Male Causes of Death…ABS Mortality Atlas, Australia 2002

There were 128,544 deaths registered in Australia in 2001, consisting of 66,835 male and 61,709 female deaths.

For males, there was a 1.2% increase in the number of deaths in the twelve months to 2001, but a decrease of 2.1% in the standardised death rate in the same period. This continues a downward trend, which has seen the standardised male death rate decrease 22% from 59.6 in 1991 to 46.5 per 100,000 in 2001.

Findings from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Mortality Atlas, Australia (catalogue no. 3318.0), released 17 December 2002, show that males have higher levels of death in most of the main causes of death.

Ischaemic heart diseases were the second leading cause of death in Australia, accounting for 20% of all deaths registered in 2001, with a national death rate of 106.5 per 100,000 persons. There is substantial difference in the national death rate from Ischaemic heart diseases with males recording 141.2 per 100,000 persons and females recording 78.0 per 100,000 persons.

Mortality Atlas, Australia released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in December 2002 states that Victorian men now have the lowest mortality rate from heart disease in the nation. Victoria is the only state to have a committed program of men's health information nights that mirror a similar education process that has been so successful in reducing the breast cancer mortality rate for women. Thousands of men across Victoria and more so in rural areas have attended Men's Health Nights and Screening Sessions to learn about risk factors to heart disease, cancer and range of other health issues.

Evidence might suggest that the extensive Men's Health Night program in Victoria, based on the Man Model of Health Promotion, attracting tens of thousands of men to learn about risk factors to heart disease, cancer and a range of other health issues over the last ten years, cannot be 'understated'. When comparing state reduction rates of heart disease in Australia there is no one significant factor other than Men's Health Education that can be singled out as an impact on the Victorian reduction of the mortality rate to Cardiovascular Disease for males.

Mortality Atlas, Australia is the first of its kind in Australia. The value of this Atlas lies in its ability to provide a large amount of information about mortality and the relationship between causes of death and location in a visual easy-to-understand way. It is designed to highlight the differing spatial patterns of death rates across Australia and to explore the relationships
between certain causes of death.

Mortality Atlas, Australia contains 63 maps presenting death rates for the period 1997-2000 for selected leading causes of death within Australia and other causes of particular interest to the Australian community such as intentional self-harm and motor vehicle traffic accidents. The two leading causes, heart disease and cancer, are presented at Statistical Subdivision geographic level with capital city enlargements. Other causes are presented at Statistical Division geographic level. Some simple analysis accompanies the maps. The Mortality Atlas also includes a set of tables, which present the death rates for each of the causes highlighted.

This atlas presents standardised death rates for both underlying and multiple causes of death, calculated on four years of aggregated data (deaths for years 1997 to 2000) classified to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems Tenth Revision (ICD10).

This publication demonstrates many insights into Australian mortality and is
envisaged to assist discussion and decision-making at all levels.

Mortality Atlas, Australia is available at a cost of $50 in hardcopy format only
from the Australian Bureau of Statistics by contacting information services on
1300 135 070. For more information about causes of death statistics, customised
maps or data concepts contact Peter Burke on 1800 620 963.

Further information on ABS health related statistics could be obtained from the
ABS website at www.abs.gov.au