Aboriginal Kidney Disease

The health of Aboriginal people in Canada is both a tragedy and a crisis (Aboriginal Affairs and North Development Canada, 2010). Aboriginals have a higher rate of death among aboriginal babies, twice the national average, higher rate of Infectious diseases example gastrointestinal infections to tuberculosis, and chronic and degenerative diseases such as cancer and heart disease are affecting more aboriginal people than they once did (AANDC, 2010). Availability of important medical facility is not enough to accommodate the growing medical needs of Aboriginals. A socioeconomic and cultural issue also hinders the access of aboriginals to access health care in the community.

Another social determinant of the aboriginal health is the poor compatibility linking the core values of their customary health beliefs and the modern health system. The westernized medical system is mostly interested in the detection and treatment of diseases and illnesses. On the other hand, the traditional aboriginal medication seeks to offer a meaningful justification for illnesses and reacts to the family, personal, and community issues related to the illness (Broome, 2002). This explains why

As a people, our rate of chronic disease is still 2.5 times higher than that of other Australians, and Indigenous people in this country die 15 to 20 years younger than those in mainstream Australia. More than half of

The Assimilation policy (1961) has impacted on Indigenous Australians within their physical and mental state and identity present in today’s society. Australia is commonly considered to be free and fair in their culturally diverse societies, but when the Indigenous population is closer looked into, it is clear that from a social and economical view their health needs are disadvantaged compared to non-Indigenous equals. In relation to this, the present Indigenous health is being impacted by disadvantages of education, employment, income and health status. Even urban Indigenous residents are being affected just as much as those residing in remote and rural areas of Australia.

Diabetes is a growing health concern within Aboriginal communities across Canada, it is a health concern that is often an underlying condition secondary to many other health issues and often goes undiagnosed or untreated. Many individuals within these communities choose to leave their diabetes untreated until it becomes life threatening and becomes too late to treat or control. According to Health Canada (2013), Aboriginal peoples who are living on reserves have a rate of diabetes that is three to five times higher as compared to Non-Aboriginal Canadians (Para. 1). The growing rate of diabetes is especially concerning amongst the Inuit communities, and is a growing concern; the rate of diabetes within this community is expected to steadily increase over the coming years from contributing factors such as lack of activity, poor nutrition and obesity (Health Canada, 2013). For these reasons alone it is important to raise awareness and educate these communities about diabetes and healthy lifestyle so that positive steps can be taken in order to maintain healthy living. Aboriginal peoples living in Canada have higher rates of diabetes as compared to non Aboriginal Canadians, and of the two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2, the latter is more prevalent in First Nations communities (Brooks, Darroch, & Giles, 2013). With diabetes uncontrolled, an individual can come across many health problems such as poor circulation, foot ulcers, and sometimes even amputation (American

As health professionals, we must look beyond individual attributes of Indigenous Australians to gain a greater understanding and a possible explanation of why there are such high rates of ill health issues such as alcoholism, depression, abuse, shorter life expectancy and higher prevalence of diseases including diabetes, heart disease and obesity in our indigenous population. Looking at just the individual aspects and the biomedical health model, we don’t get the context of Aboriginal health. This is why we need to explore in further detail what events could have created such inequities in Aboriginal health. Other details that we should consider are the historical and cultural factors such as, ‘terra nullius’, dispossession and social

Inequality in health is one of the most controversial topics within Australian Health Care. Inequality in relation to health is defined as being “differences in health status or in the distribution of health determinants between different population groups” (World Health Organization, 2012). Within Australia inequality affects a wide range of population groups; however Indigenous Australians are most widely affected therefore this paper will focus on how inequality has impacted their health. Research shows that Australia’s Indigenous people suffer from a multitude of social and economic inequalities such as inadequate access to nutritious food and health care, being socially and

There has been some major improvement in the health and wellbeing of Indigenous people in the past years, there is still some health issues that remain a problem in the indigenous community which still increase the percentage of mortality and morbidity among the group. As of June 30, 2011, there was an estimated 669,900 Indigenous people across Australia which represent the 3% of total Australian population, where the majority of indigenous Australian live in metropolitan or regional and 8% lives in remote areas of Australia according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (2013). The death rates for indigenous population are much higher compare to non-indigenous population across all age group and largest contributory cause of death are circulatory diseases (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011).

“The status of Indigenous health in contemporary Australia is a result of historic factors as well as contemporary socio-economic issues” (Hampton & Toombs, 2013, p. 1).

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

As health professionals, we must look beyond individual attributes of Indigenous Australians to gain a greater understanding and a possible explanation of why there are such high rates of ill health issues such as alcoholism, depression, abuse, shorter life expectancy and higher prevalence of diseases including diabetes, heart disease and obesity in our indigenous population. Looking at just the individual aspects and the biomedical health model, we don’t get the context of Aboriginal health. This is why we need to explore in further detail what events could have created such inequities in Aboriginal health. Other details that we should consider are the historical and cultural factors such as, ‘terra nullius’, dispossession and social

Health has become a growing issue among individuals around the world due to a variety of social determinants such as diet, lifestyles, environment, and level of education that impact one’s health. These factors determine whether an individual receives health problems or not – such as diabetes. Among indigenous individuals, diabetes is an issue that is prevalent because of dietary changes in Canada, different lifestyles compared to indigenous ancestors, and whether one lives on or off reserves. Indigenous individuals like First Nations, Metis or Inuit people overtime have adapted to lifestyle changes, which in the end has impacted their health. As the result of being more sedentary in the West, indigenous individuals have developed poor eating habits along with the lack of exercise that comes with living in the West. The environment is a key influencer in the development of diabetes, which will be discussed in this paper by explaining how society and the physical environment are interconnected with diabetes. This research paper will discuss the reasons for an increased prevalence of diabetes among indigenous peoples in Canada compared to individuals of non-Aboriginal status. Furthermore, the prevalence of diabetes among indigenous individuals in Canada results from factors like poor diet, lack of exercise, colonization, lack of access to medical care, and whether one lives on or off the reserves.

While implementing Primary Health Care models, identical to those in metropolitan areas, in a rural setting is not practical, I feel there is an obvious need to improve primary health care in remote areas. This is due to the significant health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, in rural and remote areas

Heart and circulatory conditions contribute most to the disease burden of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and are major contributors to the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and other Australians. Research evidence shows that, as well as having higher rates of cardiac conditions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have poorer access to health services aimed at preventing and treating cardiac conditions.

The inequalities in today’s indigenous communities are still strongly evident. Heard, Khoo & Birrell (2009), argued that while there has been an attempt in narrowing the gap between Indigenous and non Indigenous Australians, a barrier still exists in appropriate health care reaching indigenous people. The Indigenous people believe, health is more than the individual, it is