Age, level of social disadvantage, level of residential remoteness and year at the start of follow up were measured at T0. Physical comorbidities were measured by the Charlson Index [ 25] based on inpatient data with a five-year look-back period from T0.
Sociodemographic (gender, Aboriginality, 5-year age group, social disadvantage, remoteness of residence and year of admission) and health status information (comorbidity at baseline, history of musculoskeletal disease, congenital anomaly) were included as covariates in the models to adjust for potential confounding.
Multivariate regression model adjusted for 5-year age group, sex, Indigenous status, level of social disadvantage, level of residential remoteness, physical comorbidities and year at the start of follow up.
Problems such as overcrowding increased in proportion to remoteness, and rates of year 12 attainment decreased.
A major breakthrough in the renal domain was the demonstration by Cass et al. of the massive gradient in indigenous RRT rates across Australia by region and remoteness [ 36], confirmed years later by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [ 37], and persisting today.
GP workforce data aggregated by state and by ASGC Australian Standard Geographic Classificationn) remoteness areas [ 40] for the year 2010 were extracted from the DoHA website [ 41].
All participants found the content useful regardless of their remoteness from the tertiary centre, their years of experience caring for palliative care patients or the number of patients cared for each year.
Table 2 shows significant differences in most risk factors or outcomes between Indigenous mothers by region and remoteness, except for maternal age ≥35 years, first pregnancy, narcotics for pain relief, augmented labour, instrumental vaginal birth, and 3rd/4th degree tears.
Part of the draw for me (and, no doubt, for the countless others who visit each year) is the valley's remoteness and the peculiar air of excitement that being in such a lonely locale can inspire.
The post-strata were formed according to sex (male or female), remoteness (major city, inner regional, outer regional or remote) and age (five year age groups from 45-85 years or ≥85 years).
