Indigenous health improves

RESEARCH shows key aspects of Australian Indigenous health are tracking well, with smoking rates declining and high levels of alcohol abstinence reported in the past few years.
Cancer Council Queensland will this week celebrate recent health wins among Indigenous Queenslanders as part of NAIDOC week, 7 -14 July.
According to the National Health Performance Framework 2012, Indigenous Australians were twice as likely to abstain from alcohol when compared to non-Indigenous Australians.
The framework shows 24 per cent of Indigenous Australian adults abstained from alcohol consumption over a 12-month period, compared to 13 per cent of non-Indigenous Australian adults, in 2004-’05.
A 2012 study, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, also showed a decrease in smoking rates among Indigenous Australians in the majority of jurisdictions from 1994 to 2008.
The study found smoking prevalence among Indigenous Australian men decreased by 0.4 per cent per year. For Indigenous women, a decrease of 0.5 per cent per year was reported.
Cancer Council Queensland spokesperson Katie Clift said despite the encouraging trends, there were still significant health gains to be made among the Indigenous population.
“Currently, 44 per cent of the Indigenous Queensland population smokes daily. In remote areas, this can be as high as 83 per cent among men and 76 per cent among women,” Ms Clift said.
Cancer is the leading cause of preventable death among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Queensland.
Smokers can obtain free information, practical assistance and support from Quitline, 13 QUIT (13 7848), or join the QUEST to quit at www.cancerqld.org.au