Health Disparities Between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians

There are significant health disparities that exist between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians. Being an Indigenous Australian means the person is and identifies as an Indigenous Australian, acknowledges their Indigenous heritage and is accepted as such in the community they live in (Daly, Speedy, & Jackson, 2010). Compared with Non-Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal people die at much younger ages, have more disability and experience a reduced quality of life because of ill health. This difference in health status is why Indigenous Australians health is often described as “Third World health in a First World nation” (Carson, Dunbar, Chenhall, & Bailie, 2007, p.xxi). Aboriginal health care in the present and future should encompass a holistic approach which includes social, emotional, spiritual and cultural wellbeing in order to be culturally suitable to improve Indigenous Health. There are three dimensions of health- physical, social and mental- that all interrelate to determine an individual’s overall health. If one of these dimensions is compromised, it affects how the other two dimensions function, and overall affects an individual’s health status. The social determinants of health are conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age which includes education, economics, social gradient, stress, early life, social inclusion, employment, transport, food, and social supports (Gruis, 2014). The social determinants that are specifically negatively impacting on Indigenous Australians health include poverty, social class, racism, education, employment, country/land and housing (Isaacs, 2014). If these social determinants inequalities are remedied, Indigenous Australians will have the same opportunities as Non-Ind...

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...ther two dimensions productivity. Social determinants are situations in which people are born, grow, live, work and age which is why they are so influential on the contemporary and future health status of the individual. Aboriginal people die at much younger ages, have more disability and experience a reduced quality of life because of ill health, which in some way can be related back to the social determinants of health. Many of these social determinants have programs implemented to try and rectified the disparities in health status between Indigenous Australians and Non-Indigenous Australians. If these programs work closing the gap between Indigenous Australians and Non-Indigenous Australians will be improved and Indigenous Australians health will not be described as third world health in a first world country, which is how Aboriginals health is described now.