4364.0.55.001 - National Health Survey: First Results, 2014-15
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 08/12/2015
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GLOSSARY 2001 NHMRC GUIDELINES(a)
2009 NHMRC GUIDELINES(a)(b)
Alcohol consumption status information was also collected for persons who did not consume any alcohol in the 7 days prior to interview, categorised as:
For more detailed information on the 2001 NHMRC guidelines, see the Australian Alcohol Guidelines: Health Risks and Benefits and for the 2009 guidelines, see the Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol and Frequently Asked Questions. For a detailed explanation of the method used to measure alcohol consumption in ABS health surveys, see Alcohol Consumption in Australia: A Snapshot, 2007-08 (cat. no. 4832.0.55.001). Arthritis Arthritis is characterised by an inflammation of the joints often resulting in pain, stiffness, disability and deformity. Asthma A chronic disease marked by episodes of wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath associated with widespread narrowing of the airways within the lungs and obstruction of airflow. To be current, symptoms of asthma or treatment for asthma must have occurred in the last 12 months. Back problems In this publication, 'Back problems (dorsopathies)' have been redefined to include sciatica, disc disorders, back pain/problems not elsewhere classified and curvature of the spine. Data for all years presented in this publication use this definition, while previous publications defined 'Back problems' as including only disc disorders and back pain/problems not elsewhere classified. Blood pressure See High blood pressure, Diastolic blood pressure and Systolic blood pressure. Bodily pain Indication of the severity of any bodily pain that the respondent had experienced (from any and all causes) during the last 4 weeks. This is a self-assessment from the SF36 international instrument. Data was collected from respondents aged 18 years and over. Body Mass Index Body Mass Index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height that is commonly used to classify underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity. It is calculated from height and weight information, using the formula weight (kg) divided by the square of height (m). To produce a measure of the prevalence of underweight, normal weight, overweight or obesity in adults, BMI values are grouped according to the table below. BODY MASS INDEX, Adults
Separate BMI classifications were produced for children. BMI scores were created in the same manner described above but also took into account the age and sex of the child. There are different cutoffs for BMI categories (underweight/normal combined, overweight or obese) for male and female children. These categories differ to the categories used in the adult BMI classification and follow the scale provided in Cole TJ, Bellizzi MC, Flegal KM and Dietz WH, Establishing a standard definition for child overweight and obesity worldwide: international survey, BMJ 2000; 320. Cancer (malignant neoplasms) Cancer is a condition in which the body's cells grow and spread in an uncontrolled manner. A cancerous cell can arise from almost any cell, and therefore cancer can be found almost anywhere in the body. Child A person aged 0-17 years. Chronic diseases Tables 18 and 19 present data on a subset of long-term health conditions, referred to as chronic diseases. These consist of:
and are selected for reporting because they are common, pose significant health problems, have been the focus of recent population health surveillance efforts, and action can be taken to prevent their occurrence. Chronic kidney disease is not included due to the relatively small numbers reported in the NHS. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a serious long-term lung disease, is the occurrence of chronic bronchitis or emphysema, a pair of commonly co-existing diseases of the lungs in which airways become narrowed. It mainly affects older people and is often difficult to distinguish from asthma. Conditions Health conditions reported by respondents in the NHS are presented using a classification originally developed for the 2001 NHS by the Family Medicine Research Centre, University of Sydney, in conjunction with the ABS. The classification is based on the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and is used for all years from 2001 to 2014-15. See also Long-term health condition. Current daily smoker A current daily smoker is a respondent who reported at the time of interview that they regularly smoked one or more cigarettes, cigars or pipes per day. See also Smoker status. Deafness Includes partial or total loss of hearing. Diabetes mellitus A chronic condition in which blood glucose levels become too high due to the body producing little or no insulin, or not using insulin properly. In this publication, data on diabetes refers to persons who reported having been told by a doctor or nurse that they had diabetes, irrespective of whether the person considered their diabetes to be current or long-term. This definition was first used for estimates of diabetes in Australian Health Survey: Updated Results, 2011-12 (cat. no. 4364.0.55.003). Estimates of diabetes for all years in this publication are presented using this definition. In earlier publications, persons who had reported having diabetes but that it was not current were not included. Diastolic blood pressure Measures the pressure in the arteries as the heart relaxes before the next beat. It is the lower number of the blood pressure reading. Australian Dietary Guidelines As specified by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for fruit and vegetable consumption. See Usual daily intake of fruit and Usual daily intake of vegetables. 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. Fat content of milk An indication of intake of fat. Categorised as:
Hayfever and allergic rhinitis An allergic inflammation of the nasal airways occurring when an allergen, such as pollen or dust, is inhaled by an individual with a sensitised immune system. When caused specifically by grass pollens it is known as 'hayfever'. Heart, stroke and vascular conditions (Heart disease) In this publication, data on heart, stroke and vascular disease refers to persons who reported having been told by a doctor or nurse that they had any of a range of circulatory conditions comprising:
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 2007-08, 2011-12 and 2014-15 in this publication are presented using this definition. There is limited comparability between 2007-08 and previous years due to a change in derivation methodology in 2007-08. Health risk factors Specific lifestyle and related factors impacting on health, including:
High blood pressure See hypertension. Household A household is defined as one or more persons, at least one of whom is at least 15 years of age, usually resident in the same private dwelling. In this survey, only households with at least one adult (aged 18 years and over) were included. Household structure Refers to the composition of the household to which the respondent belonged. In this publication households are categorised as persons living alone, couple only, couple with child(ren), and other households. High Sugar Levels High sugar levels in blood or urine. 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 referred to hypertension as 'hypertensive disease'. Hypertensive disease Hypertensive disease is a disease of the circulatory system that refers to heart problems that occur because of high blood pressure (see Hypertension). Examples include coronary artery disease and thickening of the heart muscle. 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. Ischaemic heart disease A disease of the blood vessels supplying the heart muscle. Kidney disease A subset of symptoms including: problems or complaints about the kidneys, renal pain and renal colic (kidney stones). Long sightedness Long sightedness (or hyperopia/hypermetropia) is a common condition of the eye where the light that comes into the eye focuses behind the retina, causing the image of a close object to be out of focus, but that of a distant object to be in focus. Glasses, contact lenses and laser techniques are used to correct long sightedness. 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, sight problems, rheumatic heart disease, heart attack, angina, heart failure and stroke. Diabetes, 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. 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. Self-assessed health status A person's general assessment of their own health against a five point scale from excellent through to poor. Data was collected from respondents aged 15 years and over. Short sightedness Short sightedness (or myopia) is a common condition of the eye where the light that comes into the eye does not directly focus on the retina but in front of it, causing the image of a distant object to be out of focus, but that of a close object to be in focus. Glasses, contact lenses and laser techniques are used to correct short sightedness. Smoker status Refers to the frequency of smoking of tobacco, including manufactured (packet) cigarettes, roll-your-own cigarettes, cigars and pipes, but excluding chewing tobacco, electronic cigarettes (and similar) and smoking of non-tobacco products. Categorised as:
Data was collected from respondents aged 15 years and over. Standard drink A standard drink of alcohol in Australia is defined as containing 12.5 mLs of alcohol. See Alcohol Guidelines: Reducing the Health Risks for more information. 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 milk Main type of milk usually consumed, including cow's milk, soy milk, evaporated and condensed milk, and other unspecified types of milk. 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. Usual daily intake of fruit Refers to the number of serves of fruit (excluding drinks and beverages) usually consumed each day, as reported by the respondent. A serve is approximately 150 grams of fresh fruit or 50 grams of dried fruit. Adequate daily fruit intake refers to whether the respondent met the minimum number of serves as recommended in the NHMRC 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines. Juices were excluded. Usual daily intake of vegetables Refers to the number of serves of vegetables (excluding drinks and beverages) usually consumed each day, as reported by the respondent. A serve is approximately half a cup of cooked vegetables (including legumes) or one cup of salad vegetables - equivalent to approximately 75 grams. Adequate daily vegetable intake refers to whether the respondent met the minimum number of serves as recommended in the NHMRC 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines. Tomatoes were included as vegetables while juices were excluded. 2003 NHMRC AUSTRALIAN DIETARY GUIDELINES
2013 NHMRC AUSTRALIAN DIETARY GUIDELINES
Vigorous exercise Exercise for fitness, recreation or sport which caused a large increase in heart rate or breathing. Waist circumference Waist circumference is associated with an increased risk of metabolic complications associated with obesity. The World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines for Caucasian men and women are as follows: WAIST MEASUREMENT GUIDELINES, Adults
Data presented in the Waist circumference chapter on people at 'Increased risk' of developing chronic disease includes people at 'Greatly increased risk', while Table 8 presents these categories separately. Document Selection These documents will be presented in a new window.
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