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
liver disease
lung condition (including COPD or emphysema)
mental health condition (including depression or anxiety)
stroke
any other long-term health condition(s)
Scope
All persons
Categories
Code
Category
011
Arthritis
021
Asthma
031
Cancer (including remission)
041
Dementia (including Alzheimer's)
051
Diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes)
061
Heart disease (including heart attack or angina)
071
Kidney disease
075
Liver disease
081
Lung condition (including COPD or emphysema)
091
Mental health condition (including depression or anxiety)
Has the person been told by a doctor or nurse that they have any of these long-term health conditions?
Image
Description
This image shows a question from the 2026 Census online form. This question asks: Has Person 1 been told by a doctor or nurse that they have any of these long-term health conditions?
Underneath the question text, the instructional text states: Include health conditions that have lasted or are expected to last for six months or more. Include health conditions that: may recur from time to time, or are controlled by medication, therapy or treatment, or are in remission.
'Mental health condition' refers to a wide range of conditions that can affect a person’s mood, thinking and behaviour. Select all that apply.
The response options are: Arthritis; Asthma; Cancer (including remission); Dementia (including Alzheimer's); Diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes); Heart disease (including heart attack or angina); Kidney disease; Liver disease; Lung condition (including COPD or emphysema); Mental health condition (including depression or anxiety); Stroke; Any other long-term health condition(s); No long-term health condition(s).
How this variable is created
Data for this variable comes from the long-term health conditions question. On the paper form, if a respondent selects 'No long-term health condition' as well as other options, the 'No long-term health condition' response is excluded.
As respondents can select more than one condition, the counts of each category may sum to more than the total number of people.
History and changes
This was a new variable in 2021.
In 2026, 'Liver disease' was added as a health condition to the question, and the instructional text for mental health was updated.
