News release

From: National Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health

New research exposes stark health gap for people with intellectual disability

New research released today has revealed a confronting life-expectancy gap for people with intellectual disability in NSW, highlighting persistent and preventable inequities in health outcomes.

The research, Life Expectancy of People with Intellectual Disability, led by Associate Professor Preeyaporn Srasuebkul, which examined morbidity and mortality outcomes for people with intellectual disability, found life expectancy at birth was 67 years - 16 years shorter than the NSW average. The gap is even wider for people with Down syndrome.

Director of the Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health and co-author of the report, Professor Julian Trollor, said the findings were sobering and should prompt urgent action to address systemic failures in health care.

“This research makes painfully clear that people with intellectual disability are dying younger, often from preventable causes,” Professor Trollor said.

“These are not inevitable outcomes. They reflect longstanding gaps in how our health system supports people with intellectual disability.”

The study found that:

• For females with intellectual disability born in 2018, life expectancy at birth was 66.8 years, compared with 85.3 years for the general NSW female population;
• Males with intellectual disability born in 2018 had a life expectancy at birth of 66.94 years, 14.26 years shorter than their peers in the general NSW male population;
• People with Down syndrome experienced an additional reduction of around 12 years in life expectancy compared with others with intellectual disability.

“Research of this nature is always confronting,” Professor Trollor said.

“Even though we know people with intellectual disability experience serious health inequities, seeing the scale of the gap in life expectancy reinforces how much work remains to be done.”

“The findings underscore the urgent need for comprehensive implementation of the National Roadmap for Improving the Health of People with Intellectual Disability, alongside the health-related recommendations of the Disability Royal Commission.

Professor Trollor said the data also highlighted the importance of proactive, person-centred care models that address the health needs of people with intellectual disability across their lifespan, alongside action on broader social determinants of health.

“People with intellectual disability deserve the same chance at a long and healthy life as everyone else. Closing this gap will require sustained, coordinated action across the health system.”

Media note: This new research measures life expectancy - the average number of years a person is expected to live - and found that people with intellectual disability live, on average, 16 years fewer than those without disability. Previous studies report a 27-year gap based on the median age at death, which reflects the age at which half of deaths occur.