Week 7 - Aboriginal Health Issues

* Aboriginal people have higher rates of ill health than any other group in Australia
* The Victorian Koori people account for only 0.5% of the population (the lowest number of indigenous people) but report the highest rates of acute illness, chronic illness, and cigarette smoking in Australia
* Main health issues confronting Koori people include smoking, diet, diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, stress, drugs, alcohol and poor children's health

For these health issues, there's a range of causes:
* genetic susceptibility
- it has been suggested that Aboriginal people have a "thrify genotype", which helped to support their traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle. This means that their bodies are genetically programmed for glucose intolerance and high blood cholesterol levels - protecting against starvation. As traditional diets were rich in nutrients and low in fat, this did not create an issue until the high-fat, high-sugar western diet was introduced. This in addition to poor access to healthy foods for Aboriginal populations causes higher incidences of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
- As a result of this genetic susceptibility and also poor access to healthy food, around 6 out of 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are either overweight or obese. This multiplies the chances of developing Type II diabetes by 10.
* Lack of physical exercise
* Low birth weight
- An aboriginal woman is twice as likely to have a low birth weight baby than a non-aboriginal woman. some studies indicate that low birth weight is associated with an increased risk of developing Type II diabetes.
* Poor standard of living/Low socioeconomic status
- Research shows that a person who has a limited income, low level of education and few employment prospects is more likely to engage in behaviours that increase the odds of disease.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are among the most economically disadvantaged of all Australians
* Reduced Access to Medical Care
- Culturally sensitive medical care is limited, especially for Aboriginal Australians who live in remote or rural areas.
FOR MORE INFO, LOOK AT THESE FACT SHEETS:1. http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Aboriginal_health_issues_diabetes?OpenDocument
2.
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Aboriginal_health_issues?open