Health care needs of Aboriginal-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Specific Health care needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders. Answer: Introduction: As of 2016 City of Sydney community profile, a total of 2417 indigenous Australians live in Sydney as of 2016. The figure below shows the total population of Indigenous Australians in Sydney. It also, shows the number of individuals from Aboriginal. Torres Strait and Mixed Heritages and the kinds of dwellings they live in (Profile.id.com.au, 2016). Figure 1: Indigenous populations in Sydney (source: Profile.id.com.au, 2016) According to usstats.abs.gov.au, 10,040 people (or 42% of the Australian population of Sydney reported one or more long term conditions. The common long term conditions were Asthma (3810), Hearing problems (2820), Chest problem (2250), Skin problem (2020), and Cardiac problem (1600), Hypertension (1310). This shows that Asthma is the biggest morbidity faced by the indigenous populations in Sydney (Ausstats.abs.gov.au, 2018). Figure 2: Figure 1: Long term illness conditions among indigenous Australians (Aboriginals and Torres Strait islanders) (Source: Ausstats.abs.gov.au, 2018). The Self Assessment of the health of the indigenous population showed that most people considered themselves in excellent health (15200), most others in fair or good health (7900) and a few (890) considered themselves to be in poor health. This showed a negative relation between the actual numbers of people suffering from long term conditions. Which can mean that their perceptions towards their own health might not be consistent with their actual health conditions? The biggest causes of morbidity and health conditions among 15,590 indigenous Australians above 13 years showed that the most significant contributor towards health issues was alcoholism (8180 cases), while the other contributors were drugs and substance abuse (1820), nutrition or diet (1410), cardiac problems (900) (Ausstats.abs.gov.au, 2018). Figure 3: Main health problems faced by indigenous Australians in Sydney. (Source: Ausstats.abs.gov.au, 2018) Different cultural determinants are related to the health and wellbeing of the indigenous people. These determinants include: their connection to nature, land, culture, ancestry as well as their history of being forced away from their culture, families and nature. The former have protective effects while the later has adverse effects (healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au, 2018). The other protective factors are: kinship, self determination, community governance and cultural communities (hneccphn.com.au, 2018). Figure 5: Health protecting factors of indigenous Australians. (Source: hneccphn.com.au, 2018) In consideration to the determinants of health that affects the wellbeing of the indigenous Australian population in the Sydney area, it is important that effective care strategies address these determinants in order to protect the health and wellbeing of these people. Key strategies can include: a) Improving, supporting and fostering their connection to land, culture, spirituality and ancestry; b) Ensuring cultural continuity and c) Supporting the development of kinship and community governance. References: Ausstats.abs.gov.au. (2018).National Aboriginal and Torres Islander Survey- Sydney Region.Ausstats.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 28 March 2018, from https://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/free.nsf/0/33C1DAB87A9CC13DCA2572250004959E/$File/41960_a Brand, E., Bond, C. and Shannon, C. (2018). Urban Indigenous Health: Opportunities and challenges in South East Queensland. [online] Poche.centre.uq.edu.au. Available at: https://poche.centre.uq.edu.au/files/1007/Opportunities%20and%20challenges%20in%20SEQ.pdf [Accessed 26 Mar. 2018]. healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au. (2018).Summary of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health Health facts Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet.Healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au. Retrieved 28 March 2018, from https://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/health-facts/summary Hneccphn.com.au. (2016).Aboriginal Health Profile 2016.Hneccphn.com.au. Retrieved 28 March 2018, from https://www.hneccphn.com.au/media/13659/final-version-2016-aboriginal-health-profile.pdf Profile.id.com.au. (2016).Indigenous population statistics | City of Sydney | profile.id.Profile.id.com.au. Retrieved 28 March 2018, from https://profile.id.com.au/sydney/indigenous-keystatistics