11. Special topics

• Male to female ratio
• Aboriginal injury mortality
• International comparisons

Male to female ratio

A national target is to reduce the male injury death rate towards the female rate by 20% by the year 2000.[1] The ratio of the male rate to the female was 2.6:1 in 1992. The ratio rose to 2.9:1 in 1993 because the female rate had declined by a greater percentage than the male rate. If both this target and the target to reduce total injury mortality by 20% are to be met, male rates must drop greatly. For example, a reduction from 1992 rates of 25% for males, and 8% for females would meet both targets, as would a reduction of 35% for males and 20% for females.

Aboriginal injury mortality

For the period 1990 to 1992, the injury death rate for Aboriginal Australians was about 3 times higher than that for the rest of the community (see Australian Injury Prevention Bulletin, Issue 7: Injury mortality amongst Aboriginal Australians[5]). Uncertainties about the size of the Aboriginal population and about how reliably Aboriginal status is identified at death limit the value of rate estimates. The number of injury deaths where the person was identified as Aboriginal has fluctuated around an average of about 180 per year since 1988. (Note that Aboriginal deaths are not yet identified in Queensland.) The proportion of all injury deaths that are identified as involving an Aboriginal person has varied around 3%.

International comparisons

• International comparison of injury experience is uncertain because the data available from different nations may not be comparable. The World Health Organization has published these data.[6]
• Among the 46 nations for which recent data were available, Australia ranked 6th lowest for total injury ("external causes") mortality. Australia ranked 11th lowest for deaths due to "Motor Vehicle Traffic Accidents", and 12th lowest for suicide.
• For a comparison of youth suicide rates see Youth suicide - international comparisons.
• Australian Aboriginal injury mortality rates are similar to the highest rates on this chart.

5. Harrison JE, Moller J. Injury mortality amongst Aboriginal Australians. Australian Injury Prevention Bulletin 7, September 1994.

6. World Health Organization. World health statistics annual 1993. Geneva: WHO, 1994.