Could Adequate and More Appropriate Housing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in New South Wales, Australia, Reduce the Risk of Poorer Health Outcomes?

Abstract

Objective: Indigenous Australians are estimated to be 3.7 times more likely to be living in overcrowded conditions and are more likely to have poorer health outcomes. To investigate correlations between housing, health and age of death, we used data from the Public Health Information Development Unit (PHIDU) on the 105 Indigenous Areas (IAREs) within New South Wales (NSW).   Methods: Univariant and multivariant linear regression analysis of the Public Health Information Development Unit (PHIDU) database.   Results: Our results indicate that for every 1% increase in crowded households in an IARE, avoidable hospital admissions increased by 130 cases per 100,000.   Conclusion: We conclude that this finding is consistent with the view that decreased overcrowding could improve the health of Aboriginal people in NSW.   Implications for public health: Increased housing availability could reduce the demand for health services, including public hospitals.