Notes on the data: Chronic diseases and conditions

Estimated population with respiratory system diseases, 2017-18

Policy context: Chronic respiratory system diseases are those that affect the respiratory tract and include asthma, lung diseases, and breathing disorders. They often persist over many years and, if severe, may require a wide range of treatments and medications from specialised health practitioners. Some diseases may be caused by environmental pollutants such as tobacco smoke or toxic emissions from industry or transport. Others are the result of genetic conditions which affect people from a young age, such as cystic fibrosis.

Notes:

Small area estimates:

Data by Population Health Area, Local Government Area and Primary Health Network are available for the 2014-15 National Health Survey in the data archive.

Differences from data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS):

Data by quintile of socioeconomic disadvantage and Remoteness will differ to the extent that data extracted from Survey TableBuilder have been randomised, whereas those published by the ABS are not. In addition, rates published by the ABS for modelled estimates are generally crude rates; rates published by PHIDU are age-standardised.

Indicator detail

These data refer to persons ever told by a doctor or nurse that they have asthma, bronchitis, emphysema or other respiratory system disease; or not diagnosed but who consider their condition to be current and long-term. A long-term condition is defined as a condition that is current and has lasted, or is expected to last, for 6 months or more.

Geography: Data available by , Quintile of socioeconomic disadvantage of area and Remoteness Area

Numerator: Estimated number of people with respiratory system diseases as a current, long-term condition

Denominator: Total population

Detail of analysis: Indirectly age-standardised rate per 100 population; and/or indirectly age-standardised ratio, based on the Australian standard

Source: Compiled by PHIDU based on direct estimates from the 2017–18 National Health Survey, ABS Survey TableBuilder.