High blood pressure
High blood pressure is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, including coronary heart disease, which is the leading cause of avoidable deaths among Indigenous Australians (AIHW 2022c).
In 2018–19, almost 1 in 3 (31%) Indigenous adults (151,000) had high blood pressure (based on both measured and self-reported data). The prevalence of high blood pressure increased with age for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous adults. The greatest difference in age-standardised rate of high blood pressure between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians was found among those in the 25–34 age group, with the rate for Indigenous Australians nearly twice as high as non-Indigenous Australians. Rates of high blood pressure are similar among Indigenous Australians in non-remote and remote areas (Figure 4.22).
Figure 4.22: High blood pressure prevalence, by Indigenous status and remoteness, 2017–19
Source: Measure 1.07, Table D1.07.7 – AIHW and ABS analysis of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey 2018–19 and National Health Survey 2017–18.
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