Health‐Poverty Inequality in Australia from 2001 to 2018.

Jun, Dajung; Sutton, Matt

While established measures gauge poverty across diverse aspects of life, a definitive metric for health poverty in Australia remains absent. This study examines health poverty trends, identifying priorities for interventions to improve overall population health. We define health poverty as the state of falling below a specified minimum threshold in any critical health aspect, encompassing physical function, role function, social function, pain, mental health and vitality. Additionally, mortality (i.e., dying within 1 year) is integrated into the health poverty measure. The percentage of the overall adult population grappling with health poverty was 42 per cent in 2001, falling to 37 per cent in 2009 before ascending to 43 per cent in 2018. The level of health poverty was more prevalent among women, older age groups and Indigenous individuals than in men, younger age groups or non‐Indigenous people, respectively. By meticulously monitoring health poverty trends across various dimensions, this study unveils the sociodemographic group susceptible to health poverty and quantifies its impact on overall population well‐being. The investigation highlights poor role functioning and vitality deficiency as pivotal components contributing to health poverty.

AUSTRALIA; HEALTH equity; SOCIAL skills; POPULATION health; MENTAL health; ADULTS

Australian Journal of Social Issues (John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ), 2024, Vol 59, Issue 4, p1070

0157-6321

Academic Journal

10.1002/ajs4.310