National rates by sex and age

In 2019–20, 28% (238,700) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had an Indigenous-specific health check. Around 4% (9,900) of health checks were conducted at least partly via phone or video-conference—noting that telehealth options were only available during the final 3–4 months of 2019–20.

The rate of Indigenous-specific health checks was higher for Indigenous females than males—30% compared with 26%. Across age groups, the difference between males and females in the rate of checks was largest for those aged 25–34 (30% of Indigenous females, compared with 19% of Indigenous males) (Figure 2). Among total health check patients of each sex, females engaged with telehealth services slightly more than males (4.4% of females patients compared to 3.9% of male patients).

In 2019–20, the rate of Indigenous-specific health checks was:

  • highest among those aged 65 and over, for both males and females—41% of Indigenous females and 37% of Indigenous males in this age group received a health check
  • lowest among those aged 15–24 for males (19%) and those aged 5–14 for females (24%).

Figure 2: Indigenous-specific health check rates, by sex, age and telehealth status, 2018–19 and 2019–20

Column graph showing the number and proportion of Indigenous Australians who received an Indigenous-specific health check by sex, age group and telehealth status (face-to-face, telehealth and total). In 2019–20, 30% of Indigenous females had an Indigenous-specific health check, compared with 26% of Indigenous males. The rate of Indigenous-specific health checks was highest among those aged 65 and over for both males and females (37% for males and 41% for females). For males, the rate was lowest for those aged 15 to 24 (19%); for females, the rate was lowest for those aged 5 to 14 (24%). Refer to table ‘HC02’ in data tables.