Community Health Choice: || Assignment

Running head: COMMUNITY HEALTH
COMMUNITY HEALTH
Name of Student
Name of University
Author note

1COMMUNITY HEALTH

2COMMUNITY HEALTH
INTRODUCTION
The diseases such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, the hypertension, coronary
artery disease, cerebrovascular accidents have affected the public health of Australia in a very
critical manner and even with the advent of new biomedical technologies and ,medical and
clinical service delivery transformational changes – there is still a lack in the policy making
addressing the actual needs of the population to the wrong and inappropriate way of clinical
and social service delivery to the clients or the general public as a who in the public health
scenario (Middleton, Moxham & Parrish, 2018). It is highly important and also very critical
to understand that the indigenous community living in the locals of Australia has been
affected more so by these diseases that are mentioned above than the urban populations and
these gaps in the epidemiological parameters can be attributed to the factors which are also
widely known as the social determinants of health (Keel et al., 2017). It is highly vital that
the various factors that are involved in the increasing of prevalence of clinical and social
conditions of aboriginal and the Torres strait islander people living in the community areas of
Australia – are addressed properly by the policies and the clinical as well as the health care
plus the social care delivery teams in a very imperative manner (Lo et al., 2018). The social
determinants of health are lack of employability and the lack of financial income, low
socioeconomic status, low level of education and sociopolitical stability of these indigenous
communities in Australia, low level of knowledge and awareness about the quality of health
and the quality of life as well as about the prevention and management of mental and physical
diseases, poor quality of life, poor living condition, lack of nutrition make them more prone
to the public health diseases as well as to the diseases such as depression and psychosocial
disorders as well (Paul et al., 2017). About 79.2 per cent of aboriginal people have at least
some involvement with diabetes mellitus as compared to non-Aboriginal who has 39.2%
involvement (Hussain et al., 2018). Only 38 per cent of the community members showed a

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readiness to the treatment (Macniven et al., 2018). The policies have to be formulated
correctly in accordance with needs of the aboriginal community and the staffs have to be
trained properly in order to deliver a proper community care. Community participation is a
very important aspect of the care process. In this essay, diabetes mellitus has been taken as
the disease to be studied in the aboriginal community framework of Australia (Ball et al.,
2016).
THE APPLICATION OF COMMUNITY BASED INTERACTION
Diabetes mellitus is a common problem in the aboriginal community of Australia and
over the years, the causation rates and the prevalence rates of diabetes has been increasing
very much and there is a strong relation of the Australian population with diabetes mellitus
and it is highly important that lack of nutrition, poor quality of life and increased level of
psychosocial addictions leading to the causations of diabetes mellitus amongst the indigenous
Australians has been increasing and it is highly vital that the policies pertaining to health and
also to social strengthening of the aboriginal culture is developed properly by the health care
team including the public health practioners in order to deliver a more community centered
care and client centered care as well (Schmidt, Campbell & McDermott, 2016). Informing,
consulting, participating and finally by empowering the community population are the four
different stages in the community involvement for a community based interaction pertaining
to health and social management. Before beginning the management and the community
interaction process, it is highly important that the needs assessment of the aboriginal
community is done and performed properly in order to understand what are the proper areas
and the proper gaps that are to be addressed by the government level policy makers, the
health and the social workers working towards the management and prevention of diabetes
mellitus amongst the men, women, children and young, middle and old aged people in the
aboriginal community framework (Khan, Uddin & Srinivasan, 2018). It is highly vital that

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the community is involved in order to deliver a community competent diabetes prevention
and management service and it is very important to note, that an informed care is one of the
first and the foremost things that is required to be undertaken. Increasing the knowledge and
the awareness of the community people about the diabetes disease condition and about the
required precautions such as good living conditions, proper and a balanced, healthy diet
intake and the proper medications along with the proper physical therapy interventions that
can help in the prevention and in the management of the diabetes is critical to be addressed.
The second stage is consultation and it is highly critical and also very vital that the dieticians,
nutritionists and community nurses are recruited in the community health promotion program
in order to help the aboriginal community people with consultation and advice on how to eat
the right amount of food and what dietary changes is to be made and what are the other health
comorbidities that is to be managed such as dyslipidemia and other metabolic dysfunction
leading to obesity also add to the diabetes mellitus issues and in order the sensitive sub
groups amongst the aboriginal population such as women and children also the elderly
people, special precautions has to be taken in collaboration with the psychologist and the
geriatric, gynecological and the pediatric specialists (Laverack, 2007). The third stage is
participation and this is a very crucial stage as in this stage, the involvement of the
community workers and the local social workers is undertaken in order to deliver a more
community centered care and in all these stages, a culturally competent program has to be
delivered to the aboriginal community and for this reason, a culturally competence training
has to be delivered to the staffs in order to make the public health program a competent one
and also a very meaningful one (Bellettiere et al., 2019). The last stage is empowerment of
the community in terms of social, health and economic status that is critical to the
improvement of the diabetes disease rates in the community gradually moving towards
complete elimination of the same. Based on the understanding of the four stages of the

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community involvement, the public health practitioner should be formulating the strategies.
The first strategy is to perform a health promotion event in the community followed by a
series of seminars and workshops that would be based on diabetes mellitus and various ideas
about the etiology, causes, epidemiology, prevent and management of the disease will be
given to the aboriginal people in their community language. The second strategy is also very
important and this is critical to understand that the health care consultation process is very
cardinal concerning to the management of issues that are associated with diabetes such as
hypertension, dyslipidemia, chronic kidney disease and stress and anxiety disorders and the
counseling sessions pertaining to the same areas must be given to aboriginal community in a
group therapy, family therapy or in an individual therapy technique is a critical strategy. As
smoking and the other psychosocial conditions of alcohol and other drugs addictions
continues to deteriorate the symptoms of the diabetes mellitus and hence, the motivational
interviewing for smoking cessation and withdrawal from alcohol is required and this can be
done by recruiting more community psychologists, psychotherapists, the social counselors
and the alcohol and the other drugs counselors are to be developed. Hence, as a part of the
strategy, it is implied that there is an increased need for interdisciplinary or a
multidisciplinary collaboration between the community psychologists, psychotherapists, the
social counselors, community nurses, community workers, the general practioners and the
traditional healers must be included as well in order to deliver a holistic culturally competent
service to the aboriginal community in prevention and the management of diabetes mellitus
in the community. The third strategy is targeted to bring about an involvement of the
community and to empower the community as a whole in the process. Including the
community leaders and the local workers in the decision making process is a critical process
of helping the economy and cultural empowerment of the place (Pouwer & Speight, 2016). It
is highly important that the employment opportunity should be provided to the community

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members in order to develop a self-sustainable health care system in the aboriginal
community. Creating educational opportunities for the children and the young people in the
aboriginal community would better the future of the community and help prevent and manage
the diabetes mellitus condition in a more effective manner.
USING THE DOMAINS OF CAPACITY BUILDING
According to Liberato et al
(2011) "learning opportunities and skills development" is the first domain that is to be
addressed by the public health practioners and the skill development of the team in relation to
language, communication, cultural awareness and interaction development is important for
the staffs and these learning opportunities should be recognized by the same. The second
domain is "resource mobilization" is targeted adding new health care staffs such as dieticians,
nutritionists and the psychotherapists and grouping them with the existing members such as
community general practioners and the community nurses is important in order to develop a
new community diabetes care team. The third domain is "partnership/linkages/networking"
and this refers to partnering with the community leaders, the traditional healers of the
aboriginal community in order to increase the diversity of clinical and social workforce in
management of diabetes mellitus and taking "leadership" by the public health practitioner is
very important is the delivery of this diabetes prevention program in the aboriginal
community (Liberato et al., 2011) The next step is "participatory decision-making" and this
involves the inclusion of community leaders and the local social activists in the strategy
making phase of diabetes prevention program. The next is the "assets-based approach" that is
targeted at working and expanding the already present resources of the community such as
the cultural heritage in relation to health and healing, the holistic healers and the close kinship
of the families in Aboriginal community to develop the community diabetes prevention
program. Through the domain "sense of community" and culturally competent

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"communication" – a sense of connectedness can be developed within the members of the
community and between the community members and the visiting health care staffs of public
health promotion program. The staffs should trained for the development of the cultural
intelligence, awareness and the competence skills to address the dignity, esteem and health
needs of the community members in relation to diabetes mellitus. Lastly it is very and highly
important that the community is developed through a "development pathway" and it is critical
that the rights of community to health and health care, to information and education is
empowered in the process. All the staffs including the community clients who are the
stakeholders in the process have to take ownership in order to make the diabetes prevention
program a success.
HEALTH MODELS AND APPROACHES
In addition to diabetes problem in the community caused by dietary factors – the
psychosocial factors has to be understood as well before discussing the models of health
promotion. It is highly important to understand that lack of psychological safety amongst the
members of the indigenous community has led to the disruption of the mental health and
wellbeing too causing the development of stress, anxiety, psychotic, post-traumatic stress
disorders, and depression and personality problems in the community living people of
Australia as well. Identity shifts and the self-image shifts in the community living people of
Australia starts from the adolescent age and it is highly important to note that these lead to
causation of psychosocial addictions to alcohol and other substances as well. This adds to the
deterioration of problems caused by diabetes mellitus in the aboriginal community. The first
model that be used for health promotion is the health belief model and in this model, the
demographic variables pertaining to the disease is analyzed along with the psychological
factors that affects the community population. In this case, the perceived susceptibility,
perceived severity and the level of intrinsic and extrinsic health promotion, perceived benefits

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and the perceived barriers to diabetes prevention health promotion program is would be
analyzed and then the action of pharmacological and non-pharmacological management
( such as exercise therapy, occupational therapy and psychotherapy) in the management of
diabetes mellitus and the action of health camps, seminars and workshops and nutritional
counseling in prevention of community diabetes mellitus will be undertaken. The advantage
is a holistic acre, multidisciplinary community care and disadvantage is cultural competence,
lack of collaboration and cost ineffectiveness. The other approach that can be used is the
‘education approach’ where the knowledge about the prevention and about the prevention and
movement of the diabetes mellitus and improving the health and wellbeing of the aboriginal
community would be done in a proper manner. The advantages to this approach are that it
empowers the indigenous community as a whole and it is cost effective plus it motivates the
self-care skills in the subjects in a very proper manner. The children and the young people
would be benefiting from this approach. The disadvantage might lack of cultural
communication and lack of health management of the patients who has severe diabetes
mellitus.
CONCLUSION
Hence it can be concluded saying that the in order to bring about a change in the
community health and deliver an apt clinical and social care to the aboriginal people of
Australia – a proper inter or multidisciplinary care team has to be formed in order to deliver a
more appropriate and a proper culturally competent care to the aboriginal people in Australia.

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