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.
mental & substance use disorders (such as anxiety, depression, and drug use) injuries (such as falls, road traffic injuries, and suicide) cardiovascular diseases (such as coronary heart disease and rheumatic heart disease) cancer and other neoplasms (such as lung cancer and breast cancer) and.
The major epidemic diseases during the early contact stage were smallpox, syphilis, tuberculosis, influenza, and measles. Each of these diseases were responsible for excessive morbidity and mortality.
Indigenous peoples experience disproportionately high levels of maternal and infant mortality, malnutrition, cardiovascular illnesses, HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis.
Australian health system challenges include: an ageing population and increasing demand on health services. increasing rates of chronic disease. costs of medical research and innovations.
Aboriginal people can face many challenges when accessing mainstream services. These include unwelcoming hospital settings, lack of transport, mistrust of mainstream health care, a sense of alienation, and inflexible treatment options.
Colonisation has led to negative outcomes on the physical and mental health of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Before 1788, Aboriginal peoples lived a semi-nomadic life in family and community groups. The impact of colonisation includes: disconnection from culture, family, and Country.
There were some differences across the 5 states and territories in leading causes of death among Indigenous Australians: In Queensland and New South Wales, cancer and other neoplasms were the leading cause (accounting for 26% of deaths in each).
The spread of smallpox was followed by influenza, measles, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases. First Nations peoples had no resistance to these diseases, all of which brought widespread death.
Rates of psychological distress and chronic diseases are higher among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. There are disparities across the social determinants of health, such as education, housing, employment and income.
Chronic disease is Australia's biggest killer, contributing to nearly 90% of deaths, a new Grattan Institute report has warned. Yet prevention of chronic disease remains underfunded and unless the government does more, millions more Australians will suffer avoidable illnesses, the report says.
Higher prevalence
Mental ill-health is a significant health issue for young people, with the largest onset of illness occurring between the ages of 12 and 24 years. 1 The prevalence of mental ill-health is higher among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people compared with non-Aboriginal young people.
Four personal behaviors that can affect chronic diseases are: lack of physical activity, poor nutrition, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol use.
Health risk behaviors including lack of physical activity, poor nutrition, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol consumption—are considered contributors in some way to illness and death from chronic disease.
Cultural issues - lack of cultural understanding by health staff, lack of culturally specific Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical services, language barriers, specific “skin” relationships to clinic staff and others; having to go to hospitals in the city for specialist services and dying away from “country” ...
To a large extent, factors such as where we live, the state of our environment, genetics, our income and education level, and our relationships with friends and family all have considerable impacts on health, whereas the more commonly considered factors such as access and use of health care services often have less of ...
Chronic ear infections (eg otitis media), eye infections (eg trachoma), skin conditions (eg crusted scabies), gastroenteritis, respiratory infections (overcrowding has been identified as a risk factor for pneumococcal disease), and exacerbation of family violence and mental health issues are all potential outcomes from ...
Among Indigenous Australians, 23% of total disease burden in 2018 was due to mental and substance use disorders (54,263 DALY). The other leading causes were: injuries (12% or 29,769) cardiovascular disease (10% or 24,612)
This section provides information about infectious conditions that affect the health and quality of life of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including hepatitis (hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C), influenza, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and gastrointestinal conditions.
Barriers to accessing health services for Indigenous Australians include services not being available in their area (especially for those living in remote areas), services being too far away and they do not have transport, cost, waiting times, and the availability of culturally safe and responsive health services.