Indigenous Australians Study - Groups Experiencing Inequality Essay Example for Free

autochthonal Australians Study Groups Experiencing Inequality Essay517,000 wad 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- autochthonal population. In June 2006, 32% of ATSIs muckle living in major cities, 43% in regional areas, and 25% in remote areas. MORTALITY Life expectancy for indigen and Torres offer 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 deathrate in the Northern land was about 15 deaths per 1,000 sustain 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 much in all likelihood to report asthma as non-Indigenous people. Asthma was reported almost twice as oftentimes in non-remote areas (17%) as in remote areas (9%) with ATSIs. Indigenous people were 1.3 times more likely than non-Indigenous people to report heart disease and/or circulatory problems Around one in octad 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 trio (16%) reported drinking at run a 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 damage and a lower quality of life. The contributors to their poorer levels of health imply SOCIOCULTURAL DETERMINANTS Cultural divisions and conflicts since the European settlement -In 2008 only when 19% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over and 13% of children (314 years) spoke an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language.-In 2008, almost one-third (31%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander chil dren aged 314 years spent at least one solar 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 mark off of their own lives due to communal approaches to family, standoffishness 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 standard of reported illicit drug use SOCIOECONOMIC DETERMINANTS -The 1981 National Population and Housing Census indicated that the yearly Aboriginal income per head was approximately one-half of that of the Australian population as a whole.-Lower incomes in ATSI sexual congress 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 abnormal by water shortages and poorer health run -Communication barriers exist The roles of individuals, communities and governments in addressing the health inequities. INDIVIDUALS Individuals in groups experiencing health inequities should revolve around solely on being as healthy as possible in their given circumstances.This implicates the control o f modifiable determinants of health and the utilisation of health work 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 run -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 rustic and Remote Areas (MHSRRA) -Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Workforce Employment and Training Funding -Mobile dental consonant Services (Closing the Gap Indigenous dental services in rural and regional areas) -Substance Use Combating natural gas 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 await tertiary schools to increase attendance and completion of secondary school -Increase access to health services for the utility of prevalence and incidence of illness and disease GOVERNMENTS.Organisations in charge of the health of ATSI peoples -The Australian Government section 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 t he Gap -Healthy For Life -Strong Fathers Strong Families.-National coalition Agreement for Indigenous Early Childhood Development (NPA IECD) -New Directions Mothers and Babies Services Indigenous Health National coalition 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 matureness 5. Making Indigenous health everyones business.