Reasons for Inequity in Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians in Relation to Child Obesity

This article discusses the reasons for inequity in child obesity between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians, focusing on living standards and economic situations. It also explores a primary health care intervention and the role of cultural knowledge in accessing health care services.

Health and Society
Assessment 3
Extended ResponseTemplate
Using you health issue from assessment item 2:
Answer all of the three questions below based upon this one health issue.
Each extended response should be approximately 500 words in length each.
The reference list for all three extended response should be provided under the references heading
of this template.

Question 1
Discuss two different reasons for inequity between Indigenous Australians and non-
Indigenous Australians in relation to your identified health issue.
Obesity is termed as an increase in body fats of children. It is a common problem in all aged
people like men, women, and children. Child obesity in Indigenous and non-indigenous
Austrians is a common problem. However, the number of child obesity in indigenous
Australians (18%) is higher than the Non-Indigenous Australian (14%). It was very high in
children and adolescents (less than 18 years of old) in Indigenous people (40%) while it is
less in non-indigenous Australian children (27%). The major causes behind child obesity are
inequity in living standards and the economic situation of these two Aboriginal and non-
aboriginal people. The child obesity on children is a serious problem in both indigenous and
non-indigenous people. However, the indigenous people are suffering from stream social
disadvantage in Australia, while the non-indigenous people in Australia have some social
and economic advantages (Valery, et. al., 2012).
The obesity rate in children is higher in indigenous people because this problem starts in
early childhood. The indigenous people in Australia are facing huge poverty problem and
they are even fighting for their foods. The number of unemployed people in indigenous
people is also high compared to non-indigenous people. The social support for the
indigenous people is very less or absent in some rural areas. The excessive burden of life
child obesity on indigenous people reduces the life expectancy rate because almost one-
third of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are suffering from obesity. The
Indigenous people are facing strong poverty and they have even nothing to do for arranging
their food and developing their life standard. Although non-indigenous people have some
support from the government and they are accessing some government scheme for
reducing poverty and child obesity (Gwynn, et.al. 2014). A large population of indigenous
people in Australia lives in rural areas where they are facing serious problems related to
primary healthcare facilities and employment opportunities. However, contrary to this a
large population of non-indigenous people is living in urban areas, where they can access
the basic necessities. This inequity arises the difference between these two communities.

Although the number of child obesity in both communities is high, indigenous people are
facing great social and financial problem compare to non-indigenous people. The quality of
food consumption is also a major difference that causes child obesity in both communities
differently. The indigenous Australian children have limited availability of fresh food,
vegetables, fruits, and they are suffering from a high degree of obesity health problems.
While in non-indigenous people children are facing problems related to high consumption of
sugar and other products like Cold drinks, Fast food, etc. Therefore, we can say that the diet
consumption pattern in both communities is also different that causes obesity in their
children (Anderson, et. al., 2016).
In the end, it can be said that both indigenous and non-indigenous community are facing a
high rate of obesity health problem in children, but the causes in both the communities are
different. While the indigenous people are lacking in accessing government facilities and
programs for obesity, facing poverty, and children cannot access healthy food, the non-
indigenous people are accessing better healthcare facilities, but they cannot control the diet
of children to reduce child obesity. The difference between qualities of diet is also a cause
behind the high level of obesity in children.

Question 2
Provide one example of a Primary Health Care intervention that is addressing this health
issue for Indigenous Australians. Explain the impact this intervention is having on reducing
inequity.
“BE ACTIVE AND EAT WELL” is a community-based program in Victoria State that was
programmed to provide benefits to Indigenous people. This health initiative was designed to
promote healthy eating and physical activities in the Indigenous people who are living in
rural and remote areas (Warren, Rance, and Hunter, 2017). This program helps those people
and community who are suffering from obesity problem. This obesity intervention program
of Victoria State provides all the necessary resources and support to build and strengthen
the community's capacity to promote a healthy lifestyle in terms of healthy eating and
physical activity. This primary intervention program helps the children to reduce the
unhealthy body fat among 4-12 years old children in rural and remote areas of Victoria
State. This program was so successful in reducing the child health issues in children and it
was helpful in reducing the weight of children and their waist measurement. This program
was also conducted in Australian primary schools and it was effective to reduce the impact
of obesity in children. This program not only motivates people for a healthy life and healthy
food, rather it publicly recognizing their achievements (Maple Brown, Sinha, and Davis,‐
2010).
This program was successful in Indigenous people as it promoted the healthy eating habits
in Indigenous people and children. The major inequity was in diets between indigenous and
non-indigenous people. This intervention program educates people about healthy eating
habits and the way children can digest foods with proper exercise and sports activities
(Sanders, Han, Baker, and Cobley, 2015). This program improved the level of awareness
among people that how they can provide quality and healthy food to their children. The
level of awareness among people is increased about their food and daily activities. The
children in primary school can also get proper food and resources that provide a healthy
diet and a healthy life. The promotion of physical activities in primary school was a big
success of this intervention program as children aware of the need for healthy food in their

life (Maple Brown, Sinha, and Davis, 2010‐ ).
The success of ‘Be active and eat well' intervention program was a major success in
Indigenous community people. It implements various policies to support people and
improve the social and natural environment in rural and remote areas, where large numbers
of indigenous people were living. The program helped those children who had urgent needs
of such type of intervention programs. It provided a range of information to the Indigenous
people that how they can improve the health of their children and improve their lifestyle.

Question 3
Discuss how cultural knowledge and sensitivity in health care may affect access Primary
Health Care services. Provide one example based on your chosen health issue.
Indigenous peoples are often found difficulties in accessing primary health care services.
Although, the success of primary health service depends on how easily people reach to it. It
is more than the healthcare services. Knowledge of primary health care services is necessary
to access the services and healthcare organisation for better health. Indigenous people are
facing problems because they live in remote areas. Even they have knowledge about
primary healthcare services; they fail to access it because of their cultural and traditional
ideology (Nguyen, et. al., 2011). Culture and way of communication are necessary to access
the primary health care services because it has been seen that Indigenous people normally
fail to represent their problems to the health professionals. The indigenous people are
facing problems related to racism and ethnicity. The indigenous people in Australia have
higher morbidity and mortality of the chronic disease. However, Child obesity is a major
concern for these people (Laws, et. al., 2014).
For example, if the Indigenous people have well awareness about their health issue and
they can regularly meet doctors for child obesity and other health problems, they might
improve the situation. Having proper and regular consultation with doctors may help them
to avoid such type of disease in children. It can be observed in any researches and study that
people who do not have regular doctor or healthcare provider are facing stream healthcare
problems and they are less likely to prevent the chronicle diseases. However, the Indigenous
people are facing this type of cultural problem that they do not have any idea or neither
have a culture to frequently visited doctors for their healthcare issues (Evans, Christoffel,
Necheles, and Becker, 2010). The Indigenous people do not have high health awareness
compared to other Australian people and they do not have any health insurance. Thus, it is
impossible for them to identify the symptoms of child obesity in the early stage of
childhood. Although the language and communication barrier also creates g problems in
offering better primary healthcare services to indigenous people. For example, large
numbers of Australian people including doctors usually speak English, and Indigenous

people have their own rural and local language. Thus, it is very difficult to understand their
problems in their language for a doctor who speaks English. Understanding culture is also
very important to understand the problem of Indigenous people (Azzopardi, et. al. 2012).
However, Indigenous people require more healthcare services for child obesity problems.
Therefore, understanding their culture and language is important for treating and
preventing child obesity in indigenous people. A healthy interaction is only possible if
communication will be good between healthcare providers and indigenous people.
Therefore, it is required for the Australian government to provide culturally competent care
to those indigenous children who are suffering from obesity problems. The government can
also involve people from these indigenous people in child healthcare program and services.
It helps the healthcare provider to understand the culture and language of indigenous
people.

References
Anderson, I., Robson, B., Connolly, M., Al-Yaman, F., Bjertness, E., King, A., Tynan, M.,
Madden, R., Bang, A., Coimbra Jr, C.E. and Pesantes, M.A. (2016) Indigenous and tribal
peoples' health (The Lancet–Lowitja Institute Global Collaboration): a population study. The
Lancet, 388(10040), pp.131-157.
Azzopardi, P., Brown, A.D., Zimmet, P., Fahy, R.E., Dent, G.A., Kelly, M.J., Kranzusch, K.,
Maple Brown, L.J., Nossar, V., Silink, M. and Sinha, A.K. (2012) Type 2 diabetes in young‐
Indigenous Australians in rural and remote areas: diagnosis, screening, management and
prevention. Medical Journal of Australia, 197(1), pp.32-36.
Evans, W.D., Christoffel, K.K., Necheles, J.W. and Becker, A.B. (2010) Social marketing as a
childhood obesity prevention strategy. Obesity, 18(S1), pp.S23-S26.
Gwynn, J.D., Flood, V.M., D'Este, C.A., Attia, J.R., Turner, N., Cochrane, J., Louie, J.C.Y. and
Wiggers, J.H. (2012) Poor food and nutrient intake among Indigenous and non-Indigenous
rural Australian children. BMC pediatrics, 12(1), p.12.
Laws, R., Campbell, K.J., Van Der Pligt, P., Russell, G., Ball, K., Lynch, J., Crawford, D., Taylor,
R., Askew, D. and Denney-Wilson, E. (2014) The impact of interventions to prevent obesity or
improve obesity related behaviours in children (0–5 years) from socioeconomically
disadvantaged and/or indigenous families: a systematic review [online]. Available from:
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-14-779 [Accessed:
03/05/2019].
Maple Brown, L.J., Sinha, A.K. and Davis, E.A. (2010) Type 2 diabetes in indigenous‐
Australian children and adolescents. Journal of paediatrics and child health, 46(9), pp.487-
490.
Maple Brown, L.J., Sinha, A.K. and Davis, E.A. (2010)‐ Indigenous Austalians and physical
activity: using a social–ecological model to review the literature [online]. Available from:
https://academic.oup.com/her/article/25/3/498/656899 [Accessed: 03/05/2019].
Nguyen, A.R., Ling, J., Gomes, B., Antoniou, G., Sutherland, L.M. and Cundy, P.J. (2011)
Slipped capital femoral epiphysis: rising rates with obesity and aboriginality in South
Australia. The Journal of bone and joint surgery. British volume, 93(10), pp.1416-1423.
Sanders, R.H., Han, A., Baker, J.S. and Cobley, S. (2015) Childhood obesity and its physical
and psychological co-morbidities: a systematic review of Australian children and
adolescents. European journal of pediatrics, 174(6), pp.715-746.

Valery, P.C., Ibiebele, T., Harris, M., Green, A.C., Cotterill, A., Moloney, A., Sinha, A.K. and
Garvey, G. (2012) Diet, physical activity, and obesity in school-aged Indigenous youths in
northern Australia. Journal of obesity, 2012.
Warren, L., Rance, J. and Hunter, B. (2017) Eat Well Keep Active: Qualitative findings from a
feasibility and acceptability study of a brief midwife led intervention to facilitate healthful
dietary and physical activity behaviours in pregnant women. Midwifery, 49, pp.117-123.