Prevalence
Prevalence refers to the proportion of people in a population who have a health condition at a point in time. Measures of prevalence can be used to identify population groups or regions where a health condition occurs more commonly. Information about prevalence can provide insights into population groups or areas with a greater need for preventive health measures or health services.
This chapter contains the following information about the prevalence of ear or hearing conditions among the First Nations population:
- reported long-term ear disease or hearing problems (data tables 1.1a–1.1f)
- measured hearing loss and severity (data tables 1.2.1a–1.2.1c and 1.2.2a–1.2.2c)
- measured hearing loss compared with reported hearing loss (data table 1.2.3)
- measured hearing loss among program participants (data tables 1.2.4a–1.2.4b).
Data tables in Excel spreadsheet format can be accessed at the Data tab.
About the data
Information in this section comes from national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health surveys conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), which cover First Nations people of all ages in non-remote and remote areas of Australia. Parents or guardians are asked to answer for children aged 0–14 and may answer for children aged 15–17.
- Reported long-term ear or hearing problems – information has been collected repeatedly since 2001. Survey respondents are asked whether they have any hearing problems or problems with their ears that have lasted, or are expected to last, for 6 months or more.
- Reported hearing loss – includes total deafness, being deaf in one ear, or having hearing loss or partial deafness.
- Measured hearing loss – information was collected for the first time in the 2018–19 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS). A voluntary hearing test was offered at the time of interview for people aged 7 and over without a cochlear implant.
The 2022–23 NATSIHS (results available in late 2024) did not include a hearing test.
A comparison of measured hearing loss with reported hearing loss has shown that under-reporting of hearing loss in the NATSIHS is likely to be substantial. People may not be aware that they have hearing loss or may choose not to report it (ABS 2020).