Health Issues of Aboriginals in Blacktown Local Community - Case Study Example

Health Issues of Aboriginals Name Institution Instructor Course Date i. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Aboriginals are a marginalized community in Australia. They are faced with numerous health problems. The introduction of this paper offers some background information about the Aboriginal community in the city of Blacktown. Out of the many health issues that affect the Aboriginal community the health promotion initiative that will be addressed by this paper will be the malnutrition problem among the children of the Aboriginal community in Blacktown. After the introduction the issue of malnutrition is in the Aborigines is clearly defined. The rationale, epidemiology, and the objectives of the initiative have also been stipulated. The project is expected to cost $50,000 which will be sourced from the local council of Blacktown as a grant. This initiative is expected to run for one month while the strategies to be used will include road shows, distribution of flyers, health meeting, medical camps, and placing of advertisements in the local media to create awareness the malnutrition issue. The strategies have also been evaluated to find out whether they met the objectives set. ii. Acknowledgements I would like to extend my appreciation to my course instructor who was very instrumental in offering guidance in writing of this report. My friends accorded me the emotional support that I required while compiling this report. In would like to extend my gratitude to the person who was involved in the typing of this report and to all those who were involved in the preparation of this reports either directly or indirectly iii. TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………2 Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………2 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………...4 Definition of the Issue……………………………………………………………………4 Rationale…………………………………………………………………………………5 Epidemiology…………………………………………………………………………….5 Cost……………………………………………………………………………………....6 Budget Allocation………………………………………………………………………..7 Schedule………………………………………………………………………………….7 Goals and Objectives……………………………………………………………………..8 Planning Process…………………………………………………………………………8 Strategies…………………………………………………………………………………8 Strategy Implementation………………………………………………………………..10 Strategy Evaluation……………………………………………………………………...11 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………11 References ……………………………………………………………………………...12 Health Issues of Aboriginals in Blacktown Local Community 1. Introduction The area that comprises of the city of Blacktown has boasts of a long history of Aborigines that specifically belong to the Darug tribe. The Aborigines inhabited the area before Europeans had settled in the area in 1791. Since that period, the area has developed into a large local community which mainly consists of a large population of Aborigines (Reuben & Walker, 2005). The three clans of the Blacktown area include the Gomerigal, Warmuli, and the Wawarawarry. The white settlement impacted on the population of the Aborigines as there was competition in the resources such as land and other facilities including health. Even though the population declines there is still an Aboriginal presence in Blacktown and today the town ahs the largest Aboriginal population in Australia. Aboriginals are the indigenous people in Australia and form a population that is faced by numerous health and social problems that include drug use, alcohol abuse, rape, police brutality, malnutrition, and assault. This paper will however address malnutrition as one of the health issues affecting the Aboriginals in the Blacktown local community, where a health initiative will be developed to address this issue. 1.1 Definition of the Issue Malnutrition is a condition that arises when the body gets fewer nutrients than required or lacks balanced diet. The Aboriginals are subjected to malnutrition because they lack enough food for the provision of the right nutrients (Skull & Walker, 2007). This is largely due to poverty that is rampant among the Aboriginal community where some of them cannot even afford to have the three basic meals in a day. Malnutrition is a health problem because it leads to many health complications that are associated with lack of specific nutrients in the body. For instance, many of the Aborigines suffer from opportunistic ailments such as marasmus, kwashiorkor, anemia, albuminuria, and general body weakness among others. In general malnutrition slows down the normal body growth as it is seen in most Aboriginal children who have stunted growth. 1.2 Rationale To address the issue of malnutrition as a health inequity among the Aboriginal community, a health promotion initiative will be designed (Jelfs, 2011). The initiative will include a thorough need analysis of the malnutrition problem, setting of intervention goals and objectives to be achieved, setting and planning for strategies to be used, and the evaluation of the strategies. For effective launch of this initiative it will also be crucial to come up with the cost analysis for the health promotion initiative and the expected source of funds. 1.2.1 Epidemiology Malnutrition in the Aboriginal community in Blacktown, majorly affects the young children especially during the weaning period which occurs between 0-24 months of their growth (Skull & Walker, 2007). The majority of the malnourished children suffer from moderate energy deficiency and it is not easy to identity they have a health problem unless they are compared with normal standards. At times mothers fail to notice that their children are unwell as they seem to be healthy at normal circumstances. Some of the contributing factors to malnutrition among the children include lack of adequate knowledge about nutritional intake during the weaning period, ignorance on the importance of having a balanced diet the weaning period, and poverty among the Aboriginal community. A malnourished individual is more prone to other infections and diseases that are caused by lack of the necessary nutrients in the diet. Other symptoms effects of malnutrition include loss of body weight, lack of appetite, and overworking of protein and energy reserves in the body. The common deficiencies caused by malnutrition include protein, energy, and iron (Hoy, 2011). Other specific deficiency may include vitamin A, B, C, D, E, K, phosphate, zinc, Potassium, and folate. Studies have shown that many of the children from the Aboriginal community have ‘tropical enteropathy syndrome’ which is caused by intestinal mucosal damage due to living in unhygienic environment. When malnutrition is present in the early stages of the childhood development, it may affect the brain growth and subsequently mental retardation. The prevalence rate of malnutrition among the Aboriginals in the Blacktown community is estimated to be 20% and mostly affects children in the age bracket of 0- 24 months. 1.2.2 Cost This health promotion for creating awareness on the issue of malnutrition among the Aboriginal community in the Blacktown is estimated to cost roughly $50, 000. A clear budget will be drawn reflecting how the finances will be usedand raised. The cost is on the lower side since the health promotion will only run in the Blacktown and is expected to target the Aboriginals children aged between 0-24 months (Wait, 2011). Since the children at this age are not expected to understanding any information about malnutrition, parents and especially mothers or other caregivers will be addressed during the promotion so that they can apply it to their children and the whole community at large. Most of the personnel involved in this promotion will be volunteers and will only be provided with upkeep money. The sourcing for the funding will be from the Blacktown local government fund, where the proforma shall be drawn and presented for the fund requests. 1.2.3 Budget Allocation The following are the estimates on how the funds shall be utilized during the health promotion initiative; Activity Allocation Human Resource Allowances $10,000 Road Shows $5,000 Advertisements $10,000 Transport $10,000 Health meetings $8,000 Miscellaneous $7,000 TOTAL $50,000 1.2.4 Schedule The health promotion initiative is planned to run for one month starting from July 1st 2011 to July 31st 2011. During this period, the promotion is expected to reach to more than hundred thousand Aboriginals in the Blacktown community. The hours of operation shall be from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm although ads in the local media will run at different times of the day including at night. 2.0 Goals and Objectives This health initiative is supposed to reach to over one hundred thousand Aboriginals in the Blacktown local community. Some of the objectives that should be achieved by this health promotion initiative include creating awareness on the recommended daily dietary intakes for children, advising mothers on the alternative source of nutrients to their children other than the breast milk, educating the community on the signs and symptoms of malnutrition, performing malnutrition tests to children by measuring BMIs, and providing nutritional supplements to the malnourished people among the Aboriginal community (O’Maria, 2011). 3.0 Planning Process Once all the objectives of the health promotion have been identified, it will be important to come up with a formidable plan on how the objectives will be achieved. The objectives shall form the guideline for the planning process. All the activities of the promotion will fall under the set time plan and this implies that the activities will be scheduled to fit between July 1st and July 31st 2011. 4.0 Strategies to be used 4.1 Distribution of Flyers One of the strategies that will be used in this health promotion will include printing of flyers that will contain information about the symptoms, causes, and prevention of malnutrition. The flyers shall also contain photographs of some of the malnourished children in the Aboriginal community so that the locals can relate to them. The flyers will be written using different languages that the locals can easily understand. 4.2 Health Meetings Another strategy that shall be employed in this promotion will include calling the locals for some health meetings where arrangements will be made for some medical experts to speak to them about malnutrition and how it can be prevented (Armstrong, 2011). The meetings shall be interactive in nature to give the locals a chance to air their views and ask any questions concerning malnutrition. 4.3 Medical Camps Medical camps will be arranged where some volunteer doctors and health officers will offer free medical check ups to children aged 0-24 months and their mothers (Waldram & Young, 2006). In an event where a child is found to be malnourished in any way, free nutrient supplements shall be given and advice on the nutritional requirements. 4.4 Road Shows Road shows will also be used where cultural activities shall be arranged to create awareness on in the importance of having a balanced diet and the dangers of malnutrition to the young children. To make the road shows attractive, local musicians and other artists will be incorporated (Covel & Howe, 2007). There will also be some dancing competitions and quizzes related to malnutrition. Awards will include nutritional supplements and detailed brochures covering the subject of malnutrition. 4.4 Advertising Campaign During this health promotion there are some advertisements that will be placed in the local media including newspapers, radios, banners, and televisions (Lewis, 2010). The ads will address the issue of malnutrition among the Aboriginals and the ways of preventing it. The ads will be expected to reach the individuals who might not make it to the arranged meetings with the locals. One major advantage of the ads is that that can listened to even after the official day times of the promotion. 5.0 Implementation of the Strategies Various personnel will be required to foresee the implementation of every strategy for the health promotion. 5.1 Human Resource Requirement The distribution of the flyers will be done by a team of one hundred individuals who will be selected at random mostly from the local community. The head of this team will be a qualified marketing executive who will also oversee the printing of the flyers. The health meetings shall be arranged by five individuals two of them being doctors in the local health centers at the Blacktown. Efforts will be made to ensure that at least one of the medical personnel is from the Aboriginal community. The same team will also arrange for the medical meetings where ten more medical doctors will de added to boost on the team efficiency. Two marketing executives will be in charge of the road shows with a team of three local artists and a dance group (Lewis, 2010). The two marketing executives will also be responsible for running the advertisement campaigns in the local media. There will be an overall financial controller to oversee that the budgeted is adhered to and ensure no misappropriation of funds. The health promotion director will coordinate the whole initiative assisted by two deputies. 6.0 Evaluation of the Strategies The strategies shall be evaluated after every two days to check whether they are still in line with the overall objectives of the health initiative (Lewis, 2010). If there will be any changes to strategies upon evaluation, the health promotion director will give guidance on the changes to be made after consulting with the deputies and the sponsors. 7. Conclusion The health issue of malnutrition in the Aboriginal community requires a deep analysis for it to be addressed. To manage the children who are malnourished requires reliability on growth charts to be able to understand the magnitude of the malnutrition in the affected children. It is also important for all the children tested for malnutrition to have a history of their physical examination with emphasis on the signs and symptoms of any organic disease that might arise due to malnutrition. A dietary history and the parent –child relationship should take into account to find out the dietary intake that a child is subjected to during the weaning period. Hospitalization should only be encouraged in serious cases of malnutrition foe milder cases dietary advice and home visits should be implemented. Vitamin A and Zinc supplements are of great benefit to children suffering from malnutrition with symptoms of persistent diarrhea. The major focus in the Aboriginal children who are malnourished should be on improving the nutritional intake during the weaning period and promoting hygiene and better environmental living conditions in the local communities. The high prevalence rates of malnutrition among the Aboriginal children during the weaning period require a preventive nutritional intervention program as it has been demonstrated in the health promotion initiative. The program should also focus on the recommended dietary intakes of the micro and macronutrients and the advice on how to observe hygiene. 8. References Armstrong, R. (2011). “Questions and answers in indigenous health.” Med J Aust. May; 194(10): 194. Covel, K., & Howe, R. (2007). A question of commitment: children’s rights in Australia. Melbourne: Routledge. Hoy, W. (2011). “Research, information and consent for the Australian Health survey: a separate standard for indigenous people.” Med J Aust. May; 194(10): 509-510. Jelfs, P. (2011). “Indigenous participation in the Australian Health Survey: a response.” Med J Aust. May; 194(10) p.511. Lewis, J. (2010). Project Planning, Scheduling, and Control: the ultimate Hands On Guide to bringing Projects in on time and on budget. New York: Routledge. O’Maria, P. (2011). “Our doctors making a difference.” Med J Aust. May; 194(10): 493-494. Reuben, A., & Walker, R. (2005). “Malnutrition among rural Aboriginal children in the Top End of the Northern Territory.” Medical Journal Australia. Vol. 5, Issue 162, pp. 400-403. Skull, S., & Walker, R. (2007). “Malnutrition and microcephaly in Australian aboriginal children.” Australian Medical Journal. Vol. 10, Issue 166, pp. 412-414. Wait, P. (2011). “How can Australia do better for indigenous health?” Med J Aust. May; 194(10): 501-502. Waldram, J., & Young, T. (2006). Aboriginal Health: cultural and epidemiological perspectives. New York: University of Toronto Press. Read More