State of Health of Australian Aborigenes

The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete, physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” (International Health Conference, 1948) When considering this definition, which has remained unamended since 1948, it is clear that there is a vast interplay of factors that have led to the poor state of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. Such factors can include employment, income, education, stress, working and living conditions, geography and limited autonomy amongst many more which can be collectively considered the “social determinants of health” (Wilkinson & Marmot, 2003). To consider all of these factors within the cultural and historical context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders should be the goal of all health practitioners when interacting with Indigenous people but for the purposes of practicality this essay must focus health risks that are most closely associated with adverse health outcomes. Attention must be paid to the role social determinants play whenever health information is presented and particularly in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, where an understanding of their pre and post-Colonial history is vital in the provision of health and wellbeing services. By understanding the role of culture, history and social determinants in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health measure can be developed to achieve health equality not just with non-Indigenous Australians but with other indigenous groups around the world.

The vast majority of Indigenous Australian history took place before European settlement; therefore an understanding of the makeup of Australia during the pre-Colonial period is required to comprehend much ...

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