Page highlights (updated December 2023)

Impact

Health expenditure on asthma increased between 2015–16 and 2020–21, from $770.4 million to $851.7 million.

Treatment and management

Hospitalisations with a principal diagnosis of asthma decreased from 172 to 99 per 100,000 population from 2016–17 to 2021–22.

Overview

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways. People with asthma experience episodes of wheezing, breathlessness and chest tightness due to widespread narrowing of the airways.

The 10 National asthma indicators were published in the National Asthma Strategy 2018 (Strategy) by the National Asthma Council (NACA 2018). The National Asthma Strategy aims to reduce the health, social and economic impacts of asthma with a targeted and comprehensive approach to optimise asthma diagnosis and management. These indicators provide information for policymakers about the status of asthma in Australia.

The goal of the Strategy is to reduce the impact of asthma on Australia's health, society and economy. To achieve this, the Strategy outlines 5 high-level objectives with potential areas for action:

  • support effective self-management practices
  • develop the health professional workforce
  • enhance asthma care and management
  • create supportive community environments
  • promote research, evidence and data.

Progress in achieving the goal and objectives of the Strategy will be measured by the following outcome measures:

  • decrease in suboptimal asthma control
  • increase in asthma action plan uptake for both adults and children
  • improved adherence with appropriate preventer medicines
  • increase in annual General Practitioner (GP) reviews of people with asthma
  • reduced avoidable asthma-related hospitalisations (First Nations people and non-Indigenous people)
  • improved quality of life among people with asthma
  • reduced costs of asthma to patients, the healthcare system and government, including indirect costs such as reduced productivity
  • reduced prevalence of asthma (First Nations people and non-Indigenous people)
  • reduced asthma-related deaths (First Nations people and non-Indigenous people).

Since the second release of National asthma indicators (PDF 2.9MB), this web report has been incorporated into the Asthma web pages so that individual indicators can be updated as data are released. For more information, links are included to the relevant sections of the Asthma web article in the following table.

Table: National asthma indicators – tracking progress
Outcome measureIndicatorBaseline value*Latest valueProgress statusLast updated
Reduced prevalence of asthma1: The proportion of people who report having current and long-term asthma11% of people in Australia in 2017–1811% of people in Australia in 2020–21Data not comparable

30 June 2023

View data source for prevalence

Improved quality of life among people with asthma

2: Impact of asthma on quality of life

 

23% of people with asthma reported that asthma interfered with their daily activities 2 or more times in the past 4 weeks in 2017–18

21% of people with asthma reported that interfered with their daily activities 2 or more times in the past 4 weeks in 2020–21

Data not comparable

30 June 2023

View data source for quality-of-life measures

11% of people with asthma reported experiencing very high levels of psychological distress in 2017–18

11% of people with asthma reported experiencing very high levels of psychological distress in 2020–21

Data not comparable

30 June 2023

View data source for quality-of-life measures

8% of people with asthma reported having poor self-assessed health in 2017–18

5% of people with asthma reported having poor self-assessed health in 2020–21

Data not comparable

30 June 2023

View data source for quality-of-life measures

Reduced costs of asthma to patients, the healthcare system and government, including indirect costs such as reduced productivity3: Annual health expenditure on asthma$770.4 million in 2015–16$851.7 million in 2020–21Regress

14 December 2023

View data source for health expenditure

Reduced asthma-related deaths

4: Deaths due to asthma

1.9 deaths per 100,000 population for all ages in 2017 (456 deaths)

1.4 deaths per 100,000 population for all ages in 2021 (351 deaths)Progress

30 June 2023

View data source for deaths

The death rate due to asthma for people aged 5–34, was 0.3 per 100,000 population in 2017

The death rate due to asthma for people aged 5–34, was 0.2 per 100,000 population in 2021

Progress

30 June 2023

View data source for deaths

The death rate due to asthma for people aged 35–54, was 1.0 per 100,000 population in 2017

The death rate due to asthma for people aged 35–54, was 0.4 per 100,000 population in 2021

Progress

30 June 2023

View data source for deaths

The death rate due to asthma for people aged 55 and over, was 5.5 per 100,000 population in 2017

The death rate due to asthma for people aged 55 and over, was 4.1 per 100,000 population in 2021

Progress

30 June 2023

View data source for deaths

Decrease in suboptimal asthma control

5: Asthma control medication use

17% of people dispensed at least 1 SABA, were dispensed 3 or more SABA in 2017–18

18% of people dispensed at least 1 SABA, were dispensed 3 or more SABA in 2021–22

No change

30 June 2023

View data source for asthma control medications

Improved adherence with appropriate preventer medicines

6: Preventer medication use for asthma

34% dispensed at least 1 preventer, were dispensed 3 or more preventers in 2017–18

33% dispensed at least 1 preventer, were dispensed 3 or more preventers in 2021–22

No change

30 June 2023

View data source for preventer medication

Increase in annual General Practitioner (GP) reviews of people with asthma

7: Asthma cycle of care claims

0.3% of people in Australia claimed in 2017–18

0.1% of people in Australia claimed in 2021–22

Regress

30 June 2023

View data source for asthma cycle of care claims

Increase in asthma action plan uptake for both adults and children

8: Asthma action plans

31% of people with asthma had a plan in 2017–18

34% of people with asthma had a plan in 2021–22

 

Data not comparable

30 June 2023

View data source for asthma action plans

Reduced asthma-related hospitalisations 

9: Hospital admissions due to asthma 

172 per 100,000 asthma hospitalisations in 2016–17

99 per 100,000 asthma hospitalisations in 2021–22

Progress

14 December 2023

View data source for asthma hospitalisations

Reduced asthma-related hospitalisations

10: Emergency department (ED) presentations

297 per 100,000 ED presentations in 2018–19 due to asthma

232 per 100,000 ED presentations in 2020–21 due to asthma

Progress

30 June 2023

View data source for asthma ED presentations

*Baseline data was included in the 2019 Indicator report. Full indicator text is included in the Asthma web pages at links provided in the table above.

Status key
progress: green tickProgress:
Used where there are 2 or more data points, and the measure is moving in the direction the Strategy wants to see.
regress: red crossRegress:
Used where there are 2 or more data points, and the measure is not moving in the direction the Strategy wants to see.
no change: two orange dotsNo change:
Used where there are 2 or more data points, and the latest data are similar to the baseline.
Data not comparable: blank boxData not comparable:
Used where data is not comparable over time.

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