Indigenous Disadvantage
Working Effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
Why are Indigenous people in Australia still disadvantaged with regard to health care and services?
For the last 200 years Indigenous people have been victims of discrimination, prejudice and disadvantage. Poor education, poor living conditions and general poverty are still overwhelming issues for a large percentage of our people and we remain ‘as a group, the most poverty stricken sector of the working class’ in Australia (Cuthoys 1983).
As a people, our rate of chronic disease is still 2.5 times higher than that of other Australians, and Indigenous people in this country die 15 to 20 years younger than those in mainstream Australia. More than half of these figures are caused by chronic diseases such heart disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and kidney disease. The majority of these chronic diseases are preventable and while research is continuing to find ways to reduce the risk factors, issues such as smoking, alcohol and substance abuse, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and promoting healthy eating and active lifestyles are still major challenges in Indigenous communities throughout Australia.
Healthy living choices are not easy for people living in remote communities which results in a high incidence of preventable chronic disease. Good nutrition is fundamental to the maintenance of general wellbeing and the prevention of sickness and disease. It plays an imperative role in pregnancy and early childhood, prevents obesity and type 2 Diabetes and can lower the risk of recurrent heart disease by up to 70%. However, remote communities face many barriers to healthy eating, including isolation, the high cost of food, the variable supply of fresh food, lack of community town infrastructure and inadequate health promotion support, are just a few of these barriers that prevent community people from being able to make healthy living choices.
Community programs
Why are Indigenous people in Australia still disadvantaged with regard to health care and services?
For the last 200 years Indigenous people have been victims of discrimination, prejudice and disadvantage. Poor education, poor living conditions and general poverty are still overwhelming issues for a large percentage of our people and we remain ‘as a group, the most poverty stricken sector of the working class’ in Australia (Cuthoys 1983).
As a people, our rate of chronic disease is still 2.5 times higher than that of other Australians, and Indigenous people in this country die 15 to 20 years younger than those in mainstream Australia. More than half of these figures are caused by chronic diseases such heart disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and kidney disease. The majority of these chronic diseases are preventable and while research is continuing to find ways to reduce the risk factors, issues such as smoking, alcohol and substance abuse, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and promoting healthy eating and active lifestyles are still major challenges in Indigenous communities throughout Australia.
Healthy living choices are not easy for people living in remote communities which results in a high incidence of preventable chronic disease. Good nutrition is fundamental to the maintenance of general wellbeing and the prevention of sickness and disease. It plays an imperative role in pregnancy and early childhood, prevents obesity and type 2 Diabetes and can lower the risk of recurrent heart disease by up to 70%. However, remote communities face many barriers to healthy eating, including isolation, the high cost of food, the variable supply of fresh food, lack of community town infrastructure and inadequate health promotion support, are just a few of these barriers that prevent community people from being able to make healthy living choices.
Community programs
References: Review of volatile substance use among Indigenous people. d 'Abbs P, Maclean S (2008) Volatile substance misuse: a review of interventions. Barton, ACT: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au Supporting the Yolngu Life: Yolngu Walngakum. Building healthy Communities www.menzies.edu.au Dunn KM, Klocker N, Salabay T (2007) Contemporary racism and Islamaphobia in Australia: racializing religion. Ethnicities; 7: 564-589 Angelico T (1993) Wellness and contemporary Australian racism. In: Collins J, ed. Contemporary racism in Australia, Canada and New Zealand: volume 2. Sydney: University of Technology: 237-258 Lewis W, Balderstone S, Bowan J (2009) Events that shaped Australia. Sydney: New Holland Publishers Trudgen R (2000) Why warriors lie down and die: towards an understanding of why the Aboriginal people of Arnhem Land face the greatest crisis in health and education since European contact: djambatj mala. Darwin: Aboriginal Resource and Development Services Inc. Howitt R, McCracken K, Curson P (2005) Australian Indigenous health: what issues contribute to a national crisis and scandal?. Geodate; 18(1): 8-15