Health Inequities & the North Coast Population
Socioeconomic Indicators
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Socio-Economic Indexes For Areas (SEIFA) allows ranking of regions/areas, providing a method of determining the level of social and economic well-being in that region and allows comparison of regions across Australia. SEIFA scores are derived from multiple-weighted variables, with the reference score for the whole of NSW set to 1,000. The lower the score, the lower the socioeconomic status.
SEIFA Index of Relative Socio Economic Disadvantage Score by North Coast Area.
One index for SEIFA is the Index of Relative Socioeconomic Disadvantaged (IRSD), which combines variables relating to education, occupation, non-English speaking background, Indigenous origin and the economic resources of households.
Relative Socio Economic Disadvantage (SEIFA)
According to the 2001 Census, the most disadvantaged Health Area in NSW was the North Coast with all Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the area scoring less than 1,000 for IRSD. The scores for IRSD ranged from 908.7 in the Kempsey LGA (lowest) to 986.91 in the Ballina LGA. There are pockets of disadvantage: to live in certain areas of the North Coast means that some people will have more sickness, die earlier and will live with less of everything including good health. Unfortunately for some areas the disadvantage gap is widening.
The North Coast Area Health Profile 
This profile provides a summary of the causes and types of morbidity (ill-health) and mortality (death) experienced by residents of the NSW North Coast Area Health Service. Information included in this profile has been obtained from a variety of datasets. The profile provides a set of key indicators for monitoring the health of the area's residents. It also acts as a baseline for evaluating the effectiveness of health improvement strategies in reducing morbidity and mortality.
The profile contains demographic information as well as data relating to:
- Social determinants
- Burden of disease
- Health priority areas
- Local government information
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.