TY - JOUR PY - 2000// TI - Mortality variation across Australia: descriptive data for states and territories, and statistical divisions JO - Australian and New Zealand journal of public health A1 - Wilkinson, D. A1 - Hiller, J. A1 - Moss, J. A1 - Ryan, P. A1 - Worsley, T. SP - 226 EP - 233 VL - 24 IS - 3 N2 - OBJECTIVE: To describe variation in all cause and selected cause-specific mortality rates across Australia.

METHODS: Mortality and population data for 1997 were obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. All cause and selected cause-specific mortality rates were calculated and directly standardised to the 1997 Australian population in 5-year age groups. Selected major causes of death included cancer, coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, accidents and suicide. Rates are reported by statistical division, and State and Territory.

RESULTS: All cause age-standardised mortality was 6.98 per 1000 in 1997 and this varied 2-fold from a low in the statistical division of Pilbara, Western Australia (5.78, 95% confidence interval 5.06-6.56), to a high in Northern Territory--excluding Darwin (11.30, 10.67-11.98). Similar mortality variation (all p < 0.0001) exists for cancer (1.01-2.23 per 1000) and coronary artery disease (0.99-2.23 per 1000), the two biggest killers. Larger variation (all p < 0.0001) exists for cerebrovascular disease (0.7-11.8 per 10,000), diabetes (0.7-6.9 per 10,000), accidents (1.7-7.2 per 10,000) and suicide (0.6-3.8 per 10,000). Less marked variation was observed when analysed by State and Territory, but Northern Territory consistently has the highest age-standardised mortality rates.

CONCLUSIONS: Analysed by statistical division, substantial mortality gradients exist across Australia, suggesting an inequitable distribution of the determinants of health. Further research is required to better understand this heterogeneity.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 1326-0200 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-842x.2000.tb01561.x ID - ref1 ER -