Bachelor of Nursing Health

Running head: BACHELOR OF NURSING
Reflective essay on health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1BACHELOR OF NURSING
The health crisis faced by indigenous population has a complex history. There exists a
wide gap in the health status between non-indigenous and indigenous peoples in Australia. The
gap continues principally due to government inaction and lack of adequate medical services and
health funding that has been continuing since decades. Improvement in health status of
aboriginals and Torres Islanders has been identified as an essential human right by the United
Nations committee. Substantial inequalities are found between non-indigenous and aboriginal
people in relation to communicable and chronic diseases, mental health, infant health, and life
expectancy. The relevant factors that determine this health inequality encompass the scarcity of
equal accessibility of health infrastructure and primary health care centers (Durey & Thompson
2012). Other than biomedical health, several broader issues do exist, that are associated with this
disparity in health service. The circumstances in which people live, work, grow and age are
responsible for the inequities in health.
Results from several studies suggest socio-economic status differences in employment,
education and income are associated with the health gap (Shepherd, Li & Zubrick 2012).
Governments should ensure equitable distribution of health standards and primary healthcare
facilities to achieve health status equality and address the position of indigenous people in the
Australian community. The essay will focus on the social determinants of aboriginal health and
how these issues can be improved.
I wish to proceed with formulating some healthcare policy framework that can be utilised
to reduce the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous heath inequalities. My strategies will
aim to address the root causes of the existing disparities and will try to achieve effective and
responsive health services (Holland 2014). It is evident from national health surveys that alcohol
consumption and psychological distress are more likely to occur among Aboriginal and Torres

2BACHELOR OF NURSING
Strait Islander people. The Australian Aboriginal and Torres Islander Health Survey (AATSIHS)
reports published in 2012-2013 established that the social and emotional well being of most
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was compromised (Jorm et al. 2012). High
psychological distress levels were reported by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
reporting at a rate 2.7 times higher than the incidence rate found among non-Indigenous people
in 2011-2012. Death of a close person, unemployment, chronic ailments and work stress were
the most common causes for psychological disorders (Nadew 2012). The AATSIHS reports of
2012-13 showed that alcohol abstinence was 54% more than the existing guidelines among
indigenous people (ABS 2017).
My focus will be to increase cultural proficiency among the target population that will
directly increase the awareness on alcoholism and psychological disorders. Many research
studies have identified the association between deprived health consequences and the socio-
economic status. Lack of literacy, poor education, low income, poverty, run-down housing and
low socio-economic status has been linked to poor health status. These factors directly affect the
capacity to utilize necessary health information. Poor education, lack of adequate nutrition and
poverty creates a hindrance in affording health services and maintaining physical and mental
well-being (Richardson & Stanbrook 2015). The health promotion program I intend to develop
will promote mental health as a legal right that everyone is entitled to enjoy. Moreover, I will try
to make a wealth of information accessible to the disadvantaged people that will help them
follow strategies to combat alcohol misuse. I will use mass media campaigns and posters to reach
out to a wider population and use these tools to educate the patients and their families on the ill
effects of the adverse health conditions.