PHTY208 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Comorbidity, Infant Mortality, Melanoma
Indigenous Health Issues in Australia:!
Concept 1: Indigenous Australian populations!
Indigenous Australian population:!
-The 2006 ATSI population wasestimatedtmo be about 517,000 constituting 2.5% of the total
Australian population!
-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 !
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!
Indigenous health:!
-The indigenous perspective of health is different from Western definitions of healt!
-WHO- “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence
of disease or infirmity’!
Indigenous vs non-Indigenous health:!
-The important distinction between the two health definitions is the inclusion of cultural/
spirituality wellbeing in Indigenous health!
-Every aspect of an indifeenouys person is regarded as equally important!
-biological, psychological, sociological, spiritual and the communal!
-The indigenous definition includes spirituality in health s the continuous cycle of life-death- life!
-The inclusion of community is also important in the Indigenous perspective!
Indigenous health:!
-Generally, the health status of Indigenous Australians is very poor, when ompared 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 !
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)!
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!
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 attribute to intentional self-harm (suicide), motor vehicle accidents
and assaults !
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Document Summary
The 2006 atsi population wasestimatedtmo be about 517,000 constituting 2. 5% of the total. The indigenous australian population is made up of hundreds of di erent nations. Nation- geographical extent of the land inhabited and also to where family members have come from originally. 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. The indigenous perspective of health is di erent from western de nitions of healt. Who- a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or in rmity". The important distinction between the two health de nitions is the inclusion of cultural/ spirituality wellbeing in indigenous health. Every aspect of an indifeenouys person is regarded as equally important. The indigenous de nition includes spirituality in health s the continuous cycle of life-death- life. The inclusion of community is also important in the indigenous perspective.
