Variation among population groups
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
In 2018–19, there were around 16,100 hospitalisations with a principal diagnosis of CVD among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
After adjusting for differences in the age structure of the populations:
- the rate among Indigenous Australians was 1.7 times as high as the non-Indigenous rate (3,300 and 1,900 per 100,000 population)
- the disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians was greater for females—2.0 times as high (3,000 and 1,500 per 100,000 population) compared with 1.5 times as high for males (3,600 and 2,400 per 100,000 population).
Socioeconomic group
In 2018–19, age-standardised CVD hospitalisation rates were almost 20% higher for people living in the lowest socioeconomic areas compared with those in the highest socioeconomic areas—2,200 and 1,800 per 100,000 population.
This disparity between the lowest and highest socioeconomic areas was greater for females than males (1.24 and 1.16 times as high) (Figure 6).
Remoteness area
In 2018–19, the age-standardised CVD hospitalisation rate was around 30% higher among those living in Remote and very remote areas compared with those in Major cities (2,500 and 1,900 per 100,000 population).
This largely reflects disparities in female rates―2,200 and 1,500 per 100,000 population―for males the difference was smaller (2,700 and 2,400 per 100,000).
Higher hospitalisation rates in Remote and very remote areas are likely to be influenced by the higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in these areas, who have higher rates of CVD than other Australians.
CVD patients are often transferred from a local regional hospital to a larger urban hospital where more intense or critical care can be provided. In 2018–19, 17% of CVD hospitalisations (principal and/or additional diagnosis) in Remote and very remote areas were transferred to another acute hospital, compared with 16% in Outer regional areas, 14% in Inner regional areas and 10% in Major cities.
The higher rates of transfers are often necessary because certain cardiac procedures, such as angiograms and cardiac revascularisation, are generally performed in large hospitals, which are predominantly located in urban areas.