From the Australian Centre for Asthma Monitoring

This report presents results from the most recent National Health Survey conducted in 2004–05 by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This survey provides Australia’s only nationwide source of individual experiences with asthma, including prevalence, management, quality of life and exposure to known risk factors. This report also compares findings from the current survey with those from the previous National Health Survey in 2001.

Some of the key findings of the report are as follows.

Prevalence

• 2004-5 prevalence of asthma in Australia was estimated at 10.3% (or about 2,013,530 people) compared with
  2001 when the prevalence was 11.6%.

• In 2004–05 Australians with current asthma rated their general health as better and reported less asthma-related days off work or study  than they did in 2001.
   

• Compared with other Australians
  Prevalence of asthma among Indigenous Australians is higher
  Prevalence of asthma among people living in the most disadvantaged localities is higher.

Written Asthma Action Plans

• People with asthma who have a written asthma action plan
  23% in 2004–05
  17% in 2001

• People with current asthma reported taking inhaled corticosteroids every day or night in the last 2 weeks
  14%

Smoking

• Adults with asthma who also smoke
  25%

• Children with asthma exposed to passive smoking
  11%

Obesity

• Among women, there was also a relationship between the presence of asthma and obesity.

Other Health Issues

• Compared with people without asthma, people with asthma had
  worse self-assessed health,
  higher levels of psychological distress, and
  more mental and behavioural problems.

• People aged under 35 years with asthma were twice as likely to have arthritis as those of the same age without asthma.

Overall

• The results suggest that the burden of asthma in Australia has reduced and there have been some improvements in management between 2001 and 2004–05.

• Socioeconomic disparities are widening and there are still a number of areas for improvement.

• Interventions that would have health gains
  appropriate use of inhaled corticosteroids
  appropriate use of written asthma action plans,
  reduce smoking and exposure to passive smoke among people with asthma,
  reduce obesity among people with asthma.

To view a copy of the report go to 
Asthma in Australia: findings from the 2004–05 NHS (408KB)
(http://www.asthmamonitoring.org/PDF/A_I_A_Findings2004_05.pdf)

Content Updated May 2007