The leading five risk factors contributing to the disease burden among Australians are tobacco use, being overweight (including obesity), all dietary risks, high blood pressure and alcohol use, according to the updated Australian Burden of Disease Study 2018 released this week.
The study measures the years of healthy life Australians lost due to 219 diseases and 40 risk factors. Years living with poor health (the non-fatal burden of disease) or dying prematurely (fatal burden) are estimated using disability-adjusted life years (DALY).
Tobacco use contributed the greatest amount of fatal burden and deaths in Australia while being overweight (including obesity) contributed the most non-fatal burden in both males and females.
The burden attributable to most (14 out of 20) risk factors was higher in males than in females; with the exception of bullying victimisation, child abuse and neglect, low bone mineral density, unsafe sex, iron deficiency and intimate partner violence (only estimated in females), said the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
In good news, Australians are losing fewer years of healthy life to coronary heart disease, but it remains the leading contributor to the nation’s collective ‘disease burden’.
“Between 2003 and 2018, coronary heart disease had the largest reduction in DALY rate, falling from 21 to 10 DALY per 1,000 people, mainly driven by large declines in people dying prematurely from the disease. However, it remained the leading cause of burden of disease, making up 6.3% of the total burden in 2018,” said AIHW spokesperson Richard Juckes.
“There was also a decline in total disease burden from stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung and bowel cancer and rheumatoid arthritis.”
The message: looking after your health can make a real difference to your quality of life.
