Evaluation of trends in middle ear disease among Australian aborigines.

The Gompertz hazard model of age incidence of disease is applied to estimation of disease trends in a community. The trend estimate is based on proportions of individuals with disease experience in different age groups at one point of time, and may be used as an indicator of the changing health of a community. A major application of the method is to ear health data collected among Australian aboriginal children by the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program of the Royal Australian College of Ophthalmologists.