ATSI people refers to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. In terms health outcomes, ATSI people experience the largest gap in Australia. ATSI people are less likely to join the labour force (employment). With no employment ATSI people cannot earn money, therefore having a low socioeconomic status, leading no private health insurance. This is also the case why 83% of ATSI people do not have private health care. 25% of ATSI people live in remote area, as this can affect access to health services, either due to costs, distance, transport or just lack of facilities. The graph above shows the life expectancy of indigenous and non-indigenous Australians at birth, 2005-2007 to 2010-2012. AS you can see both indigenous men and women have …show more content…
(Determinants of health)
The sociocultural determinants of health include: family, peers, religion, culture and media. Children that are raised in families that have high smoking rates, also have a high rate of second hand smoke and are more likely to become smokers. The same thing is also for children of obese and overweight parents, as they are more likely to be overweight or obese.
The socioeconomic determinants include: education, income and employment. People living in rural and remote living people are disadvantaged regarding education and employment opportunities, income and access to goods and services, therefore are more likely to work on farms, transportation or mines and can lead to lower health literacy.
Environmental determinants include: geographical location, access to health services and technology. In rural and remote areas, have a lower number of GP’s employed than in major cities, which limits access to standard health services. The use od health services is also poorer than in major cities, which includes some cancer screening programs such as bowel cancer.
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This is through reducing the prevalence of smoking an its associated health, social and economic costs, and the inequality it can cause. The NTS offers a national framework, reflecting the best practices for tobacco control and combines past policy frameworks at state and territory, national and global levels. The NTS provides an overview of the impacts of tobacco use, outlines the shared goals, objectives and targets for tobacco control across government and non-government organisations for the next six years. The approach of this strategy involves from the continuation and successes from previous national tobacco strategies and continue national-wide approaches that have reduced smoking prevalence over the last four decades. Over the decades, Australia have instigated various policies which include; mass media campaigns, cessation services, health warnings on packaging, prohibitions on tobacco advertising, price increases and access to tobacco. Also, the NTS adds new measurements to diminish harm caused from smoking, by using plain packaging laws for tobacco, new and expanded graphic health warnings in association with the plain packaging, limitations on online advertising of tobacco
Nature Although the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander peoples only make up 2.5% of the population, they experience higher rates of ill health, morbidity and mortality in comparison to the general population. The true extent of the health inequities experienced by the ATSI population is difficult to completely record and analyse due to their comparatively small population along with the fact that 66% of their population does not live in capital cities.
Secondly, a Position Statement from the Australian Medical Association points out various social determinants of health [standards and influences] for all Australians. For example: A persons’ socio-economic status will invariably be a defining foundation for an individuals’ state of health and wellbeing; stress – this can invariably due to psychological and social factors, and this can be damaging to the over-all health and wellbeing of a person; early causes i.e., teratogens. The influence of environmental agents can disturb the [healthy] development of a fetus (e.g., if the zygote is exposed to a teratogen, these factors can have a long-lasting effect on the cognitive development of a child (social and emotional), their family, and the ongoing health and welfare of mother and/ or carer. Furthermore, social inclusion or exclusion; the impact from people experiencing poverty will further disadvantage them from: seeking health care and consequently individuals/ families or communities become [more] susceptible to various diseases e.g., diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease [CVD], alcohol/ drug abuse and [other] psychosocial [issues], psychopathological disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, substance abuse, dementia and antisocial personality disorder); education – it is noted that people with lower levels of education have lower literacy skills, and this in part will also mean that a person is less likely to gain satisfactory employment, again, the
“Health inequities are systematic differences in the health status of different population groups” (World Health Organisation 2018). Some common health inequities faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders include; a lower life expectancy, a higher risk of chronic diseases, limited access to health care, a
These include: differences in the social determinants of health, including lower levels of education, employment, income and poorer quality housing, on average, compared with non-Indigenous Australians, differences in behavioural and biomedical risk factors such as higher rates of smoking and risky alcohol consumption, lack of exercise, and higher rates of high blood pressure for ATSI Australians, the greater difficulty that ATSI people have in accessing affordable and culturally appropriate health services that are in close proximity. Progress on the two measures of ATSI health in the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Closing the Gap targets: life expectancy and child mortality. Three commonly used measures of how healthy ATSI Australians are include: self-assessed health rating; disability and prevalence of major long-term conditions; and potentially avoidable deaths. Life expectancy Life expectancy at birth is a measure of how long a newborn baby is expected to live on average, given the currently noticed pattern of mortality in the ATSI
Understanding social factors in health has become a central issue recently and a large number of studies has been dedicated in this regard. Social factors are phenomena seen in the interaction between individuals and social groups. In this essay, the importance of understanding such factors and their influence on health are addressed by studying socioeconomic status. Studies results are incorporated to explain health inequalities that arise from socioeconomic status and possible explanations including the material and structural, social selection, cultural and historical explanations cited in the literature are briefly discussed.
“Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people have a greater amount of disadvantage and significantly more health problems than the non-Aboriginal & Torres strait Islander population in Australia”
According to the 2011 census, there were 548,370 Indigenous people living in Australia making up 2.5% of the Australian population. It is known that many health inequalities occur between the indigenous and non-indigenous population, with indigenous people being more likely to experience a reduced quality of life. The differences between the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the broader Australian population occur for a number of different reasons including differing levels of education, geographical location and genetics. Indigenous Australians have lower life expectancy than non-Indigenous Australians. In 2007 the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous life expectancy was 11.5 years for males and 9.7 years for females.
This paper will examine the healthcare of Indigenous Australian peoples compared to non-indigenous Australians. The life expectancy gaps between the two are a cause for alarm when statistics show Indigenous Australian peoples die on average 17 years earlier than non-indigenous Australians (Dick 2017). This paper will examine the social determinants of health to explore these factors and what interventions are in place to improve health status and life expectancy gaps for equality. The Federal Government has seen the implementation of the Northern Territory Intervention and the Closing the Gap Initiative. This essay will examine these two strategies and discuss the effectiveness of both policies. It will explain the differences, similarities and look at the success so far to
Communities are sometimes largely unaware that social factors rather than medical ones, such as income, and employment status, shape our health. Our health is also determined by the health and social services we receive, and our ability to attain high education levels, food and safe housing, among other factors.
“The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life” (World Health Organisation (WHO), 2009). The social determinants of health can be divided into 5 categories, age, sex and hereditary factors, individual lifestyle factors, social and community networks, living and working conditions and general socioeconomic, cultural and
The indigenous people of Australia, mainly Aboriginals and the Torres Strait Islanders typically die at younger ages and develop disability or reduced quality of life more often than the other mainstream Australian population. One important factor in the well-being of these indigenous populations is the access to mainstream health care systems in place. There is a wide health gap between indigenous and non-indigenous populations in Australia which is of a growing concern for the Australian Government and also considered as a human rights issue by the United Nations. The health policy for indigenous population in Australia is guided by the National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health 2003-2013.There are
Why are Indigenous people in Australia still disadvantaged with regard to health care and services?
Acting in different levels, from micro to macro, those determinants have effect in a complex interplay of a multidirectional flow between the individual and the social scope. They are normally and roughly grouped into categories, such as individual factors interpersonal factors, institutional and community environments, broader social, economic and political influences. That concept allows explain why some people and groups are at higher risk for develop some diseases instead of others, and that is a very important key for a better understanding of its prevalence and to design more effective prevention strategies.
A person’s health can be affected by many factors such as housing, income and environment. This essay will define and explain the term ‘social determinants of health’, discuss why housing, income and environment are considered social determinants of health and how these determinants can have a negative affect on one’s health.
The determinants of health are economic and social conditions that affect people’s health status. These influence the living and working conditions that impacts people’s everyday living condition. Factors such as the place and the environment we live in, genetics, educational level or work status and income, as well as friends and family are some of the aspects that affects our health condition. On the other hand, the people that have an access to good health care and have financial stability are less susceptible and are often less affected. (NANB, 2009)