PILM- Perspective of indigenous health

who are aboriginal and Torrens straight island people

The ancestral owners of the Australian mainland how lived here long before the British invaded

• now make up roughly 3% of the Australian population

• language and culture differ from region

Life expectancy

ATSI people have a significantly lower life expectancy compared to non-indigenous individuals

• 7.8 years less in women

• 8.6 years less in men

Mortality rates

have a higher adolescent/child/ infant mortality rate compared to non-indigenous individuals

• higher at ages of 0-4 and peaks at ages 49-564

General health

• have shown a decreased smoking rate among those under 15

• more people have reported being in good health than in previous years

• more people reported having chronic illnesses (including mental illnesses like anxiety and depression

how can surveys help in adressing illness

allows us to gather data about health and highlights risk groups so that resources and campaign can be properly targeted to those in need

common illnesses

Heart disease affects 4.8X more ATSI individuals than non-Indigenous individuals

• Also has a higher death rate among younger individuals (30-39)

Diabetes is the 2nd highest cause of death for ATSI in 2018

• Type 2 is the most common, with hospitalisation and death rates being 4x higher

social disadvantages faced by ATSI

Employment: are lower in ATSI, with fewer people in this community completing Year 12 or equivalent, leading to difficulty in getting high-paying jobs

Employment: lower rate of employment at 46.6%

Income: ATSI people tend to have lower-paying jobs, which may be due to decreased education (not a livable wage that can be used to pay future generations education)

what is a deficit narrative

describing a group of people through their weaknesses and failures, creating a negative view that serves to further marginalise these communities

• reduces them to a single entity rather than a diverse group and ignores those who are exceptions to given statistics

what is a strength based approach

An approach that involves focusing on strengths and what people are capable of rather than their problems

• explores social, environmental, emotional and cultural factors and how they play a role in health

• focuses on what can be done both by the government and the ATSI people themselves

How has history effected the aboriginal people

Colonisation has had a detrimental effect of the ATSI people that still affects the people of these communities today

• racism and race-based policies

• the stealing of land

• the stealing and reducation of children

• loss of culture only for it to be replaced with white culture

• unjustified murder of ATSI

how did colonisation effect the health of ATSI

Led to the introduction of diseases like smallpox, measles, influenza and tuberculosis

• Changes in diet also led to an increased rate of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases ( increased sugar and fat intake)

• The introduction of disease led to loss of life, as the ATSI people did not have the antibodies to fight off the illnesses

How does traditional medical practice differ from how they are today

medical practices differed by cultural group but were thought to be the job of one specific person who was chosen by the elders and taught at a young age

• even today some of these healers will work with hospitals to provide spiritual guidance

Death of ASTI due to colonisation

Occurred due to the introduction of disease or through wars for land as the British Empire expanded

• The British not only killed soldiers but also women and children

• Led to the loss of important community figures, leading the breaking of cultural and societal structures

displacement of ATSI due to colonisation

People were not only moved away from their land, but children ( often biracial) were also taken from their families as a way of giving the children a ‘better life’

• These children were often abused or treated as workers, with few success stories

• They were forced to adopt British culture, being given different names and birthdays to make them harder to find, and were forced into Christian values and growing up in white families

• lead to a loss of identity and culture as people were cut off completely from their families, with some being told said families rejected them so they wouldn’t try to go back

modern day effects of the stolen generation

has led to transgenerational trauma that still affects the emotional and social wellbeing of ATSI people today

• led to isolation of the Stolen Generation from their peers, as they did not fit in with either community

• no longer could speak the languages, or remembered any of their culture

How did the government treat ATSI people in the past

Oppressive legislation was put into place with the aim of protecting, or more like controlling, the Aboriginal people

• State protection boards were put into place that held ATSI people in separate camps away from general society

• were put in the hands of protectors who treated them as less than human and prevented any practice of ATSI culture (led to a loss of language and cultural identity)

Major Aboriginal rights movements

In the 1960s, the government began to recognise ATSI as Australian citizens(1967) with their own human rights

• Eventually given the right to vote.1962)

• Still today, the ATSI people fight for the rights to their land ( a protest in 1966 where ATSI workers abandoned their work due to low wages and poor conditions and demanded the right to their ancestral land back)

aboriginal health foundations

The National Aboriginal Controlled Community Health Organisation (NACCHO) is a group formed by Aboriginal people to take control over their own rights when it comes to their health

• revolve around delivering holistic, comprehensive and culturally appropriate care to communities and giving back some control over their lives

• there are also established services surrounding legal counciling and other services

social determinants of health amongst ATSI communities

Social determinants of health can affect ATSI people's economic opportunities, housing and social condition (social and family networks, connection to land, experiencing racism and empowerment) and include

• loss of traditional law

• disempowerment

• denial of land rights

• removal from land and family connections

• intergenerational trauma

what is the close the gap coalition

A coalition with the aim of closing the gap between ATSI and non-indigenous life expectancy and health status

• has so far been successful-ish in closing the gap in access to early childhood education and school attendance

• supposed to be completed in 2030

what is an example of a strength-based approach taken fro ATSI communities

Some examples have been centred around local desicion making and giving ASTI people the right to choose for them selves to empower them

• targets surround education, employment, health, wellbeing, justice, safety, housing, connection to land/water and culture

some future goals for ATSI in health

• partnership with communities to determine exactly what they need or want

• allowing ATSI people to design, deliver and evaluate their own health programs

• promoting connection to land, family and culture