Health-Poverty Inequality in Australia from 2001 to 2018

Abstract

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 percent in 2001, falling to 37 percent i..