New maps reveal cancer levels across Australia, and across the social strata
- Written by John Glover, Director of Public Health Information Development Unit (PHIDU), Torrens University Australia
Public health experts traditionally expect to see a very strong pattern of health inequality – the poorer you are, the more likely you are to be unwell and die before your time. But newly available data on cancer incidence rates show that’s not always the case.
Our team at the Public Health Information Development Unit (PHIDU) used data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s 2012 Australian Cancer Database to map cancer incidence rates across Australia – by state, by socioeconomic status and by remoteness.
We found generally high rates of breast cancers diagnosed for females in the most advantaged areas when compared with more disadvantaged areas. That is, well-off women were more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than their less well-off counterparts.
Authors: John Glover, Director of Public Health Information Development Unit (PHIDU), Torrens University Australia