Cumulative health checks
On this page:
Notes
- Patients are counted by their number of health checks across 5-years.
- For comparisons by sex or by state and territory, patients are presented as a proportion of the estimated population at the end of the 5-years, and alternatively as a proportion of the total number of health check patients over 5-years. Proportions of the population here are likely to change dramatically when projections based on the 2021 Census are used in future reporting.
- State or territory of residence was based on information from the most recent health check in the 5-year period. Patients may have received some or most of their earlier health checks in a different state or territory.
- Limitations: Some patients counted over the 5-years may have died or moved abroad, therefore proportions of the population may be overestimated. Children under 5 years old also skew the results, since they were born partway through the reference period.
Geographic information
This analysis is based on the postcode of the patient’s given mailing address. As a result, the data may not always reflect where the person actually lived – particularly for people who use PO boxes. This is likely to impact some areas more than others and will also have a generally greater impact on the accuracy of smaller geographic areas and more remote areas.
National data by sex
Latest data
Between July 2018 and June 2023:
- 576,000 First Nations people received at least one health check – equivalent to 63% of the projected population at 30 June 2023.
- The majority of those health check patients (58%) received at least 2 health checks over the 5-year period (332,000 out of 576,000).
- 15% of health check patients received 4 or more health checks over the 5-year period (85,600 out of 576,000).
- Females were slightly more likely than men to have had at least one health check over the 5-year period, at 66% compared with 60%, respectively.
Trends over time
Between July 2013 and June 2023:
- The proportion of the projected population who received at least one health check has plateaued at around 63% since June 2021.
- Also since June 2021, the proportion of patients with at least 2 health checks over the previous 5 years has dropped slightly, from 60% at June 2021 to 58% at June 2021.
Figure 8: Health check patients, by number of health checks over a 5-year period, by sex, by reference period, July 2013 to June 2023
A set of 3 interactive charts. Refer to table HC08 in data tables. A long description is available below.
A set of 3 interactive charts. The first is a bar graph showing patients by the number of health checks that they had over a 5-year period, by sex. The second is a line graph showing trends, by sex. The third is a line graph showing trends, by number of health checks. Refer to table HC08 in data tables.
States and territories
Latest data
Between July 2018 and June 2023:
- Queensland had the highest proportion of people who had at least one health check, at 75% (194,000 patients).
- Victoria had the lowest proportion of people who had at least one health check, at 37% (25,700 patients).
Trends over time
Between July 2013 and June 2023:
- Patterns of health check use over 5 years were increasing in each jurisdiction until the COVID-19 pandemic began.
- The Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory have had considerable declines in 5-year health check activity, particularly in terms of the proportion of the population with multiple health checks over the previous 5 years.
- Tasmania continued to lift its 5-year health check activity throughout the period. The proportion of the population with at least one health check over the previous 5 years increased from 24% at the end of June 2018 to 38% at the end of June 2023.
Figure 9: Health check patients, by number of health checks over a 5-year period, by state and territory, by reference period, July 2013 to June 2023
A set of 4 interactive charts. Refer to table HC09 in data tables. A long description is available below.
A set of 4 interactive charts. The first is a bar graph showing 5-year health check activity, by state and territory. The second is a bar graph showing patients by the number of health checks that they had over a 5-year period, within a state or territory. The third is a line graph showing trends, by state and territory. The fourth is a line graph showing trends, by number of health checks, within a state or territory. Refer to table HC09 in data tables.