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What does this mean?

In Kids Stats overall health refers to the physical, social, cognitive and emotional development of children and young people.

Why is it important to monitor?

Not only does the overall health of children and young people affect their current wellbeing, it can significantly impact on their future. It also has significant impacts on their families’ wellbeing. Where a significant proportion of society is affected in this way, its social and economic development and wellbeing will also be affected.

Many social problems can have their beginnings in the poor overall health of children –it is identified as the frontline for effective preventative action.

Families, child care, schools, communities and health services all play important roles in fostering the growth of healthy children and young people.

Monitoring overall health is important to help identify variations across important demographic groupings. Those variations can signal problems in overall health provision, that can then be more closely examined and addressed.

Indicator

Currently, there is no routine measure of the overall health of children and young people collected in NSW.

The indicator used in Kids Stats to monitor overall health is the ‘Global Health’ dimension of the Child Health Questionnaire, used in the NSW Child Health Survey, 2001 [2]. The indicator is:

The number of parents reporting excellent, very good, good, fair or poor global health of children (aged 5 to 12 years) as a proportion of NSW Child Health Survey respondents.

In the NSW Child Health Survey parents or carers of children aged 5 to 12 years answered questions on overall health. The questions were based on the Child Health Questionnaire, a multi-dimensional instrument that measures the functional health and well-being of children. Questions are based on parents or carers' recall of the child’s

Main finding

In 2001, a high proportion of 5 to 12 year olds (97.3%) were rated by their parents or carers as having good or very good overall health.

Notes:

[1] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2003). Australia’s Young People: their health and wellbeing. AIHW Cat No. PHE 50. AIHW, Canberra.
[2] Quaine, J., Eyeson-Annan, M., Baker, D., O’Sullivan, B., Williamson, M., & Jorm L. (2003). Report on the Development of the Child Health Survey. NSW Public Health Bulletin, 14 (S-1).

For details of the references and to find out more about the data follow the link to glossary and further information.