Mortality and survival among clients of the Aboriginal Medical Service at Redfern [ 2006 - 2010 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: Prof Richard Taylor (Principal investigator) ,  Dr John Daniels ,  Dr Kate Burgess ,  Dr Stephen Morrell ,  Ms Robyn Shields

Brief description The aims of the mortality study are to: (a) document current age-sex specific and cause-specific Indigenous mortality; (b) establish trends in age-sex specific and cause-specific Indigenous mortality over time; (c) compare age-sex-cause specific mortality in the AMS Redfern cohort with patterns documented in other Aboriginal populations, and in the general Australian population. The null hypotheses for general and cause-specific mortality (age-adjusted) are that: (a) there has been no decline in mortality in Aboriginal people attending AMS Redfern over 30 years covering 1972-2001; (b) survival in the AMS cohort is similar to that recorded in Aboriginal people from NT and WA (mostly rural) for similar time periods; (c) comparisons of the AMS cohort mortality with overall NSW mortality are similar to previously published comparisons of NT-WA Aboriginal mortality compared to overall Australian mortality data. Major causes of mortality will centre on endocrine (mainly diabetes), cardio- and cerebro-vascular diseases, and on external causes, including suicide-violence and accidental death. The mortality study will be extended back to the inception of the AMS, and will rely on computerisation of name(s), sex, date of birth and date of first and last AMS attendance for the whole AMS patient data base, to provide information for matching of patient records with the National Death Index (for deaths from 1980) and for matching with the NSW mortality data for 1971-79 (as there is no nationwide mortality data available from a single source prior to 1980).

Funding Amount $AUD 483,290.52

Funding Scheme NHMRC Project Grants

Notes Standard Project Grant