A similar proportion of males and females reported drugs as a health problem in their local area. This may be because many people have family responsibilities at this age. People could identify more than one risk factor. Percentage calculations exclude perceived health risk factors not stated. Data exclude prisoners.
Alcohol use Excessive consumption of alcohol is a major risk factor for many illnesses.
In the 1994 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Survey information was not collected on level of alcohol consumption. Indigenous people were asked the period of time since they had last consumed alcohol. Tobacco use Tobacco use is recognised as a major preventable cause of disease, disability and death. Tobacco consumption among Indigenous people varies by age. This may be due to people giving up smoking when they develop an illness.