The Decrease in the Health of the Aboriginal People - Essay Example

Running Head: Health and Social Care Health and Social Care Name Institute Date Introduction According to the World Health Organization health does not necessary mean the absence of illness or disease but it is the state of absolute physical, social and mental welfare (Australia Institute of Health and Welfare 2007). Eating health, exercising regularly and getting enough sleep play a significant role in disease prevention. However, a good social network, higher self esteem and continued personal growth also play an important role in our overall health. It has been observed that the Aboriginal people face more health difficulties than the other Australians. They have low life expectancy and experience more cases of disability and deteriorating quality of life. In 2003 it was estimated that 95,976 Aboriginal people in Australia suffer from numerous diseases and injuries. This represented 3.6% of the total number of disease and injury in Australia for a class of people that makes up to 2.5% of the total population. They mostly suffered from cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory, cancer and mental disorders (Australian Institute of health and welfare 2008). This essay will tend to explain the factors which have contributed to the general decline in health among the Aboriginal people and at the end, come up with solutions to these health problems. The primary factors contributing to the decrease in the health of the Aboriginal people are socioeconomic factors, behavioral factors and environmental factors. We are be able to control some of these factors which influence our health and well being where as some are beyond or control capabilities (AIHW 2007). These factors are discussed below in detail; Socioeconomic factors Socioeconomic factors have significant impact on the health and wellbeing of the Aboriginal people in Australia. Aboriginal people have lower incomes, low rates of employment, high rates of illiteracy and lower rates of home ownership than the other Australians (AIHW 2008). Aboriginal people are socioeconomically disadvantaged and so they are likely to engage in health risk behaviors such as smoking and drinking alcohol and violence which make them more vulnerable to certain diseases. For the period 1960-2001, it was estimated that the life expectancy of the Aboriginal people was 59 years for the men and 65 years for the women. This could only correspond to the life expectancy for the Australian men inhabitants in 1901 -1910 and the women inhabitants in 1920-1922 respectively. In contrast, the life expectancy for all Australians for the period 1998-2004 was 77 years for men and 82 years for women. This represented a disparity of almost 17 years (ABS 2006a). Education has impacted negatively on the general health of the Aboriginals. Lower levels of education are linked with lower income and low employment opportunities and vice versa (Raphael 2004). Lowly educated people or the so termed illiterate people have low skills and knowledge to lead a good health lifestyle and are also not in a position to have access to enhanced health care services. Most Aboriginals people are poorly educated and hence suffer from poor health (ABS 2006g). The other socioeconomic factor which impacts on the health of the Aboriginal people is employment. There are low rates of employment among the Aboriginal people (Raphael 2004). There has been higher rate of diseases, disabilities and mortality reported among unemployed people than among employed people (ABS 2006a). This is because unemployed people are not in a position to buy healthy goods and services such as nourishing food, afford a good house and quality health care which makes them suffers poor health. High rates of depression and low self esteem has been recorded among unemployed people due to the psychological and social effects associated with unemployment (AIHW 2007). There is also a strong relationship between occupation and health for those people who are employed. People who work in labor-intensive and jobs which require low skills are likely to experience ill health, more disability and higher mortality rates than people in management career (Marmot 2004). Most aboriginal people work in blue collar jobs which involve low skills and are poorly paid. These jobs also expose them to high risks of physical hazards such as collapsing of a quarry or land slides (Raphael 2004). Housing also has influenced the health of the Aboriginals people in Australia. Many Aboriginal people live in overcrowded and poorly maintained houses which do not meet the fundamental Australian standards for housing, clean drinking water and sufficient waste disposal (AIHW 2007). It is also difficult to maintain healthy sanitation and drainage systems in congested places which are important for preventing diseases outbreak (ABS 2006g). These poorly maintained infrastructures have posed a great risk to the health status of the Aboriginal people. Inadequate and low quality houses have been linked with mental disorders and poor physical wellbeing of the residents (AIHW 2008). The Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population and Housing in 2006, state that there were 166,669 Aboriginal houses in Australia. This represented 2.3% of all the Australian houses. It was estimated that 14% of these aboriginal houses were congested where as 31% of the houses required immediate renovation or replacement (ABS 2006a). However, the differences we see in the health status of aboriginal and the other Australians cannot be explained by the socioeconomic disadvantages faced by the Aboriginals (Raphael 2004). The living, working and social circumstances of the Aboriginal, accompanied by their inability to control their own lives, can also assist us in explaining the general ill health of the Aboriginal people (AIHW 2008). Most of the Aboriginal people in Australia live in remote rural areas where there is less access to primary health care services, more driving risks and it takes more time to transport a patient to the hospital due to the deplorable nature of the road and communication networks. There also engage in jobs that are more risky to their health such as primary production and mining (AIHW 2008). It has been observed that increasing remoteness decreases life expectancy and hence the life expectancy of Aboriginal people living in remote areas have been very low compared to that of the other Australians living in urban areas where they are able to access basic health services with ease (ABS 2006g). Environmental Factors Environmental factors have also impacted negatively on the health status of the Aboriginal people (AIHW 2008). Clean air, water, food and secure human-made environments have an effect on the health of individuals and the society in general. Most Aboriginal people live in congested houses where such conditions are unlikely to exist (AIHW 2007). It is also impossible to maintain high food hygiene standards in overcrowded households and hence there are high incidences of food contamination (Marmot 2004). There are high rates of water, air and noise pollution in overcrowded places. Most industries like mining industries and other manufacturing industries are located in rural remote areas leading to high rates of pollution. Agricultural activities going on in rural areas like use of fertilizers and pesticides lead to water pollution. Aboriginal smoking rates in rural areas also smoke tobacco which leads to air pollution. All these have lead to the decline in the health of the Aboriginal people (Raphael 2004). Behavioral Factors Behavioral factors have also affected the health and wellbeing of the Aboriginal people. Behavioral factors relates to dietary behaviors, physical inactivity and substance abuse. The dietary behaviors of the Aboriginal people have changed over time. Due to colonization they have altered their diet from one that is traditionally rich in fibre and protein, and has low amount of calories to one which has a lot of starch and a lot of calories (Raphael 2004). The Aboriginal people also do not have the custom of eating fruits and vegetables linked with the prevention of chronic diseases. For the Aboriginal people living in remote rural areas they don’t have access to a variety of food items due to the high costs for handling and transportation goods , lack of appropriate storage facilities within the communities and the lack of suitable local produce to purchase (Marmot 2004) The Aboriginal people of today’s world do not engage in high level of physical activities which has lead to increase in cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure and obesity (AIHW 2008). It has been observed that people who do not participate in physical activities experiences high rates of depression as physical exercise has been linked with better mental health as it reduces stress, and anxiety (ABS 2006g). As per the 2004-2005 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Health survey, most of the Aboriginal people aged above 15 years recorded low level f physical activity than the other Australians. The same report also shows that 85%of the Aboriginal people aged 15 years and above were overweight and 29% were obese. There are also high rates of smoking, alcohol abuse and drug abuse among the Aboriginal people. Consequently, they are at a high risk level of contracting coronary heart diseases such as heart attacks and heart failure, stroke, lung cancer and minor vascular diseases (ABS 2006). Cultural Factors The social and cultural disruption faced by the Aboriginal people has also greatly affected their health and wellbeing. The Aboriginal people have gone through decades of change imposed on them. Their powerlessness and hopelessness has seen them compelled to live in congested places and work in blue-collar jobs putting them at higher risks of contracting diseases. They way the Aboriginal people were treated and viewed in the earlier times have influenced the way they are treated and viewed in today’s world. Prior to colonization, health services were only accessible to those who had money and power. This has seemed to continue even in the modern times contributing to the declining health of the Aboriginal people. Type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic problem where the body experiences difficulties in utilizing its own insulin to manage blood sugar (Capes and Anand 2001). People with type 2 diabetes generate insulin but not enough to use it efficiently. The Aboriginal people have strikingly higher rates of Type 2 diabetes as contrasted with the other Australians. According to 2004-05 national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health Survey report, 29,900 Aboriginals had diabetes which is about 6% of the total Aboriginals inhabitants (ABS 2006g). Risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes include age, genetic predisposition shown by family and ethnic background, obesity, lack of physical activity, and unhealthy diet and high blood pressure. The prevention strategies for type 2 diabetes is two fold; that is, population-centered and individual-centered. Population-centered strategies should be meant to encourage physical activeness and healthy weight maintenance while as individual-centered strategies should be meant to help individuals identify whether they are at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and thereby taking necessary measures to reduce that risk (Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group 2002). Community -centered strategies should include creating awareness among the people as regards the importance of maintaining health lifestyles and vice versa. Hence, there should be development of health awareness programs to promote healthier lifestyles. Healthier lifestyles involve maintaining a health weight, exercising regularly, eating healthy and quitting smoking (Satterfield, Volansky and Caspersen 2003). The chances of developing type 2 diabetes increases with an increase in weight as high cases of type 2 diabetes have been reported among overweight and obese Aboriginal people. It is therefore important to watch weight by being careful as regards what we take in and by exercising regularly, should have a proper diet by taking food that is healthy, avoiding taking foods which has a lot of sugary, soft drinks, red meat, and fast food which are usually saturated with fat. Instead, we should eat a lot of whole grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables. We should endeavor to limit our calories intake amount and avoid alcohol at all means. Regular exercises lower the risks of developing type 2 diabetes as it help in burning extra calories in our body (Pereira, Kartashov and Ebbeling 2005). Individual-centered strategies should be meant to encourage people who are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes to seek medical treatment as soon as possible. People who have high blood pressure and who are obese are at high risks of developing type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes can be effectively controlled if detected at an earlier age and thereby treating the complications that arise. The risks of developing type 2 diabetes also increases with age and therefore people aged 45 years and above should be encouraged to visit their physicians or doctors to be tested at least thrice per year (Capes and Anand 2001). The elders and leaders of the Aboriginal community have come up with various intervention programs in the fight against type 2 diabetes. They have strongly believed that primary prevention of diabetes for aboriginal children and adolescents is the only solution to the occurrence of type 2 diabetes as adverse effects related to diabetes become manifest as these populations matures (Satterfield, Volansky and Caspersen 2003). They have thus implemented various primary intervention programs designed to reach children, families and communities through their schools. Health education programs have been included in the schools curriculum. Students are taught topics on type 2 diabetes, health eating, regular exercise and other health lifestyles. Health promotion programs have also been introduced to create awareness among the people as regards type 2 diabetes and health lifestyles, the community has made good utilized of local newspapers, radio and television. Other community-based and family activities aimed at preventing type 2 diabetes include establishing walking clubs, race competitions, figure contests, dancing clubs among others. This has paved way for regular exercise which has helped the people to watch over their weight (Satterfield, Volansky and Caspersen 2003). The other health program entails training and development of Indigenous health care workers, volunteers and the community members on issues related to type 2 diabetes. Such programs also promote the maintenance of a health environment and stronger social standards for healthy behaviors. The community has also advocated for changes in the schools’ nutrition policy arguing for the prohibiting of junk foods in schools’ canteens and the construction of walking and cycling paths around schools’ compound. These community- based health programs has been successful in prevention of type 2 diabetes and the risks factors associated with it because it is has endeavored to include the community at the grass root level in the whole process from planning to evaluation. Conclusion The main factors contributing to the decline in health and wellbeing of the Aboriginal people in Australia include socioeconomic factors such as unemployment, poor housing, low income and low education level; behavioral factors such as poor nutrition, physical inactivity, smoking, drinking alcohol and drug abuse; environmental factors such as water, air and nose pollution and social and cultural dislocations. The solution to these problems can be found by adapting healthier living lifestyles which involves healthy eating, regular exercise, maintain a health weight, quitting smoking and drinking alcohol and visiting clinic often to be tested whether we run the risks of developing e certain disease. References ABS, (2006g). National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Health survey 2004-05. Australia. Canberra. ABS (2006a). National Health Survey summary of Results, 2004005. Canberra, ABS. Australian Institute of health and Welfare (2007) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Health Performance Framework, 2006 Report. Canberra, Australian Government. Australian Institute of health and welfare. (2008). The Eleventh Biennial Health Report of the Australia Institute of health and Well-being. Canberra, Australian Government. Capes S. Anand S. (2001) What is Type 2 Diabetes? In HC Gerstein, RB Haynes, eds., Evidence- Based Diabetes Care pp. 151–163. Hamilton, ON: BC Decker Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group (2002). Reduction in the incidences of type 2 Diabetes with Lifestyles Intervention. New England Journal of Medicine, 346(6): 393–403. Marmot, M. G. (2004). The Status Syndrome: How Social Standing affects our health and Longevity. New York: Times Books. Pereira MA, Kartashov AI. And Ebbeling CB. (2005) Fast-food habits, weight gain, and insulin Resistant: 15- years prospective Analysis. Lancet 365(9453): 36-42. Raphael, D. (2004). Social Determinants of Health: Canadian Perspectives. Toronto, ON: Canadian Scholar’s Press. Satterfield D, Volansky M, Caspersen CJ. (2003). Community-based Lifestyle Interventions to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes. Australia, Canberra. Read More