Health Challenges Facing Indigenous Australians
Since the colonization of Australia by the British in the 18th century, indigenous Australians have faced land dispossession, social marginalization, political oppression, incarceration, acculturation and population decline. The aftereffects of colonization are still evident today, as indigenous Australians continue to experience much poorer health and well-being than the general Australian population across many key measures, including life expectancy, mortality, hospitalizations, health risk factors, education, employment, homelessness, family violence, child protection and juvenile justice.
British settlers first landed on Australian soil in 1788. They brought with them European diseases such as measles, smallpox, and tuberculosis, which decimated Aboriginal populations — some, like the Darug people, by as much as 90%.[1] European settlers also seized land and water resources and drained the Aboriginal peoples’ food supply. Conflict between settlers and natives claimed the lives of tens of thousands of indigenous Australians.
Ischemic heart disease is a leading cause of death
The leading cause of death for Aboriginal people in 2017 was ischemic heart disease, accounting for 11.5% of deaths in the population. Diabetes was the second leading cause.[2] Cancer is common among indigenous Australians, occurring more frequently than in non-indigenous Australians. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, from 2011–2015 lung cancer was the leading cause of death for all Australians, but Aboriginal people were 2.1 times more likely to be diagnosed with it and 1.8 times more likely to die from it. Their higher use of tobacco products are considered a contributing factor. Indigenous women were also more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer.[3]
Indigenous Australians experience higher rates of childhood obesity, adult obesity and vision impairment. From 2010–2014, they were found to be over twice as likely to commit suicide and almost five times as likely to die from alcohol use. From 2010–2012, the life expectancy for Aboriginal people was 10 years shorter than non-indigenous Australians, and from 2011–2015, the infant mortality rate was almost twice as high.[4] The list of statistics goes on; virtually every health condition is guaranteed to impact the indigenous Australian population more heavily.
Contributing factors for poor health are socioeconomic
The majority of contributing factors for poor health among indigenous Australians are socioeconomic. Due to low income from low employment rates and poor job prospects, many Aboriginal people have limited access to health services, which would otherwise help avoid or catch preventable diseases early. Low income also grants little financial resources to buy quality food, which leads to poor nutrition. Paired with physical inactivity, this can cause preventable conditions like diabetes and heart problems such as high blood pressure. There are other serious disease, such as rheumatic heart disease and trachoma, which continue to affect the aboriginal population even though they are exceedingly rare in developed areas.[5]
Poor socioeconomic status has also been shown to cause or worsen depression and other psychological disorders, exacerbating rates of substance abuse, self-harm, and suicide. Although indigenous Australian children represent less than 5% of young people, they account for a quarter of youth suicides.[6]
Geography plays a role as well: many Aboriginal people live in remote areas where access to medical clinics is scarce.[7] This unfamiliarity perpetuates fear and mistrust of the medical system, which prevents many from seeking care.[8]
Closing the gap
In recent years, the Australian government has taken strides in acknowledging its history of treatment of the indigenous population and trying to repair the damage. In 2008, Australian Governments committed to specific targets for reducing inequalities in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life expectancy, mortality, education and employment in a strategy named “Closing the Gap.” One of its programs is the Indigenous Australians’ Health Program, which commenced on July 1st, 2014 and provides primary health care, child and maternal health, support for people with chronic diseases and other targeted health activities.[9]
Though the statistics surrounding the health, mortality, and quality of life of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population are grim, steps can be taken to improve. Many of the diseases and conditions that are prevalent in the indigenous Australian population are preventable. Increasing indigenous access to healthcare, as the Australian government is doing, as well as educating the public about the importance of preventive healthcare, are two steps in the right direction toward reversing this health crisis.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Australians
[2] https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/3303.0~2017~Main%20Features~Leading%20causes%20of%20death%20in%20Aboriginal%20and%20Torres%20Strait%20Islander%20people~9
[3] https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/mar/15/indigenous-australians-far-more-likely-to-die-from-cancer-new-data-shows
[4] https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/26/asia/indigenous-australian-australia-day-statistics/index.html
[5] https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/indigenous-health
[6] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-18/labor-federal-election-indigenous-health-policy/11027234
[7] https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/mar/15/indigenous-australians-far-more-likely-to-die-from-cancer-new-data-shows
[8] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/09/the-indigenous-health-gap-is-a-too-benign-term-for-a-shattering-reality
