How Do Poor Living Conditions Affect Aboriginal Health?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Inadequate housing

has been linked to significant poor health outcomes for Aboriginal communities, particularly children. Indigenous children in Canada and Australia have distressingly high rates of respiratory infections, skin disease, parasites and nutritional disease; which have been directly linked to housing.

What contributes to poor Aboriginal health?

These factors are known as determinants of health. … This page provides an overview of the prevalence of certain health risk factors among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people including

overweight and obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking, dietary behaviours

, and not meeting physical activity guidelines.

What are the major health problems for Aboriginal persons?

Chronic diseases caused 64% of the total disease burden among Indigenous Australians. These include

cardiovascular diseases, mental and substance use disorders, cancer, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, vision and hearing loss and selected musculoskeletal, respiratory, neurological and congenital disorders

(AIHW 2016).

How does poverty impact indigenous Australians?


About 30 per cent of Indigenous households are in income poverty

, which indicates that over 120,000 Indigenous people are living below the poverty line. … This leads to life expectancy rates for Indigenous people being around 20 years less than non-Indigenous rates.

How did colonisation affect Aboriginal health?

Colonisation severely disrupted Aboriginal society and economy—epidemic disease caused an immediate loss of life, and the occupation of land by settlers and the

restriction of Aboriginal people

to ‘reserves’ disrupted their ability to support themselves.

What social issues affect Aboriginal?

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are more likely than other Australians to experience various forms of disadvantage, including

higher unemployment rates, poverty, isolation, trauma, discrimination, exposure to violence

, trouble with the law and alcohol and substance abuse.

What are some of the common chronic conditions and infectious diseases in Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander people?

Chronic conditions like

respiratory diseases (including asthma), heart and circulatory diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney diseases and some cancers

are more common among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people than among non-Indigenous people in WA.

What affects Indigenous health?

Early life experiences,

housing conditions, transportation and access to health services

are other commonly accepted social determinants of health (Wilkinson & Marmot eds 2003). … Factors related to Indigenous community functioning are also important determinants of Indigenous health and wellbeing (AIHW 2017).

What are some of the common health issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and what factors contribute to these health issues?


Coronary heart disease, diabetes, chronic lower respiratory diseases and lung and related cancers

are the main causes of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

How does poverty affect Indigenous?

The poverty of First Nations has been the

result of being stripped of their lands, their traditional livelihoods, and cultures

, and having been placed on less valuable lands as reserves, as well as serious lack of educational opportunities (Neu & Therrien, 2003).

What are three 3 diseases that have negatively impacted indigenous Australians as a result of White Settlement?

Effect on Aboriginal people

The spread of smallpox was followed by

influenza, measles, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases

, all of which Australia’s Aboriginal people had no resistance to, and all of which brought widespread death.

What are health issues and impacts for healthcare delivery in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia?


Cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and respiratory diseases

are the major diseases contributing to this unacceptable gap in life expectancy” 7. There are many factors that contribute to the poor health outcomes experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in contemporary Australia.

Does poverty contribute to poor health?

Poverty and poor health worldwide are inextricably linked. The causes of poor health for millions globally are rooted in political, social and economic injustices. …

Poverty increases the chances of poor health

. Poor health, in turn, traps communities in poverty.

Why are the indigenous disadvantaged?

A history comprised of

dislocation from traditional communities

, disadvantage, discrimination, forced assimilation including the effects of the residential school system, poverty, issues of substance abuse and victimization, and loss of cultural and spiritual identity are all contributing factors.

Does indigenous mean poor?

They include Native Americans and Alaskan Natives. … Hunger among Indigenous communities is a direct result of poverty and of systemic inequities through racial and gender discrimination. While the United States has a poverty rate of 12.3 percent,

Indigenous communities have a higher poverty rate–25.4 percent

.

How does poor living conditions affect an individual?

Studies show that poor living conditions

negatively affect physical and mental health

. … Additionally, inadequate or unsanitary living conditions can contribute to the spread of disease, which adds to health care costs, prevents individuals from working and threatens the well-being of community members.

What are the effects of poor health?

Poor health can

limit one’s ability to work, reduce economic opportunities, inhibit educational attainment

, and lead to medical debt and bankruptcy.

What are the disadvantages of aboriginal people?

  • shorter life expectancy.
  • higher rates of infant mortality.
  • poorer health.
  • lower levels of education and employment.

How does poverty affect social health?

Issues like

hunger, illness, and poor sanitation

are all causes and effects of poverty. Bad sanitation makes one susceptible to diseases, and hunger and lack of clean water makes one even more vulnerable to diseases. …

What are three lifestyle and Behavioural factors that impact on the welfare of Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islanders?

The prevalence of major behavioural and biomedical health risk factors is generally higher for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians than for other Australians. Behavioural risks include

smoking, poor nutrition, physical inactivity and excessive alcohol consumption

.

Emily Lee
Author
Emily Lee
Emily Lee is a freelance writer and artist based in New York City. She’s an accomplished writer with a deep passion for the arts, and brings a unique perspective to the world of entertainment. Emily has written about art, entertainment, and pop culture.