eMJA: Patterns of mortality in Indigenous adults in the Northern Territory, 1998–2003: are people living in remote areas worse off?

Letters

Patterns of mortality in Indigenous adults in the Northern Territory, 1998–2003: are people living in remote areas worse off?

David J Scrimgeour

MJA 2009; 190 (10): 545

To the Editor: I read with interest the article by Andreasyan and Hoy,1 in which lower Aboriginal mortality rates were found in “very remote areas” compared with “remote areas” in the Northern Territory. In a previous article,2 I reported a similar finding from national data, based on information published by the Public Health Information Development Unit at the University of Adelaide.3 Thirty years ago, in this Journal, Morice outlined the health benefits that accrue for Aboriginal people moving away from larger settlements to live in smaller, decentralised communities where they can care for their country.4 There is an increasing literature to demonstrate that Aboriginal people living in smaller communities have better health than those living in larger settlements and regional towns.

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