The Burden of Disease and Injury in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples 2003 provides the first comprehensive assessment of the burden of disease of Indigenous Australians.
Burden of disease analysis gives a unique perspective on health.
Fatal and non-fatal outcomes are combined, but can be examined separately as well. This report provides details of the extent of premature mortality and disability estimated for over 170 disease and injury categories and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in remote and non-remote areas of Australia. It also presents estimates of the amount of disease and injury caused by 11 major risk factors.
More importantly, it measures the Indigenous Health Gap, which is the difference between the observed burden of disease in Indigenous Australians and what it would have been if the same rates of burden of disease as in the total Australian population would have applied.
This is of major policy interest. The diseases and risk factors that contribute most to the Indigenous Health Gap are identified as health areas where appropriately resourced health services, combined with interventions to address the social and economic disadvantages faced by Indigenous Australians, are likely to have the greatest impact on reducing the burden of disease.
Indigenous Burden of Disease - Report (6MB)
Indigenous Burden of Disease - Policy Brief (2MB)
Indigenous Burden of Disease - Summary Report (2MB)