View - LIME Network

Source: ABS (2004b); table 3A.1.1.Disability and chronic diseaseBox 1.2KEY MESSAGES• In non-remote areas in 2002, Indigenous adults were twice as likely to report adisability resulting in a profound or severe core activity limitation as non-Indigenousadults.• From 2001 to 2004-05, there was an increase in the number of long term healthconditions for which Indigenous people reported higher rates than non-Indigenouspeople. In 2001, Indigenous people reported higher rates of asthma, diabetes/highsugar levels and kidney disease than non-Indigenous people. In 2004-05,Indigenous people also reported higher rates of arthritis, back pain/problems andheart and circulatory diseases (figure 3.2.1 and table 3A.2.1).• In 2004-05, the greatest difference between Indigenous and non-Indigenous rateswas for kidney disease, where the Indigenous rate was 10 times as high as thenon-Indigenous rate. This gap is widening — in 2001 the Indigenous rate was5 times as high as the non-Indigenous rate (table 3A.2.1).• In 2004-05, Indigenous people were three times as likely as non-Indigenous peopleto have diabetes (figure 3.2.1). There was no improvement in the reported incidenceof diabetes among Indigenous people between 2001 and 2004-05 (table 3A.2.1).Rates of disability and chronic disease have a bearing on, and reflect, the wellbeingof Indigenous people. In addition to serious illness, Indigenous people have highexposure to a range of other ‘personal stressors’ that may contribute to thedevelopment of long term health conditions.Around 36 per cent of the Indigenous population aged 15 years or over reported adisability or long term health condition in 2002. After taking into account thedifferent age structures of the populations, 21 per cent of Indigenous people aged18 years and over in non-remote areas reported a disability resulting in core activitylimitation. This was almost twice as high as that reported by non-Indigenous people.As no new data on disability have become available since the 2005 Report, thisReport compares rates of selected long term health conditions (that may causedisability) among Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. More information onchronic diseases in the Indigenous population can be found in the ‘Access toprimary health care’ strategic indicator.12 OVERCOMINGINDIGENOUSDISADVANTAGE 2007