Indigenous Australians Study - Groups Experiencing Inequality Essay Example for Free

Indigenous Australians Study Groups Experiencing Inequality Essay 517,000 people or 2. 5% of the total Australian population is ATSI. In 2006, the ATSI population had a median age of 21 years compared with 37 years for the non-Indigenous population. In June 2006, 32% of ATSI’s people living in major cities, 43% in regional areas, and 25% in remote areas. MORTALITY Life expectancy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men is 67. 2 years where for non-indigenous men it is 78. 7 years. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, their life expectancy is 72. 9 years and 82. 6 years for non-Indigenous women Male Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infant mortality in the Northern Territory was about 15 deaths per 1,000 live births, while female Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infant mortality was 12 deaths per 1,000. For non-Indigenous males the rate was 4. 4 deaths per 1,000 births and for females it was 3. 3 deaths per 1,000 The main causes of death is diseases of the circulatory system (668 or 25. 7%), Neoplasms (495 or 19. 0%), External causes of mortality (353 or 13. 6%) and Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (251 or 9. 7%) accounted for just over two-thirds (68. 0%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths. MORBIDITY Main causes of poor health: †¢Asthma †¢Heart and circulatory problems/diseases †¢Hearing loss and diseases of the ear †¢Diabetes †¢Kidney Disease Asthma was reported by around one in seven Indigenous Australians (15%) in 2004-05 ATSI people were 1. 6 times more likely to report asthma as non-Indigenous people. Asthma was reported almost twice as often in non-remote areas (17%) as in remote areas (9%) with ATSI’s. Indigenous people were 1. 3 times more likely than non-Indigenous people to report heart disease and/or circulatory problems Around one in eight Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (12%) reported ear diseases and/or hearing problems in 2004-05, compared to 15% reported in 2001 In 2004-05, half the adult Indigenous population (50%) were current daily smokers. Indigenous adults are more than twice as likely as non-Indigenous adults to be current daily smokers. In 2004-05, around half of all Indigenous adults (49%) reported having consumed alcohol in the week prior to interview, of whom one-third (16%) reported drinking at risky/high risk levels. The sociocultural, socioeconomic and environmental determinants. Indigenous people are generally less healthy than other Australians, have lower life expectancy, higher levels of disability and a lower quality of life. The contributors to their poorer levels of health include: SOCIOCULTURAL DETERMINANTS Cultural divisions and conflicts since the European settlement -In 2008 only 19% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over and 13% of children (3–14 years) spoke an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language. -In 2008, almost one-third (31%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 3–14 years spent at least one day a week with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leader or elder. -More Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are identifying with a clan, tribal or language group, increased from 54% in 2002 to 62% in 2008 Social factors ATSI reported sense of ‘loss of control of their own lives’ due to communal approaches to family, remoteness of communities and incompatibility with educational institutions and legal systems. 2008 AIHW emphasises that these social determinants clearly increase the likelihood of exposure to health risk factors such as: -Tobacco use – 50% of ATSI, twice as high as non-ATSI -Alcohol consumption – 1 in 6 reported chronic levels of risky drinking -Illicit drug use – twice the amount of reported illicit drug use SOCIOECONOMIC DETERMINANTS -The 1981 National Population and Housing Census indicated that the annual Aboriginal income per head was approximately one-half of that of the Australian population as a whole. -Lower incomes in ATSI relative to non-ATSI still persist, in 2006 median household incomes was only 55% of non-ATSI -More Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people completed Year 12 22% (of people aged 15 years and over) in 2008, up from 18% in 2002. -The unemployment rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians fell from 23% in 2002 to 17% in 2008, but remained more than three times higher than the rate for non-Indigenous Australians (5% in 2008). ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINANTS -Most (76%) of Aboriginals live in major cities and have access to adequate health care, clean water -Remote communities are affected by water shortages and poorer health services -Communication barriers exist The roles of individuals, communities and governments in addressing the health inequities. INDIVIDUALS Individuals in groups experiencing health inequities should focus solely on being as healthy as possible in their given circumstances. This includes the control of modifiable determinants of health and the utilisation of health services that are being provided. Modifiable determinants of health include: -Diet -Exercise -Smokers status Non-modifiable determinants of health include: -Age -Gender -Culture (role models within culture, social norms within culture etc) -Socioeconomic status -Geographic location -Access to health services -Education COMMUNITIES Health care services may not be accessed due to: -Location of health services in relation to home -Cost. -Cultural barriers (if it is not something that family members have done, others may not be inclined to do it) -Time (a full-time student or mother for example may not have time to go out of their way to get screening or testing done) Some services that are provided include: -All initiatives of ‘Close the Gap’ program -COAG Mental Health Mental Health services in Rural and Remote Areas (MHSRRA) -Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Workforce Employment and Training Funding -Mobile Dental Services (Closing the Gap Indigenous dental services in rural and regional areas) -Substance Use Combating Petrol Sniffing. -Northern Territory Remote Health Workforce Child Abuse Training and Development -Mobile Outreach Service (MOS) Health services aim to: -Increase life expectancy of ATSI -Provide better education opportunities for students and ensure work placement for those who attend tertiary schools to increase attendance and completion of secondary school -Increase access to health services for the benefit of prevalence and incidence of illness and disease GOVERNMENTS. Organisations in charge of the health of ATSI peoples: -The Australian Government Department of Health: Rural and Regional Health + Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health -NACCHO: The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation -AHMRC: The Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW Some health services being implemented to ATSI peoples at a government level: -Close the Gap -Healthy For Life -Strong Fathers Strong Families. -National Partnership Agreement for Indigenous Early Childhood Development (NPA IECD) -New Directions: Mothers and Babies Services Indigenous Health National Partnership Agreement 5 Priority Areas of Bettering Aboriginal Health 1. Tackling Smoking 2. Primary health care services that can deliver 3. Fixing the gaps and improving the patient journey 4. Providing a healthy transition to adulthood 5. Making Indigenous health everyone’s business.