4704.0 - The Health and Welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, 2005  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 14/10/2005   
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Contents >> Chapter 8: Health Risk Factors >> Risk Factors and Socioeconomic Status

It is widely accepted that health risk factors are strongly associated with socioeconomic status (AIHW 2004b). The 2002 NATSISS showed that in general, high rates of both behavioural and environmental risk factors were reported among Indigenous people aged 15 years or over who had low levels of educational attainment, who were unemployed or who had below-average incomes (table 8.1). For example, unemployed people were more likely than employed people to smoke on a daily basis, to have used illicit substances in the last 12 months, to be physically inactive, to have experienced at least one stressor in the last 12 months, to have been a victim of physical or threatened violence and to have been removed from their natural family.

8.1 Health risk factors, by selected socioeconomic variables - Indigenous persons aged 15 years or over - 2002
Highest year of school completed(a)
Labour force status(b)
Equivalised gross household income(c)
Completed Year 9 or below(d)
Completed Year 10 or above
Total unemployed
Total employed
2nd or 3rd decile
4th decile or over
Indigenous persons aged 15 years or over
Health risk factors
Current daily smoker %
55.5
48.2
63.0
43.4
53.1
39.0
48.6
Risky/high risk alcohol consumption(e) %
(f)17.4
(f)15.2
(f)17.3
(f)16.9
(f)13.8
(f)14.6
15.1
Used substances(e)(g) %
(f)22.4
(f)25.2
34.3
21.4
(f)25.2
(f)20.9
23.5
Did not participate in sport/physical activity(e) %
66.7
44.5
46.2
39.8
57.7
40.6
50.7
Experienced at least one stressor(e) %
(f)82.3
(f)83.2
89.2
80.4
84.0
79.3
82.3
Victim of physical or threatened violence(e) %
21.6
26.1
37.9
20.6
26.5
19.1
24.3
Has been removed from natural family %
11.2
6.6
13.3
6.0
(f)8.7
(f)6.7
8.4
Indigenous persons aged 15 years or over no.
108 100
154 900
130 400
38 800
88 600
96 100
282 200
(a) Excludes persons still at secondary school.
(b) Excludes persons not in the labour force.
(c) See the Glossary for more information on equivalised gross household income.
(d) Includes persons who never attended school.
(e) In the last 12 months.
(f) Differences are not statistically significant.
(g) Persons in non-remote areas only.
ABS, 2002 NATSISS



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