Health Plan Report
Health Plan Report
The health status of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is a challenge that the Australian government continues to face. Although there have been considerable improvements, the overall progress is rather inconsistent and slow. The aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders and the non-indigenous population portray an obvious gap in health status (State Government of Victoria, 2015). Therefore, it is necessary to take substantial steps that will enable the improvement of the aboriginal and Strait islander community’s health, while also reducing the disparities between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. The health plan under analysis gives the summary of the health status of the aboriginal people of Victoria, Australia, and presents the inferior quality of health outcomes of this population. The following report details the prevalence of obesity among the middle age group is alarming, and discusses the three determinants of health including social, biological, and environmental factors. These aspects must be analyzed critically to enhance the outcomes of health treatment of aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders compared to that of the non-indigenous population.
The Health Plan
The plan outlines the expected state of health and well-being of the aboriginal population in Victoria, Australia. The plan aims to eliminate the existing disease burden and to ensure the population enjoys the highest attainable status of health and well-being coupled with the possibility of active living at every age. Furthermore, the report intends to mitigate the current disproportion in health and well-being between the aboriginal and non-indigenous populations in Victoria. The health condition of the former has been a long-standing issue that requires immediate rectification (Markwick et al. 2014). The report suggests measures to be taken to address the issue affecting the aboriginal population since their approach to health has not changed yet. In this regard, the plan aims at achieving enduring changes in the system that would encourage the Victorian population to stay healthy, prevent disease onset, and early intervention that will enhance the management of health needs. Accordingly, it portrays potential benefits by focusing on the priority areas of both social and health outcomes.
According to the plan, to attain equality in health status, due attention must be paid to the determinants that contribute to the existing inequalities. Thus, the plan focuses on the three key determinants of health. The first segment comprises social determinants that predominantly consist of the social condition affecting the health of individuals such as work or dwelling place. Biological determinants are genetic and psychological elements that affect a specific population. For instance, old age is described as a biological factor due to its ability to make such individuals more prone to poor health. Other conditions include a family history of heart disease, gender, HIV status, etc. (State Government of Victoria 2015). Environmental determinants include the physical conditions that are present in the everyday life of an individual and include the natural environment, worksite, exposure to toxicity, and mode of housing.
Priority Area
According to international standards, the health and well-being of Victorians are perceived as excellent due to the significant gains made recently (State Government of Victoria 2015). However, this is contrary to the real situation, given that the health status of the aboriginal is far different from that of the non-indigenous population. The priority area the health plan focuses on is the increased cases of obesity. Reports indicate that the number of people who are overweight or obese in Victoria has increased by about 40%. However, the aboriginal population is the segment that is adversely affected by the increase as the majority are overweight and obese (State Government of Victoria 2015). Therefore, the plan emphasizes on the importance of healthy eating and active living by connecting this population to protective factors such as land, ancestry, culture, and spirituality, which strengthen and empower them.
Indigenous adults compose at-risk groups due to social, environmental, and biological factors. The health determinant factors affect the lifestyle of this population segment exposing them to the development of complex health issues. The practice of unhealthy eating and living among the aboriginals and Torres Strait islanders has exacerbated adult obesity in Victoria which is associated with the social economic disadvantage of the population. As a result, the aboriginal population is presently experiencing an increase in chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and type II diabetes among others, resulting in their poor health and well-being (Schofield et al. 2013). In this regard, healthy eating and active living would be the primary actions in responding to this challenge thereby providing a stepping-stone to achieving improved health and well-being among aboriginal individuals.
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Determinants of Health
Health determinants influence the access to health care services by the aboriginal population, in such a way as increasing the inequality in health outcomes. In addition, discrimination discourages indigenous people from attending healthcare facilities for timely diagnoses of health issues thus resulting in patients often being untreated (Priest et al. 2011). Furthermore, the majority of the population is uneducated, which makes them unable to access health information. Coupled with unhealthy eating, these social determinants of health predispose the at-risk group to poor health. Research demonstrates that there is an association between poor health with the economic status of individuals. Poor education and literacy directly correlate with poor health especially considering that the capacity of an individual to access and utilize health information is influenced by literacy. Furthermore, individuals from the aboriginal population find it difficult to access health care services as well as medication because of their low income. These high poverty levels result in poor housing and overcrowding, which in turn contribute to the development of health complications such as cardiovascular diseases.
Environmental determinants of health affect the health of this group in that the majority of them lack the necessary sanitation. The population is exposed to environmental risks as well as behavioral health factors, which further disadvantage them in attaining the required health well-being (Closing the Gap Clearinghouse 2013). The majority of the aboriginals usually reside in areas that do not endow with support for good health. Therefore, they are subjected to factors that dissuade them from accessing primary health care and health infrastructure. There is no effective disposal of wastewater, sewerage system, safe drinking water, and poor collection services (State Government of Victoria 2015). It would be worthwhile to incorporate the society’s culture concerning land and property in addition to highlighting the plight of their health would require improvements in diet and exercise. It is thus imperative to support their traditional culture to enhance governance structure and customary laws. This would encourage the Aboriginals residing in rural areas to access health care.
Biological determinant: The systemic and basic problem of discrimination against aboriginals and Torres Strait islanders are related to the inequalities within their health status and well-being. The population does not fit in the health status of the non-indigenous population given that they are not able to access mainstream services and have lower access to health services (Holland et al. 2013). Health infrastructure and primary health care to aboriginals are inappropriately provided. This creates a systematic void that provides a significant challenge to this population to benefit from health services.
The aboriginals face a myriad of challenges related to financial stress, which is associated with their poverty level. This, therefore, results in a lack of other forms that may control their appropriate level of well-being thereby contributing to a huge burden of unhealthy stress (Australian Government 2013). The increase in chronic stress affects or may have an influence on individuals’ immune systems, metabolic functions, and circulatory systems in several hormonal paths and is related to several health issues due to circulatory diseases and mental health issues among other forms of dysfunction within the society.
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Multiple benefits can be achieved through early preventive and supportive action at each stage of the life course as this will enhance identifying priority areas and account for the different population needs. To improve and sustain the health of this population, there is a need to consider the wider determinants as this will enable providing safe and healthy environments that secure the well-being and health of aboriginals (Eckermann et al. 2010). Connection to land and family coupled with spirituality and culture is a source of strength and empowerment for the aboriginal population. It is significant to enhance healthy eating and exercise as this affects every stage of growth and may affect healthy aging.
Conclusion
The health plan has demonstrated that the cause of inequalities in health status and well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and the non-indigenous population is primarily social and environmental factors. The plan has demonstrated that the cause of overweight and obesity is due to social economic factors that result in poor eating habits. There are significant disparities between the aboriginal and non-indigenous populations in Victoria concerning chronic stress, financial stress, and food insecurity. These factors affect health negatively through direct and indirect pathways that exacerbate poor health thereby leading to the development of complex health conditions. The plan thus focuses on the determinants of health that are most relevant to the health of Aboriginals and the model of health to depend on.
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