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Aborigine deaths linked to poverty

12 December 2001 - Australian Aborigines are dying 25 years younger than white Australians and about 15 years before indigenous people in New Zealand and the United States, according to the findings of a recent study.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data showed that the average age at death for most Australians was 78 in 2000 but Aborigines, Australia’s most disadvantaged people, died at an average age of 53.

While a non-indigenous boy born in Australia today could expect to live to 77 and a girl to 82, an Aboriginal boy could only expect to live to 56 and a girl to 63.

The figures for Aborigines also compared badly against other indigenous people, with New Zealand Maori men living to 67 and women 72 while American Indians had a life expectancy of 71 years. "This could be related to health factors, environmental factors or other social issues," Patrick Corr, the ABS director of demography, explained.

The leading causes of death among the 400,000 Aborigines differ from those in the rest of Australia’s 19.3 million population. ABS data showed causes such as accidents, assaults and self harm accounted for 15 per cent of Aboriginal deaths compared with 6 per cent of total deaths in Australia.

The figures were the latest to highlight the plight of Aborigines who are battling to combat drug and alcohol abuse, health problems, unemployment and high rates of incarceration.

The main cause of death among Aborigines was disease of the circulatory system which accounted for 28 per cent of deaths, followed by cancer at 16 per cent and endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases at 9 per cent.

In 2000, the death rate among Aborigines was more than twice the death rate among the total Australian population.

There were 15 deaths per 1,000 among Aborigines, compared with six deaths per 1,000 for the total population.

Source:The Scotsman

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