Public Health Assignment 2022

Running head: Public Health 1
Public Health
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Public Health 2
Introduction
Heart disease is a public health concern and is one of the leading causes of disability and death
especially in developed countries. Approximately, 15.6 million people globally are currently
living with multiple forms of heart disease, with 230,000 people estimated to have succumbed.
Heart disease is still common among the Aboriginal and Torres Islander peoples of
Australia. This paper aims at examining the health of the Aboriginal and Torres Islander peoples
from the perspective of the prevalence and mortality of heart disease and the social determinants
of the health problem. The report will propose an intervention to address the major social
determinant of health for the Aboriginal and Torres Islander Peoples of Australia.
Section 1: Social Determinants of Heart Disease for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Peoples
Burden of Heart Disease within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
The Aboriginal and Torres Islander people have been found to have higher prevalence and death
rates of different forms of heart diseases compared to the other Australians. A study was
conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) on the prevalence of
coronary heart disease among the Australian Indigenous people. The study used the hospital
mortality records from 2002 to 2004 and the findings indicated that the Australian Indigenous
people were at a higher risk of suffering from a heart attack and succumb without being
hospitalized, and even die after being hospitalized than non-Indigenous. The rate of heart disease
such as heart attack in 2011-2013 was three times much higher and 1.4 times death rates from
coronary heart disease (AIHW, 2015).

Public Health 3
Cardiovascular diseases have also been reported to be much higher among the Australian
Indigenous community. According to the survey carried out by the AIHW (2015), the Aboriginal
Torres Islander adults had a higher rate of cardiovascular disease in comparison to the non-
Aboriginal people (27% and 21% respectively). Over 52% of the Indigenous Australian adults
were hospitalized for cardiovascular diseases in comparison to 17% for the non-Aboriginal
people in 2013-2014. The mortality rate among the Aboriginal Torres Islander people due to
cardiovascular disease was 1.5 times higher than their counterparts. The most recent statistics
indicated that 12% of the overall deaths amongst the Indigenous Australians were caused by
heart disease (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2018) with 70% chance of succumbing (Australian
Health Minister’s Advisory Council, 2012).
Social Determinants of the Burden of Heart Disease among the Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Peoples.
The high burden of heart disease among Indigenous Australians can be attributed to the social
determinants of health. Indigenous Australians undergo socio-economic disadvantage, an aspect
of that is critical in accessing quality healthcare. For instance, the National Census in 2001
showed that the Australian Indigenous community had an average gross household income was
$364/week compared to $584/week for non-Indigenous. Moreover, the rate of unemployment for
the Aboriginals was three times much higher than that for the non-Indigenous (Australian Bureau
of Statistics, 2001). Existing research shows that there is a direct association between the social
and economic status of an individual and his/her health. poverty is also linked to poor health
(Braveman & Gottlieb,2014). The high incidence of smoking and high-risk behaviours among
the Aboriginals have been associated with lower socioeconomic status and the prevalence of
heart disease (Jarvis & Wardle, 2009). Chronic stress is another social determinant of health