Alcohol Related Diseases and Trauma among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in Australia

This report focuses on the alcohol related diseases and trauma among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia and the urgent requirement for preventive approaches.

Running head: HEALTHCARE
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Name of the student
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Nature of the health problem...........................................................................................................2
Population affected..........................................................................................................................3
Magnitude of the health problem.....................................................................................................3
Proximal and distal determinants of the health problem.................................................................6
Additional features of the targeted population................................................................................7
Requirement of the public health intervention strategy...................................................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................9

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Introduction
The high risk related to the consumption of alcohol leads to physical harm. Excessive
intake of alcohol is generally associated with the social challenges and health problems among
the aboriginal community people in Australia. The incidents of the alcohol related diseases and
trauma among the aboriginal and the Torres Strait islander community residing in the northern
territory of Australia is one of the highest among the world (Jayaraj et al., 2012). Excessive
health challenges and physical issues are connected to the misuse related to the consumption of
alcohol. This report aims to focus over the alcohol related disease and trauma within the
aboriginal and Torres strait islander people in Australia and draws attention towards the urgent
requirement for the preventive approaches related to health for addressing this particular critical
health issue.
Nature of the health problem
Long and excessive consumption of alcohol has been targeted as the contributor to one of
the major risk factors for the conditions related to the disease of liver functioning, the heart
disease, pancreatitis, stoke, cancer and obesity among the aboriginal community people in
Australia. In the community of aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people, the tendency and the
practice of binge drinking contributes towards the tremendous health challenges, injuries and
death for the reason of violence, suicide, accidents and falls. The disruption of the liver function
and the function of the pancreas furthermore affects the daily family life of the aboriginal
community people. According to Katzenellenbogen et al. (2015) per capita consumption of
alcohol and the attributable death rates due to the consumption of alcohol are marked the highest
and the alcohol attributable hospitalizations are more than twice the probable national rate.

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Population affected
The northern territory of Australia is generally acclaimed for the unique fauna and flora
and the pristine out backed wildness. The population and the aboriginal community of people
residing in this particular territory is one of the most affected population. The most common
alcohol related diseases and health challenges has been reported from this particular section of
the state. As per the reports of the health survey, more than 26% of the aboriginals of Australia
of the age 15 years and over and addicted to alcohol and tobacco smoking. Furthermore the
report highlighted the percentage of pregnant women consuming alcohol among aboriginal
community leading to decline of their health and their child (Munro, Allan & Shakeshaft, 2017).
Over the period 2008-2016 in Australia, it has been reported that more number of aboriginal
males died from the alcohol related disease which is 5 times more than the rate of the non-
indigenous males. Apart from the adults , the reports from the health survey of Australia reveled
the rate of alcohol related disease affecting the teens and the children who are also the victim of
the excessive intake or consumption of alcohol.
Magnitude of the health problem
The health impacts of excessive consumption of alcohol are generally evident in both the
morbidity and the mortality statistics. The reports and the statistics related to the alcohol related
disease are epidemiological data that revealed that there more than 9,997 hospitalizations of the
aboriginal community people residing in Australia with the main reason of the health challenges
due to alcohol consumption (Gray et al., 2017). The rate of the disease are higher in the remote
areas of the northern territory as compared to the other parts of the country. Furthermore the
aboriginal males were under diagnosis at 5 times rate as compared to the non-indigenous males.

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One of the major factor was the acute intoxication that contributed to the alcohol related diseases
among the aboriginal population who got affected. The statistical figures below highlights the
scenario of the alcohol related disease due to excessive alcohol consumption among the
aboriginal and the Torres Strait islander people in Australia.
Figure- Alcohol risk level of aboriginal
people
Source - (Australian Government, 2014)

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Figure- Aboriginals over 15 years exceeding the single occasion risk guidelines
Source - (Australian Government, 2014)
Figure- Aboriginal people exceeding single occasion risk guidelines
Source - (Australian Government, 2014)

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Figure- Age-standardized rates for deaths related to alcohol use
Source - (Australian Government, 2014)
Proximal and distal determinants of the health problem
The health outcomes of the aboriginal community are connected to the alcohol related
diseases that is inclusive of the multiple realities like the historical, sociopolitical and the
geographical contexts. These tend to have direct effect on the emotional, physical and the
spiritual health of the aboriginal individual. In the context of the aboriginal population, the
proximal determinants are inclusive of the cultural continuity, the community infrastructure and
the health care systems. The distal determinants include the racism, the colonialism and the
factor of self-determination.

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Source: (Greenwood & de Leeuw, 2012)
Additional features of the targeted population
Facial fractures are some of the common health challenges among young aboriginal and
Torres Strait islander people in Australia.
Requirement of the public health intervention strategy
Public health interventions are required for the cultural and the health needs of the
aboriginal community people. In the context of the alcohol related diseases and challenges, the
motivational enhancement therapy, twelve step facilitation approaches and psychological
intervention are some of the recommendation for facilitating the aboriginal people towards their
alcohol related diseases (Simou, Britton & Leonardi-Bee, 2018). Furthermore framework from
the national drug strategy is needed for an integrated and coordinated approach that will target
towards the reduction of the drug related harm and the use of the alcohol in Australia. Besides
these, improvement of the indigenous advancement strategy –safety and the wellbeing program
is one of the major requirement of the public health intervention targeting the alcohol disease of
the aboriginal population.
Conclusion
From the above report, it can thus be concluded that the incidents of the alcohol related
diseases and trauma among the aboriginal and the Torres Strait islander community residing in
the northern territory of Australia is one of the highest among the world. This report explains the
over the alcohol related disease and trauma within the aboriginal and Torres strait islander people

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in Australia and draws attention towards the urgent requirement for the preventive approaches
related to health for addressing this particular critical health issue.

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References
Australian Government. (2014). 2.16 Risky alcohol consumption. Retrieved from
https://www.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/publications/indigenous/Health-Performance-
Framework-2014/tier-2-determinants-health/216-risky-alcohol-consumption.html
Gray, D., Cartwright, K., Stearne, A., Saggers, S., Wilkes, E., & Wilson, M. (2017). Review of
the harmful use of alcohol among aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people. Australian
Indigenous HealthInfoNet.
Greenwood, M. L., & de Leeuw, S. N. (2012). Social determinants of health and the future well-
being of Aboriginal children in Canada. Paediatrics & child health, 17(7), 381-384.
Jayaraj, R., Thomas, M., Thomson, V., Griffin, C., Mayo, L., Whitty, M., ... & Nagel, T. (2012).
High risk alcohol-related trauma among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the
Northern Territory. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 7(1), 33.
Katzenellenbogen, J. M., Teng, T. H. K., Lopez, D., Hung, J., Knuiman, M. W., Sanfilippo, F.
M., ... & Thompson, S. C. (2015). Initial hospitalisation for atrial fibrillation in
Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations in Western Australia. Heart, 101(9), 712-719.
Munro, A., Allan, J., & Shakeshaft, A. (2017). Original Research Riding the rural radio wave:
The impact of a community-led drug and alcohol radio advertising campaign in a remote
Australian Aboriginal community. cities, 1, 8.
Simou, E., Britton, J., & Leonardi-Bee, J. (2018). Alcohol and the risk of pneumonia: a
systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ open, 8(8), e022344.

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