Overviews
National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Survey 1994: health
of Indigenous Australians
Australian Bureau of Statistics Catalogue No. 4395.0
Introduction
In 1994, about 16 000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia were asked about their health, family and culture, education and training, employment and income, housing, and law and justice. This is a summary of some of the answers people gave about health related topics. More information is available in the full publication including tables presenting information by age, sex and area where people lived (state, capital city, other urban or rural area).
What do Indigenous people think about health?
Indigenous people aged 13 years and over were asked what they thought were the main health problems in their area. Many people (about 60%) thought that alcohol was the main problem. People were also asked what they thought were common substance problems in their area. About 3 out of every 4 people interviewed~iewed said alcohol was a common problem, and about half said marijuana was a common problem. People aged 13 years and over were asked about their own health. For children aged 12 years and under, parents were asked about their children's health. Most people (about 88%) said they thought that their health, or their child's health was "good", 'very good or "excellent" - not many people thought it was 'fair" (10%) or "poor" (2%). Older people were more likely to say their health was 'fair" or "poor" than younger people.
Health problems and the actions people took
About 4 in 10 people reported an illness in the two weeks before the survey. Respiratory illness was the most commonly reported condition. Most people who said they had an illness also reported taking medication.
When asked about specific health conditions lasting for 6 months or more, about 1 in 7 people said they had asthma, and almost 1 in 10 said they had ear or hearing problems. About 1 in 5 people aged 45 years or more said they had diabetes, and 1 in 3 people aged 55 years or more said they had high blood pressure.
Distance to health professionals, services and facilities
In capital cities and other urban areas, most people live near many of the health services that they need, but people living in rural areas often have to travel a long distance to receive health services. In rural areas 2 in 10 people did not have access to a doctor within 25 km of where they lived, 2 in 10 did not have access to a nurse, 3 in 10 were not near an Aboriginal Health Worker and 6 in 10 did not have access to a dentist within 25 km of where they lived.
Factors which may affect health
Smoking
About half of the people aged 13 years and over said that they smoked. More males than females smoked, and male smokers generally smoked slightly more cigarettes per day than female smokers.
Alcohol
A large number of people (about 1 in 5 males and 1 in 3 females aged 13 years or more) said they never drank alcohol, while for 13-17 years olds this was about 2 in 3.
Breastfeeding (children under 13)
About 3 out of 4 children aged 12 years or less had been breastfed or were being breastfed. More children were breastfed in the rural area and babies were breastfed for longer periods in households with higher income.
Relative weight
Relative weight was measured using Body Mass Index* (BMI) for people aged 18 and over. Many people (26%) chose not to be measured. More people in the rural area than in other areas chose not to be measured. Of those who were measured, about 6 out of 10 males and the same number of females, were overweight or obese.
* BMI is calculated by chiding a person's weight in kilograms by the square of their height in metres. A score of 20 or less = underweight, 2~25 s acceptable weight, over 25-30 = overweight and over 30 = obese.
Violence
Over 40% of males and almost 50% of females 13 years or older believed that family violence was a common problem in their area. Almost 1 in 7 males and about 1 in 8 females said that they had been verbally threatened or physically attacked in the last year.
More Information
If you would like more information on statistics about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, ring the National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Statistics (NCATSIS) in Darwin on (08) 8943 2192 or freecall 1800 633 216. If you would like to buy a copy of the publication "National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Survey, 1994: Health of Indigenous Australians", contact NCATSIS or the nearest ABS office and ask for catalogue number 4395.0. Cost: $17.00
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