Indigenous Health and Culture

This document discusses the social determinants of health, the effects of colonization on Indigenous health, and the role of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO) in improving Indigenous health and culture. It also highlights the importance of cultural safety and self-determination in healthcare.

Running head: INDIGENOUS HEALTH AND CULTURE
INDIGENOUS HEALTH AND CULTURE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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INDIGENOUS HEALTH AND CULTURE
Q1. The social determinants of health are the factors that affect the health of a person in
accordance with the socio-economic structure. The social determinants of health are as follows:
 Social gradient
 Stress
 Early life
 Social exclusion
 Work
 Unemployment
 Social support
 Addictions
 Food
 Transport
All the above mentioned factors are the causes that affect the health condition of a person. In
case of Luke an Indigenous person who is the first of his community to take education from the
University. He found it difficult in the University as he was alone from his community and there
is no other Indigenous person in the University campus. In this case the social determinant is the
social exclusion and stress from others in the University campus that affected his mental health.
On the other hand his father who passed away from diabetes was affected by the social gradient,
unemployment and stress among the community as well. These factors are the primary and
crucial factors in the mental and physical illness of Luke and his father. The social structure and
the economic structure of the Indigenous communities should be considered for the health care
for the community people. Luke is the first person from his family to enter the University thus he
could not be able to share his problems to anyone in the University which also leads to stress.

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The factor of the communication gap also affects the mental health that is another factor which
can be stated as the social determinant of health.
Q2. The effect of colonization is the factor that can be stated as the cause of poor health service
provision to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The Indigenous people have been
colonized by the European dominant population and the disparities they included in the society
were historically the cause of the trauma of the Aboriginal people. The social and racial
discrimination of the Indigenous people by the non-Indigenous ones are the causes of their
suffering. The social discrimination and the dominance of the European group of people are the
factors that affect the health care provision for the Torres Strait Islander and the Aboriginal
people of Australia. In order to provide culturally safe health care it is needed to consider the
historical factor of the social discrimination and exclusion as well. The health care system should
be changed to being responsive to cultural morals and lifestyle habits, self reflection and
understanding other cultures, acceptance one’s beliefs and culture, no dominance over another
safety is determined by the recipient not practitioner, involving cultural literacy, and attention to
languages. These factors should be included for the cultural safety in health care of Luke and his
community as well. The most important factor is to treat him equally like others in the society
and also listening to his problems. The cultural safety resides in the aspect of health equity and
equal behavior to the people of the Indigenous people and trying to understand their position in
the society and help them according to their needs.
Q3. Luke is a person who originated from the Indigenous cultural and he is the first person from
his community opting in the University for education. This situation highlights the factor of the
socio-economic structure of Luke’s community and it is very poor to provide proper education to
the young generation of the community. It has also been highlighted that the factor of being the

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only person from the Indigenous community in the University puts stress over his mental
condition as he was socially excluded by others. Being responsive to cultural morals and lifestyle
habits, acceptance one’s beliefs and culture and attention to languages are the basic cultural
safety principles which can be implemented in order to practice culturally sensitive
communication to Luke. The self-determination process also can be done on the basis of
understanding Luke’s cultural position and also giving attention to his problems. The factor of
Luke’s cultural and social factor understanding would be done on the basis of learning the
cultural aspects of the Indigenous people and also eliminating the factors of discrimination and
the dominance of the European culture. The equity providence to the Indigenous people is
another factor that could be helpful in the elimination of the cultural and racial discrimination on
the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The discriminating nature should be removed
by means of the education of the cultural competence and cultural understanding to the people of
the society.
Q4. Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO) is fundamentally working
for the health equity in the society for the Indigenous people. The factor of the inequity among
the society about health care needed to be addressed by means of the cultural competence
education and the cultural safety incorporation in the health care system. The factor of the
funding for the health care for the indigenous people is a primary factor in order to provide
proper and equal care to them. The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health
Organisation (NACCHO) is the organization responsible for the health care and the proper care
management for the Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander people. The fact ACCHO are
working on is assessing the needs of the Indigenous people and based on that assessment they
funded the health care and the health promotion activities in order to improve health literacy rate

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of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In case of Luke the health care would be
provided on the basis of the cultural safety and the cultural competency assessment. The cultural
competency factor of the university student needed to be changed on the basis of the health
literacy programs and among the Indigenous people the process of the health promotion would
be the most important factor for the elimination of the discrimination and helping them in getting
all the health care needs. The ACCHO also provide the funding and the health care programs for
the Aboriginal people for the health equity and the elimination of discrimination in the health
care system. These factors can be stated as the Closing the Gap campaign.
Q5. The Closing the Gap campaign can be helpful in the factor of lessening the health care
discrimination and providing health equity to the Indigenous people. This campaign would be
addressing the health literacy, health expectancy and the health care policy betterment for the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Closing the Gap campaign would also comprise the
factor of the health literacy and the cultural competency of the dominant European group for the
betterment of the health of the Indigenous people. In case of premature death of Luke’s father the
health care of the local Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) was not up to the mark and also the
discrimination on the basis of the health service providers affected the situation and ultimately
leads to his death. The multicultural society and the cultural discrepancy is the factor that should
be addressed by the Closing Gap campaign for the betterment of the health of the population of
the Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander people. The primary focus of the Closing Gap
campaign is to deliver an equal and proper health care to all the patients. The Indigenous health
is affected from the time of the European colonization in the Australian continent and it should
be changed in terms of providing the culturally competent society for the First people of the
Australian continent.

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INDIGENOUS HEALTH AND CULTURE
Q6. Luke’s believe on the factor of the right of self determination of the Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people are important. The self determination of the Indigenous people can be
achieved by the help of the Closing Gap campaign and the strength based approach. These
factors would be addressed by the ACCHO and the NACCHO funding the health promotion for
the Aboriginal people and the factors would be done with the help of the strength based
approach. The strength based approach comprised of the cultural safety, successful intervention
stories for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, emphasizing the strengths of healthy
living practices before the colonization, focusing on the issues, importance of the environmental
resources, knowledge about the social determinants of health, considering the potential of
individuals and other factors. These factors are the conditions which should be considered by the
health care organizations for the development of the health equity and the proper health care to
the Indigenous people. The opportunity for the Aboriginal people of the country for better living
and addressing all the health issues for them and improvement of the life expectancy of the
people can be achieved by the strength based approach along with the help of the Closing Gap
campaign. NCCHO and the ACCHO are the organizations that help the people of the Indigenous
community to improve their knowledge and the cultural competency by means of the health
literacy development. The self determination of health is the factor that can be addressed by all
these factors and the Indigenous people are educated and given proper care in order to address all
these factors for the context of the life expectancy development and also preventing chronic
diseases.