Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Social determinants of health wisdom aborigines
Essay on social determinants of mental health in Australian indigenous populations
Health that impacts aboriginals essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Social determinants of health wisdom aborigines
Diabetes mellitus type 2 is a serious chronic health condition that affects a significant proportion of the Indigenous Australian population. Diabetes impacts Indigenous Australians at a younger age than their non-Indigenous counterparts and results in more serious health complications and earlier deaths (HealthInfoNet, 2015). According to the World Health Organization, the 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 determinants are mostly responsible for health inequities - the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries’ (WHO, 2016). This paper seeks to provide a review of the available literature exploring the connection between the social and environmental determinants of Indigenous Australian health and their impact on the health outcomes of people with diabetes, with a focus on remote Indigenous communities. Topics that will be explored include what defines communities are remote, the prevalence of diabetes type 2 in such remote communities and determinants of health such as employment and income, education, physical environment, social support and personal behaviours. The research conducted for this review was done by conducting desktop …show more content…
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
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...
Aboriginal health is majorly determined by several social factors that are related to their cultural beliefs. Health professionals regularly find it difficult to provide health care to aboriginal people due to the cultural disparity that exists between the conventional and aboriginal cultures, predominantly with regard to systems of health belief (Carson, Dunbar, & Chenhall, 2007). The discrepancy between the aboriginal culture and typical Western customs seems to amplify the difficulties experienced in every cross-cultural setting of health service delivery (Selin & Shapiro, 2003). Most of the social determinants of the aboriginal health are due to their strict belief in superstition and divine intervention.
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
Wang, Z., Hoy, W. E., & Si, D. (2010). Incidence of type 2 diabetes in aboriginal australians: An 11-year prospective cohort study. BMC Public Health, 10(1), 487-487. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-10-487
Living in a remote area has always been thought to have negative influences on the individual. There are 35 % of the total population in Australia living in rural area(Phillips, 2009).Rural areas in Australia and all over the world are not geographically isolated and disadvantaged only but also culturally and economically deprived which has great consequences on the health status of the population. The main two factors that have a major effect on rural health are socioeconomic status and cultural issues(Beard, Tomaska, Earnest, Summerhayes, & Morgan, 2009).
Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2 diabetes/adult onset diabetes) is an epidemic in American Indian and Alaska Natives communities.7 AI/AN have the highest morbidity and mortality rates in the United States.7 American Indian/Alaska Native adults are 2.3 more times likely to be diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus than non-Hispanic Whites.7 More importantly, AI/AN adolescent ages 10-14 are 9 times likely to be diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus than non-Hispanic Whites.7 Type 2 diabetes is high blood glucose levels due to lack of insulin and/or inability to use it efficiently.8 Type 2 diabetes usually affects older adults; 8 however, the incident rate is rising quicker amongst AI/AN youth than non-Hispanic Whites.7 This is foreshadowing of earlier serious complications that will be effecting the AI/AN communitie...
According to Germov (2015: p.517) “SES is a statistical measure of relative inequality that classifies individuals, households, or families into one of three categories based on their income, occupation, and education. There are three different categories you can be classified under, which are: low SES, middle SES, or high SES. The socioeconomic status an individual has and always will affect the way you are treated in society, as well as your health. The Australian Bureau of Statistics states, that there is a substantial body of evidence that people with lower SES have worse health than others (ABS, 1999). In the context of this essay, I will be exploring health-related data on health and inequality, then relating it to the indigenous population.
Topic 3: "Outline the social determinants of health in Australia and provide a critical analysis of these determinants. Discuss the current health status comparisons between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and interventions to remedy these inequalities.”
... To provide Indigenous people with adequate health care, emphasis needs to be placed on understanding indigenous beliefs and the social detriments Indigenous communities are faced with. Applying a suitable model of health to each individual situation will provide the best outcome. This was evident in the case study discussed in the essay. Rodney’s experiences within the medical world ended with a positive and desirable result, but if the appropriate transcultural care was not given, that positive result would have created a negative outcome, which could have been detrimental to Rodney’s future health.
A major problem facing people of the United States is the increase in diabetes rates, with some of the highest rates fall upon people of Native American origin. Food, language, and traditions are three big components that define the Native American culture, but could alterations to the very components that define these indigenous people also be contributing to their demise? Many factors have contributed to the declining health of Native Americans, but most notably, changes in eating habits and inactive lifestyles are the two of the main culprits leading to the high diabetes rates among the Native American population.
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
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.
Deadly Choices is a school and community-based Aboriginal health promotion and illness prevention program in Queensland, and the Deadly Choices Community Program is aiming to educate Aboriginal Australians about health knowledge regarding risk factors of chronic illness such as diet, physical activity, and substance use, then increase their engagement of community events in order to help them make healthy choices and have healthy lives (Malseed, 2013). In 2014, a study demonstrated that this program has been successful in improving Aboriginal Australians’ short-term knowledge about how their lifestyles and daily behaviours are highly associated with health, which effectively improves their health literacy through
In particular groups of Aboriginal People will have different slants on the meaning of what ‘Health’ is for them, in 1982 an attempt was made to define ‘Health’ from an Aboriginals perspective, The National Aboriginal Health Strategy (1989, pg. 10) states that Health is: ‘Not just the physical well-being of the individual but the social, emotional and cultural well-being of the whole community’. We must always remember that although this definition takes into consideration the view of the Aboriginal People, that the term ‘Health’ means different things to different people including the Aboriginal Community, for example some groups may place a heavy emphasis on family and spiritual needs whist others will concentrate on the physical things such as land rights. When we link the World Health Organizations Primary Health Care Principles and the Aboriginal Medical Service we can see Evidence of reductions in avoidable mortality for conditions susceptible to primary, secondary and tertiary intervention in Australia since the 1980s. This evidence suggests that primary health care has made a significant contribution to improved population health in this country. Unfortunately the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have yet to reap the full benefits of Primary Health Care compared to the Indigenous counterparts from overseas.
Likewise, poverty is associated with increased substance use (Loppie & Wien 8). In relation to the health factor, colonialism, discrimination, isolation and social exclusion are some of the determinants to the mental and physical health of Aboriginal peoples. All of these determinants relating to health may put a strain on the lives of some Aboriginal peoples as there is correlation between ill health, poverty and low socioeconomic status (Reading 10). Poverty is an issue that transcends age and time. With low income and societal isolation, some Aboriginal peoples are being marginalized into homelessness.