Introduction
Adults begin to show signs of ageing during middle age: strength and flexibility wane, eyesight and hearing deteriorate, body fat accumulates, oral health decreases, hormones become imbalanced; and, in developed countries, yearly mortality increases, mainly because of age-related health problems such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.[1] Many of these signs of ageing can be prevented, delayed, and/or managed, allowing the ageing process to become an opportunity rather than a problem, with lifestyle benefits for individuals and socioeconomic benefits for communities.[2]
Healthy ageing is an important goal for societies in which the proportion of the ageing population is increasing. Australian governments at the state and commonwealth levels recognise that research efforts need to increase if the full potential of healthy ageing is to be realised. While there are data sources that provide information on health and ageing in Australia, including national and state censuses, health surveys, health studies, and administrative data collections, there is considerable potential for further analyses of these data sources.
Since 2001, the Australian Bureau of Statistics has conducted a triennial National Health Survey using computer assisted personal interview (CAPI). Before that time, surveys were conducted in 1989-90 and 1995. Information on the survey's probabilistic sampling and calculation of prevalence estimates can be found elsewhere.[3]
Since 2006, the 45 and Up Study has been recruiting a cohort of men and women in New South Wales aged 45 years and over. The target population is randomly sampled from the Medicare (Australia) database. Eligible individuals are mailed an invitation to participate, the study questionnaire, and a reply paid envelope. People may also volunteer to join the study by requesting an invitation pack. Although the cohort is derived from the general population, the study collaborators point out that the study is unlikely to be directly representative of the general population. Further information on the study design can be found elsewhere.[4]
Since 2002, the New South Wales Population Health Survey has conducted a continuous survey using computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). Before that time, adult health surveys were conducted in 1997 and 1998, an older people's survey was conducted in 1999, and a child health survey was conducted in 2001. The continuous survey covers the whole state population from birth upwards. The target sample is 12,000 persons a year.[5] Over the period 1997-2007, the total sample was 102,583 persons, of which 62,385 were aged 45 years and over.
This reports presents trends in the health of persons aged 45 years and over from the 1997-2007 New South Wales Population Health Survey. The health behaviours chapter includes: alcohol, cancer screening and hysterectomy, fire safety in the home, fruit and vegetable consumption, adequate physical activity, current smoking, and smoke-free households. This is followed by a chapter on health status, including: self-rated health, asthma, cardiovascular disease precursors (blood pressure and cholesterol), diabetes or high blood glucose, mental health (psychological distress), oral health, overweight or obese, hearing, and vision. Next there is a chapter on health services, including: private health insurance, difficulties getting health care, emergency department presentations, hospital admissions, general practitioner services, public dental services, and community health centres. Finally, there is a chapter on social capital, including: participation in the local community, trust and safety, and reciprocity and neighbourhood connectedness.
The health indicators in these chapters are presented in graphical and tabular form. Each graph presents the indicator by age groups (highest and lowest), quintiles of socioeconomic disadvantage (most and least), and categories of geographical accessibility (major cities and remote/very remote). The table below each graph presents all age groups, quintiles of socioeconomic disadvantage, and categories of geographical accessibility, and includes the 95% confidence intervals (CI), which provides a range of values that contain the actual value 95% of the time. A wider confidence interval reflects less certainty in the estimate. If confidence intervals do not overlap then the observed estimates are significantly different. If confidence intervals overlap slightly the observed estimates may be significantly different but further testing needs to be done to establish that significance.
This report is available in PDF and HTML versions, which can be downloaded from the New South Wales Population Health Survey website at www.health.nsw.gov.au/publichealth/surveys/index.asp. Further information about the New South Wales Population Health Survey, including previous survey results and methods, can be obtained from the website.
References
- HealthInsite. Middle Age. Available online at www.healthinsite.gov.au (accessed 10 March 2008).
- Australian Research Council and National Health and Medical Research Council. Ageing Well Research Network. Available online at www.ageingwell.edu.au/download/healthyageing.pdf (accessed 9 April 2008).
- Australian Bureau of Statistics. National Health Survey: Users' Guide. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistic, 2006. Available online at www.abs.gov.au (accessed 9 April 2008).
- 45 and Up Study Collaborators. Cohort Profile: The 45 and Up Study. Int J Epidemiol 2007, available online at www.ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/dym184v1 (accessed 9 April 2008).
- Centre for Epidemiology and Research. NSW Population Health Survey: Website. Sydney: NSW Department of Health, 2006. Available online at www.health.nsw.gov.au/publichealth/surveys/index.asp (accessed 9 April 2008).
| Source: | New South Wales Population Health Survey 2007 (HOIST). Centre for Epidemiology and Research, NSW Department of Health. |
| Print version: | Although this page can be printed directly from your web browser, a higher quality version is available as a PDF file that can be printed or viewed on screen. |
| Produced by: | Centre for Epidemiology and Research, Population Health Division, NSW Department of Health. |
| Last updated on: | 1 June 2008 |