Time between health checks
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Notes
- This section looks at the length of time between consecutive health checks for different groups of First Nations people. Specifically, the analyses relate to the length of time between a patient’s most recent health check in a given year and their previous most recent health check, if any, back to November 1999 (when health checks were first introduced for First Nations people aged 55 and over).
- Proportions in this section use the group of patients who had at least one health check in a given reference year (for example, 2022–23) as the denominator, and not the estimated First Nations population. Therefore, the proportions are specific to the health check patients assessed in the reference year, and do not reflect the time between health checks for the entire First Nations population.
- People without a previous health check on record (in other words, those with only one recorded MBS‑billed health check in the relevant period) are included in the reporting of proportions, but do not factor into the reporting of mean and median months between consecutive health checks.
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
Among health check patients in the 2022–23 financial year:
- 45,600 people (18%) had their previous health check less than 12 months earlier.
- 35,900 people (15%) had their previous health check 12 to 14 months earlier.
- 41,900 (17%) had no previous health check on record and received their first health check in 2022–23.
- Note that this includes children under 5 years old, 48% (13,700) of whom had no prior health check (shown later on this page).
- On average, people with at least one health check in 2022–23 and at least one earlier health check on record had their 2 most recent health checks 26.7 months apart. The median time between health checks was 18.1 months, for comparison.
Among health check patients from 2018–19 to 2022–23:
- The average length of time since the last health check increased, rising from 22.6 months in 2018–19 to 26.7 months in 2022–23.
- Numbers of patients with their most recent health check over 3 years ago jumped substantially in 2022–23. That suggests that many patients delayed their health checks by months or even years because of the pandemic.
- The proportion of patients without a previous health check on record increased slightly between 2021–22 and 2022–23 – 16% rising to 17%.
- Note that this was largely driven by children under 5 years old (shown later on this page).
By sex
Among health check patients in 2022–23:
- Males were less likely than females to have a previous health check on record. In 2022–23, 19% of male patients received their first health check, compared with 16% of female patients.
- The average time between health checks differed very little between males and females, at 27.2 months for males and 26.2 months for females.
Figure 10: Health check patients, by time between their 2 most recent health checks, by sex, by reference year, 2018–19 to 2022–23
A set of 3 interactive charts. Refer to tables HC10 and HC14 in data tables. A long description is available below.
A set of 3 interactive charts. The first is a stacked bar graph showing the proportion of health check patients, by time since previous health check, by sex. The second is a bar graph showing the mean and median time since previous health check, by sex. The third is a line graph, showing selected summary statistics on time since previous health check, by sex. Refer to tables HC10 and HC14 in data tables.
By age
Among health check patients in 2022–23:
- Young children (0–4 years) were the most distinct group, with more than half (52%) receiving their first health check in 2022–23 (13,700 patients). This is partly due to their age, with young infants not being old enough to have received a second health check.
- Many older people, aged 50 and over, had a recent health check (45% of patients had their previous one within the past 15 months). A relatively small proportion of older patients were having their first health check in 2022–23 (9.6%).
- People aged 15–24 years had the longest period between health checks (30.8 months on average).
Among health check patients from 2018–19 to 2022–23:
- In all age groups, the length of time between patients’ health checks seemed to increase.
- Young children (0–4 years), in particular, appeared to receive their first health check later. The proportion of those children with no previous health check rose from 47% in 2020–21 to 52% in 2022–23.
Figure 11: Health check patients, by time between their 2 most recent health checks, by age group, by reference year, 2018–19 to 2022–23
A set of 3 interactive charts. Refer to tables HC11 and HC14 in data tables. A long description is available below.
A set of 3 interactive charts. The first is a stacked bar graph showing the proportion of health check patients, by time since previous health check, by age group. The second is a bar graph showing the mean and median time since previous health check, by age group. The third is a line graph, showing selected summary statistics on time since previous health check, by age group. Refer to tables HC11 and HC14 in data tables.
Comparisons between areas
States and territories
Among health check patients in 2022–23:
- Tasmania had the highest proportion of patients without a prior health check, at 28% (1,500 patients), but also the shortest average period between most recent health checks (23.8 months).
- The Northern Territory had the lowest proportion of patients without a prior health check, at 8% (1,900 patients), but also one of the longest periods between patients’ most recent health checks (an average of 29.3 months).
Among health check patients from 2018–19 to 2022–23:
- The average time between patients’ health checks lifted in all jurisdictions, but particularly so in the Australian Capital Territory, changing from 21.6 months in 2018–19 to 33.1 months in 2022–23.
- The proportion of patients with no previous health checks in Victoria was around 25% in each year. That measure staying consistently high suggests that there may be a considerable proportion of First Nations people in Victoria who have never had a health check.
Figure 12: Health check patients, by time between their 2 most recent health checks, by state and territory, by reference year, 2018–19 to 2022–23
A set of 3 interactive charts. Refer to tables HC12 and HC14 in data tables. A long description is available below.
A set of 3 interactive charts. The first is a stacked bar graph showing the proportion of health check patients, by time since previous health check, by state and territory. The second is a bar graph showing the mean and median time since previous health check, by state and territory. The third is a line graph, showing selected summary statistics on time since previous health check, by state and territory. Refer to tables HC12 and HC14 in data tables.
Remoteness Areas
Among health check patients in 2022–23:
- Time between health checks increased with increasing remoteness, and patients in Very remote areas had the longest average period between their most recent health checks (30.4 months, compared with 25.7 months in Major cities).
- Conversely, Very remote areas had the lowest proportion of patients with no previous health check (9.4%, compared with 21% in Major cities). Together, these findings suggest that a high proportion of the population in Very remote areas have taken the opportunity to get a health check, but those opportunities may not be as frequently available or easily accessible as in cities and regional areas.
Figure 13: Health check patients, by time between their 2 most recent health checks, by Remoteness Area, by reference year, 2018–19 to 2022–23
A set of 3 interactive charts. Refer to tables HC13 and HC14 in data tables. A long description is available below.
A set of 3 interactive charts. The first is a stacked bar graph showing the proportion of health check patients, by time since previous health check, by Remoteness Area. The second is a bar graph showing the mean and median time since previous health check, by Remoteness Area. The third is a line graph, showing selected summary statistics on time since previous health check, by Remoteness Area. Refer to tables HC13 and HC14 in data tables.