PHTY208 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Infant Mortality, Comorbidity, Otitis Media
Indigenous Health issues in Australia
• Indigenous Australians have a range of major health problems that directly impact on
morbidity and mortality
• Indigenous people experience disadvantages in health across almost all age groups
o Globally, the health of Indigenous Australians is worse than other Indigenous
people
• There is a range of social, economic and cultural reasons that have not significantly
changed over several decades
• Indigenous Australian population
o Indigenous refers to the original inhabitants of Australia and nearby islands
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population
o The 2006 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population was estimated to be
about 517,000, constituting 2.5% of the total Australian population.
o The Indigenous Australian population is made up of hundreds of different nations
• Nation – geographical extent of the land inhabited and also to where family
members have come from originally
o Percent of population
• The Indigenous population has a relatively young age structure
• In 2006, the median age was 21 years, compared with 37 years for the non-
Indigenous population
o Indigenous vs non-Indigenous health
• The Indigenous perspective of health is different from Western definitions of
health
• This can be illustrated by the National Aboriginal Health Strategy definition
which states that health is
▪ ot just the physial well-being of the individual but the social,
emotional and cultural well-eig of the whole ouity
▪ Culture and community important
• World Health Organization emphasises the individual and states that health
▪ a state of oplete physial, etal ad soial well-being and not
erely the asee of disease or ifirity
• The important distinction between the two health definitions is the inclusion
of cultural/spirituality wellbeing in Indigenous health
• Every aspect of an Indigenous person is regarded as equally important
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▪ Biological, psychological, sociological, spiritual and the communal
• The Indigenous definition includes spirituality in health as the continuous
cycle of life– death– life
• The inclusion of community is also important in the Indigenous perspective
o Indigenous health
• Generally, the health status of Indigenous Australians is very poor, when
compared to other groups within the population
• There are many glaring health statistics that highlight the huge gap in health
outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians
• One statistic summarises the massive difference between Indigenous and
non-Indigenous health — life expectancy
o Life expectancy
• As of 2010, life expectancy for Indigenous Australians was approximately 17
years lower than that for the total Australian population
• Life expectancy of Indigenous males was only 59 years, which was 20 years
less than non-Indigenous males
• Indigenous females was 17 years less than their non-Indigenous counterparts
(65 years compared with 82 years)
o Mortality rates
• Death rate across all specific age groups was far greater for the Indigenous
population
• It has also been reported that many deaths are not registered as Indigenous
and, therefore, the rate would actually be higher.
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• Causes of death
▪ The most common cause of Indigenous deaths was from cardiovascular
disease (26% of all Indigenous deaths).
▪ Total Indigenous cancer deaths were less than non-Indigenous cancer
deaths
•
However, the median age of death from all types of cancer was 63.1
years for Indigenous people and 75.5 years for other Australians
▪ Deaths arising from diabetes and external causes were more numerous
than those of the non-Indigenous population
▪ External causes were mainly attributable to intentional self-harm
(suicide), motor vehicle accidents and assaults.
• Causes of infant death
▪ In 2007 the infant mortality rate was 4.2 infant deaths per 1000 live
births
▪ The Indigenous infant mortality rate was 12.7 infants per 1000 live
births
▪ Main causes of Indigenous infant mortality include
•
Complications of pregnancy, labour and delivery (~50%)
•
Symptoms, signs and ill-defined conditions include sudden infant
death syndrome (SIDS) accounting for 22%
•
Congenital malformations (12%)
•
Respiratory diseases and external causes (accidents) accounted for
12% of all Indigenous infant deaths
o Number of long term health conditions
• Indigenous population also has high levels of poor health
▪ 65% of the Indigenous population have at least one long-term health
condition
▪ Indigenous people living in remote areas had fewer long-term health
problems compared with non-remote or predominantly urban
Indigenous people
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Document Summary
Indigenous australians have a range of major health problems that directly impact on morbidity and mortality. In 2006, the median age was 21 years, compared with 37 years for the non- Life expectancy of indigenous males was only 59 years, which was 20 years less than non-indigenous males. Indigenous females was 17 years less than their non-indigenous counterparts (65 years compared with 82 years: mortality rates, death rate across all specific age groups was far greater for the indigenous population. 12% of all indigenous infant deaths: number of long term health conditions. Indigenous population also has high levels of poor health: 65% of the indigenous population have at least one long-term health condition. Indigenous people living in remote areas had fewer long-term health problems compared with non-remote or predominantly urban. Indigenous people: health issues facing the indigenous australian population, disease and disorders, there are numerous diseases and disorders that are common in both the.
