Chronic Health Condition and Healthcare Strategy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

This report discusses the prevalence of chronic health conditions, particularly diabetes, among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. It explores the demographic, cultural, and social factors that contribute to this health disparity and outlines a contemporary healthcare strategy to improve the situation. The report also highlights the importance of understanding the health perspective of this community and applying this knowledge to improve their health status.

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FIRST PEOPLES HEALTH

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Contents
INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................2
One chronic health condition.................................................................................................................3
Demographic, cultural and social factor affecting diabetes...................................................................4
Contemporary Health care strategy.......................................................................................................4
Health perspective of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people......................................................5
Applying knowledge of this perspective for improving health status....................................................6
CONCLUSION.....................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES......................................................................................................................................7

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INTRODUCTION
All around the world there is debate about the special healthcare needs required by some
specific community. The indigenous people that are not in the main stream do not have
access to best of medical facilities. It has made governments think about the heath
requirements they have and work upon it to improve their health economics. The same is the
case with Australia where Torres Strait Islanders are the Indigenous people from Torres Strait
Islands which is a part of Queensland. They are genetically different from the people from
rest of Australia (Panaretto, et. al. 2014). There are two communities living there namely
Seisia and Bamaga. There are many chronic diseases that are common in these people like
Diabetes, cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease. There are several factors that
push them towards this type of health condition. Due to this total life expectancy of this
community is 10 years less than other Australians. This mortality gap is a result of these
chronic diseases at the same time it is responsible for the two-third premature deaths
(Schierhout, et. al. 2016). Interestingly there is disparity in the chronic disease prevalence in
the two populations. The condition cannot be improved without having an effective
healthcare strategy along with improved healthcare facilities.
This report highlights one major chronic disease in these people as well as the factors that is
responsible for such condition. It also describes a contemporary healthcare strategy to
improve the condition. In the later section of the report recommendations regarding
improving health status are provided.
One chronic health condition
According to the survey in Australia among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
suggests that there are various types of chronic health diseases prevalent in this community.
One chronic disease that is common in these people is Diabetes. Due to lack of proper
healthcare facilities the situation has become worse (Chamberlain, et. al. 2015). Apart from
this there are many people in this community who are living a modern life but their body
have not accepted the modern day life style. This has caused huge problems for the people.
Their eating habits have also somehow changed along with the environment change. The
climate change is the major reason for it. Diabetes, cardiovascular and chronic kidney disease
all three occurs in a person at the same time. This can be understood by the fact that around
53.1% of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have diabetes along with signs of
having chronic kidney disease. In other Australian people this is around 32.5%. Same is the

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case in case of people having diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at the same time
(Mclennan and Khavarpour, 2004). This is due to the change in their body orientation as well
as the functionality of their body. It is seen that people who have taken the help of the
medical facilities are more likely to get safeguarded by the changing health and environment
conditions. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are almost four times more likely to
get infected by diabetes when compared to non-indigenous people. For diabetes Australia
removing diabetes from this community is a challenge and a priority. Type 2 Diabetes is very
common in these people (Barnett and Kendall, 2011).
Demographic, cultural and social factor affecting diabetes
There are certain other factors that describe the pattern in which these people have Diabetes.
Gap between the two populations is very high in the case of people above 35 years.
According to the data available with Australian survey agencies, 9.0% is the rate with which
people over 35-44 of age of Torres Strait Islander have diabetes. On the other hand for other
people it is 8.2%. Over the age of 45 years this rate climbs to 17.8% in aboriginal people
while 15% for the rest (Larson, et. al. 2007). Both men and women of the Torres Islanders
face this problem. Obesity or fat bellies have played a very major role in this. Torres Strait
Islanders around 39.8% are obese which increases their chances of having Diabetes (Best and
Fredericks, 2018). In terms of age adults are one and half time more likely to get diabetes
than non-indigenous people. Lower birth weights are common in these people which are
another major reason for these people generating diabetes.
In terms of social factor, these people have lower average per capita income. At the same
time they have lower quality life standards. Many Aboriginal people who live on these
Islands are said to be poor or have less income than the people at the main lands. This is due
to the less availability of the employment opportunities. People at this place are forced to take
the food that is cheaper, bit unhealthy at the same time rich in fat and sugar (Aspin, et. al.
2012).
Their cultural background is having the influence of Europe. Sugar and refined foods have
become their essential ingredients in their food. The Aboriginal people use a less nutritious
food which has led to this condition (Kvc, 2018). In the Island there is less chance to get fresh
food due to limited resources hence such situations have arisen. They have less education
regarding diabetes and the measures that could help them in coming out of this situation.

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Contemporary Health care strategy
For Diabetes Australia, removing diabetes from Torres Islanders is a challenge. This is due to
their remoteness as well as their less reach to the main stream medical facilities. Australian
Government has made plans to solve this problem (McBain‐Rigg and Veitch, 2011). There
are several strategies made in this regards. Some of them are:
Removing disparity in terms of socio-economic condition of the people is their primary
concern. For this they have started investing in the development plans in the island.
Improvement in socio-economic status of the people will help in the process.
The strategy to increase the primary health care centres can help in improving the health
conditions. Number of doctors that belongs to indigenous community is also less hence the
government aims to increase their number. People at the early stages of Diabetes are not
diagnosed with the disease due to lack of primary health centres. Government will also have
to involve these aboriginal people in the strategy to eliminate diabetes.
Apart from this, health check-ups need to be done on regular basis so as to improve the
condition of the health in this region. Even when the government plans to set up best of
facilities, there is another problem of high employee turnover. In order to ensure that best of
facilities are provided to Islanders, it is always crucial that their representation in the health
services also remains high. The strategy also includes a model for increasing the access to
primary healthcare services in remote communities. According to social survey conducted in
2008, people over the age of 15 years living in urban environment have faced problems in
accessing healthcare services (Parker and Milroy, 2014). This is also due to racist and
discriminatory behaviour by healthcare staffs. Strategies for eliminating discriminatory
behaviour by the worker have been enforced strictly. Establishing community health centres
have been their priority.
Government has made strategies for assigning the roles and responsibility to different people
and organisations so as to improve the health condition. This also includes people from the
same community and from other sections of the society. This will help them to bring cultural
safety and security in their minds.
Strategy to build relationship among healthcare staffs and the patients is also very effective as
it helps them in the treatment. This will automatically improve the quality of services that is
provided to healthcare staffs. Community healthcare centres helps in removing language

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barriers at the same time it builds the sense of belongings in their mind (DiGiacomo, et. al.
2013).
Diabetic centres are run all across the Australia which helps them in providing holistic care to
the diabetic patients. This must also be in the form of education that is given to the members
of the community regarding the ways to safeguard against diabetes.
Health perspective of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Every community has different healthcare needs, at the same time they have different kinds
of health perspective. One health perspective about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people is that they want to stick to the original community values and practices. This has not
allowed them to come to main stream. They have a perspective about their regional and
cultural medical facilities which they do not want to improve (McCalman, et. al. 2014). They
are not willing to speak up about their health status. This gap in communication between
aboriginal community and the mainland healthcare staffs can be dangerous. Mistrust and
Unwelcoming spaces are adding in their community participation.
They do not engage themselves into health development programs which are directly or
indirectly affecting their health indexes. They believe in their rituals and traditional medicinal
aspect which is poor in improving the health stats in the region. Since many of them are poor
hence they are not able to avail the costly health services. This changes their perspective
about availing quality health services (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013). They need to
change their eating habits along with the physical workouts.
They believe to have a culturally relevant program so that they have a program that could
change the health status of the people. Australia requires range of planning, implementing
and managing Indigenous community health program. Their main activity that is required in
this regards is clinical practices, health promotions and community development.
Applying knowledge of this perspective for improving health status
The cultural perspective of the Islander people needs to be acknowledged properly. This will
help in improving the health status of the people. Since these people believe in culturally
interactive health care services hence I believe that they must be provided with the
community centres (Gibson, Segal and McDermott, 2012). I believe that there is a huge
requirement of increasing the educational level of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island at

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the graduate levels. This will help them in ensuring that the kind of services these Indigenous
people will require, they will receive the same. I believe that the strategies must be aligned
with the priority of the Diabetic Australia. This will help in the development of the program
that aims to reduce the diabetes in this community.
Insurance cover to all the people of Australia including indigenous community would help in
improving their health dynamics. In the larger perspective there must skilled and
knowledgeable doctors that could empower community healthcare centres.
In order to gain the culturally viable healthcare services active participation of the Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander is required. This cannot be possible without the use of mechanism
for the development of their educational participation. Aboriginal people generally feel shy
about going to healthcare centres hence a program that includes them is required. They do not
like to get treated from the doctors of opposite gender (Diabetes Australia, 2018). I think this
can only be improved with the help of building trust and confidence in the minds of the
consumers. This will stop them from going to witch doctors or sorcery for finding the cure.
Apart from this other confounding factors that has to be removed is regarding maintaining
confidentiality within the aboriginal community.
In my believe doctors must understand their cultural aspect of health as well as their health
practices. Indigenous students must undertake primary healthcare courses so that they have
understanding about the demands of their people.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it can be concluded that Aboriginal people have different kind of
culture. These people are facing many chronic diseases. Some of them are reducing the
mortality rate of the Indigenous people. Rate of all these chronic diseases is typically higher
in the Aboriginal people as compared to that of other Australians. Diabetes is highly common
type of chronic diseases which these people face. Social, cultural and demographic factors
have influenced the health condition of this community. Socio-economic condition like being
poor and remoteness from the mainstream healthcare practices plays a greater role in creation
of this situation. Many healthcare strategies are made by the concerned authorities. These
Aboriginal people have certain kind of health perspective in which the major is about their
trust on culturally aligned healthcare system. This call for the need to build community health

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centres which I believe can only be possible if the education in the youngsters of this
community can be enhanced.
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