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LEARN MORE ABOUT .idIn Greater Melbourne, the most common long-term health condition was mental health condition, while 29.5% of the population reported one or more health conditions, a higher rate than in Greater Darwin (24.0%).
The 2021 Census looked for the first time at the level of incidence of selected long-term health conditions in the community. The Census question asked respondents if they have been diagnosed with a specific condition (or other condition) from a list of ten conditions plus "other". Combined, these ten conditions comprise approximately 60% of Australia's deaths, and even those which are not deadly contribute substantially to the burden of disease.
It is well known that socio-economic factors also contribute to morbidity and health outcomes, with lower-socio economic characteristics correlated with higher incidence of some health conditions. The inclusion of this topic in the Census enables these factors to be explored in more detail.
Also, in society, health conditions tend to increase with age. For these reasons, it is recommended that long-term health conditions data for be viewed at in conjunction with age structure, household income, educational qualifications, and need for assistance datasets, along with the SEIFA index of disadvantage.
Q:
Derived from the Census question:
'Has the person been told by a doctor or nurse that they have any of these long-term health conditions?'
| Long term health conditions - Summary | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Melbourne - Persons (Usual residence) | 2021 | ||
| Long-term health conditions - Summary | Number | % | Greater Darwin % |
| Population with at least one long-term health condition | 1,452,728 | 29.5 | 24.0 |
| No long-term health conditions | 3,119,688 | 63.4 | 64.5 |
| Not stated | 345,341 | 7.0 | 11.5 |
| Total persons | 4,917,757 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Long term health conditions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Melbourne - Persons (Usual residence) | 2021 | ||
| Long-term health conditions | Number | % | Greater Darwin % |
| Arthritis | 341,688 | 6.9 | 5.3 |
| Asthma | 386,347 | 7.9 | 6.1 |
| Cancer (including remission) | 122,573 | 2.5 | 1.9 |
| Dementia (including Alzheimer's) | 33,093 | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Diabetes | 219,919 | 4.5 | 3.7 |
| Heart disease | 163,847 | 3.3 | 2.4 |
| Kidney disease | 40,033 | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Lung condition | 58,925 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Mental health condition | 398,275 | 8.1 | 5.9 |
| Stroke | 40,395 | 0.8 | 0.6 |
| Other long-term health condition | 381,454 | 7.8 | 6.5 |
Dominant groups
Analysis of the long term health conditions of Greater Melbourne in 2021 compared to Greater Darwin shows that there was a higher proportion of people with a long-term health condition 29.5% compared to 24.0% in Greater Darwin.
The major differences in the long-term health conditions between Greater Melbourne and Greater Darwin are:
- A larger percentage with Mental health condition (8.1% compared to 5.9%)
- A larger percentage with Asthma (7.9% compared to 6.1%)
- A larger percentage with Arthritis (6.9% compared to 5.3%)
- A larger percentage with Other long-term health condition (7.8% compared to 6.5%)
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