4724.0.55.003 - Health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Males, 2004-05  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 16/12/2009  First Issue
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SELF-ASSESSED HEALTH STATUS

Self-assessed health status provides an overall measure of a population's health based on individuals' personal perceptions of their own health.

Generally, assessment of health decreased with age with young people more likely to perceive their health positively than older people.

Graph: Self-assessed health for Indigenous males, 2004–05


About six out of ten (62%) Indigenous males aged 15 to 24 years rated their health as being ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’, compared to almost one in five (17%) of those aged 55 and over. More than half (55%) of Indigenous males aged 55 and over had rated their health as fair or poor.

Indigenous males living in remote areas were less likely to rate their health highly (as either excellent or very good) than males living in non-remote areas (42% compared to 46%). Fair or poor health ratings were slightly less likely to be reported by Indigenous males, than non-Indigenous males.