Data and notes
Key concepts
Age-standardised rates
A method of adjusting the crude rate to eliminate the effect of differences in population age structures when comparing crude rates for different periods of time, different geographic areas and/or different population sub-groups (for example between one year and the next and/or States and Territories, Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations).
Adjustments are usually undertaken for each of the comparison populations against a standard population. For age-standardised rates in this report, the Australian population at 30 June 2001 was used as the standard population.
Related material
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework
- Tier 1 – Health status and outcomes
- Australia’s health
- Indigenous health and wellbeing
Data sources
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS)
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS) 2018–19 is the largest health survey of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) between July 2018 and April 2019. This survey collected information about a range of topics including long-term health conditions, disability, lifestyle factors, physical harm and use of health services. It collected information from Indigenous Australians of all ages in non-remote and remote areas of Australia, including discrete Indigenous communities.
The NATSIHS included a sample of just over 10,500 Indigenous Australians from about 6,500 private dwellings. Physical measurements of height, weight and waist circumference were collected from respondents aged two years and over, except women who advised that they were pregnant, and was a voluntary component of the survey. Voluntary blood pressure measurements were also collected from respondents aged 18 years and over.
Selected non-Indigenous comparisons are available from the 2017–18 National Health Survey (NHS). Time series comparisons for some indicators are available from the 2014–15 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS), 2012–13 Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (ATSIHS), 2008 NATSISS, 2004–05 NATSIHS, 2002 NATSISS, 2001 NHS and the 1994 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Survey (NATSIS).
Note: Age-standardised rates presented for the NATSIHS use ’55 years and older’ as the upper age group. The use of a relatively low upper age group—to avoid high uncertainty in smaller age groups—risks that meaningful differences in age structure are not fully eliminated, especially with regards to Indigenous and non-Indigenous comparisons. Therefore, rate ratios based on these age-standardised rates may be unreliable.
Further information is available at National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey.
National Eye Health Survey (NEHS)
The 2016 NEHS was a nationwide population-based study designed to provide estimates of the prevalence and causes of vision impairment and blindness in Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians by gender, age, and geographical area; and to measure the treatment and coverage rate of major conditions and diseases. Participants were primarily recruited by door-to-door knocking, with adjustments as required to adapt to local circumstances within diverse Indigenous communities.
Further information is available on the Vision 2020 Australia website.
National Hospital Morbidity Database
Held by the AIHW, the National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD) is a compilation of episode-level records from admitted patient morbidity data collection systems in Australian hospitals. The data supplied are based on the National minimum data set (NMDS) for Admitted patient care and include demographic, administrative and length of stay data, as well as data on the diagnoses of the patients, the procedures they underwent in hospital and external causes of injury and poisoning.
The purpose of the NMDS for Admitted patient care is to collect information about care provided to admitted patients in Australian hospitals. The scope of the NMDS is episodes of care for admitted patients in all public and private acute and psychiatric hospitals, free standing day hospital facilities, and alcohol and drug treatment centres in Australia. Hospitals operated by the Australian Defence Force, corrections authorities and in Australia’s off-shore territories are not in scope but some are included.
Note: Age-standardised rates presented for the NMDS use ’65 years and older’ as the upper age group. The use of a relatively low upper age group—to avoid low numbers in smaller age groups—risks that meaningful differences in age structure are not fully eliminated, especially with regards to Indigenous and non-Indigenous comparisons. Therefore, rate ratios based on these age-standardised rates may be unreliable.
Further information is available on the AIHW website.
National Rheumatic Heart Disease Data Collection
Held by the AIHW, the National Rheumatic Heart Disease Data Collection (NRHDC) comprises information from state and territory registers of notified cases of acute rheumatic fever/rheumatic heart disease (ARF/RHD). It is a de-identified population-based collection, initiated as part of the Australian Rheumatic Fever Strategy 2009, funded by the Australian Government Department of Health.
Further information is available on the AIHW website.