Determinants Of Health Factors On Aboriginal And Torres Strait Island People: An Essay.

Employment and Health Factors

Question:

How Do Determinants Of Health Factors On Aboriginal And Torres Strait Island People?

Improving the health status of Australians has always been a challenge especially for the indigenous Australian people. This is because of the wide gaps that exist in regard to the health status of indigenous as well as non-indigenous Australians. Social determinants theory proposes that both inequality plus population health are determined by many factors that are put together (Marmot 2011, p.512). The determinants of health factors as per the indigenous Australians include education, employment and income, housing, health behavior and lifestyle, transport, and community safety.This paper addresses some of these determinants of health factors and their impacts on health plus the wellbeing of a person of “Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island origin.”

Employment and the wellness of a person are two separate things while are connected. Being employed has essential outcomes on social, emotional welfare and living standards of a person, family and community at large. According to Aspin et al. (2012, p.143) studies show that prolonged periods of unemployment can have adverse effects on the wellbeing of a person. It can cause problems such as poor health, both physical and psychological. Aspin et al. (2012, p.143) suggest that the three essential measures of unemployment participation include the employment rate, unemployment rates and the labor force participation. The labor force entails people willing or contributing to the supply of labor, and they are the working people (Aspin et al., 2012, p.143). The remainders are not in the work force. The employment participation by “Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders” remains very low in contrary to other Australians. The studies in 2008 showed that the employment rate for indigenous Australian residents aged between 15 to 65 years was 60% compared to 80% of non-indigenous people. Besides, the employment rate of indigenous people was found to be smaller than the employment rate of non-indigenous Australians (Aspin et al., p.143)

At the same time, the employment rate of indigenous Australians in 2008 was found to be greater in larger cities contrary to the metropolitan as well as remote set ups.  Here, participation in the community development programs was 19% opposite to the 1% in non-remote areas (Aspin et al. 2012, p.143). However, the majority of the “Community Development Education Program,” people were employed temporarily.

Irrespective of the growing patterns of indigenous recruitment in the labor force there is still a significant gap between the indigenous as well as non-indigenous Australian residents. To reduce this gap, extra indigenous Australian people should be in the employment sector over the number that was registered in 2008 (Aspin et al. (2012, p.143). To achieve this, it is vital that the unemployed indigenous people gain as well as retain labor force. Also, youths should make a great school to work transitions. For instance, in 2008 to 2009, there were over 100, 000 indigenous Australians aged between 15to 65 years who had no formal employment compared to the 140, 000 youthful indigenous Australians who will be of working age in the year 2018 to 2019 (Henderson et al. 2007, p.136).As a matter of fact, school to work force transition will be guided by the growth towards achieving educational attainment goals.

Unemployment Participation

Some of the contributing factors that led to unemployment are lack of education as well as health that have a great impact on the person’s power to get plus sustain job (Henderson et al. 2007, p.137). Limited job market in the remote setting also makes it hard for a person to find as well as maintain a job. Such factors are prevalent among the indigenous Australians as compared to the non- indigenous hence leading to a reduced interaction of the indigenous Australians in the labor market

Being in an area where safety is not guaranteed and has negative effects on health plus the wellbeing of a person. The “indigenous Australians” have been experiencing these effects for the last decades.  Holmes et al. (2002, p.1267) postulated that the extent of crime and violence in indigenous societies should have been experienced in the situation of colonization, discrimination as well as following markers such as unemployment, lack of access to lands and low income. In 2008, about 24 % of “Aboriginal as well as Torres Strait Island people” aged 18years and above reported that they were victims of either physical or threatened violence over the last one year (Holmes et al. 2002, p.1268). This figure reduced with age, from 35% of those aged 18 to 24 years to 7% of those of 55years. Moreover, the indigenous males were almost double as much as non-indigenous males to report being either a victim of threatened or physical violence (Holmes et al. 2002, p.1268). On the same note, the indigenous women were almost three times as much as non-indigenous women to report cases of being victimized(Holmes et al. 2002, p.1268).

On the other hand, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people are supposedly to be victims of violence as well as hospitalized for the injuries sustained in the event of an assault. Every gender experiences such difficulties at a similar rate. However, indigenous females experience higher rates of insecurity than other females. Lack of safety in the society contributes a lot to the issue of diseases for the “Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island people.”

A “family violence prevention legal service” supports the indigenous victims. According to Kowal et al. (2007, p.18) what the service does is to provide legal assistance, case work, counseling as well as court support. Besides, the Australian state has supported a nation’s strategy to curb violence across all women plus their siblings through a support on the indigenous families.  The government has allocated over $440 million over the next decade for the safety as well as health plus the wellbeing of young generation including children and families in the dry Aboriginal communities in Australia.

A case study in the Northern territory of Australia found that most people in indigenous societies felt the need for administration officer so as to reduce incidences of violence that result from drug and substance abuse ( Kowal et al. 2007, p.18).

Aboriginal people are heavy smokers and drug abusers including pregnant mothers. This problem of drug has created health problems to the indigenous Australian people. Despite all this, the people are not likely to abstain from substance and drug abuse.

Impact of Lack of Education and Health on Indigenous Australians

Things such as homelessness, overcrowding in housing, and House tenure type have impacts on the health plus the well-being of an individual.  Pink and Allbon (2008) holds that the aspect of overpopulation occurs in conjunction with similar environmental health factors like sanitation and contaminated water. Overcrowding is very common in most of the indigenous Australian households and might increase danger of health such as lead to stress and fatigue. Generally overcrowding is considered to have adverse effects on the health of a person, especially the respiratory system, skin infections and mental health.  These are some of the problems that have been experienced by the Indigenous Aboriginals. On the other hand, they are more likely to stay on rented houses, hence leading to higher accommodation rates.

House tenure is connected with outcomes such as mortality as well as morbidity. In 2008, over 20% of “Aboriginal as well as Torres Strait Island people” of 15 years of age and above were staying in overcrowded houses. By comparison, 5% of other Australians of the same age were staying in overpopulated areas in the year 2007 to 2008 (Pink and Allbon 2008). Almost half of indigenous Australians of youthful age stayed in congested areas compared with 15% in other parts of the country. Besides household, overcrowding also depends on the socioeconomic status of a given community. In 2008, “Aboriginal as well as Torres Island people” accounted for almost 10% of homeless demography (Pink and Allbon 2008). They just live in temporary shelters without kitchen, bathroom or security of tenure (Trewin and Madden 2005, p.419). Besides, such definition might not reflect how homelessness is understood by the people of “Aboriginal and Torres Island.” There is a huge connection between housing and health. Although living with extended families in a single housing might be allowed according to the culture of the Aboriginal and Torres people, innovations in the aspect of providing appropriate houses are necessary. House tenure is determined by factors such as income, employment as well as the communal tenancy in remote societies. On the same note, the exact causes plus contexts of “Aboriginal as well as Torres Strait Islanders”that are homeless should be undressed when responding to this problem (Durie 2003, p.510).

Housing has been one of the many factors affecting the health of indigenous aboriginal Island people. Low standard houses as well as poorly managed houses along with improper functioning structure leads to serious health problems. The impact of poor housing can affect the mental health plus well being of occupants because of the multiple problems that emerge as a result of inadequate material conditions.

Transport has been of great benefit on health. It allows quick access to goods and services as well as assisting people to develop plus maintain a social network. Studies on the “social determinants of health” has shown that lack of access to transport is experienced mostly by women, children, older people and those with disability, people from minority groups as well as low socioeconomic status particularly those in remote areas (Purdie et al., 2010, p.76).

Impact of Safety on the Health and Wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island People

“Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island people” face different changes connected to transport. Such changes had a greater influence on social as well as economic effects, plus other effects on access to health care services. Purdie et al. (2010, p.76) hold that lack of transport options impact on the access to healthcare, particularly professional services. In 2008, indigenous households, especially in dry regions were less likely compared to other people to have access to a car. In dry areas, almost 45% of indigenous of people had no access to cars (Purdie et al. 2010, p.76).  However, in 2008 an estimate of 25% of “Aboriginal as well as Torres Strait Island people” had used public transport for the last 21 days. Of the 210,000 people that had not used public means for the last 21 days, about 44% of them lived in regions where there was no access to public transport (Purdie et al. 2010, p.76).  Culture barriers and limited resources can reduce the access as well as willingness to public transport. Patient transport services meant to help patients having chronic diseases to access healthcare on a daily basis are essential factors of healthcare service delivery. This is exhibited among the indigenous Australians where public as well as private transport is restricted. However, patient transport service is supplied by a wide spectrum of services such as the aboriginal community health group, voluntary groups, and hospitals as well as ambulance services. Unfortunately, the provision of such services differs across the country plus the access isn’t always guaranteed. 

Some of the actions connected to transport include eligibility criteria, reviewing the effectiveness as well as “patient-assisted travel plots” for boosting equitability access to services through Aboriginal as well as Torres Strait Island people in the entire Australia (Purdie et al. 2010, p.76).  However, the “National Healthcare Agreement” engages states plus areas to fund patient’s assistance travel strategies as well as to ascertain that patients are cautious on ways of accessing such strategies.

Conclusion

This paper has addressed a wide spectrum of issues. It seeks to show the determinants of health factors as well as their impacts on health plus the wellbeing of a person. It discusses that the socioeconomic determinants of health for the indigenous Australian residents reflects more than the actual demerits. It also recognizes the non-enjoyment as well as deprival of human rights of the indigenous Australian residents as compared to their counterparts non-indigenous Australians.

However, approaches by the Australian government have been put in place to address the determinants of socioeconomic factors and their impact on health plus the welfare of the “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people.”

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