Aboriginal Health Case Study

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders continue to have the worst health out of all Australian population groups, with an extremely low life expectancy compared to that of a white Australian which is, on average, 10 years higher. An alarmingly large proportion of aboriginals are dying prematurely with 81% dying before 75, with many of these deaths being diseases linked to a high sugar diet.

In a 2012 study, 66% of aboriginal or Torres Strait islander people over the age of 15 were overweight or obese with an additional 30% of children aged 14 years or under. Diet-related chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, some cancers, cardiovascular disease, liver disease and heart disease are to blame for at least 75% of the mortality gap between white Australians and aboriginals.

In 2007, 40,000L of soft drink was drunk between 400 people which doesn’t include other sugary products ingested throughout the year. Enormous amounts of premature deaths occurred, diseases related to sugar intake spiked and obesity in Amata was at an all-time high.

High sugar diets are bad for anyone’s health, but the long term effects of sugar on aboriginals and Torres Strait islanders are devastating. Their digestive systems do not cope well with sugar, as it was eaten in such small amounts (equivalent of 2-3 lollies per year) until white settlers arrived. Remote communities in the Northern Territory and South Australia are especially hard hit where nutritious, fresh foods are more difficult to