Australian scores are the reference point and are set to 1,000 for each index. Scores for area health services are population-weighted means of the scores of their constituent census collector districts.
Source:
ABS Socio Economic Indices for Areas (HOIST). Centre for Epidemiology and Research, NSW Department of Health.
Socioeconomic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) have been constructed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics from the 2001 Census of Population and Housing data. These indexes allow comparison of the social and economic conditions across Australia. SEIFA scores are derived from multiple-weighted variables, with the reference score for the whole of Australia set to 1,000. Lower scores indicate lower socioeconomic status. Four SEIFA scores were constructed to focus on different aspects of socioeconomic status (Adhikari, 2006).
The graph presents scores for two of the SEIFA indexes, the Index of Relative Socioeconomic Disadvantage (IRSD) and the Index of Education and Occupation (EDUOCC) for NSW Area Health Services and by a remoteness/accessibility classification. The IRSD combines variables relating to education, occupation, non-English speaking background, Indigenous origin and the economic resources of households. The EDUOCC combines variables relating to occupational classification, unemployment, early school leaving, and lack of educational qualifications (ABS, 2004).
The Northern Sydney and Central Coast Area Health Service had the highest scores for both indexes (IRSD 1,075; EDUCOCC 1,095), followed by the South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service (IRSD 1,029; EDUCOCC 1,049). The most disadvantaged areas were the North Coast Area Health Service (IRSD 956; EDUCOCC 958) and the Greater Western Area Health Service (IRSD 966; EDUCOCC 950).
Overall, on both indexes there was a considerable difference between metropolitan and regional and remote areas. For all people living in metropolitan areas, IRSD was 1,004 and EDUCOCC 1,030, while the corresponding scores for regional and remote areas were IRSD 965 and EDUCOCC 940. The highest IRSD score (1,006) was seen for people living in inner regional areas, although the EDUCOCC score for people in these areas was slightly lower than average at 998.
Trends in a range of health indicators according to IRSD score are presented in the chapter on socioeconomic status.
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Copyright notice:
This work is copyright NSW Department of Health, 2006. It may be reproduced
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Population Health Division. The health of the people of New South Wales -
Report of the Chief Health Officer. Sydney: NSW Department of Health. Available at:
http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/public-health/chorep/soc/soc_seifa_ahs.htm. Accessed (insert date of access).
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