Australians with lower incomes are dying sooner from potentially preventable diseases than their wealthier counterparts, according to our new report.
Australia’s Health Tracker by Socioeconomic Status, released today, tracks health risk factors, disease and premature death by socioeconomic status. It shows that over the past four years, 49,227 more people on lower incomes have died from chronic diseases – such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer – before the age of 75 than those on higher incomes.
A steady job or being engaged in the community is . Australia’s unemployment rate is low, but this hides low workforce participation, and a serious problem with underemployment. Casual workers are often , and more and more Australians are employed on short-term contracts.
There’s a vicious feedback loop – if your health is struggling, it’s harder to build your wealth. If you’re unable to work as much as you want, you can’t build your wealth, so it’s much tougher to improve your health.
tracked health risk factors, disease and premature death by socioeconomic status, which measures people’s access to material and social resources as well as their ability to participate in society. We’ve measured in quintiles – with one fifth of the population in each quintile.
We developed based on the to improve health around the globe.
The good news is that for many of the indicators, the most advantaged in the community have already reached the targets.
The bad news is that poor health is not just an issue affecting the most vulnerable in our community, it significantly affects the second-lowest quintile as well. Almost ten million Australians with low incomes have much greater risks of developing preventable chronic diseases, and of dying from these earlier than other Australians.
Big disparities
People living in the two lower socioeconomic quintiles (the poorest 40 per cent of the population) are much more likely to be obese; less likely to do exercise; and much more likely to smoke. For these measures, the differences between the highest two socioeconomic quintiles and the lower two are stark. Obesity is 35 per cent more prevalent, activity levels are 22 per cent lower, and smoking rates – which are going down overall – are almost double.
The targets in are modest and achievable. Our target for obesity, for example, is to reduce the rate from 27.9 per cent to 24.6 per cent (). The most advantaged in the community have already achieved this target, while the rate in the most disadvantaged quintile is over 33 per cent.
Almost ten million Australians with low incomes have much greater risks of developing preventable chronic diseases, and of dying from these earlier than other Australians.
Disease rates are also higher. Bowel cancer is 30 per cent more likely to be detected, even though fewer people are tested. Diabetes is 33 per cent more prevalent in the two lower socioeconomic quintiles than the top two.
The differences in rates of early death between the lowest and highest categories are most staggering. People in the lower two socioeconomic quintiles (40 per cent of the community) are:
- Almost twice as likely to die from a cardiovascular disease such as stroke or heart attack
- Almost 40 per cent more likely to die from cancer
- More than twice as likely to die from a respiratory disease
- Almost three times as likely to die from diabetes.
Even where there is no disease causing death, suicide is much more likely the more disadvantaged you are. The suicide rate is 50 per cent higher in the lower two quintiles than the top two socioeconomic quintiles.
One in two Australians have a chronic disease and those on a low income are disproportionately affected. But, crucially, is preventable.
What can we do about it?
Australia’s health services are well regarded internationally. Our expenditure on health services, , compares favourably with .
One glaring exception is investment in prevention and early intervention strategies. Only 1.3 per cent of the Australian health budget . This is significantly less than countries such as , which spend around 6 per cent on prevention.
We have limited investment in national screening programs other than for high profile cancers. , for example, would save lives and reduce health care costs for individuals and the national health budget.
Improving health for people with low incomes and resources needs a comprehensive government commitment. We need to:
- invest in prevention and early intervention through
- provide healthier environments, better access to healthy food and improved support for improved physical activity, such as encouraging more children to walk to school, and
- protect children from junk food and soft-drink marketing and supply, through a levy on drinks with added sugar and restricting advertising to children.
, Policy Associate, Australian Health Policy Collaboration, and , Director, Health Policy, . This article was originally published on . Read the .
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The new series of Struggle Street starts Tuesday 28 November 8.30pm on SBS.
A two-week event: Tuesday-Thursday.
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Struggle Street series two is produced by KEO Films with funding support from Screen Australia and Film Victoria.
All episodes of Struggle Street will be available to view on SBS On Demand after broadcast.
Episodes one, two and three will encore on Viceland on Friday 1 December from 8.30pm, while episodes four, five and six will encore on Viceland on Friday 8 December from 9pm.
NITV's The Point will host a special show to discuss the issues raised in the documentary on Wednesday 29 November 9.30pm.
The Feed Special will also air on Viceland on Friday 8 December at 8.30pm.
