Type of long-term health condition (LTHP)

This variable records the type of selected long-term health condition(s) a person has reported. Respondents can record multiple long-term health conditions including:

• arthritis
• asthma
• cancer (including remission)
• dementia (including Alzheimer’s)
• diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes)
• heart disease (including heart attack or angina)
• kidney disease
• lung condition (including COPD or emphysema)
• mental health condition (including depression or anxiety)
• stroke
• any other long-term health condition(s)

All persons

Data for this variable is derived from the long-term health conditions question. If the respondent marks ‘No long-term health condition’ and also marks other fields, the ‘No long-term health condition’ response is ignored. 

As respondents can select multiple conditions, the count of components for this variable will not equal the total number of people.

This is a new variable for 2021.

The rationale for including the long-term health conditions topic in the 2021 Census was to: 

• allow for cross-classification with other Census topics 
• enable output for sub-populations (e.g. culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations) 
• enable data outputs at finer geographies than what can be achieved through existing health collections.

Long-term health condition information collected in the 2021 Census will not have the same level of detail as the larger health collections such as the National Health Survey (NHS) and National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Surveys (NATSIHS). Long-term health conditions data from Census is not intended to provide prevalence estimates. Prevalence estimates of chronic health conditions should be sourced from the NHS or NATSIHS.

As Type of long-term health condition allows for multiple responses, proportions of people with a particular condition should be derived using the total population in the denominator for the relevant aggregation, and not the sum of all conditions.

This variable does not have a non-response rate as it is created during Census processing by using responses from one or more questions on the Census form. For the item non-response rate for the health question, see CLTHP.

• Count of selected long-term health conditions (CLTHP)
• Long-term health condition(s)

• National Health Survey: First results
• National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey
• Mental health
• Patient Experience in Australia
• General Social Survey
• Health: Census
• Comparing ABS long-term health conditions data sources