Background. Indigenous populations have poorer health outcomes compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts [1]. The experience of colonisation, and the long-term effects of being colonised, has caused inequalities in Indigenous health status, including physical, social, emotional, and mental health and wellbeing [2].
Compared with non-Indigenous Australians, cardiovascular diseases and cancer represented a smaller proportion of deaths, and external causes and endocrine, metabolic and nutritional disorders represented a larger proportion of deaths, among Indigenous Australians. Notes 1. Data are for NSW, Qld, WA, SA and NT.
Behavioural risks include smoking, poor nutrition, physical inactivity and excessive alcohol consumption. Biomedical risks are bodily states that can contribute to the development of chronic disease, such as being obese or having abnormal levels of blood lipids (see 'Chapter 4.3 Biomedical risk factors').
Overcrowding can also result in environmental stressors, such as from a lack of privacy, which can have an impact on mental health. Many households in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are deemed overcrowded, a situation that can lead to a wide range of health problems.
Background. Indigenous populations have poorer health outcomes compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts [1]. The experience of colonisation, and the long-term effects of being colonised, has caused inequalities in Indigenous health status, including physical, social, emotional, and mental health and wellbeing [2].
Fear of racism, disrespect, judgement and negative government interventions were reported as barriers to Aboriginal people accessing some mainstream healthcare services. Fear of government involvement was evident.
Coronary heart disease, diabetes, chronic lower respiratory diseases and lung and related cancers are the main causes of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Kidney disease is a leading cause of death and disability for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We have funded Kidney Health Australia to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to create specific guidelines for Indigenous kidney disease.
The inequality in health status experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is linked to systemic discrimination. Historically, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have not had the same opportunity to be as healthy as non-Indigenous people.
Back then, males lived on average 67 years (11 years less) and females 73 years (10 years less). Aboriginal life expectancy is so low because Aboriginal health standards in Australia let 45% of Aboriginal men and 34% of women die before the age of 45. About 71% die before they reach the age of 65.
Indigenous peoples experience disproportionately high levels of maternal and infant mortality, malnutrition, cardiovascular illnesses, HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis.
In Remote and very remote areas combined, circulatory diseases contributed the biggest gap in mortality rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians (gap of 187 per 100,000). In non-remote areas cancer and other neoplasms were the biggest contributors to the gap (gap of 45 per 100,000) (Table D1.
There are disparities across the social determinants of health, such as education, housing, employment and income. Access to health services is reduced for various reasons, including cost and lack of accessible or culturally appropriate health services where and when they are needed.
Social and emotional wellbeing
Land is central to wellbeing, while Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander spirituality is defined as at the core of being – their very identity. Spirituality gives meaning to all aspects of life, including relationships with one another and the environment.
shorter life expectancy. higher rates of infant mortality. poorer health. lower levels of education and employment.
While Indigenous Australians experience disease burden at 2.3 times the rate of non-Indigenous Australians (after adjusting for age), the gap is narrowing. 'The absolute gap in disease burden between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians decreased between 2003 and 2018 by 16%.
Australian health system challenges include: an ageing population and increasing demand on health services. increasing rates of chronic disease. costs of medical research and innovations.
The Impact of British Colonisation on Indigenous Australia: Diseases. The most immediate impact of European colonisation was a wave of epidemic diseases, such as measles, influenza, and smallpox, which spread ahead of the destruction of many Indigenous Australians and the settlement of colonists.
Overall ATSI people have an extensive gap in health outcomes compared with other Australians. This includes 7 times more kidney disease, 3 times more diabetes, 1.5 times more obesity and cancer death rates as well as a youth suicide rate that is 6 times more for females and 4 times more for males.
Effect on First Nations peoples
The spread of smallpox was followed by influenza, measles, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases. First Nations peoples had no resistance to these diseases, all of which brought widespread death.
The Medicare claim rate for specialist care among Indigenous Australians was the highest in Major cities (860 per 1,000 population) and lowest in Very remote areas (161 per 1,000), and the rate was between 24%–70% lower than for non-Indigenous Australians in all remoteness areas (Table D3.
The factors contributing to the persisting growth deficiencies of many Aboriginal children are complex, but the most important are likely to be 'persistently negative' environmental factors – living in overcrowded, relatively unhygienic conditions, with poor food supply, repeated infections and poor nutrition [11, 12, ...
Key factors affecting Indigenous Australians' access to adequate food include poor access (due to, for example remoteness and low income) and poor food availability (for example high costs of food and limited availability of nutritious foods) (Davy 2016).