Analysis Australian Aboriginal Health - Assignment Example

Workbook activities Name Institution Date Module 10 Activity 1 Substance abuse among the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders has been viewed from a historical perspective which culminated into current realities. Drugs and alcohol were often used for labor for many Aboriginal people. It was a common thing for payment to consist only tobacco, rum, and flour. Alcohol together with other drugs was commonly used as a means of soliciting for sex from women of Aboriginal origin. The women were sometimes inebriated in order to take advantage of them, and it was also used as a means of payment for sex. Through these mixed heritage births and pregnancies could not be avoided. The mothers and their children were avoided by non-indigenous fathers. Many indigenous people use alcohol as a means of coping with stress, trauma, and personal pain as a result of colonization, dispossession, loss of culture, loss of spirituality, and traditional indigenous families’ breakdown (Skov et al, 2010). The non-indigenous men only used alcohol in order to gain undue advantage of the indigenous women and later shun them. Apparently the Aboriginal people used a mild form of alcohol before the coming of the European. Moreover, the words used to label it translated to bad or dangerous meaning that indigenous people abhorred drinking. The settlers got Aboriginal men to be drink and become highly intoxicated and then force them to fight. Some of these fights culminated into deaths. The Aboriginal people access to alcohol was limited since it was believed that they could not handle it. This prohibition was appealed later. Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal people still see alcohol consumption as a form of equality to the non-indigenous people. Many people from the indigenous communities have misused alcohol using this claim. The indigenous people did not receive any information on the negative impact of alcohol although they abhorred it in the first place. However, indigenous people are less likely to use alcohol as compared to the non-indigenous people, but those who take alcohol do it recklessly. Indigenous people drink alcohol to risky levels as compared to non-indigenous population. Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal people are less likely to use alcohol at all ages than non-indigenous population. Alcohol related deaths among the Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginals are caused by suicide, road injury, and liver cirrhosis. Hospitalizations traced to alcohol consumption are attributed to alcoholic psychosis (6%), epilepsy (8%), and pancreatitis (14%). The Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal people take alcohol but the objective is not to socialize (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2005).  Money and drink is shared between the groups and consequently there will always be free flow of drink. The non-indigenous people usually take alcohol individually unless they are partying. Module 11 Activity 1 Incidence of HIV infections are higher among the female Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal Australians as compared to non-indigenous female population of Australia due lack of access to basic information. Most indigenous women are not informed on the safe ways of protecting themselves against HIV infections. English not being their first language hinders communication leading misrepresentation of ideas. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander female have little education and hence making them to be at risk of contracting HIV/Aids virus (Larkins, Panaretto & Scott, 2007). Discussions touching on sexual matters are reviewed as indecent in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and hence women cannot freely express their fears even if their health is at risk. Due to stigmatization people who are positive remain silent than speak. Activity 2 Condoman is the most iconic health messages in Australia that are meant to promote safe of condoms. Condoman was developed and conceived in 1987 at Townsville by a group of indigenous workers. Even though Condoman was targeting Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal communities, his popularity has grown over the years to reach to the wider Australian population and other countries in the South Pacific region. The main message carried by Condoman is “Don’t be shame be game”. The message is meant to encourage the youth among the Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal communities to use Condoms and not be ashamed. The message has done well to overcome the original fear and shame that was associated with talking about sexual activities among the indigenous communities (Bowden, 2005). The message was designed to target the youth but its relevance has spilled over to other non-indigenous communities. The ideas crafted were relevant in a cultural way to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. However, the message should have targeted even the adult population from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. The adult population can give guidance to the youth and also reprimand them when they engage in irresponsible behavior that can jeopardize their life. The character used in Condoman should identify with the cultural values of the Aboriginal people. The message should further be developed not only to encourage use of Condoman but also safe use of condoms. There are people who use condoms but not in the appropriate manner and this jeopardize their health and put them at risk of contracting HIV/Aids. In the long run, the Condoman message will help to reducing deaths from HIV/Aids. There should be follow up surveys to identify the impact of Condoman message (Larkins, Panaretto & Scott, 2007). Otherwise Condoman messages have been a successful campaign that has been carried to fight irresponsible sexual behavior among the Torres Strait Islander people who were ashamed to take about sex at the expense of their health. Module 12 Activity 1 The size and age of the mother: most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were young mothers who were not developed to carry babies with normal birth weight. This led to many teenage girls giving birth to underweight babies. Underweight mothers end up giving birth to under weight babies. Socioeconomic disadvantage: environmental and socioeconomic determinants that contribute to low birth weight were also responsible for wasting in a population. 3 to 15 months marked the period of wasting in infants. Socioeconomic disadvantage affect the mother’s provisions. Nutritional status of the mother: during the pregnancy the mother has to eat a nutritious diet that supplies the inborn baby with the required minerals for growth. Unfortunately for the indigenous women, they could not afford food reach in nutrients that helped their babies to be born healthy and with normal weight which is 2500gms and above. Inability to access the needed nutrients will also affect fetal development in the womb hence a baby will be born having less weight. Illness during pregnancy: inaccessibility to health services during pregnancy led to many inexperienced mothers contracting diseases. This led the unborn baby being affected weight-wise. Most illness that affects the mother also affects the development of the baby in the womb. Proper prenatal care is needed to ensure that the babies are born safely and at maturity (Sullivan, Hall & King, 2008). Without adequate medical services, the baby weight is bound to be affected. The pregnancy has to be monitored to maturity. Alcohol and other drugs: tobacco has been established to have severer impact on the weight of the unborn baby. In studies carried out from 2001 to 2004, women from indigenous communities who smoked had babies who were 250gms less as compared to indigenous women who did not smoke. Other drugs like marijuana also contributed to lighter babies. Activity 2 Support for Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal women to give birth on country Women from Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal communities have to have community controlled services that are based locally within their communities. Home visits by health workers to advise and monitor the development of the pregnancy are very important. Outreach activities have to be organized in the local villages to advise women how to carry themselves around during pregnancy. There should be respect for indigenous culture by setting health facilities for women and children in separate places from the rest of the community. The Aboriginal women have to be given sterile equipment and shown how to use them during the cutting of the placenta. A health care giver has to at least be present when the mother experiences labor pains in order to give directions. Giving ‘birth on country’ for indigenous women Giving birth on country is giving birth at home without going to hospital. The women needed to have their babies at home since they had to rest and bury the placenta there. The mother of the baby had to bury the placenta where he first experienced labor pains. The mother has to go back where she had the baby in order to bury the placenta. It was important for women to give birth on country and have the time to rest and bury the placenta. Where the baby started outside the camp, the mother had to wait until the bleeding stopped before he went back. The umbilical cord was normally separated in two to three days and few infections were experienced. I do not think that this will make any difference to health outcome of the mother and the infant. Burying the placenta is an old tradition that has to be discarded (Couzos & Murray, 2007). The mother had to give birth in a hospital where health workers can attend to her properly and safe delivery. References Australian Bureau of Statistics (2005). National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey 2004-05. Skov SJ, Chikritzhs TN, Li SQ, Pircher S, & Whetton S (2010). How much is too much? Alcohol consumption and related harm in the Northern Territory, Medical Journal of Australia; 193 (Rapid online publication): 1-4. Bowden, F. (2005). Controlling HIV in Indigenous Australians, Editorials Medical Journal of Australia 2005; 183 (3): 116-117. Larkins, S. L., Panaretto, K. S., & Scott, R. (2007). Attitudes and behaviors of young indigenous people in Townsville concerning relationships, sex and contraception: The "U mob yarn up" project, Medical Journal of Australia, 186(10), 513-513-8. Couzos, S. & Murray, R. (2007). Aboriginal Primary Health Care: An evidence-based approach. Third edition. Oxford University Press: Melbourne. Sullivan, E., Hall, B., & King, J. (2008). Maternal Deaths in Australia 2003-2005. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Government: Canberra. Read More