Cardiovascular Disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

This essay explores the prevalence, impact, and social determinants of cardiovascular disease among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. It discusses the significance of the health issue, its relationship with Australian National Health Priorities, social determinants of health, and approaches to nursing care. Strategies for prevention and management are also highlighted.

Running head: CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Introduction
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.
Significance of the chosen health issue and impact of the health issue
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.

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Relationship between the health issue and Australian National Health Priorities
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.
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.

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Figure – The rate of the aboriginal people in Australia suffering from cardio vascular
disease as per the age group
Source – (Aihw.gov.au. 2019)
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

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for legitimacy of the oppression and the cardiovascular disease among the aboriginal people in
Australia.
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.
Conclusion
Thus it can be concluded that cardiovascular 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. Till the current date, the estimates related to the prevalence of the cardio vascular

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disease and it associated and linked risk factors are some of the essential notion for monitoring
regarding their effect on the health of the aboriginal people. 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.

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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].

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Kreatsoulas, C., and Anand, S. S. 2010. The impact of social determinants on
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