed projections of cancer incidence in Australia for 2011 to 2020. These projections are based on trends in national cancer incidence data from 1982 to 2007. It shows the number of cases of cancer diagnosed in Australia each year is projected to rise over the next decade for both males and females, and is expected to reach about 150,000 in 2020, with prostate and breast cancer continuing to be the most common cancers diagnosed in men and women respectively.
National Bowel Cancer Screening Program monitoring report: phase 2, July 2008- June 2011
This report presents statistics on the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program for Australians invited to take part between July 2008 and June 2011. Just over 800,000 people were screened in that time, with about 60,000 found to require further assessment. One out of every 11 colonoscopies performed for further assessment detected and removed an advanced adenoma (pre-cancerous lesion), and a cancer was detected in 1 out of every 33 colonoscopies. However, this represents only a partial picture of outcomes due to incomplete reporting.
Comorbidity of mental disorders and physical conditions 2007
This report investigates the prevalence of mental illness in association with common chronic diseases and shows that in 2007: 12% of Australians aged 16-85 had a mental disorder and a physical condition at the same time; the most common comorbidity was anxiety disorder combined with a physical condition, affecting around 1.4 million (9%) Australian adults; people living in the most disadvantaged areas of Australia were 65% more likely to have comorbidity than those living in the least disadvantaged areas.
Juvenile detention population in Australia 2011
On an average day, around 1,000 young people are detained throughout Australia. This report provides information on the demographics and legal status of those in detention and explores recent trends.
Dental health behaviours among children 2002-2004: the use of fluoride toothpaste, fluoride tablets and drops, and fluoride mouthrinse
This report from a study of almost 17,500 children from four Australian states (Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania) shows that more than 99% of children brushed their teeth with toothpaste, with more than two-thirds brushing the recommended 2 times per day. About 10% of children had used fluoride tablets or drops, and the majority used them for less than 3 years. The use of a fluoride mouthrinse was more common among older children.
Child protection Australia 2010–11
This report contains comprehensive information on state and territory child protection and support services, and the characteristics of Australian children within the child protection system. Key findings include: since 2009-10, the number of children subject to a notification decreased by 13% from 187,314 to 163,767; since 2006-07, the number of children subject to a substantiation of a notification has decreased by 7% from 34,028 to 31,527 (6.9 to 6.1 per 1,000 children); the number of children in out-of-home care has increased by 5% from 35,895 in 2010 to 37,648 in 2011.
Monitoring acute coronary syndrome using national hospital data: an information paper on trends and issues
Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) refers to the spectrum of acute coronary artery diseases spanning acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and unstable angina (UA). They are sudden, severe and life-threatening events.This report reviews the current algorithm for monitoring the incidence of ACS in Australia, presenting a detailed analysis of hospitalisations for AMI and UA. It also presents a range of alternative algorithms for the estimation of ACS incidence. Further work is required to validate these algorithms.
Australia's mothers and babies 2009
In 2009, 294,540 women gave birth to 299,220 babies in Australia. The increase in births continued, with 2,295 more births (0.8%) than reported in 2008. The average age of women who gave birth in Australia has increased gradually in recent years, from 29.0 years in 2000 to 30.0 years in 2009.
2010 Australian national infant feeding survey: indicator results
The 2010 Australian National Infant Feeding Survey is the first specialised national survey of infant feeding practices in Australia. The survey also collected information on attitudes towards, and enablers for and barriers against breastfeeding.This report provides baseline data on key infant feeding indicators, including:most babies (96%) were initially breastfed, but only 39% were exclusively breastfed for less than 4 months, and 15% for less than 6 months;overall 35% of infants were introduced to solid foods by 4 months of age and 92% by the recommended age of 6 months;around 7% of infants drank cow's milk by 6 months, with most not starting until the recommended age of 12 months.
Neural tube defects in Australia: prevalence before mandatory folic acid fortification
This report describes the prevalence and trends of neural tube defects (NTD) in Australia during the past decade. The best estimated prevalence of NTD among pregnancies is presented based on the information from states that collect near complete data on NTD. Characteristics and outcomes of the births and pregnancy characteristics of mothers are presented for the period 199-2008. The purpose of compiling this national report is to provide baseline prevalence of NTD, before implementation of mandatory folic acid fortification of bread flour in September 2009.
Projections of the incidence of treated end-stage kidney disease among Indigenous Australians, 2009-2020: a working paper with preliminary results
The focus of this working paper is the incidence (number of new cases) of end-stage kidney disease treated with dialysis or transplant (hereafter referred to as treated ESKD), as these treatments are extremely resource intensive. Further, reliable data on the incidence and prevalence of treated ESKD are available from the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry (ANZDATA), which compiles data from all renal units in Australia.
People turned away from government funded specialist homelessness accommodation 2010-11
This report presents data on the people turned away from government-funded specialist homelessness accommodation in 2010-11. It is the final report to be sourced from the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) National Data Collection (NDC). From 1 July 2011, data will be reported from the new Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) collection. The data collected indicate that government-funded specialist homelessness agencies are operating to capacity and are unable to completely meet the demand for accommodation. Some groups, such as families, experience more difficulty than others in obtaining accommodation.
People turned away from government funded specialist homelessness accommodation 2010-11: appendix
Appendix to the report 'People turned away from government-funded specialist homelessness accommodation 2010-11'.
Adoptions Australia 2010-11
This report contains comprehensive information relating to adoptions in Australia, including characteristics of adopted children, adoptive families and birth mothers. During 2010-11 there were 384 finalised adoptions across Australia–the lowest annual number on record. Of these adoptions: 56% were intercountry, 12% were local and 32% were 'known' child adoptions; 62% of adopted children were under 5 years of age; the majority of intercountry adoptees came from Asia (80%). The three most common countries of origin in Asia were China (24%), the Philippines (17%), and Taiwan (12%). Ethiopia was the most common country of origin outside the Asian region (19%).
A review of the Financial Management Program Data Sets
The AIHW was commissioned by FaHCSIA to undertake a review of some of the Financial Management Program Data sets. The work was undertaken over a 12 month period and involved both a literature review and site visits to data providers. This report outlines the finding of that review and makes recommendations for several changes to the data sets.
Alcohol and other drug treatment services in New South Wales 2009-10: findings from the National Minimum Data Set (NMDS)
In New South Wales in 2009-10, 258 government-funded alcohol and other drug treatment agencies and outlets provided 35,202 treatment episodes. This was an increase of eight treatment agencies and 309 episodes compared to 2008-09.Alcohol was the most common principal drug of concern, rising from 51% of episodes in 2008-09 to 54% in 2009-10. Cannabis accounted for 18% and heroin for 10% of episodes. The proportion of amphetamine-related episodes fell slightly from 9% to 7%. Counselling was the most common form of main treatment provided (34% of episodes), followed by withdrawal management (20%) and assessment only (16%).
Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Western Australia 2009-10: findings from the National Minimum Data Set (NMDS)
In Western Australia in 2009–10, 52 government-funded alcohol and other drug treatment agencies provided 17,187 treatment episodes. This was an increase of eight treatment agencies and 272 treatment episodes compared with 2008–09. The median1 ages of persons receiving treatment for their own drug use (30) and those seeking assistance for someone else’s drug use (47) were similar to 2008–09. Alcohol (49%), cannabis (19%) and amphetamines (14%) were again the top three drugs of concern.As in 2008–09, counselling was the most common form of main treatment provided (63% of episodes), followed by withdrawal management (8%), rehabilitation and information and education only (both 6%).
Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Queensland 2009-10: findings from the National Minimum Data Set (NMDS)
In Queensland in 2009-10, 118 government-funded alcohol and other drug treatment agencies provided 23,090 treatment episodes. Alcohol and cannabis were the most common principal drugs of concern at 38% and 36% of treatment episodes respectively, followed by opioids (8%).The greatest proportion of treatment episodes was for information and education only (42%) followed by counselling (28%) and assessment only (17%).