According to a report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Life and work experiences of Australians with chronic conditions, almost 47% of all Australians are living with a chronic illness or condition.
“About 47% of Australians are estimated to have at least one chronic health condition, such as arthritis, asthma, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and mental and behavioural conditions,” says AIHW spokesperson Katherine Faulks.
Chronic health conditions are the leading cause of poor health and mortality in Australia but they also have a major impact on other parts of people’s lives.
According to the report, this has significant impacts on those affected, with nearly 10% of those people living with a chronic condition reporting a reduced chance of full-time or part-time employment compared to those without a chronic illness.
One in four people with a chronic condition say their health is poor, with major socioeconomic factors like homeownership and education strongly linked to the health of someone with a chronic condition.
“More than a quarter (26%) of 45-64-year-olds with chronic conditions self-assessed their health as poor, compared to 16% of those aged 15-44,” says Ms Faulks.
“Among mature working-age Australians with chronic conditions, individual-based measures of socioeconomic position such as the family composition of the household, homeownership, and education were found to be important factors in their likelihood of reporting poor self-assessed health.
“Mature working-age Australians with chronic conditions were more likely to report poor health if they had any of the following characteristics: three or more types of chronic conditions; any activity limitations or a disability; were male; were renters; were living alone; had no tertiary qualifications.”
The pandemic has affected the lives of all Australians but many people with chronic conditions have faced some particular challenges.
For example, people with chronic conditions are said to be at greater risk of severe illness from Covid-19 than those without chronic conditions.
As Australians with chronic conditions are more likely to live on their own, many may have been at increased risk of experiencing social isolation and loneliness when lockdowns and other measures, which limited social interaction were in place.
According to the AIHW, more research is needed to understand the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on labour force participation among mature working-age people with chronic conditions.
They suggest future research into the experiences of working-age Australians with chronic conditions could also look at specific groups, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic conditions.
