Burden of disease analysis is a measure of the impact of different diseases or injuries on a population. It combines the years of healthy life lost due to living with ill health (non-fatal burden) with the years of life lost due to dying prematurely (fatal burden). Fatal and non-fatal burden combined are referred to as total burden, reported as the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) measure.
Indigenous Australians experienced a burden of disease that was 2.3 times the rate of non-Indigenous Australians. There were 284 years lost due to premature death or living with illness per 1,000 Indigenous people in Australia, equivalent to 190,227 DALYs (AIHW 2016).
Chronic diseases caused 64% of the total disease burden among Indigenous Australians. These include cardiovascular diseases, mental and substance use disorders, cancer, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, vision and hearing loss and selected musculoskeletal, respiratory, neurological and congenital disorders (AIHW 2016).
Specifically, the leading causes of total disease burden experienced by Indigenous Australians were:
- mental and substance use disorders (19%)
- injuries (including suicide) (15%)
- cardiovascular diseases (12%)
- cancer (9.4%)
- respiratory diseases (7.9%) (AIHW 2016).
For more information see Impact and causes of illness and death in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 2011.
A person has a disability if they have an impairment which restricts their everyday activities and has lasted, or is expected to last, for at least six months. (ABS 2019).
Indigenous Australians are at greater risk of disability due to higher prevalence of low birthweight, chronic disease, infectious diseases, injury and substance use (AIHW 2018).
In 2018–19, among the total Indigenous Australian population, an estimated 38% (306,100) had some form of disability that restricted their everyday activities, with 27% (220,300) reporting a core activity limitation or schooling/employment restriction and a further 11% (85,700) reporting an impairment with no specific limitation or restriction. Those living in Remote areas were less likely than those living in Non-remote areas to report a core activity limitation or schooling/employment restriction (21% and 28% respectively), however this may be influenced by under-reporting or lack of access to services in Remote areas (Figure 2) (ABS 2019).
Based on age-standardised rates, Indigenous Australians reported a disability or restrictive long-term health condition in 2018–19 at 1.8 times the rate for non-Indigenous Australians (ABS 2019).
For more information about disability among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, and their use of specialist disability support services, see Disability support for Indigenous Australians.