ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER HEALTH SURVEY
The ABS Australian Health Survey (AHS) is the largest and most comprehensive health survey ever conducted in Australia. The survey, conducted throughout Australia, collected a range of information about health related issues as well as new detailed information on nutrition, physical activity, and chronic disease and nutrient biomarkers.
The Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (AATSIHS) forms part of the broader AHS and is based on a nationally representative sample of around 13,400 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It was conducted in non-remote areas and remote areas across Australia, including discrete communities, and combines the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS) with two new components - the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NATSINPAS) and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Measures Survey (NATSIHMS) see Structure of the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey for more information.
The NATSINPAS is the first ABS survey to collect detailed nutrition information from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Information for the nutrition component was gathered using a 24-hour dietary recall on all foods and beverages consumed on the day prior to interview. Where possible, at least 8 days after the first interview, respondents in non-remote areas were contacted to participate in a second 24-hour dietary recall via telephone interview. This publication contains information from the nutrition component of the NATSINPAS. It presents information on food, beverages and dietary supplements from the first interview, as well as some general information on dietary behaviours.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Both the NATSINPAS and NATSIHMS were made possible through additional funding from the Australian Government Department of Health and the National Heart Foundation of Australia. The contributions of these two organisations to improving health information in Australia through the collection of high quality statistics are greatly valued.
The AATSIHS was developed with the assistance of an advisory group comprised of experts on health issues, many of whom were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Members of these groups were drawn from Commonwealth and state/territory government agencies, non-government organisations, relevant academic institutions and clinicians. The valuable contributions made by members of these groups are greatly appreciated.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) was contracted to provide advice throughout the survey development, processing and collection phases of the 2012-13 NATSINPAS and to provide a nutrient database for the coding of foods and supplements consumed. The ABS would like to acknowledge and thank FSANZ for providing support, advice and expertise for the 2012-13 NATSINPAS.
The ABS gratefully acknowledges and thanks the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for giving permission to adapt and use their Dietary Intake Data System, including the Automated Multiple-Pass Method (AMPM) for collecting dietary intake information, as well as other processing systems and associated materials.
The success of the 2012-13 AATSIHS was also dependent on the very high level of cooperation received from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Their continued cooperation is very much appreciated; without it, the range of statistics published by the ABS would not be possible. Information received by the ABS is treated in strict confidence as required by the Census and Statistics Act 1905.
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