Respiratory Health with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples: Closing the Gap

Nearly one-third of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a respiratory condition; with Asthma and COPD contributing to the highest burden of disease. Hospitalisation for Asthma and COPD exacerbations are higher for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders than for non-Aboriginal Australians. Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, COPD is responsible for two-thirds of respiratory deaths, and the asthma mortality rate is more than three times that of other Australians.

References:

1. Australia Institute of Health and Welfare (2018). Australian Burden of Disease Study: impact and causes of illness and death in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 2018. Retrieved from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/burden-of-disease/illness-death-indigenous-2018/summary

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3. Basnayake, T.L., Morgan, L.C., Chang A.B. (2017). The global burden of respiratory infections in Indigenous children and adults: a review. Respirology, 22(8), 1518-1528. Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28758310/

4. Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council (2017). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework: 2017 report. Canberra: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved from: https://www.niaa.gov.au/indigenous-affairs/evaluations-and-evidence/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-health-performance-framework-hpf.