Indigenous Australians: Social Determinants of Health, Vulnerability, Capacity to Cope, Health Outcomes, Inequalities and Inequities

This article discusses the social determinants of health, vulnerability, capacity to cope, health outcomes, inequalities, and inequities faced by Indigenous Australians. It also highlights the measures taken by the government to reduce disparities.

Indigenous Australians
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Vulnerability:
 Strengthening Indigenous Peoples’ health status in
Australia represents a major obstacle for Australian
government. The difference in health-status between
Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians continues to be
unacceptable. The United Nations committees have
recognized it as a human rights issue and the Australian
governments have recognized it as such (Markwick et al.,
2014).
 Aboriginal Australians were twice as probable to be
severely or deeply disabled as non-Aboriginals.
 Nearly half of the Aboriginal adult population recorded
having been taken away from their natural family, either they
or their families (Jamieson et al., 2016).:
Capacity to Cope:
 Many measures have been taken by the government
to reduce the disparities.
 Government policies related to the Indigenous health
have been implemented in this regard.
 Many health clinics and primary health care centre
have been set up in the remote areas where it was
nor previously presented.
 Public awareness campaign for the Indigenous
health have been implemented.
 Cultural competent service have been implemented
in the point of services like primary health care
centre.
Social Determinants of Health:
 The social determinants of health concern the close
relationship between health effects and the social
environment's living and working situations. The unique
function played by earnings and the other associated
indicators of material prosperity and socioeconomic situation,
for example education and employment, is a specially
documented element of this relationship (Australian Institute
of Health and Welfare, 2016).
 There can be complicated relationships between health
status and its social factors. Other health determinants, such
as health behaviors and access to health facilities, may also
affect social determinants.
Health Inequalities:
 Aboriginal people who are in the smallest revenue group,
have poorer education levels or are unemployed are less
expected to have "excellent" or "very nice" health than people
who are with greater incomes, who are highly educated or
employed.
 Access to health care is significantly reduced on account of
lack of awareness and culturally incompetent and
compromised.
 Rate of stillbirth’s is 60 per cent higher among aboriginal
people in comparison with non-aboriginal Australians.
Health Inequities:
 The socio-economic gradient in health is also due to risks
in the health of people living in poor socio-economic
conditions generally greater rates. The distinction in conduct
risk variables connected with jobs is one illustration of this
connection (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2016).
 Almost 80 per cent aboriginal people’s weekly income is fall
below national average weekly income.
Health Outcomes – Key
Issues:
 Short life expectancy
 Higher rates of mortality among
infant
 Poor health
 Lower levels of employment and
education
 Across all statistics, Australia still
has a big gap in inequality. For
example, the gap between
indigenous life expectancy and
non-indigenous life expectancy
in Australia is estimated at
approximately 17 years
(Abs.gov.au, 2019).

References:
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2016). Social determinants of Indigenous health. Retrieved 6 August 2019,
from https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/d115fe0f-9452-4475-b31e-bf6e7d099693/ah16-4-2-social-determinants-
indigenous- health.pdf.aspx
Abs.gov.au. (2019). Indigenous Health. Retrieved 6 August 2019, from
https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/ViewContent?readform&view=productsbytopic&Action=Expand&Num=5.7.
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Markwick, A., Ansari, Z., Sullivan, M., Parsons, L., & McNeil, J. (2014). Inequalities in the social determinants of health of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People: a cross-sectional population-based study in the Australian state of
Victoria. International journal for equity in health, 13(1), 91.
Jamieson, L. M., Elani, H. W., Mejia, G. C., Ju, X., Kawachi, I., Harper, S., ... & Kaufman, J. S. (2016). Inequalities in
indigenous oral health: findings from Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Journal of dental research, 95(12), 1375-
1380.