Inequities and Health Disparities in Indigenous Australians
Introduction
The theory of social determinants identifies that inequality and population health are described
by lots of social factors that are interconnected. It is referred to as the basic tenet of the laws of
human rights that all of the rights are interconnected and that impacts the enjoyment of the rights
of an individual on the enjoyment of other people. Significant determinants of the inequality of
indigenous health include lack of equal access to primary health care as well as lower standard of
the health infrastructure within the indigenous communities as compared to the other people of
Australia. The main aim of the essay is to discuss the inequities and inequalities in the lifestyle
factors along with the outcomes in Indigenous Australians as compared to the non-Indigenous
population of Australia.
Main Body
An inequity experienced by Indigenous Australians
Indigenous people frequently find it almost impossible to access improper mainstream primary
health almost impossible to access improper mainstream services of primary health Care.
Ensuring accessibility of healthcare for the indigenous people who are frequently experiencing a
huge array of that includes experiences of racism and discrimination and it is considered
complicated. Issues related to social and cultural determinants of health like low education level
and unemployment have influenced whether the indigenous patients and the communities have
the ability to access primary health care. The burden of distribution of the social determinants
and risk factors in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community is considered as the
outcome of discrimination and historic policies. (Lancet, 2023). Indigenous people of Australia
do not have equal opportunity to become healthy as compared to the non-indigenous people of
Australia. The relative disadvantage of the social economy experienced by the indigenous people
compared to the non-indigenous people mainly places them at a greater risk of exposure to the
environment and behavioural health risk factors. It has been observed from several studies that a
high population of indigenous households lives in a condition that does not assist proper health.
Indigenous people do not get equal access to the health infrastructure and primary health care
including effective sewage systems, healthy housing, collection of rubbishes and safe drinking
water. For instance, it has been found that in developed countries like Australia, lots of
indigenous people are dying from cardiovascular disease (Davy et al., 2016). Despite this people
are frequently prevented from accessing health services because of several barriers like poor
communication with the help care professionals high cost of healthcare and many more.
Moreover, poverty is referred to as a prominent social determinant of health issues with some of
the indigenous people who find it difficult to afford transportation or the cost of obtaining the
health service.
An inequality in a lifestyle factor experienced within the Indigenous Australian population
More than half a century has passed since the Aboriginals of Australia gained legal rights to
consume alcohol, and various approaches have been adopted to address, explain, and define the
use of alcohol by the Aboriginal people along with their consequences (Tobacco In Australia,
2016). By the time the people of Aboriginal community were granted legal access to use alcohol
their experience of alcohol had been influenced indelibly by decades of prohibition has been
imposed by the colonial authorities. The territories and states of Australia still prohibited the
consumption of alcohol by aboriginal people while other people were there who started to
eliminate those restrictions. There are various cultural and social factors that contribute to
maintaining a high rate of smoking in the communities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
Smoking also has been found to be the mechanism of Aboriginal people to strengthen and
maintain kinship bonds as well as social relationships. It has been also believed by the
Aboriginal people that smoking improves the sense of social cohesiveness and belonging.
Socializing over cigarettes has been stated by the Aboriginal health workers as the manner of
establishing rapport with the client and debriefing with the work colleagues. No doubt is there
that throughout Australia, there is an issue of heavy drinking among the Aboriginal people
(DAbbs & Hewlett, 2023). The reason behind the high rate of smoking among the Aboriginal
people is complicated. This generally includes being exposed to the habit of smoking in early life
and living in a community where smoking is considered a social norm.
A health inequality experienced by indigenous Australians
Indigenous people have worse conditions of health as compared to nonindigenous people and
they are overrepresented among the disadvantaged and poor and have lower expectancy of life.
Health desperate is for access to treatment for most of the major illnesses including
cardiovascular disease and cancer in developed countries like Australia (Gardiner et al., 2021).
There are various studies that state that cardiovascular help recognizes that indigenous
Australians have twice the rate of hospitality mortality and a 40% lower rate of percutaneous and
angiography coronary intervention as compared to non-indigenous Australians. It has been found
that the indigenous people of Australia experience stigmatization and isolation as an outcome of
their illness and face risks from discrimination and racism. Stroke, heart, and vascular disease are
considered the leading causes of morbidity and mortality across the world. Internationally it has
been found that indigenous people of Australia have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular
disease and high rates of chronic diseases as compared to non-indigenous Australians. This is
coupled with the disproportionate level of poverty, social isolation, inadequate access to
healthcare lack of education, and unemployment (Durey & Thompson, 2012). The remote areas
of Australia have been found to have the highest proportion of Aboriginal people. These remote
areas are characterized frequently as having low provision of healthcare including low levels of
healthcare that are culturally appropriate with many indigenous people of Australia in the remote
areas reliant heavily on visiting primary healthcare.
Conclusion
The inequality in the status of health experienced by the indigenous people of Australia is
associated with systematic discrimination. The indigenous people do not get the same
opportunity to be healthy as the non-indigenous people. This happens through inaccessibility of
the mainstream services as well as lower access to health services including inadequate provision
of health instruction and primary health care in some of the communities of indigenous people.
Moreover, it has been found that most of the Indigenous Australians start smoking and
consuming alcohol in their early life.
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