There are many disparities when looking at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in comparison to the Australian population, as Indigenous Australians equal to about 2.5% of Australians population this is viewed as a major gap Disparities are very evident with regards to lower life expectancy and inequalities in health status, these disparities stem from high rates of behavioural risk factors and socio-economic status. These factors can influence their high rates of chronic diseases compared to non- Indigenous Australians.Cardiovascular disease is a major burden among Indigenous Australians and in data from 2002 was classified as one of the top leading causes of mortality among the Indigenous community, making up to 27% of all deaths in Indigenous (Australians Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2008, p. ix). Age of onset was not clear as it can occur at any age, however it was developed at an earlier age among Indigenous Australians with risk increasing as they got older (see Appendix B) (Australians Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2008, p.14). The gender distribution shows that in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians there was a greater number of Cardiovascular disease in women, this disparity was mainly due to the higher number of rheumatic heart disease and heart failure in females (Australians …show more content…
Many factors contribute to this disadvantage, diet can play a major factor, tobacco smoking and obesity are also high in low socio-economic status groups http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/publications/attachments/n26.pdf . Among the top 5 underlying causes of mortality among the Indigenous community are circulatory diseases, neoplasems (cancer), external causes, respiratory disease and endocrine (see Appendix D)
Wakerman J, Tragenza J, Warchivker I (1999) Review of health services in the Kutjungka Region of WA. Perth: Office of Aboriginal Health, Health Department of Western Australia
Social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life. These focuses and systems include economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies and political systems. (WHO, 2016). In the video, various social determinants of health were being portrayed. They include aboriginal status; how aboriginal people are treated and how this treatment contributes to the economic status and health status of aboriginal people. Education, as aboriginal schools receive less funding from the government. Housing, as aboriginal people are forced to live in unsuitable reserves. Social exclusion and social safety net as aboriginal people are excluded from society. The social determinants of health are what contributes to the attributes of social justice. This problem also led to a larger and broader issue in society that includes the attributes of social justice. Social justice problems such as human and civil rights that includes sexism and racism. Equity in which the distribution of society’s wealth is not distributed fairly and results aboriginal people receive less of society’s wealth. Equity refers to fair shares. (CNA, 2010). It also leads to poverty as they experience lack of access to basic needs such as food, water, clothing and shelter. It also led to higher suicide rates and increase rate of aboriginal people in federal prisons. It also contributes to many health issues such as 42% of aboriginal children lack dental care, tuberculous rate four times higher and diabetics rate three times higher. Most of all it has led
Why are terms such as Aboriginal peoples, American Indian, Indian, Indigenous Peoples, First Nations and Native American all used to describe the original inhabitants of North and South America? Why are some of these terms considered controversial? What terms to you feel are most appropriate, and why?
Indigenous communities suffer the worst health in Australia and are most at risk to many illness’s compared to other Australian’s. “The poor health experienced by Indigenous people reflects the disadvantage they experience, as many Indigenous communities do not have access to quality health care and to clean water.” (Reconciliaction Network, p.1) The specific health concerns for Indigenous Australian’s are the higher rate of diabetes, higher mortality rate with cancers, cardiovascular disease is more common, eye conditions, higher risk of smoking which contributes to other health impacts, ear disease w...
According to Australian indigenous website, healthinfoNet, in 2010-2012 life expectancy of indigenous people were 69 years which is 11 years less than the 80 years expected for the non- indigenous men and women. Moreover, the life expectancy for native women was 73 years, during 2010-2012, which is 9.5 years less than the expectation of 83 years for non-Indigenous women. The reason for decreased health can be due to deficiencies in water supply, sanitation and lack of proper medical services.
Many of the inequalities in the health of the Aboriginal people can be attributed to the
The education of Aboriginal people is a challenge that has been a concern for many years and is still an issue. However, it remains the best way young people can climb out of poverty. With the colonialization and the oppression of Aboriginals, there have been many lasting side effects that continue to be affecting the Aboriginal youth today. “While retention and graduation rates have improved among urban Aboriginal population, an educational gap still remains between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth in urban settings” (Donovan, 127). Many suffer from a diminished self-worth, as they do not feel valued and feel inferior to their classmates. In this essay I am going to outline the reasons Aboriginals are struggling, discuss what is being done
Indigenous Australian land rights have sparked controversy between Non Indigenous and Indigenous Australians throughout history. The struggle to determine who the rightful owners of the land are is still largely controversial throughout Australia today. Indigenous Australian land rights however, go deeper than simply owning the land as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have established an innate spiritual connection making them one with the land. The emphasis of this essay is to determine how Indigenous Australian land rights have impacted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, highlighting land rights regarding the Mabo v. the State of Queensland case and the importance behind today’s teachers understanding and including Indigenous
0.8% of the overall Federal health expenditure in 2009 which was spent on Aboriginal health. The overall wellbeing of an individual is more than just being free from disease. It is about their social, emotional, spiritual, physiological as well as the physical prosperity. Indigenous health issues are all around us, but we don’t recognise because it doesn’t affect us, but this issue is a concern to Indigenous Australia and also to modern day Catholics in Australia The statistics relating to Indigenous health is inexcusable, life expectancy is at an all time low, higher hospilatisation for avoidable diseases, alerting rates of deaths from diabetes and kidney disease. This issue is bigger than we all think, for example 13% of Indigenous homes
In conclusion the colonisation of Australia and the adoption of discriminatory policies eroded Aboriginal culture and tradition affecting their sense of well-being and thus deteriorated their health. Today these policies are reflected in the social determinants of health as socio-economic disadvantages. They continue to impact contemporary Aboriginal people. In order to improve Aboriginal health outcomes; the impacts of these policies need to be overturned. This can be done by assisting them with improving their socio-economic status in the light of their needs and traditions.
Social determinants of health influence a wide range of health conditions, health behaviors and management. As a result of colonization, systematic racism and discrimination; many Aboriginal peoples are disadvantaged by having limited access to the resources and conditions necessary for health care. Aboriginal people in Canada face higher rates of unemployment, limited economic opportunities, poor housing, and lower educational attainment than non-Aboriginal peoples (Reading 2009). This translates to poverty which influences access to material resources such as nutrient rich foods that can lead to diabetes (Appiah-kubi 2015) as well as available resources to manage diabetes and its complications. Education level, employment and income influence
The dramatic and widespread problem of obesity has been deemed an epidemic by various health organizations. Obesity and numerous other diseases can and do occur in a large number of the Australian population and affects men and women, children and various people from different social and cultural backgrounds. The spike of obesity in the Australian population can lead to countless health issues including Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (increases the chance of a stroke), various types of cancers, musculoskeletal problems, respiratory problems. Aboriginal Australians are a high risk of developing obesity. This essay will explore this issue through a range of geographical and socioeconomic perspectives. Recommendations will be made to
This review has attempted to explore the available literature in order to link these determinants with the known discrepancies in diabetes outcomes, in which Indigenous Australians fair worse than their non-Indigenous counterparts, and those in remote locations fair worse than those in urban settings. While there are numerous absences in the literature, this review has been able to provide an overview of the of the determinants of health that impact Indigenous Australians in remote communities living with
Strength: The study was successful in establishing the causes of differences in data on health conditions of indigenous Australians. It has revealed a strong set of congruent attitude...
It is widely known that the poor health experienced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders relates from complex reasons originating from their history after European settlement. Two centuries of introduced disease, combined with today’s lifestyle diseases and impoverished socioeconomic and environmental conditions, have had devastating, and all too often fatal, effects on Indigenous health. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population suffered from introduced disease that often turned out to be fatal because of lack of immunity to introduced pathogens.