Summary
The Australian Burden of Disease Study (ABDS) 2018 includes 219 diseases, as well as estimates of the burden attributable to 40 individual risk factors, such as alcohol use and physical inactivity. The Study includes results for 2003, 2011 and 2015 for comparison, as well as estimates by state/territory, remoteness area and socioeconomic group.
This report contains key findings from the forthcoming Australian Burden of Disease Study (ABDS) 2018. The Study found that:
- Australians suffered more burden from living with illness (52% of total burden) than from premature death (48%)
- Coronary heart disease, back pain, dementia, COPD, and lung cancer were the top 5 diseases causing burden in 2018
- 38% of disease burden could have been avoided or reduced, being due to the modifiable risk factors included in the Study
- there was a 13% reduction in total burden rates between 2003 and 2018.
Full results, including more detailed reports and interactive data visualisations, are planned for release in November 2021. The Indigenous Burden of Disease Study 2018 is planned for release in late 2021 and includes comparisons between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.