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GLOSSARY
and that their condition was current and long-term; that is, their condition was current at the time of interview and had lasted, or was expected to last, 6 months or more. Persons who reported having ischaemic heart diseases and cerebrovascular diseases that were not current and long-term at the time of interview are also included, for the first time. Estimates of heart, stroke and vascular disease for 2011-12 and 2014-15 in this publication are presented using this definition. Disability status A disability or restrictive long-term health condition exists if a limitation, restriction, impairment, disease or disorder, has lasted, or is expected to last for six months or more, and restricts everyday activities. It is classified by whether or not a person has a specific limitation or restriction. Specific limitation or restriction is further classified by whether the limitation or restriction is a limitation in core activities or a schooling/employment restriction only. There are four levels of core activity limitation (profound, severe, moderate and mild) which are based on whether a person needs help, has difficulty, or uses aids or equipment with any of the core activities (self care, mobility or communication). A person's overall level of core activity limitation is determined by their highest level of limitation in these activities. Employed Persons aged 15 years and over who had a job or business, or who undertook work without pay in a family business for a minimum of one hour per week. Includes persons who were absent from a job or business. See also Unemployed and Not in the labour force. Exercise level Based on frequency, intensity (that is, walking, moderate exercise or vigorous exercise) and duration of exercise (for fitness, recreation or sport) in the one week prior to interview. From these, an exercise score was derived using factors to represent the intensity of the exercise. HbA1c test The HbA1c test provides an indication of the presence and management of diabetes. Also referred to as glycated haemoglobin, it measures the amount of glucose in the blood that binds to the haemoglobin present in red blood cells. If glucose amounts are below 7% and stable then tests should be performed every 6 months; if they are higher than that then tests should be performed every 3 months. Health risk factors Specific lifestyle and related factors impacting on health, including:
High blood pressure See Hypertension. Hospital cover Health insurance provided by a private insurance organisation to cover all or part of the costs of private accommodation in a public hospital, charges for private hospital treatment and care in a public hospital by a doctor of the patient's choice. Hypertension Hypertension (commonly known as high blood pressure) is a condition in which blood pressure in the arteries is elevated, requiring the heart to work harder than normal to circulate blood throughout the body. Hypertension is a major risk factor for hypertensive heart disease, strokes, myocardial infarction (heart attacks) and chronic kidney disease as well as several other medical conditions. Information on hypertension/high blood pressure was collected in the National Health Survey using two methods. These were:
Tables in previous NHS publications prior to 2014-15 referred to hypertension as 'hypertensive disease'. Inadequate fruit or vegetable Intake This refers to inadequate fruit or vegetable dietary intake as reported by the respondent, based on the NHMRC Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults and Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia. Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage This is one of four Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) compiled by ABS following each Census of Population and Housing. The indexes are compiled from various characteristics of persons resident in particular areas: the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage summarises attributes such as low income, low educational attainment, high unemployment and jobs in relatively unskilled occupations. A lower Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage quintile (e.g. the first quintile) indicates relatively greater disadvantage and a lack of advantage in general. A higher Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage (e.g. the fifth quintile) indicates a relative lack of disadvantage and greater advantage in general. For further information about SEIFA see the Australian Health Survey: Users' Guide, 2011-13 (cat. no. 4363.0.55.001). Inpatient A person who is admitted to the hospital and stays overnight or for an indeterminate time in the course of treatment, examination or observation. Ischaemic heart disease A disease of the blood vessels supplying the heart muscle. Kidney disease A subset of symptoms including:
Long-term medical condition (or Long-term health condition) A medical condition (illness, injury or disability) which has lasted at least six months, or which the respondent expects to last for six months or more. Some reported conditions were assumed to be long-term, including asthma, arthritis, cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, rheumatic heart disease, heart attack, angina, heart failure and stroke. Rheumatic heart disease, heart attack, angina, heart failure and stroke were also assumed to be current. Mental and behavioural conditions Includes organic mental problems, alcohol and drug problems, mood (affective) disorders such as depression, anxiety related problems and other mental and behavioural problems. Moderate exercise Exercise for fitness, recreation, or sport which caused a moderate increase in heart rate or breathing. Neoplasm A neoplasm is a new growth of abnormal tissue (a tumour). Tumours can be either benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancer). Cancer refers to several diseases and can affect most types of cells in various parts of the body. Not in the labour force Persons who are not employed or unemployed as defined, including persons who:
Osteoporosis A condition that thins and weakens bone mineral density, generally caused by loss of calcium, which leads to increased risk of fracture. Data was collected from persons aged 15 years and over plus younger respondents who reported having gout, rheumatism or arthritis. Other health professionals Includes (unless specified otherwise):
Orthotist/Prosthetists, Radiographer and Songorapher were additional categories added to the 2014-15 National Health Survey. Outpatient A patient who is hospitalised for less than 24 hours but who visits a hospital, clinic or associated facility for diagnosis or treatment. Private health insurance Refers to the private health insurance status at the time of the survey of persons aged 15 years and over. The category 'With cover' includes those with hospital and/or ancillary cover, and those with cover but the type of cover was unknown. Psychological distress Derived from the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). This is a scale of non-specific psychological distress based on 10 questions about negative emotional states in the past 30 days. The K10 is scored from 10 to 50, with higher scores indicating a higher level of distress; low scores indicate a low level of distress. In this publication, scores are grouped as follows:
Data was collected from respondents aged 18 years and over. Smoker status The extent to which a respondent was smoking at the time of interview, and refers to regular smoking of tobacco, including manufactured (packet) cigarettes, roll-your-own cigarettes, cigars and pipes, but excludes chewing tobacco and smoking of non-tobacco products. Categorised as:
Data was collected from respondents aged 15 years and over. Systolic blood pressure Measures the pressure in the arteries as the heart pumps blood during each beat. It is the higher number of the blood pressure reading. Type of conditions All reported long-term medical conditions were coded to a classification developed by the ABS for use in the 2001 National Health Survey, which is based on the tenth revision of the International Classification of Diseases and Health Related Problems (ICD-10). Type of medication Obtained for medication reported as used in the two weeks prior to interview for any medical condition. Included are vitamins and minerals, natural and herbal medication and pharmaceutical medication. Pharmaceutical medications are classified by generic type, based on reported medication name. The generic drug name is the non-proprietary name for the active chemicals in a medicine, in contrast to the proprietary name (trade or brand name) for a medicine. Type of medication used for mental health and well-being Refers to the type of medication reported as used for mental health or well-being in the 2 weeks prior to interview. May include medications used for preventive health purposes as well as medications used for mental disorders, and includes vitamins and minerals, natural and herbal medications and pharmaceutical medications. Two items relating to type of medication are available for those with a mental health condition and for everyone aged 18 years and over related to psychological distress:
Unemployed Persons aged 15 years and over who were not employed and actively looking for work in the four weeks prior to the survey, and were available to start work in the week prior to the survey. Vigorous exercise Exercise for fitness, recreation or sport which caused a large increase in heart rate or breathing. Document Selection These documents will be presented in a new window.
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