Glossary

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (First Nations)
In most data collections, a person who identified themselves, or was identified by another household member, as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin. For a few data collections, information on acceptance of a person as being Indigenous by an Indigenous community may also be required. See also First Nations people.

accessibility
The relative ease of reaching destinations distributed in space, with respect to an origin point. In this report, this refers to the drive time from women’s place of usual residence to a screening site available at a range of service frequencies.

age standardisation
A way to remove the influence of age when comparing populations with different age structures. This is usually necessary because the rates of many diseases vary strongly and usually increase with age. The age structures of the different populations are converted to the same ‘standard’ structure, and then the disease rates that would have occurred with that structure are calculated and compared. Age-standardised rates are usually expressed per 100,000 population.

age structure
The relative number of people in each age group in a population.

drive time
The estimated time it takes to travel by car from one location to another, based on the road network and speed limits, via the fastest route. This estimate may differ from the actual travel time.

estimated resident population (ERP)
The official ABS estimate of the Australian population. The ERP is derived from the 5-‍yearly Census counts and is updated quarterly between each Census. It is based on the usual residence of the person.

First Nations people
People of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent who identify as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

fixed site
A screening site that is stationary or fixed in location and does not relocate to alternative locations. See also mobile site.

incidence
The number of new cases of invasive breast cancer occurring during a given period.

Index of Relative Socioeconomic Advantage and Disadvantage (IRSAD)
One of the set of Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) for ranking the average socioeconomic conditions of a population in a geographic area. The 2021 IRSAD index incorporates 29 variables from the 2021 Census of Population and Housing that measure employment, occupation, education, income and housing. See ABS (2023).

Index of Relative Socioeconomic Advantage and Disadvantage (IRSAD) deciles
IRSAD deciles in this report are area-based, containing approximately the same number of Statistical Areas Level 1 (SA1), grouped according to their 2021 IRSAD rank. The first or lowest decile contains the most disadvantaged tenth of SA1s. See also Index of Relative Socioeconomic Advantage and Disadvantage.

Indigenous Area (IARE)
Indigenous Areas are medium-sized regions with populations that are large enough for the release of detailed statistics. Part of the Indigenous Structure in the Australian Statistical Geography Standard. Compared with other structures in the Australian Standard Geography Standard, the Indigenous Structure better reflects the distribution of the Indigenous population.

Indigenous Location (ILOC)
Indigenous Locations represent small First Nations communities (urban and rural) with a minimum population of 90 First Nations usual residents. An ILOC is an area designed to allow the release of statistics relating to First Nations people with a high level of spatial accuracy whilst maintaining the confidentiality of individuals. ILOCs are aggregates of one or more SA1s. Part of the Indigenous Structure in the Australian Statistical Geography Standard. Compared with other structures in the Australian Standard Geography Standard, the Indigenous Structure better reflects the distribution of the Indigenous population.

Indigenous Region (IREG)
Indigenous Regions are large geographical areas used to report data about First Nations people. Part of the Indigenous Structure in the Australian Statistical Geography Standard. Compared with other structures in the Australian Standard Geography Standard, the Indigenous Structure better reflects the distribution of the Indigenous population.

Indigenous Relative Socioeconomic Outcomes (IRSEO)
The 2021 IRSEO index ranks the average socioeconomic conditions of First Nations populations across Indigenous Areas. The index incorporates 9 variables from the 2021 Census of Population and Housing that measure employment, occupation, education, income and housing. The IRSEO index is considered to be more suitable regarding the First Nations population than traditional measures of socioeconomic disadvantage used in Australia such as the Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas. See Biddle and Markham (2023).

Indigenous Relative Socioeconomic Outcomes (IRSEO) deciles
IRSEO deciles in this report are area-based, containing approximately the same number of Indigenous Areas (IARE), grouped according to their 2021 IRSEO rank. The first or lowest decile contains the most advantaged tenth of IAREs. See also Indigenous Relative Socioeconomic Outcomes.

Local Government Area (LGA)
A spatial unit which represents the whole geographical area of responsibility of an incorporated Local Government Council, an Aboriginal or Island Council in Queensland, or a Community Government Council (CGC) in the Northern Territory.

mammogram
A soft tissue X-‍ray of the breast.

mammography
The process of taking a mammogram.

Mesh Block
Mesh Blocks are the smallest geographical area defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and form the building blocks for the larger regions of the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). All other statistical areas or regions are built up from or, approximated by whole Mesh Blocks.

mobile site
A screening site where a mobile screening van or four-wheel drive bus provides a screening service. See also fixed site.

mortality
The number of deaths occurring during a given period.

open at least annually
Service frequency corresponding to the accessibility of permanent sites and visiting sites that, when combined, provide access to a screening site at least once every calendar year.

open at least every 2 years
Service frequency corresponding to the accessibility of permanent sites and visiting sites that, when combined, provide access to a screening site at least once every 2 calendar years.

open at least once from 2021 to 2024
Service frequency corresponding to the accessibility of permanent sites and visiting sites that, when combined, provide access to a screening site at least once during the years, 2021–2024.

open permanently
Service frequency corresponding to the accessibility of permanent sites.

participation rate
The proportion of women aged 50 to 74 years who are screened through BreastScreen Australia in a 2-‍year period. Participation is measured over 2 calendar years to align with the recommended screening interval.

permanent site
A fixed site which provides screening mammography services throughout the year and is expected to continue beyond 2023. See also visiting site.

Population Grid
Modelled population estimates from the ABS, presented in one square kilometre grid format, covering Australia.

Primary Health Network (PHN)
Independent organisation funded by the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care to coordinate primary health care. Each PHN cares for a corresponding geographical region. Together, the PHNs geographically cover the whole of Australia.

Remoteness Areas
Classification that divides each state and territory into several regions based on their relative accessibility to goods and services (such as general practitioners, hospitals and specialist care) as measured by road distance to urban centres of different sizes. These regions are based on the Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia and defined as Remoteness Areas by the Australian Statistical Geography Standard.

screening mammography
Mammography that is performed when a woman does not have signs or symptoms of disease.

screening site
A BreastScreen Australia site providing screening mammography services to the general public. This excludes assessment-only services, and screening mammography that occurs outside the BreastScreen Australia program. This includes both fixed and mobile sites. Used interchangeably with screening service location.

Section of State
An ABS geographical classification scheme, grouping Urban Centres and Localities (UCL) into classes of urban areas based on population size (Major urban or Other urban). Remaining areas are considered to be rural (Bounded locality or Rural balance).

service frequency
This describes the frequency at which the accessibility of screening sites was measured, for women needing to access a site: open permanently, open at least annually, open at least every 2 years, and open at least once from 2021 to 2024.

screening service location
Used interchangeably with screening site.

Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA)
A set of indexes, created from Census data, that aim to represent the socioeconomic position of Australian communities and identify areas of advantage and disadvantage. The indexes’ value reflects the overall or average level of advantage or disadvantage of the population of an area; it does not show how individuals living in the same area differ from each other in their socioeconomic group. This report uses one of the SEIFA indexes, the Index of Relative Socioeconomic Advantage and Disadvantage.

socioeconomic status
The social and economic position of an individual or group within the larger society. In this report, socioeconomic status is reported using two area-based indexes – the Index of Relative Socioeconomic Advantage and Disadvantage and the Indigenous Relative Socioeconomic Outcomes.

statistical areas
Geographical classifications forming part of the main Australian Statistical Geography Standard structure. They encompass four levels, with increasing size and population: Statistical Areas Level 1 (SA1); Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2); Statistical Areas Level 3 (SA3); and Statistical Areas Level 4 (SA4).

Suburbs and Localities (SAL)
Suburbs and Localities, formerly State Suburbs, are an ABS Mesh Block approximation of the officially recognised boundaries of suburbs (in cities and larger towns) and localities (outside cities and larger towns) as defined by the State and Territory governments of Australia.

target group
Women aged between 50 and 74 years, which is the group that is actively targeted to participate in the screening and is represented here by the number of females of that age group from the ABS’ 2021 Regional population by age and sex estimates. Used interchangeably with target population.

target population
Used interchangeably with target group.

Urban Centres and Localities (UCL)
Urban Centres and Localities (UCL) represent areas of concentrated urban development. They are identified using dwelling and population density criteria and data from the 2021 Census of Population and Housing. An 'urban centre' is generally a population centre with 1,000 or more people. A 'locality' is generally a population centre of between 200 and 999 people. All SA1s in a state or territory which are not included in a UCL, are combined into one Remainder of State/‌Territory area.

visiting site
A fixed site or mobile site which provides screening services for a limited period, often at regular intervals. See also permanent site.

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