Financial impacts by gender, age group, health literacy, IRSAD quintile and number of comorbidities (n=707)*
| Employment status changed | Worried about financial problems | Unable to meet weekly expenses | Mean financial burden† | |
| n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | M (95% CI) | |
| Total | 273 (38.6) | 450 (63.6) | 380 (53.7) | 2.9 (2.8 to 2.9) |
| Gender | ||||
| Male | 139 (40.5) | 128 (37.1) | 80 (23.2) | 2.8 (2.7 to 3.0) |
| Female | 134 (36.8) | 161 (44.2) | 75 (20.8) | 2.9 (2.8 to 3.0) |
| Age group, years | ||||
| <30 | 76 (51.8) | 65 (44.1) | 32 (21.9) | 2.8 (2.6 to 3.1) |
| 30–49 | 134 (45.5) | 135 (45.9) | 64 (21.8) | 2.9 (2.8 to 3.0) |
| 50–69 | 58 (30.0) | 76 (39.5) | 47 (24.6) | 2.9 (2.8 to 3.1) |
| 70+ | 5 (6.3) | 12 (16.6) | 11 (15.7) | 2.4 (2.3 to 2.6) |
| Health literacy | ||||
| Inadequate | 101 (35.7) | 104 (35.8) | 64 (21.9) | 2.8 (2.7 to 3.0) |
| Adequate | 172 (41.3) | 184 (44.3) | 91 (22.0) | 2.9 (2.8 to 3.0) |
| IRSAD quintile | ||||
| Lowest | 70 (31.4) | 288 (40.8) | 49 (21.7) | 2.8 (2.7 to 3.0) |
| Not lowest | 202 (41.9) | 201 (41.6) | 107 (22.1) | 2.9 (2.8 to 3.0) |
| Comorbidities‡ | ||||
| 0 | 182 (43.1) | 166 (39.5) | 93 (22.0) | 2.8 (2.7 to 2.9) |
| 1 | 62 (39.9) | 73 (47.0) | 30 (19.4) | 3.0 (2.8 to 3.2) |
| 2 | 30 (22.6) | 49 (37.4) | 33 (24.8) | 2.9 (2.7 to 3.0) |
| Language | ||||
| Assyrian | 24 (18.2) | 39 (29.0) | 39 (29.4) | 2.7 (2.6 to 2.9) |
| Croatian | 51 (41.9) | 57 (46.8) | 5 (3.9) | 2.7 (2.6 to 2.9) |
| Arabic | 29 (36.1) | 19 (23.7) | 12 (14.8) | 2.7 (2.5 to 3.0) |
| Chinese | 20 (39.8) | 14 (18.4) | 21 (27.3) | 2.6 (2.3 to 2.9) |
| Dinka | 25 (40.3) | 39 (62.3) | 15 (24.5) | 3.1 (2.8 to 3.3) |
| Khmer | 38 (59.7) | 45 (71.3) | 30 (47.7) | 3.6 (3.4 to 3.8) |
| Dari | 25 (56.7) | 26 (59.5) | 8 (18.7) | 3.4 (3.2 to 3.6) |
| Spanish§ | 13 (29.7) | 9 (21.4) | 6 (14.9) | 2.1 (1.7 to 2.6) |
| Hindi | 20 (48.0) | 17 (40.4) | 3 (7.4) | 2.8 (2.6 to 2.9) |
| Samoan/Tongan | 18 (42.8) | 24 (56.3) | 15 (36.9) | 3.0 (2.6 to 3.5) |
| English language proficiency | ||||
| Very well/well | 211 (43.2) | 201 (41.2) | 100 (20.5) | 2.8 (2.7 to 2.9) |
| Not well/not at all | 62 (28.3) | 88 (39.9) | 55 (25.2) | 2.9 (2.8 to 3.0) |
*n=1 respondent excluded from the weighted analyses included in this table; weighted frequencies have been rounded to whole numbers for clarity.
†Composite score comprising worry about financial problems and inability to meet weekly expenses. Scale rage: 1–5. Higher scores indicate greater perceived financial burden.
‡Health conditions assessed included respiratory disease, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, high blood pressure, cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, depression and anxiety.
§Spanish language group had substantial gaps in recruitment across age groups.
IRSAD, Index of Relative Socioeconomic Advantage and Disadvantage.