4715.0.55.006 - National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey: Summary Booklet, 2004-05  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 20/02/2007  First Issue
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Image: Torres Strait Islander People


TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE
    In 2001, 48,800 people identified as being of Torres Strait Islander origin or of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin—one in every ten Indigenous Australians. At the time of the survey, the Torres Strait Islander population in private dwellings was estimated to be 50,500.

    Around one in seven Torres Strait Islander people (14%) live in the Torres Strait Area, with a further 45% in other parts of Queensland and 18% living in New South Wales.

    Overall, the health of Torres Strait Islander people is generally similar to that of the total Indigenous Australian population.

    In the 2004–05 NATSIHS, 77% of the Torres Strait Islander population assessed their health as either 'good', 'very good' or 'excellent'.

    Around 60% of Torres Strait Islander people reported long-term health conditions. The most commonly reported long-term health conditions were eye/sight problems (26%) and asthma (13%). One in eleven Torres Strait Islander people (9%) reported heart and circulatory problems/diseases, slightly lower than the rate for other Indigenous Australians.

    Almost two-thirds of the adult Torres Strait Islander population (61%) were overweight or obese according to the BMI - similar to the total Indigenous population. Overall, Torres Strait Islander people reported diabetes/high sugar levels at a similar rate to the total Indigenous population (around 6%). However, the proportion of Torres Strait Islander people with diabetes/high sugar levels was greater among those living in the Torres Strait Area, at 11%.

    Nearly half the adult Torres Strait Islander population (49%) reported smoking one or more cigarettes per day and 13% had consumed alcohol at risky/high risk levels in the week before the survey. Those living in the Torres Strait Area reported lower levels of daily cigarette smoking and risky/high risk alcohol consumption than Torres Strait Islander people in other parts of Australia.