Good health is important – it influences not just how we feel, but also how we go about our everyday lives. Health can mean different things to different people but is widely accepted to be much more than the absence of disease.
‘Australia’s Health 2024: In Brief’, by the Australian institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), provides a fascinating insight into the factors impacting on our health and communities.
Chronic conditions are an ongoing cause of substantial ill health, disability and premature death in Australia, with more than 90% of deaths related to chronic conditions (long-term health conditions).
Australian Institute of Health & Welfare
There are many ‘determinants’ that influence health. There is a close relationship between people’s health and the circumstances in which they grow, live, work, play and age. Health determinants include general socioeconomic, cultural and environmental conditions; living and working conditions; social and community networks; access to and use of health care; and individual, genetic health factors.
In 2018, more than a third of disease burden was potentially preventable – that is, it could have been prevented had Australians reduced or avoided exposure to certain risk factors.
The AIHW insight shows:
- Life expectancy in Australia has increased significantly since the start of the 20th century. In the last 100 years, deaths from infectious diseases have declined, while deaths from chronic conditions, such as cancers and dementia, have risen.
- COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in 2022, making it the first time in over 50 years that an infectious disease has been in the top 5 leading causes of death in Australia.
- Chronic conditions are an ongoing cause of substantial ill health, disability and premature death in Australia, with more than 90% of deaths related to chronic conditions (long-term health conditions).
- By disease group, cancer remains the leading cause of premature death, contributing to a third (33%) of deaths in 2023. On average, over 450 new cases of cancer were diagnosed every day in 2023.
- Cardiovascular disease is the second leading cause of premature death, though this has fallen over time – from 27% in 2003 to 19% in 2023.
- The leading causes of ill health between 2003 and 2023 were mental and substance use disorders (26%), followed by musculoskeletal disorders (23%). 43 per cent of Australians aged 16-85 have experienced a mental disorder in their life at 2020-22
- Tobacco smoking rates continue to decline, but vaping is trending up – especially for young people
To read the complete AIHW report please tap here.