Life Expectancy In The South Burnett: How We Measure Up

December 13, 2013

If South Burnett residents want to live longer – and have a smaller chance of suffering a potentially avoidable death – they should pack their bags and head to Sydney or Melbourne … or at least to the Sunshine Coast.

A report released this week by the National Health Performance Authority compares statistics from various Medicare Local districts across Australia.

The South Burnett is part of the Darling Downs-South West Queensland catchment area which ranks in the third lowest peer group category, “Regional 2”.

The healthiest places in Australia appear to be Inner East Melbourne and Sydney’s North Shore and Northern Beaches, in “Metro 1”.

However, the South Burnett is by no means the worst off in Queensland.

Ranking below us are Townsville and Mackay (Rural 1), Far North Queensland (Rural 2) and Central and North-West Queensland (Rural 2),

During the three calendar years from 2009 to the end of 2011, life expectancy at birth varied across Medicare Local catchments from 84.6 years in Northern Sydney to 76.1 years in Central and North West Queensland.

Rates of potentially avoidable deaths in rural lower income communities (Rural 2 peer group) were more than twice as high as wealthier inner-city suburbs (Metro 1 peer group).

Life expectancy was longest for men on the Sydney North Shore and Beaches (83.2 years) and for women in Northern Sydney (86.2 years). Lowest life expectancies for men were in Central and North-West Queensland: 73.7 years for men and 78.5 years for women.

In the Darling Downs-South West Queensland Medicare Local region – which includes the South Burnett – men can expect to live 78.4 years and women 83.7 years.

In regional areas, the rate of potentially avoidable deaths was 9 per cent higher in lower-income catchments.

The Regional 2 peer group – which includes the South Burnett – recorded 171 potentially avoidable deaths per 100,000 people compared with areas such as the Sunshine Coast (Regional 1, 157 deaths per 100,000 people).

NB. “Potentially avoidable” deaths include both preventable and treatable deaths.

Potentially preventable deaths in the Regional 2 area were 12 per cent higher (109 deaths per 100,000 people) compared with Regional 1 (97 deaths per 100,000 people).

Potentially treatable deaths were 3 per cent higher in Regional 2 (62 deaths per 100,000 people) compared with Regional 1 (60 deaths per 100,000 people).