Australian state-specific reference data, by socioeconomic status, for the analysis of health and disease correlates

Socioeconomic status has an enormous influence on health and disease patterns. Hitherto only national data have been available for use as norms for the interpretation of apparent clustering of disease and accident patterns (by social class) in Australia. However, the majority of health studies are based at local, city or State level, the patterns of which vary significantly from city to city and from State to State. A specific analysis of the latest available census data, by State, has been undertaken to provide norms, or "expected" figures, for epidemiological and health studies in Australia. Population norms for socioeconomic status ranking, by sex and by State, are presented as reference tables. New national norms, to include the Armed Services, are also presented for the first time.