Impact of Socioeconomic Factors on Aboriginal Health in Australia

This report delves into the health disparities prevalent among Aboriginal Australians, highlighting the impact of socioeconomic factors on their overall well-being. The assignment explores the link between poverty, education, employment, and access to healthcare, emphasizing how these factors contribute to poorer health outcomes. It focuses on the increased prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, within the Aboriginal population. The report also analyzes the cultural and systemic barriers that hinder access to healthcare services, including language barriers and the preservation of traditional practices. Furthermore, the report discusses how the lack of economic opportunities and the unresolved trauma of the past contribute to the health crisis. The report references academic papers to support its findings and provide an informed overview of the situation. The report uses the latest research to highlight the key issues and to provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by Aboriginal Australians in the healthcare system.

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 Socioeconomic status
The Aboriginal people die at tender ages because they are faced with health disabilities resulting
from low quality of health. This is the reason as to why their health is termed as ‘third world
health in a first nation’. There are some social and economic factors such as poverty, education,
social class, race, employment, income and housing services which determine the health of
people (Mulders-Jones et al., 2017). The Aboriginals are concentrated in distressed urban areas
while others live in rural areas, unemployed, and practice unhealthy behaviors like alcoholism,
smoking and drug abuse, lack basic education, poor transport systems and low to no income.
Lack of employment means that they have low incomes hence cannot access good health
services and lead poor lifestyles, as compared to the non-Aboriginal Australians.
 Cardiovascular diseases
In Australia, cardiovascular diseases are a common health problem among the Aboriginals
population. This is due to the risky behaviors which are prevalent among Aboriginals as
compared to non-Aboriginal Australians. Moreover, cases of overweight are common among this
population due to poor lifestyles like poor feeding habits and patterns. Generally, the modifiable
risk factors of cardiovascular diseases among Aboriginals include overweight, obesity, smoking
and hypertension (Crinall et al., 2017). This disease is high among this population due to the fact
that the Aboriginals live in rural areas where there is lack of health programs, and they have
conserved cultures that affect uptake of treatments, and possible discrimination, as compared to
non-Aboriginals.
 Mental health
The mental health problems like depression and anxiety are higher in Aboriginals that non-
Aboriginal Australians. This has led to increased cases of suicide among the young people and

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overall poor health (Moodie e al., 2014). The manner in which mental health is described among
Aboriginals determines the method of diagnosis and treatment acceptability. In other cases,
mental health services do not reach the Aboriginals living in rural areas of Australia. There could
be cultural and language barriers to accessing mental health services because the Aboriginals
have a highly conserved culture, and English is not their first language. Other risk factors for
mental health include fear of losing culture and land, unresolved trauma, poor physical health,
and lack of economic opportunities like employment, as compared to non-Aboriginals.

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Reference List
Crinall, B., Boyle, J., Gibson‐Helm, M., Esler, D., Larkins, S. and Bailie, R., 2017.
Cardiovascular disease risk in young Indigenous Australians: a snapshot of current preventive
health care. Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, 41(5), pp.460-466.
Moodie, R., Friel, S. and Ducket, S., 2014. Australia's Health 2014 report card: Experts respond.
Journal of the Home Economics Institute of Australia, 21(3), p.17.
Mulders-Jones, B., Mitchison, D., Girosi, F. and Hay, P., 2017. Socioeconomic correlates of
eating disorder symptoms in an Australian population-based sample. PloS one, 12(1),
p.e0170603.