Cultural Determinants of Health and Wellbeing: First Nations People

This essay examines the cultural determinants of health and wellbeing for First Nations people, focusing on the impact of colonization, racism, and discrimination. It highlights the lower life expectancy and poorer health outcomes experienced by these communities compared to non-Indigenous populations. The essay explores how cultural beliefs, historical relationships, and systemic inequalities affect access to and acceptance of healthcare services. It emphasizes the importance of understanding these factors to address health disparities and improve the delivery of culturally sensitive healthcare. The essay references the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and other scholarly sources to support its claims, underscoring the need for a nuanced approach to healthcare that respects and incorporates Indigenous knowledge and practices. The essay also discusses the challenges faced by healthcare providers in bridging the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous health outcomes, advocating for increased awareness and culturally appropriate interventions.

Cultural Determinants of Health and wellbeing for First Nations people
Before colonisation, life of first notion people was in ease, and they were rich in the heritage
and culture. Their life changed deeply after the colonisation, which increased racism and
discrimination against these people. Regular practice of racism affected their lives and raised
many challenges to their lives and health. According to the statics of 2011, these first notion
people have lower expectancy rate (10.6 years less for males and 9.5 years less for females,
and their health conditions are worse than the non-Indigenous community is, this gap is very
high, and including many non-communicable chronic diseases followed by mental health
challenges at majority (AIHW, 2019).
Cultural Beliefs and Knowledge
Many factors influence the behaviour and perceptions of the indigenous community
regarding the sound health and effective healthcare services. The most important factor that
raises the challenges to the government of Australia in process to provide primary healthcare
services to these people is related to their cultural belief and knowledge (Davy, Harfield,
McArthur, Munn, & Brown, 2016). History of the relation with the British and Europeans
among the indigenous community reflects the belief issues of the community in the present
healthcare services. They are the first people but the colonisation affected their entire life and
they face struggle for many years even to survive on the land. Discrimination based on their
language, traditions, cultural beliefs, and practices was common; they used to struggle to get
the basic facilities like food, shelter, primary health, and education. This racism and
discrimination affected their cultural beliefs and knowledge and they make their mind that
non-indigenous are their competitors and they has their control over the effective living, food,
accommodation, education and many other services in the country (Lambert, et al., 2014).

This beliefs affected the primary health care services negatively, as resist to accept the
changes in their living and culture, they used to practices old cure and treatment method to
get rid of the health challenges, that give birth to other serious issues. Lower life expectancy
raise the issues of the high death rates and lower birth rates, sue to improper primary health
care services infant also face difficulties to survive. These all issues are related to the strong
cultural beliefs and understanding these people have in their tradition and practices. Their
resistance to adapt the provided health care services is point of concern as they take these
services as the interference of indigenous communities in their social and cultural life, as in
the history they destroyed their land rights and control same they will intend to do in the
present (Ranzjin, McConnochie, & Nolan, 2009).
The most challenging aspect here for the services provider is related to awake the people
about the need of primary health in their life and to raise awareness about their equal rights in
the society and community practices of the country. The history of inequality in the health
care services and the gap that used to prevail among the indigenous and non-indigenous
community has affected the cultural beliefs, knowledge, and understanding of the indigenous
community and that is very challenging to deal by the healthcare service professional.

References
AIHW. (2019, March 21). Close the Gap: Indigenous Health Campaign. Retrieved October
18, 2019, from Australian Human Rights Commission:
https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-
social-justice/projects/close-gap-indigenous-health
Davy, C., Harfield, S., McArthur, A., Munn, Z., & Brown, A. (2016). Access to primary
health care services for Indigenous peoples: A framework synthesis. Int J Equity
Health, 15(163).
Lambert, M., Luke, J., Downey, B., Crengle, S., Kelaher, M., Reid, S., et al. (2014). Health
literacy: health professionals’ understandings and their perceptions of barriers that
Indigenous patients encounter. BMC Health Services Research, 164.
Ranzjin, R., McConnochie, K. R., & Nolan, W. (2009). Introduction to cultural competence.
Psychology and Indigenous Australians : foundations of cultural competence, 3-12.