Cardiovascular Disease Among Aboriginals in Australia

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The ischemic heart disease or the cardio vascular disease has remained one of the leading factors
contributing to the death of the Aboriginal and the Torres strait islander people residing in Australia. This
disease has been reported to be one of the major health hazards among this community people carrying
burden of illness and death from this disease (Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet 2019). Till the
current date, the estimates related to the prevalence of the cardio vascular disease and it associated and
linked risk factors are some of the essential notion for monitoring regrading their effect on the health of
the aboriginal people (Reath and O'Mara 2018). The thesis statement of the essay aims to focus over the
cardio vascular challenges, disease and the health hazards within the aboriginal and Torres Strait islander
people in Australia and focuses attention towards the urgent requirement for the preventive approaches
for addressing this particular critical health issue of the community people.
INTRODUCTION
Significance of the chosen health issue and impact of the health issue
Relationship between the chosen health issue and social determinants
of health
The three major social determinants of health that is related to the increased number of aboriginals
suffering from cardiovascular disease in Australia are the economic instability or lack of social status,
racism and colonialism
Racism, colonialism and economic instability are some of strong determinants of the cardiovascular
disease. In the case of the cardiovascular disease, racism is one of excellent predictor regrading if the
patient is being referred to the cardiac care and given the treatments that is required. The context of
racism has not been taken up in the mainstream thinking or the agenda of the politics of the policy
makers in the health fields (Thompson et al.2016). Furthermore lack of social status and economic
instability furthermore lead the aboriginal people to reside in the low income and unsafe place with the
lack of proper, healthy and nutritious food. The factor of colonialism is the psychic, spiritual and the
physical assault over the minds and bodies that results in devaluating of the aboriginals in each and every
sector of society (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 2019). The ideologies of colonialism
together with the social status and the superiority in the race have been some of the main factor that are
used for legitimacy of the oppression and the cardiovascular disease among the aboriginal people in
Australia.
References
Aihw.gov.au. (2019). First report on National Health Priority Areas 1996. [online] Available at: https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/11b6bbee-
cfcf-4af0-9d32-d303e0d7ee3b/frnhpa96.pdf.aspx?inline=true [Accessed 11 Apr. 2019].
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet. (2019). Cardiovascular Health - Health Topics - Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet. [online] Available
at: https://healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/learn/health-topics/cardiovascular-health/ [Accessed 11 Apr. 2019].
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2019). First report on the National Health Priority Areas, full report, Related material - Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare. [online] Available at: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/health-care-quality-performance/national-health-priority-
areas-first-report/related-material [Accessed 11 Apr. 2019].
Brown, A., 2012. Addressing cardiovascular inequalities among indigenous Australians. Global Cardiology Science and Practice, 2012(1), p.2.
Foundation, T. 2019. Cardiovascular risk profile of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. [online] The Heart Foundation. Available at:
https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/about-us/what-we-do/heart-disease-in-australia/cardiovascular-risk-profile-of-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-
islander-peoples [Accessed 11 Apr. 2019].
Kreatsoulas, C., and Anand, S. S. 2010. The impact of social determinants on cardiovascular disease. Canadian Journal of Cardiology, 26, 8C-
13C.
Reath, J. and Brown, N., 2010. Managing cardiovascular disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Australian Prescriber, 33(3).
Reath, J.S. and O'Mara, P., 2018. Closing the gap in cardiovascular risk for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. The Medical Journal
of Australia, 209(1), pp.17-18.
Thompson, S. C., Haynes, E., Woods, J. A., Bessarab, D. C., Dimer, L. A., Wood, M. M., ... & Katzenellenbogen, J. M. (2016). Improving
cardiovascular outcomes among Aboriginal Australians: Lessons from research for primary care. SAGE open medicine, 4, 2050312116681224.
The cardio vascular disease is one of the leading reasons for the reduced expectancy of life among the
community of the aboriginals residing in Australia. The specific disease that has been contributing to
excessive number of deaths are the coronary heart disease, the heart failure, cerebrovascular disease and
the hypertension among the individuals of the community (Aihw.gov.au 2019). Though this cardio
vascular disease contributes a small proportion of the overall rate of mortality, the rate is high among the
aboriginal and the Torres strait islander people. According to Brown (2012) the cardio vascular disease
accounted for about 25% of the death among the community. These disease are more prevalent in the
rural and the remote location of the community.
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AMONG ABORIGINALS IN
AUSTRALIA
Relationship between the health issue and Australian National Health
Priorities
Relationship between the chosen health issue and approach to
nursing care
Strategies for the reduction of the risk factors for the cardio vascular disease includes approaches to
nursing care that will help in the development of the health factors of the aboriginal community people in
Australia. The approaches to the nursing cure include the advocacy, the national planning social and
environmental interventions, targeted programs together with the legislation and health system activity
(Foundation 2019). The cardiovascular disease preventions including the approaches to the care of the
nursing requires activities and actions outside of the health sector, the contribution regrading the key risk
factors towards the burden of the population of the aboriginals regarding the disease, the feasibility of the
system of delivering health that acts as the prevention towards the central role of primary care among the
aboriginals.
Some of the key targets included in the intervention approach towards the management and the
surveillance of the blood pressure, smoking, control of the blood pressure and the reduction of the obesity
and the excess weight. The approach furthermore aims to focus on the management of risks, the
identifying risks, and the early identification of the disease among the aboriginal population in Australia.
The health status of Australia has been improving but there has been some of the potential areas for
furthermore gains in the services. In the context of the connection with the national health priorities, this
area of NHP seeks towards the focus of the public attention and the health related policy regrading those of
the areas that contribute most towards the burden of the illness and the disease of the community in
discussion (Reath and Brown 2010). The aim of the process of the national health priorities is the national
approach towards tacking of the five major identifies areas that falls under the priority list.
The cardio vascular disease tops the list of the identified areas of priority. The primary goal of the
Australian national health priority area regrading the cardio vascular health and disease is towards the
improvement of the cardio vascular health by the reduction of the coronary heart disease and its impact
over the population (Kreatsoulas and Anand 2010). Some of the priority indicators include the death rate
among the adults within the age of 25 -74 years due to the coronary disease, the prevalence of the habit of
regular smoking among the young adults and the high rate of the proportion of adults within the age of 20-
69 years with high level of blood cholesterol.
Source: (Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet 2019)
Source: (Australian Institute of Health
and Welfare 2019)
Source: (Aihw.gov.au. 2019)
Source: (Aihw.gov.au. 2019)