HSC203 Assignment 3: Indigenous Health Media Analysis

This report analyzes the impact of media portrayals on the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians, focusing on the influence of news articles and academic journals. It examines how media representations, particularly concerning smoking habits, shape perceptions and contribute to health disparities. The analysis highlights negative portrayals, such as those depicting Indigenous individuals as having high smoking rates and facing socioeconomic challenges, while also acknowledging positive efforts within the community to address these issues. The report references articles and journals that discuss the impact of media on self-esteem, perpetuation of stereotypes, and the overall health outcomes of Indigenous populations, emphasizing the need for a critical examination of media's role in shaping public health perceptions and influencing policy and community initiatives.

Running Head: INDEGINOUS HEALTH PERSPECTIVE
1
Indigenous Health Perspective
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

INDEGINOUS HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2
Indigenous Health Perspective
It is widely accepted that Indigenous Australians have lower health outcomes compared
to their non-indigenous counterparts (Browne et al., 2018). According to a series of research
studies, negative media portrayal with respect to the Indigenous individuals impacts the health
outcomes of this population and further disseminates a racist typecast among the larger
population. Every time the term ‘indigenous health’ is mentioned, the first thing that comes
across everyone’s mind is the prevalence of chronic illnesses and the huge gaps in life
expectancy among the Indigenous population. It comes as no surprise when studies such as one
by Stoneham, Goodman and Daube (2014) unravel that 74% of media items talk negatively
about Indigenous health. However, there are still those media items that have a neutral and
positive view with respect to Indigenous health. Ideally, the media pretty much shapes the
manner in which people view issues and other people. When the Indigenous individuals are
consistently depicted as violent or drug abusers, it is more likely that this will fuel racist outlooks
among the rest of the population and this might profoundly impact the health outcomes of the
indigenous Australians. This paper particularly focuses on smoking habits among the indigenous
Australians and how this could impact the health and wellbeing issues of the population.
Smoking
Ting (2013) article in the Sidney Morning Herald termed the last ten years as a “wasted
decade” with respect to the general health of the indigenous people, implying that smoking, heart
disease, and psychological distress levels among the Indigenous people continue to escalate
when compared to their non-indigenous counterparts. One of the profound notes about this
article is that it negatively displays the smoking habits of the indigenous people. Although the
article agrees that the smoking rates for the Indigenous people have been on a downward spiral

INDEGINOUS HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 3
since 2002, it proceeds to note that roughly 40 per cent of Indigenous individuals aged 15 and
above ingest tobacco on a daily routine, while the non-indigenous level of smoking stands at 19
per cent or below. In essence, the smoking rates in the urban regions are steadily reducing, while
the remote regions continue to record stubbornly high rates. According to the article, this is a
major public health challenge. Notwithstanding, the article still has its positive side. For instance,
Justin Mohamed, who happens to be the leaders of the National Aboriginal Community
Controlled Health Organization, cited that there was evidence to show that the smoking levels
among the indigenous people were slowly improving as a result of empowerment and fair
allocation of resources. Town et al. (2017) and Carson et al. (2014) note that such sentiments can
help the government and the entire Australian populations realize that indeed the negativities
associated with the indigenous people can be stopped. Additionally, this is a plus for the
indigenous Australians considering that those who never smoked or those who quit could be
compelled to start the habit if there happens to be a high intake of tobacco in the households.
The journal by Briggs, Lindorff, & Ivers (2013) discuss the mortality rates among the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as a result of tobacco use, which is yet another
negative display of the Indigenous people. The authors proceed to argue that tobacco use remains
to be the major cause of preventable deaths among Indigenous Australians. Approximately, this
population is associated with 2-8 times the rate of death among individuals of all age groups. In
addition to that, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is highly associated with
tobacco linked ailments including pneumonia, ear disease, cataracts, and cervical cancer as
compared to the rest of the Australians (Pringle et al., 2015; Knott et al., 2016). Due to their
lower levels of education, the authors argue, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are
more likely to be associated with tobacco use. This article argues that due to various risk factors

INDEGINOUS HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 4
synonymous with these groups such as childhood malnutrition, poverty, and living in remote
areas, these individuals may be at a higher risk of tobacco consumption. Further, it is argued that
Indigenous Australians take tobacco as a way of fostering and strengthening social ties, which
might not be precisely the case with other members of the mainstream society. This is a negative
portrayal of the Indigenous people, as it seems that people who refuse to take tobacco may be
subjected to isolation and discrimination, which might not be categorically the case after all.
Besides that, the article paints the Indigenous Australians as less socioeconomically empowered
compared to their no-indigenous counterparts. Among other things, this means most of them are
probably unemployed or pocket a lower income. Due to their relatively lower income, it is
argued that they tend to live in rather overcrowded and substandard housing structures, meaning
that their likelihood of being exposed tobacco smoke from the surrounding environment is extra
high. Due to language barriers and racism propagated by the various negative perceptions
highlighted by the authors of this article, services for the Indigenous Australians are poorly
supported and funded as per the needs of the people. The dispensation of programs tailored to
control smoking among the Indigenous Australians has often been met by un-sustained and
poorly coordinated funding (Gibson et al., 2015; Waterworth et al., 2016; Muller, 2014). As a
result of poor funding, along with a fragmented method, these programs have over the years
dwindled and eventually ceased. Some of the tobacco control initiatives tailored for the
Indigenous Australians include advice about cessation which is often provided by trained health
professionals.
Mercer (2018) news article VOA identifies a program initiated to curb the ever-
increasing smoking rates among the Aboriginal people of Australia. Launched in Sydney, this
new program is expected to assist the indigenous Australians to shun their smoking habits. In

INDEGINOUS HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 5
essence, this article seems to portray indigenous people as individuals in dire need of help, which
is also a negative portrayal. The author is concerned why the smoking rates among the aboriginal
adults are quite high as compared to the national average. The organizers of this initiative dubbed
the “Talking About Tobacco Use” argue that the high smoking rates among the Australian
indigenous population could be one of the significant health risks. Although public health
campaigns have over the years come in handy in aiding the lowering of smoking rates among the
greater Australian population, the smoking rates among the indigenous Australians are still
stubbornly high. The author estimates that roughly one-third of adults from the aboriginal
community engage in smoking. Ironically, the article notes that even Simone Jordan, who is an
aboriginal leader, also engages in smoking despite taking part in efforts intended to help the
aboriginals of Australia to quit smoking. According to Jordan, most of the members of his family
engaged in smoking and nobody termed it as a bad thing. Upon seeing that this habit was not
being discouraged, Jordan also decided to start smoking. However, this article has its positive
side in the sense that it shows the efforts being made by indigenous community leaders such as
Simone Jordan to help their people stop smoking. Notably, Jordan says that his prime motive is
to help people quit and also use them to encourage others to quit. On average, the indigenous
populations die ten years earlier as compared to the non-indigenous populations. The article
partly attributes this trend to the high poverty rates, drug abuse, and poor housing, but proceeds
to insist that smoking should take the biggest blame for this trend. In part, the author argues that
the high smoking rates evident among the indigenous people could be due to colonization. In
essence, the British colonizers settled in Australia, wherein they used tobacco as the de facto
currency. Payment for labour was done using tobacco.
Conclusion

INDEGINOUS HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 6
In summary, this paper analyzes the media items and their implications on the health and
wellbeing issues of Indigenous Australians. Various news articles and journals explored in this
paper shows how Indigenous Australians are perceived. In the Sidney Morning Herald, for
instance, Ting (2013) noted that nothing worthwhile has happened in the past decade with
respect to the general health of the Indigenous people, which generally means that smoking
levels among the Indigenous people continue to rise when compared to their non-indigenous
counterparts. On the same note, Lindorff, & Ivers (2013) argues that the high mortality rates
among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people could be attributed to their high use of
tobacco, and this also seems to portray the indigenous people in a negative light. As the authors
note, tobacco use remains to be the major cause of preventable deaths among Indigenous
Australians. The last article by Mercer (2018) displays the indigenous people in both a negative
and positive light, noting that although the indigenous people continue to record overwhelmingly
high rates of smoking, there are still worthwhile efforts initiated by the leaders to curb the
smoking menace. After all, there seems to be a sense of optimism among the indigenous
Australians that the high smoking rates associated with them could eventually drop.

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References
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Australians and tobacco. Tobacco Control, 12(suppl 2), ii5-ii8. Available at
https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/12/suppl_2/ii5
Browne, J., Adams, K., Atkinson, P., Gleeson, D., & Hayes, R. (2018). Food and nutrition
programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: an overview of
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(2014). Smoking cessation and tobacco prevention in Indigenous populations (Doctoral
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Mercer, P. (2018, December 2). Program Tackles Sky High Rates of Aboriginal Smoking in
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Muller, L. (2014). A theory for Indigenous Australian health and human service work. Allen &
Unwin.

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Pringle, K. G., Rae, K., Weatherall, L., Hall, S., Burns, C., Smith, R., ... & Blackwell, C. C.
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