Early Public Health Career Network Workshop

APACPH, 19th Nov. 2005

Dr John Hall

Senior Lecturer

School of Public Health

University of Sydney

2. Demography

• Main features of the Australian population:- Concentrated in Eastern / SE corner of the

continent.- Low population growth rate.- Small families.- Growth is from in-migration- An ageing population.

2. Demography (cntd)

• 20 million people in 2004.

• 53% live in cities of >1 mill. (1996).

• 18% live in rural areas. (1996)

• 16% people not born in Australia, UK or Ireland. (1996)

• 386,000 Indigenous Australians. (1996)

Summary of the State of Health of Australians

- Change from infectious diseases to non- communicable disease (cardiovascular, stroke, myocardial infarction, diabetes, cancer, mental health)

- Risk factors – sedentary life style, obesity, tobacco.

- Aging population- Indigenous Australians

Indigenous Australians

• Made up 386,000 of Australian population of 20 mill.

• Have worst health status in Australia.

Indigenous Australians

• In the Far West of NSW:- Average age of death of Aboriginal males is 33 year

(78 years for white males).- Alcohol deaths for Aboriginal males are 8 times the

national average.- Blindness is 10 times the national average.- Teenage pregnancy is 16 times the national average.- Have the highest incidence of lung cancer, premature

births and STIs in NSW.- Have the highest rates of death from heart disease,

diabetes, injury, suicide and homicide in NSW.

Public Health Workforce in Australia

• Risk factor modification – behaviour change - tobacco, exercise, diet.

• Evidence based interventions – population screening for cancer?

• Indigenous health.

• Ageing health.

School of Public Health, The University of Sydney

• MPH – key Public health issues in Australia.

• M.Clin.Epi. – evidence based decisions.

• MIPH – key Public Health issues in resource poor and transition settings.

- since 2000, 107 enrolments – China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, PNG, Australia.