Analysis of Health Disparities in Indigenous Populations: Australia

This essay examines the health disparities experienced by Indigenous populations, particularly focusing on the Aboriginal population of the Torres Strait Island in Australia. It identifies key factors contributing to these disparities, including socioeconomic disadvantages, lack of education and employment, historical factors such as racism and the Stolen Generations, and the impact of social determinants of health. The essay highlights how these factors lead to poorer health outcomes, including shorter life expectancy and a higher prevalence of chronic diseases. It emphasizes the importance of addressing these social determinants through government initiatives to improve Indigenous health outcomes. The discussion references various studies and reports to support its claims, offering a comprehensive analysis of the complex issues surrounding Indigenous health.

Running head: INDIGENOUS HEALTH
INDIGENOUS HEALTH
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Introduction:
The health inequalities between Aboriginal and non-Indigenous populations have
become a long-standing challenge to mitigate by the government of Australia. Considering
the life expectancy of the Australian inhabitants, the indigenous populations have a shorter
life expectancy and approximately 70% of the gap in terms of health between these two
populations can be enlightened by non-communicable life threatening diseases (Waterworth
et al. 2016). Social determinants have emerged as the underlying reason behind developing
34% of the health gap between these two populations (Fisher et al. 2019). This paper aims to
identify factors that have influenced these disparities amongst the aboriginal population of the
Torres Strait Island in the following paragraphs.
Discussion:
The rationale behind globally experienced health disparities:
The Aboriginal population of Torres Strait Island are the population with the
socioeconomic disadvantage that subjected them to the high prevalence of health
disadvantages compared to non-indigenous Australians. These disadvantages can comprise
higher prevalence of disease along with shorter life expectancy. While factors that affect
Indigenous health disparities are inadequately understood, social determinants of health are
considered as the major reason behind health disparities (Hampton and Toombs 2013). As
discussed by Kilcullen, Swinbourne and Cadet‐James (2018), indigenous Australian
population of Torres Strait Island experience lack of education, lack of employment, lack of
adequate income, and worse quality housing compared to the counterpart of Australia with
non-Indigenous Australians. Considering the recent statistics, Australian institute of health
and welfare suggested that unemployment rates of non-indigenous population reveal a high
disparity, with approximately 18% unemployment for Indigenous individuals compared with

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5% unemployment rate for the non-Indigenous population (Waterworth et al. 2016). These
daily stress factors related to economic disparities highly associated with poor health
behaviours followed by high health disparities. Due to daily stressors and cultural rituals, the
populations usually involve in the health risk behaviours. Fisher et al. (2016), suggested that
the stress associated with wellbeing may worsen the practice of health behaviours such as
smoking and alcohol abuse. These health risk behaviours further lead to health disparities and
high prevalence of non-communicable chronic diseases. The national survey suggested that
approximately 43.8% of Indigenous Australians are daily smokers whereas 15.7% of Non-
Indigenous population Australians are daily smoker (Fisher et al. 2019). In this light of the
association between social determinants of health and wellbeing disparities, it is crucial to
identify the factors that influence the disparities.
Factors that influence social determinates and health disparities:
Historical factors and racism are two major reasons behind the social disadvantage of
the population that further influence the health disparities. Due to racism and discrimination,
Indigenous individuals of Torres Strait Island were forced to live in missions(Waterworth et
al. 2016). The indigenous population were forced to leave their connection with the
motherland and the restriction was imposed on the freedom to hunt, socialisation, practice
traditional ceremonies. The stolen generation is one most common instance of racism that
subjected the population to unresolved trauma followed by high health risk behaviours. As
discussed by Best and Fredericks (2018), Stolen Generations were the children of Torres
Strait Islander ancestry of Australia who were separated from families by the Australian
Federal as well as State government agencies and church mission so that children can be
easily assimilated. Likewise, Segregation, as well as assimilation policies, brought together
and in some cases, Aboriginal people were prohibited from communicating in traditional
language, practising their culture, and reading aboriginal history, culture and traditions

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(Harrison, Burke and Clarke 2018.). The restrictions associated with settlement led to a loss
of rights and irreversibly altered social behaviour of Indigenous Australians’ and subjected
the population to high social disadvantages (Biles and Biles 2020). Approximately 23% of
the population largely experience cardiovascular disease, 12% of the population experience
diabetes and 9% of the population experience at least one mental illness (Www.aihw.gov.au.
2020). In this context, resolving unresolved trauma, altering social determinants of health
through government initiatives can be effective means for altering the gap between health
statuses.
Conclusion:
On a concluding note, it can be said the aboriginal Australians have a lower life
expectancy and high health disparities compared to the population lived in the counterpart of
Australia. The social determinants of health are considered as the underlying factors behind
high disparities. Indigenous Australian population had experienced lack of education, lack of
employment, lack of adequate income, compared to the counterpart of Australia with non-
Indigenous Australians. The daily stressor further leads to health behaviours. Altering social
determinants of health through government initiatives can be effective means for altering the
gap between health statuses.

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References:
Best, O., and Fredericks, B. 2018. Yatdjuligin: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nursing
and midwifery care (2nd ed.). Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press
Biles, B., & Biles, J. (Eds.). (2020) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' health and
wellbeing. Docklands, Victoria : Oxford University Press
Fisher, M., Battams, S., Mcdermott, D., Baum, F. and Macdougall, C., 2019. How the social
determinants of Indigenous health became policy reality for Australia's National Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan. Journal of Social Policy, 48(1), pp.169-189.
Fisher, M., Baum, F. E., MacDougall, C., Newman, L., and McDermott, D. 2016. To what
extent do Australian health policy documents address social determinants of health and
health equity?. Journal of Social Policy, 45(3), 545-564.
Hampton, R., and Toombs, M. (Eds.). 2013. Indigenous Australians and health: The wombat
in the room. South Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press. E-book:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/acu/detail.action?docID=1986010)
Harrison, N., Burke, J. and Clarke, I., 2018. Stolen generations: teaching about the
experiences of trauma. Knowledge Cultures, 6(2), pp.51-63.
Kilcullen, M., Swinbourne, A. and Cadet‐James, Y., 2018. Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander health and wellbeing: Social emotional wellbeing and strengths‐based
psychology. Clinical Psychologist, 22(1), pp.16-26.
Waterworth, P., Pescud, M., Braham, R., Dimmock, J. and Rosenberg, M., 2015. Factors
influencing the health behaviour of indigenous Australians: Perspectives from support
people. PloS one, 10(11), p.e0142323.

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Www.aihw.gov.au. (2020). Australia's health 2018: in brief, All is not equal - Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare. Retrieved 12 March 2020, from
https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/australias-health-2018-in-brief/contents/
all-is-not-equal