Community Assessment: Challenges and Strategies for Health Improvement

This community assessment provides an insight into the challenges faced by the minority groups at Mount Isa. The census of the ABS 2016 have provided insight on various parameters such as population, level of education, employment information, source of income, economic challenges, environmental challenges, medical planning and mortality.

Assessment 2 (A2) Community Assessment
Part A Statistical Analysis Part B Essay
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Assessment 2 (A2)
Community Assessment
Comparative analysis of three categories of assessment of the community
Mt Isa with the rest of Australia
PART A :
Category of Data Summary Inference
People Indigenous community 16.6%
of the population of Mount
Isa, compared to 2.8% in
Australia and 4% in
Queensland. 51.7 % is male
and 48.3 %.female
Indigenous community are
the target group for whom
health planning should be
done. The mortality rate is
high among them (Jamieson
et al., 2012).
Employment Unemployment % is at 6.1 %
compared to 7.6 % in
Queensland and 6.9% in
Australia. .
Unemployment is less
because of mining activities.
However, the number of
people employed in hospitals
is less indicated medical care
facilities need improvement.
(Cooper, Green, Sullivan &
Cohen, 2018)
Industry Employment activity mining
related, Copper 18.6%, Silver
lead and zinc 9% total 27.6%,
compared to 0.2 % in
Queensland and 0.1% in
Australia; other activities
hospitals 4.6% education 3.9
%.
Mainly smelting and mining
factories . The healthcare
industry is lacking in
comparison. (Connolly &
Orsmond, 2011).

PART B – Essay
Community Assessment
1. Introduction
With socio-economic development, large scale urbanization and occupational
mobility in both rural and urban centres, there has been a phenomenal change in
demography and behavioural pattern of people causing new types of diseases. The
promotion of health and prevention of disease is necessary for community development.
Even though demography constantly changes, individuals and communities influence that
change. People who live in and around the places, influence decision-makers and take
their own actions to ensure that those changes are positive and sustainable. The town
around Mount Isa is famous for mining activities and major health challenges faced by
the children are only because of the contamination of lead in their blood. The main issues
are to provide necessary healthcare facilities in this region to save the people from
industrial pollution. For this reason, the community members would embrace the idea of
setting up health care centres in the community.
2. Social determinants
According to the World Health Organization (Green, 2010) the social economic
condition and circumstances are the important determinants to good or ill health. The
benefits and shortcomings regarding health-related issues depend on the socio-economic
position of the people. By using statistical data, it is observed that people belonging to
indigenous communities are minority classes though they are the native of that region.
The Indigenous population, although covering most of the continent, was more
concentrated in this region due to a favourable biophysical environment, food
availability, climate and plentiful water sources (Habibis, Phillips, Spinney, Phibbs &

Churchill, 2016).
The median age of the population is less compared to other regions. It proves that the
mortality rate is higher (Zhang, Condon, Rumbold, Cunningham & Roder, 2011).
Moreover, their level of higher education is lower compared to the rest of Australia
As per ABS 2016, the employment position is good in this region because of industry.
This region is rich in minerals like Copper, Silver, Lead and Zinc. A number of factories
are set up here since long on account of mining activities. They are having plenty of job
opportunities, the education level is though low, getting a job in mining activities, higher
education is not required. Mostly skilled and unskilled labours do not require a higher
education. The median household income in this region is higher compared to rest of
Australia. The main challenge is to provide necessary health care facilities to the people
here because when there is a high density of industry, pollution will be more. Mining
activity of lead which is a poisonous metal adds more challenge to the health care
planners to have a proper strategy so that different age groups, particularly children
should be protected from the ill effects of lead. The statistical data indicates that per cent
of people employed in hospitals is only 4.6, which indicates that the number of health
care units are not sufficient in this region. It should be increased as health-related issues
are more in this region. Government should plan for better medical facilities to the
indigenous people.
3. Vulnerable group
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander” are sub-groups in the community at Mount Isa.
They are educationally backwards and live in rented houses. Because of cultural issues
they find difficulty in owning houses or sustaining tenancies in government housing. Mt

Isa operates as a regional service, recreation and shopping centre for this sub-group for a
vast region extending throughout western and north-western Queensland. The ethnic
groups have migrated from different parts of Australia and settled here. But the main
concern is to develop this group both socially and culturally to be on par with other
community (Marmot, 2011).
4. Engagement and needs assessment
Various studies identify how the minority communities with low socio-economic status
(SES) have to live in areas having high pollution. Studies have detected blood lead levels
(BLL) among ethnic children not found among children of other communities. There is a
correlation between the quality of housing occupied by the ethnic groups and the high
BLLs among ethnic children (Bailie, Stevens, McDonald, Brewster & Guthridge, 2010). Both
the government agencies as well as the mining agencies should address the high BLL
issue of children and attend to the risk factors associated with SES. (Cooper, Green,
Sullivan & Cohen, 2018).
The role of health workers is to look after patients suffering from chronic diseases, care
for the aged, the health issues pertaining to drinking, smoking and child healthcare.
The integrated care model should be centred on relationships with other health services
and linking clinical treatment with community-based activities. The main activities
should be to educate these minority groups, both male and female population of this
community against Smoking and drinking ("Programs - Promote and practice - Australian
Indigenous HealthInfoNet", 2019).
The average lifespan of the indigenous group is less by 14.5 years compared to other
communities (Sweeny et al., 2019). The main causes of death are different in different

ages because of key health concerns. It is found that people with age 45 and above are
more prone to chronic diseases while the main causes of death among people within the
age group of 1 to 44 are accidents due to land transport and suicide ("Deaths in
Australia, Leading causes of death - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare", 2019).
Underlying causes of death in this region among these minority groups are lung cancer,
coronary heart disease, dementia and Alzheimer's disease, obstructive pulmonary disease
and suicide (Al-Yaman, 2017).
5. Health Promotion Planning
The following strategic planning is required in this region:
More health care units are to be set up, serviced by experienced health-care professionals,
available at a reasonable cost. The health service has to deliver modern health care
service in remote areas. This health care facility should match their culture and the
admission procedure should not be restricted because of caste and other factors. The
facilities should be accessible to the indigenous community (Howard, Gordon, Jones,
2014). The information of availability of latest healthcare facilities at reasonable cost
should be known to the ethnic community people through proper advertisements and
through various health camps in those remote locations. (PHIDU, 2017). There should be
special health care facilities for the aged people. The high BLL issue in children should
be analyzed and proper infrastructure is to be created to reduce lead contamination in soil
and water. More studies should also be conducted regarding why only children of the
minority community are only affected due to lead poisoning.
Some of the diseases are related to lifestyle and ill hygiene. The deaths because of cancer
are very high. This is because of the use of tobacco and drinks by both male and female

members particular in the minority community. Proper awareness programs are to be
made to make the people aware of the ill effects of tobacco and drinks.
They have to establish an organisational culture with quality, safety and better thinking
(& Veitch, 2011). The integration of sound control systems should improve the safety
McBain-Rigg, performance and risk elements (Drummond, 2017). It will improve the
rates of avoidable admissions to these facilities. The delivery of quality and safe health
care system with reasonable cost should meet the aspirations of the community in remote
areas (Jansson, Dixon & Hatcher, 2017).
6. Conclusion
The Community assessment has provided an insight into the challenges faced by the
minority groups at Mount Isa. The census of the ABS 2016 have provided insight on
various parameters such as population, level of education, employment information,
source of income, economic challenges, environmental challenges, medical planning and
mortality.
Analysis was made on many important factors which affect the community health.
Though a number of health-related activities are already there, they are not sufficient.
Combined efforts should be made by both the Government agencies and the management
of mines for improvement of the economic position of the group and involve them with
various social and cultural activities. They must create the necessary infrastructure for
improving the overall health scenario in this area (Biddle & Taylor, 2012). If the overall
behavioural pattern, as well as the economic condition, is improved, health-related issues
will be minimised (Ryan et al., 2018).

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