Social Determinants of Health Among Indigenous Australians

SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH AMONG INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS
Name of Student
Institution Affiliation

SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH AMONG INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS
Description
Learning about the indigenous Australian communities was one of the aspects that I was
anxiously looking forward to. Apart from the content covered in class, I also delved deep into
research just to understand how the life and experiences of the Aboriginals and the Torres Strait
Islanders look like. Together with my colleagues, we also consulted multiple materials relevant
to the unit and engaged in the in-depth discussion to gain a deeper understanding of the issues
affecting the health of the two groups (Mitrou et al.,2014). Based on the special interest I had in
this group, I had to consult multiple resources just to ascertain that I gained as much knowledge
as possible. In most cases, I had to ask my colleagues questions on the issues that I did not
understand or shatter any striking issue that I learnt about the Torres Strait Islanders and the
Aboriginals.
Feelings
Before I came across this topic, I was quite informed about how it feels to be an
indigenous Australian. I was quite happy that I was going to engage in research and learn
something that I was anxiously looking forward to. Previously I was of the opinion that the two
groups axially enjoy similar health privileges like the rest of the Australians, which is not true
(Marmot, 2011). However, I was quite disappointed upon realizing that I had been wrong all
through. I really sympathized with them. I also felt that their experience must have been
unbearable based on the poor state of their health status compared to the rest of the population
(Humanrights,2019). Given that these people have to be treated this way in a country where
equality is emphasized gave me a feeling of guilt. I felt like this has been all my fault regardless
of the fact that I am not to blame for the poor state of their health.