Asthma Action Plan

According to the Australian Government Productivity Commission, in 2022 the proportion of people with asthma that had a written asthma action plan was:
– By age group Nationally: 72% of 0-14 yo; 39% of 15-24 yo; 20% of 25-44 yo; 27% of 45-64 yo; 27% of 65+ yo; 35% all ages combined (age-standardised)
– By age group and jurisdiction (states/territories): download table 10A.46

Note: same data published in 2024 and 2026 reports (ref 1 and 2)

AS: Age-standardised

* Estimate has a relative standard error (RSE) between 25% and 50% and should be used with caution.

According to the ABS, based on the National Health Survey 2022: (ref 1)
– Almost 1 in 3 (32.1%) people with asthma had a written action plan
– 2 in 3 (67.2%) children with asthma had a written action plan
– only 1 in 4 (24.5%) adults with asthma had a written action plan

According to AIHW, also based on the National Health Survey 2022: (ref 2)

• 32% of people with asthma had a written asthma action plan (Figure 10). This was similar to 2017–18 (31%).
• Over two-thirds (71%) of children aged 0-14 had an asthma action plan in 2022, a higher proportion than all other age groups. This is likely due to schools and childcare facilities requiring that children with asthma have a health care provider issued-asthma action plan
• According to the 2018–19 NATSIHS, 32% of First Nations people had a written asthma action plan, with those living in Non-remote areas more likely to have a plan compared with those living in Remote areas (32% and 27%, respectively)

According to the National Health Survey for the 2020-2021 financial year:
– about 34% of people with self-reported asthma across all ages had a written action plan
– Over two-thirds (69%) of children under under years of age had a written action plan
– less than a quarter (23%) of people aged 75 years and over had a written action plan
– across all ages, women are more likely than men to have an AAP

Note: the NHS 2020-21 was conducted differently (online) due to the Covid pandemic and should not be compared to other years.

According to the National Health Survey for the 2018-2019 financial year:
Thirty-two per cent (32%) of Indigenous Australians had a written asthma action plan in 2018–2019, with those living in Non-remote areas were more likely to have a plan compared with those living in Remote areas (32% compared with 27%).

In 2018-2019, among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with asthma that had symptoms in the last 12 months:
– 31.6% had an Asthma Action Plan
– 56.1% had used medications in the last 2 weeks

According to the National Health Survey for the 2020-2021 financial year, an estimated:
– One in three people with asthma (34.6%) had a written action plan
– More than three in five (65.9%) children under 18 years of age had a written action plan
– More than one in four (27.1%) people aged 18 years and over had a written action plan
– Women aged 18 years and over were more likely than men to have a written action plan (32.7% compared to 20.2%).

In 2017-2018, only one third of Australian have a written Asthma Action Plan (32.3%, age-standardised)
– 65.9% of children aged 0-14 years old (age-standardised)
– 24.8% of people over 15 years and over (age-standardised) (ref 1)

Nationally in 2017-2018, the age-standardised proportion of people with asthma reporting that they have a written asthma action plan was 32.3 per cent (figure 10.6b), compared to 28.4 per cent in 2014-2015. In all jurisdictions, the proportion was higher for children aged 0–14 years than for other age groups (table 10A.46). Proportions for each states are also available. (ref 2)

Interpret NT data with caution as it excludes discrete Indigenous communities and very remote areas, which comprise around 29% of population

Note that this data is age-standardised.