NT: Russian and Aborigines' health match - study

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NT: Russian and Aborigines' health match - study

DARWIN, Feb 15 AAP - Life expectancy and mortality rates of Aborigines match thoseof Russians more closely than any other population in the world, a study found today.

Both groups experience high unemployment, low income, high rates of smoking and excessivealcohol consumption, poor nutrition, high levels of stress and inadequate or inappropriatehealth services, a study author said.

The study by the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal and Tropical Health wasbased on data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, United Nations and other governmentstatistical agencies.

It compared the 1995-97 life expectancy and mortality rates of Aborigines with thoseof more than 200 countries worldwide.

"What happened in Russia was the biggest recorded drop in life expectancy in the developedworld's entire peacetime history," study co-author Yin Paradies said.

"Surprisingly, recent figures from Russia show that rapid improvements as well as rapiddeclines in health can occur within a few years.

"What this means is that efforts aimed at improving indigenous health in Australiacould show results much faster than we previously thought possible if we adopt a broaderapproach which addresses the social factors that lie outside the current health system."

The report, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health today,found the figures for Aboriginal and Russian men were almost identical.

Indigenous life expectancy at birth was found to be similar to that in developing countriessuch as Pakistan, Indonesia, Guatemala and Iran.

But it was worse than indigenous and disadvantaged groups in the developed world includingNew Zealand Maoris, black and native Americans, and Canadian natives.

The report also confirmed a 15 year gap in life expectancy between indigenous and otherAustralians.

"The life expectancy of the average Russian worsened very quickly from 1990 to 1994as a result of the immense economic and social instability following the collapse of theUSSR," Mr Paradies said.

"The fact that indigenous Australians have very similar life expectancy may also berelated to social instability and loss of culture experienced since European colonisation."

AAP rmg/jmd/sb

KEYWORD: MORTALITY