Write Chronic poor health within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities Academic Essay
Task:
The belief that the individual should take responsibility for their own health is a neo-liberal tenet that has impacted on government health policies and also the delivery of healthcare in many Western countries - including Australia. This belief has been described by Crawford (1980, 368) as ‘healthism’.
In 2017, the then Prime Minister described chronic poor health within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities as a result of poor “lifestyle choices” and personal failing (Gatwiri, 2021, p.2).
Read the original article on healthism by Crawford from 1980:
- Crawford, R. (1980). Healthism and the medicalization of everyday life. International journal of health services, 10(3), 365-388.
and the 2021 article by Gatwiri et al:
- Gatwiri, K.; Rotumah, D.; Rix, E. BlackLivesMatter in Healthcare: Racism and Implications for Health Inequity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in Australia. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 4399. p.1-11.
Then write an academic essay that identifies and explains:
- the ways in which ‘healthist’ beliefs that ‘individuals are responsible for their own health’ and that ‘all individuals should be treated the same’, converge with racism to lay blame for poor Indigenous health on Indigenous people themselves.
- some potential ways to address the issues of healthism and racism in the Australian health system in an Indigenous context
Make sure that you refer to the relevant readings and wider literature to support your response.
References
Crawford, R. (1980). Healthism and the medicalization of everyday life. International journal of health services, 10(3), 365-388.
Gatwiri, K.; Rotumah, D.; Rix, E. BlackLivesMatter in Healthcare: Racism and Implications for Health Inequity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in Australia. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 4399. p.1-11.
|
Criteria |
|
1.Identifies and discusses the term ‘healthism’ and explains how it impacts the health of Indigenous people in Australia |
|
2.Explains the connection between healthism and racism in the Australian context as it effects Indigenous people |
|
3.Outlines some potential ways (e.g. frameworks, theories, practices, policies) to address the issues of healthism and racism in the Australian health system in an Indigenous context |
|
4.Communicates clearly – uses appropriate academic essay structure, language, grammar, spelling and referencing |
