People living less than 5 kilometres apart can have life expectancy differences of more than 20 years, a new Australian study has found.
The research, led by the University of Queensland and published in the Health Promotion Journal of Australia, mapped median age of death data across Queensland’s rail network to examine health inequalities.
“We overlayed median age of death statistics onto Queensland’s rail network to investigate spatial inequalities in health, and it shows some stark differences,” associate professor Jonathan Olsen said in a media release.
Residents in south-east Queensland—Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and Sunshine Coast—tended to live longer than those in more central and northern areas of the state.
The study found males in Springfield Lakes had a median age of death of 59 years, compared to 85 years for those in Clear Island Waters on the Gold Coast—a 26-year gap. For females, the difference was 22 years.
“But what may surprise people is the difference in data within cities,” Olsen said.
“Communities located just five train stops apart, less than 5 km by road, can have over 20 years’ difference in median age of death for males.”
Social Factors Driving Health Gaps
Experts say such disparities are shaped by broader social conditions.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) says factors such as income, education, housing stability and access to health care play a major role in shaping health outcomes.
“People living in the lowest socioeconomic group have mortality rates 1.5 times higher than those in the highest socioeconomic group,” an AIHW spokesperson told The Epoch Times.
Mortality rates in Australia’s most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas are also significantly higher in disadvantaged areas—23 percent higher for females and 33 percent higher for males—compared with more advantaged areas.
The Shift Towards Prevention
Over the past century, Australia’s leading causes of death have shifted from infectious diseases to chronic conditions.
“People are now more likely to die from long-term conditions like heart disease, dementia and cancer,” the AIHW spokesperson said.
“Many of today’s leading causes of deaths are linked to risk factors we know can be modified, such as smoking, poor diet, and lack of physical activity.”
The federal government has emphasised attention towards prevention and targeting the modifiable risk factors.
Australia’s National Prevention Strategy (2021 to 2030), led by the Department of Health, Disability, and Ageing, aims to improve population health by shifting the balance from treatment to prevention.
“The strategy emphasises the need for a better balance between treatment and prevention, to reduce the burden of preventable disease,” a spokesperson told The Epoch Times.
“The Australian government acknowledges that addressing the wider determinants of health extends beyond the health system alone and requires a coordinated and comprehensive effort across multiple sectors and all levels of government.”
The spokesperson said the government had taken action to reduce cost barriers and improve access to healthcare through Medicare, lowered co-payments in the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), and investing in access to sexual and reproductive healthcare.
America’s Pivot
Similar approaches are emerging in the United States.
Under the Trump administration, the White House has established the Make America Healthy Again Commission, aimed at shifting the healthcare system towards preventing chronic disease.
“To fully address the growing health crisis in America, we must redirect our national focus,” the White House said. “We must ensure our healthcare system promotes health rather than just managing disease.”
The Commission outlined the need to assess factors like physical activity, lifestyle habits, and over-reliance on medication and treatments.
It also called for scrutiny over environmental factors and nutritional factors—food and drug quality and safety, food production techniques, and certain food ingredients.
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