University Case Study: Health Disparities in Australia (PCAL 401082)

This document presents two case studies examining health disparities within Australia, focusing on the Indigenous population and the LGBT community. The first case study explores the social determinants of health for Australian Indigenous people, including the impact of living conditions, cultural factors, access to healthcare, and socioeconomic status on their health outcomes. It highlights issues such as chronic diseases, unemployment, and the role of education and government initiatives in improving health outcomes. The second case study focuses on the LGBT community, analyzing the social determinants that affect their health, such as economic disparities, discrimination, mental health challenges, and healthcare access. It emphasizes the need for societal empathy, equal opportunities, and government support to improve the health and well-being of the LGBT community. The document offers insights into the complexities of health disparities and potential strategies for addressing them.

Running Head: Case Study Construction
CASE STUDY CONSTRUCTION
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Case Study Formulation 1
Table of Contents
Case Study 1: Australian Indigenous People.............................................................................2
Case Study 2: LGBT..................................................................................................................4
References..................................................................................................................................8

Case Study Formulation 2
Case Study 1: Australian Indigenous People
Health, which is an essential factor for a living human being, is acquired by various
factors such as place and environment of living, culture, ethnicity, society and others
(Amarasena et al., 2016). Although health is a matter of personal hygiene and habits, society
also plays an essential role in determining the health factors of the people. It is mainly for the
indigenous people who are somehow backward from the rest of the society (Lai et al., 2018).
The circumstances, in which people take birth, grow, live, and work for ages are broadly
considered to be the social determinants. In case for Australian aboriginals, social
determinants also include family background, cultural identity, and their accessibility to the
people of the traditional lands and their culture.
The hygiene of the place of living, acquiring proper health service in the right time, lack
of knowledge and superstitions about health care and diseases, marginalization by the so-
called cultured people of the society are the various problematic issues regarding the
accessibility of health care by the Australian aboriginal people (Arrow, 2016). The survey in
2014-15 interpreted that 20% among the Australians living in a poor socio-economic
environment were prone to have one of the two chronic health ailments, diseases of heart and
diabetes. It is reckoned to be 1.6 times to the 20% of the people living in a standard and
hygienic place. Another survey of 2012 shows that unemployment rate of persons with
disability in a lower socio-economic condition is 26% whereas it is 12% for people living in a
comparatively better socio-economic environment (Baydala, Ruttan & Starkes, 2015).
According to other surveys, the mothers of the reduced socio-economic level are more likely
to give birth to low-weight children. It reported that dependent children are more prone to
smoke, and drug addiction. In addition, people from the weaker section of society are more
likely to have poor mental and physical health.

Case Study Formulation 3
Several factors are responsible for the poor health condition of the Australian
indigenous people. An unhygienic place for living is the prime risk factor that causes poor
health condition for the aboriginals. Also, in context they are marginalized from the rest of
the educated portion of the society and therefore lack knowledge of personal hygiene and
health care. Moreover, they are also ignorant of the physical or psychological problems they
are facing and unable to bear the cost of treatment. They do not have adequate knowledge
about lifestyle and food habit, which may be harmful to them (Lai et al., 2018). For living in
the places secluded from the facility of acquiring quick and proper health services, the
mortality rate among the indigenous people is much higher than, that person from the so-
called high society. Sometimes they suffer from various diseases that they have no idea of
how to diagnose (Lukaszyk et al., 2018). They do not have the chance to access the
standardized health services and treatments for their poor social, economic condition. Also
proper education that can guide them the right way must be taken at the time of a particular
disease.
The indigenous people are most of the times very much superstitious that even lead to
their unnatural death in an unexpected time (Bullen, Roberts & Hoffman, 2017). For
example, in case of snakebite, they usually depend on the people who take out the venom
with natural ingredients rather than professional and experienced doctors. As a result, one can
die suddenly for lack of proper treatment. The rate of drug consumption is comparatively
high among the aboriginal people rather than the inhabitants of the more upper class of
society. They also lack diet and necessary medicines in the time of illness (Draper et al.,
2017). The aboriginal’s works hard, which is also responsible t for their poor health. They
have to work hard to live their lives, but most of the time, do not know how much they are to
work so that their health does not get affected.

Case Study Formulation 4
The indigenous people lack proper education for they belong to a poor socio-
economic background. It is the earnest duty of the people from the higher class of the society
to bestow the light of knowledge on the aboriginals who cannot access education and hence
suffer from ill-health. Their attainment of proper education can increase their accessibility to
better health. The government should also take necessary steps to bring the aboriginal people
to the mainstream so that they can become aware of their right to have proper health services
(McGough, Wynaden & Wright, 2018). They must be well aware of the harms that lead to
their un timely death by the initiatives on the part of the government as well as educated
individuals.
The government might set a campaign that provides free medical check-up to the
indigenous people along with giving medicines at a lower cost. The government might
establish schools to provide education at a lower cost and help them to get acquainted with
the other section of the country. The local people might consider lending hands with the
indigenous and teach the kids of the community along with sending foods and financial
support. The government might make scope for the aboriginal people to make an earning by
offering them a job based on their ability along with training them to perform the task.
Case Study 2: LGBT
There are four characteristics in the social determinants for LGBT in Australia. LGBT
health demands particular attention in public health to enquire plenty of disparities
consuming LGBT who are more intended to commit suicide. The people are mostly
homeless. LGBT even faces severe issues to acquire health care in the health sector as they
are treated as ignorant and neglected in the eyes of society (Cahill et al., 2016). Economic
disparities can be found in LGBT as the differences take place between the counterparts of
the heterosexual. The economic insecurity in the group increases the risk factors for LGBT to

Case Study Formulation 5
deal with issues like HIV or Aids. In this concern, economic insecurity becomes the social
determinants for them as for the insecurity they face more difficulties in their treatment
procedure. The economic insecurity even creates an obstacle for health care access of LGBT.
Theoretical frameworks are also utilized as it offers economic potentiality for education and
training to achieve an overall improvement for society.
According to Beckerman and Sherman (2010), the adult LGBT people live in a city
which avoid the difficulties they face in the society and to have advantages in the care
facilities for long term. The long-term treatment procedure often throws more difficulties for
them. The long-term care facilities are objectified for LGBT people. However, it is a proven
fact that the facilities are negligible, as the LGBT do not find empathy or sensitivity from the
service providers. LGBT people are treated as marginalized and thus fail to find a supportive
surrounding with a pleasant neighbourhood. In society, they mostly feel the vibes of
unwanted and people do not care for them neither they receive any empathy or positivity
from the surroundings.
LGBT face several health problems such as cancer, hepatitis, mental health etc. The
transgender commonly faces an issue of breast cancer. They need a different kind of
treatment. They possesses substantial problem with same discrimination. These kinds of
people don't have a proper place of living in societies. Behaviour is not equal to them (Shetty
et al., 2016). Even they can get an appropriate treatment over any health issues. The
government did not show any special care for these people. In this kind of people, we can
find out the risk of HIV.
In the case of LGBT, there is a big question about economic stability. The economic
support needs to be provided by the government. Another problem with LGBT is that they
have to face the mental disasters from society (Russell et al., 2016). It can be the main reason

Case Study Formulation 6
for a suicide attempt. The LGBT community have a significant risk of cardiovascular
diseases, bullying, and obesity. The problem of gender identity makes a substantial effect on
their health.
Not only physical they have to face the mental problem even that is anxiety and
mental depression. This psychological dilemma forces the LGBT to go to the way of the
suicide attempt. There is a high risk of sexual misbehaviour. Even in many cases, the
transgender people are not satisfied after the operation (Smalley et al., 2016). The chances of
HIV and other critical health problem can be found out in the LGBT 50% more than the
ordinary people (Cochran et al., 2017) can. Vitaminization is one of the critical cases of high
risk for LGBT people. In the case of the health problem, the government needs to provide
scientific and human care for the LGBT community.
The most important risk factors for LGBT is a suicidal tendency among LGBT
youths. In order to prevent this, certain strategies can be obtained. The society needs to be
more empathetic and sensitive towards them, as they need to feel protective and secured by
living society. Society needs to treat them as a part of society and common people like others
in society. It is already referred that the people are marginalized thus they do not get enough
opportunities for education or for employment and for other health facilities. This helps
makes them depressed enhancing the suicidal attempts among them. In order to decrease the
tendency, the society needs to offer equal opportunities for them to be a part of the society by
which they can be educated employed and have the scope to avail the facilities of the health
industry of Australia (Skerett et al., 2015). Most importantly, they need to practice positivity
among them by loving the self-most. It will offer them mental peace and thus can overcome
the tendency of suicidal attempts.

Case Study Formulation 7
The government should think about LGBT peoples. The government should arrange
free medical camp and the general awareness for common LGBT. The educational system
and other organization should behave equally with LGBT. The problem of gender
discrimination has to be removed from society. The people of the community have to accept
them in an equal manner. The main problem with this kind of people is the lack of financial
support. In this critical situation, the government has to arrange financial support for them.
The government have to provide them with job facilities, and home facilities. The society has
to treat equally with them.
The paper has emphasized on critical scrutiny of the ill-treatment and the health Risk
of the LGBT and Australian Indigenous people. The Australian Indigenous people are the
aboriginal people whose leading destination is an island far behind from the local area. The
LGBT people, in the same manner, considered different from the familiar people of society.
There are some similarities between those people. Throughout the world, both of them have
to face the problem of gender discrimination and the question of inequality in society. Most
of the time, they do not get any proper place for living.
The Torres Strait islanders are different from LGBT. The Australian Indigenous life
goes through the barrier of restriction. They lack social status in the country. Even the
schoolchildren have to face the inequality of society towards them. It is increased in a
considerable term in the present day. In this respect, the LGBT community get the chance to
live in the mainstream of society. Nowadays many countries provide them citizenship
facility for a good life. Their life is somewhere has a little bit of security. On the other hand,
the Australian Indigenous never gets a healthy life.

Case Study Formulation 8
References
Amarasena, N., Kapellas, K., Skilton, M. R., Maple-Brown, L. J., Brown, A., Bartold,
M., ...& Jamieson, L. M. (2016). Factors associated with routine dental attendance
among aboriginal Australians. Journal of health care for the poor and
underserved, 27(1), 67-80.
Arrow, P. (2016). Oral health of schoolchildren in Western Australia. Australian dental
journal, 61(3), 333-341.
Baydala, L., Ruttan, L., & Starkes, J. (2015). Community-based participatory research with
Aboriginal children and their communities: Research principles, practice and the
social determinants of health. First Peoples Child & Family Review, 10(2).
Bullen, J., Roberts, L., & Hoffman, J. (2017). What predicts health students’ self-reported
preparedness to work in Indigenous health settings?. The Australian Educational
Researcher, 44(1), 71-87.
Cahill, S. R., Baker, K., Deutsch, M. B., Keatley, J., & Makadon, H. J. (2016). Inclusion of
sexual orientation and gender identity in stage 3 meaningful use guidelines: a huge
step forward for LGBT health. LGBT health, 3(2), 100-102.
Cochran, S. D., & Mays, V. M. (2017). Advancing the LGBT health research agenda:
differential health trends within the lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations.
Draper, A. D., James, C. L., Pascall, J. E., Shield, K. J., Langrell, J., & Hogg, A. (2017). An
outbreak of Salmonella Muenchen after consuming sea turtle, Northern Territory,
Australia, 2017. Communicable Diseases Intelligence, 41(3).

Case Study Formulation 9
Lai, G., Taylor, E., Haigh, M., & Thompson, S. (2018). Factors affecting the retention of
Indigenous Australians in the health workforce: a systematic review. International
journal of environmental research and public health, 15(5), 914.
Lukaszyk, C., Radford, K., Delbaere, K., Ivers, R., Rogers, K., Sherrington, C., ... & Broe, T.
(2018). Risk factors for falls among older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
in urban and regional communities. Australasian journal on ageing, 37(2), 113-119.
McGough, S., Wynaden, D., & Wright, M. (2018). Experience of providing cultural safety in
mental health to Aboriginal patients: A grounded theory study. International journal
of mental health nursing, 27(1), 204-213.
Russell, S. T., & Fish, J. N. (2016). Mental health in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
(LGBT) youth. Annual review of clinical psychology, 12, 465-487.
Shetty, G., Sanchez, J. A., Lancaster, J. M., Wilson, L. E., Quinn, G. P., & Schabath, M. B.
(2016). Oncology healthcare providers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practice behaviors
regarding LGBT health. Patient educ
Skerrett, D. M., Kõlves, K., & De Leo, D. (2015). Are LGBT populations at a higher risk for
suicidal behaviors in Australia? Research findings and implications. Journal of
Homosexuality, 62(7), 883-901.
Smalley, K. B., Warren, J. C., & Barefoot, K. N. (2016). Differences in health risk behaviors
across understudied LGBT subgroups. Health Psychology, 35(2), 103.
Stein, G. L., Beckerman, N. L., & Sherman, P. A. (2010). Lesbian and gay elders and long-
term care: Identifying the unique psychosocial perspectives and challenges. Journal of
Gerontological Social Work, 53(5), 421-435.