Good news in Indigenous health: Gap closing in key disease metrics
An AIHW report shows some progress has been made over the past two decades
The health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is narrowing amid a decline in premature death and illness among Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders.
Figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reveal that, while Indigenous Australians continue to experience more than double the burden of disease, the difference shrunk 16% from 2003 to 2018.
‘Disease burden’ measures an illness or injury’s impact in terms of the number of years of healthy life lost through living with the ailment.
The gap in ‘fatal burden’ — a measure of premature death — declined 28%, the AIHW said.
