Summary
This report brings together, from a wide variety of sources, information about the health and welfare of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Much of the data comes from sources that cover all Australians but which separately identify Indigenous Australians. Other sources include special purpose ABS surveys, such as the 1994 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Survey (NATSIS), the 2002 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS), the Indigenous supplement to the 2001 National Health Survey (NHS (I)), administrative data from government systems and data from service delivery programs that are Indigenous
specific.
The report primarily presents a broad picture at the national level and, wherever possible, uses existing and new data sources to reflect the diversity of the Indigenous population, including a separate chapter about Torres Strait Islander people. Also where possible, changes over time in the health and welfare outcomes for Indigenous people are described. The disparities in health and welfare between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians are also explored.
- Preliminary material (382K PDF): Acknowledgements; Preface; List
- Introduction
- Aim
- Data sources
- Data issues
- The demographic, social and economic context (422K PDF)
- Introduction
- Demographic characteristics
- Population characteristics
- Summary
- Education and health (292K PDF)
- Introduction
- School
- Participation in non-school study
- Non-school qualifications
- The links between education and health
- Summary
- Housing circumstances (725K PDF)
- Introduction
- Indigenous households
- Housing tenure and housing assistance
- Housing assistance
- Household types and sizes
- Housing costs
- Housing and health
- Homelessness
- Summary
- Disability and ageing (592K PDF)
- Introduction
- Establishing disability
- Prevalence of disability
- Disability in non-remote areas
- Comparison with the non-Indigenous population
- Disability, education and economic participation
- Disability and families
- Disability and social participation
- Summary
- Mothers and children (493K PDF)
- Introduction
- Maternal factors
- Babies and children
- Healthy child development
- Health status of children
- Summary
- Health status (862K PDF)
- Introduction
- Self-assessed health
- Causes of ill-health
- Specific causes of ill-health
- Summary
- Health risk factors (308K PDF)
- Introduction
- Risk factors and socioeconomic status
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- Illicit substance use
- Physical inactivity
- Stress
- Exposure to violence
- Illicit drug use
- Removal from natural family
- Nutrition
- Body weight
- Multiple risk factors
- Summary
- Mortality (686K PDF)
- Introduction
- Data quality and availability
- Life expectancy
- Deaths 1999 - 2003
- Causes of death
- Trends in mortality
- Summary
- Health services: provision, access and use (650K PDF)
- Introduction
- Provision of health services
- Access to health services
- Indigenous health and welfare services workforce
- Use of health services
- Summary
- Community services (551K PDF)
- Introduction
- Child care
- Child protection
- Adoption
- Juvenile justice
- Disability services
- Aged care
- Summary
- Torres Strait Islander peoples (488K PDF)
- Introduction
- Demographic characteristics
- Economic and social characteristics
- Health indicators
- Data sources (196K PDF)
- Introduction
- Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) Survey
- Census of Population and Housing
- Community Housing and Infrastructure Needs Survey (CHINS)
- General Social Survey (GSS)
- National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS)
- National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS)
- National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Survey (NATSIS)
- National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS)
- National Health Survey (NHS)
- National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD)
- Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey (WAACHS)
- Abbreviations
Appendixes
- Experimental Indigenous estimated resident population, 30 June 2001
- Estimates and projections of the Indigenous population, 1991-2009
- Disability or long-term health condition
- Limitations and restrictions
- Disability type
- Language and educational characteristics, Torres Strait Islander peoples, 2001
- Labour force characteristics and household tenure type, Torres Strait Islander peoples, 2001
End matter: List of references; Glossary