What are the priority issues for improving Australia's health? - GROUPS EXPERIENCING HEALTH INEQUITIES

Question 1

What are the SIX groups experiencing health inequities?

Answer 1

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Socioeconomically disadvantaged people
• People in rural and remote areas
• Overseas-born people
• The elderly
• People with disabilities

Question 2

In relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, what inequities do they face?

Answer 2

• A much poorer level of health compared with that of non-indigenous people
• They die at a much younger age
• More likely to have a reduced quality of life

Question 3

In relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, what are the nature and extent of health inequities regarding life expectancy?

Answer 3

Indigenous people have:

- Lower life expectancy rates at birth for both males and females.

Question 4

In relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, how much lower is the life expectancy of an indigenous person to that of a non-indigenous background?

Answer 4

17 years.

Question 5

In relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, what are the nature and extent of health inequities regarding mortality rates?

Answer 5

• Higher mortality rates at all ages compared with the rates for non-indigenous people. In the four states/territories with the largest indigenous populations, 70 per cent of indigenous people who died were younger than 65 years, compared with the 21 per cent of non-indigenous people who died younger than 65 years.

Question 6

In relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, what are the nature and extent of health inequities regarding higher death rates from….

Answer 6

Diseases of the circulatory system, injuries (including motor vehicle crashes), respiratory diseases (including pneumonia), cancer, endocrine disorders (specifically diabetes) and digestive disorders