Food Insecurity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities in Remote Areas

HSN705
PUBLIC HEALTH NUTRITION
Food Insecurity among the Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander communities in
remote areas
STUDENT NAME: ARCHANA CHALLAGULLA
STUDENT ID: 218204454

PART A
Food Insecurity among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in
remote areas
Introduction
Food security is defined as the state of having physical, social and economic access to
sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their food preferences and dietary needs for
healthy living (1). Often prolong periods of food insecurity leads to malnutrition. Food
security exists as a continuum which often commences from the agricultural practices and
ends in the in food usage and disposal (2). Food security concept is defined based on the
inclusion of both physical and economic access to food which is able to meet the dietary
needs of the population. (3)
Current evidence depicts food insecurity among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
population in Australia as being poor (4). The indigenous persons living in remote and rural
parts are often vulnerable to food insecurity. Among the indigenous populations; the
Aboriginals and Torres Islander, they often experience social disadvantage and have a high
gap of life expectancy compared to the general population. (5) The increased burden of diet-
related issues is higher among these populations. They experience increased occurrence of
morbidity and mortality compared to other populations. Majority of the infants are often born
at stillbirths, low birth weights, and generally high malnutrition levels. (6)
Prevalence
It is estimated that 25% of the indigenous population in Australia live in remote and rural
areas. According to a cross-sectional survey study undertaken by Temple & Russell (7), the
prevalence of food insecurity among this population of Aboriginals and the Torres Strait
Islanders is high with about 21% having inadequate food while about 41% have a depletion
of food. Further statistical data obtain by ABS indicates that there is an average of 22% of the
indigenous persons facing food insecurity vis-a-vis 4% of the nonindigenous populations.
(8).The studies have constantly demonstrated that the indigenous populations have about 5-7
risks fold of being food insecure compared to nonindigenous persons.
Determinants
2

The overall improvement of food supply access and intake of nutritious foods is an important
aspect in meeting population food insecurity issues. (9) The underlying issues facing food
insecurity revolving around the Aboriginals and Torres Islanders entail the underlying
socioeconomic factors such as the overcrowding, food costs, cultural food factors, education,
food and nutrition literacy, skills and knowledge among other factors. (10)
Many remote populations especially the Aboriginals and Torres Islanders often experience
irregular food security limiting the nutritional choices they make due to irregular food supply
and storage ability of food is inadequate. (11) Community food stores in rural areas play a
crucial role in the nutritional health of the population. They are the major source of foods.
Majority of this population makes food purchases at the food stores, which its supply is
hampered thus food supply is affected across the population. (12)
The influence of geographical locations affects the supply and affordability of nutritious
foods. The food prices in the rural areas are higher by a range of 20-30% compared to the
urban population influencing significant challenges. The high costs difference has been a
greater disadvantage in accessing and affording nutrition foods. Many rural areas in Australia
inhabited by Aboriginals and Torres Islanders often experience food insecurity due to poor
supply of food. (13)
Consequences of the situation
Like other indigenous population settings, Aboriginal and Torres Islander persons often face
considerable high poor health outcomes. The key determinant affecting the overall health
outcomes is associated with limited access to food and the inability to access acceptable safe
foods. (14) Studies have demonstrated that the Aboriginal and The indigenous persons in
remote areas are more likely to face hunger and food insecurity due to the shortage of food
occurring in the short term and impacts on serious health consequences. (15)
The consequential effects of food insecurity among this population are linked to increased
symptoms of depression, multimorbidity, lower self-reported health status, lower dietary
nutrient needs increased isolation, long-standing health associated issues. Furthermore, food
insecurity is more often linked to lowered levels of productivity and deprived social
interaction which has been observed to contribute to increased inequality compare to other
population settings. (16)
3