Chronic Kidney Disease among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

Running Head: First People’s Health 0
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Health Condition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Chronic Kidney Disease
8/6/2018

First People’s Health 1
Introduction
Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people lives in different parts of the Australia. These
people speak different types of languages and they belong to several descent groups. Their
health conditions are different from the people living in the Torres Strait. The social and
physical environment in which these people are residing plays a key role in determining
whether their life is free from the relatively serious diseases. These indigenous people in
Australia are suffering from the chronic, social dislocation and the ‘new’ infectious diseases.
These peoples suffer the economic disadvantage, due to their unemployment and lower
education. These factors are responsible for the chronic health problems among the indigenous
people. There is huge difference between the health of the indigenous and the non-indigenous
Australians. Chronic diseases are causing many deaths in Australia. This is the biggest health
challenge that the Australians currently facing. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people
face the diseases like Diabetes, cardiovascular disease and kidney diseases. These diseases
results in the increasing number of deaths among the Torres Strait islander people. In this essay,
the discussion will be on the chronic kidney diseases faced by the Abnormal and Torres Strait
islander people. The impact of the social, cultural and demographic factors on the health of the
islander people is also discussed. The health care strategy that is effective for improving the
conditions of the Torres Strait islander people facing the chronic kidney problem are discussed
in this essay (Australian Government, 2011).
The health problem that is faced by Abnormal and Torres Strait islander People is the Chronic
Kidney Disease. This disease is the serious health problem faced by the indigenous people
living in Australia. The people suffering with this disease are at the end stage of kidney disease
and these people suffer serious health issues and depressed life quality. Torres Strait islander
people are at the alarming stage of chronic kidney disease. The health of these people is poor as
compared to other Australians. This disease is the main cause of death among the Indigenous
people living in remote areas. The major reasons of the chronic kidney disease among the
indigenous Australians are Glomerulonephritis, diabetes and hypertension. Poor nutrition,
depression, protein disorder, high blood pressure and repeated infections are the other problems
faced by these people, which leads to the end stage kidney disease among the indigenous
Australians. Government policies prevailing in Australia are the reason that leads to the limited
access to medical care to the indigenous people. Management, control and prevention of the
kidney disease among the indigenous are not only depend on the acceptable and effective
treatment but on the preventive steps to improve the socioeconomic economic conditions of the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people (AIHW, 2017).
Chronic kidney disease impact on the demographic, social and cultural factors on the Aboriginal
and Torres Strait islander people are:
Demographic factors:

First People’s Health 2
Population: In 2014, 7,13,600 people living in Australia re Aboriginal and Torres strait islander
people. In 2011, the people living in the Torres Strait Island are 10% of the total population of
Australia. The changes in the population of Australia are due to the levels of migration, deaths
and births.
Age: The indigenous people living in Australia are younger than the normal people living in
Australia are. The rate of fertility and deaths are higher among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
islander people (NCBI, 2016).
Cultural factors:
The culture of the indigenous and non-indigenous Australians is not similar. People living in the
urban areas and remote areas are different in terms of culture, language, religion. The training
programs for the individuals working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people leads
towards the development of the historical and cultural attitudes. This program helps in
understanding the factors of the cultural safety of the indigenous populations of Australia
(Australian National University, 2017).
Social factors:
Chronic kidney diseases affected the social and economic conditions of the Aboriginal and
Torres Strait islander people. These diseases lead to the lack of nutrition, poor health of the
people living in the remote areas of Australia. The indigenous populations are generally the
lower class people of Australia.
Effective health care strategies for improving the chronic kidney disease among the indigenous
Australians are necessary to adopt. The strategies such as blood pressure control and diabetes
control are necessary for preventing the kidney diseases (Australian Human Rights Commission,
2007).
Controlling the Diabetes:
The basic step in preventing the chronic kidney disease is controlling the diabetes among the
individual. It is necessary for the individuals to check the blood glucose level on a monthly basis.
The results will help in taking decisions about the physical activity, medicines and food.
Diabetes is the main reason behind the kidney disease and these testes helps in tracking the
damage or changes in the kidney of individuals. Regular exercise is necessary for preventing the
diabetes among the individuals. Exercise includes aerobic exercise, walking daily for 30 minutes,
flexibility exercise and strength training (Diabetes Australia, 2015). For the treatment of
diabetes, the following people should be the part of the team involved in the treatment of
diabetes:
Doctor: It is necessary for the individual to go for the routine checkups to the doctor, in order to
keep their diabetes in control.