Social Determinants Of Health Among Indigenous Communities In Australia

Introduction to Social Determinants of Health

Write about the Social Determinants of Health in Australia for Ecosystem Services.

It is over one decade since closing the gap campaign was launched in 2007.  From this time the media in Australia has been revealing a lot of statics which depicts the health incongruity between the indigenous and non-indigenous communities. Based on the historical information, different groups, as well as the organisation, have utilised the mass media to facilitate health campaigns which are directed at increasing the levels of awareness and changing people’s behaviour while ignoring the social determinants of health. Many of the health improvement witnessed in the past is associated with the advances made in the environmental, economic and social factors. Contrary to what many may think, the new and improved medical approaches have had a minimal role to play in ensuring better health for all people. This fundamental truth helps different people to acknowledge how important the social determinants of health care rather than paying all the attention to biomedical approaches and behaviour. The health of the indigenous communities living in Australia is determined by a wide range of social determinants of health such as discrimination, education, racism, employment and housing. These determinants are linked to the after month effects of colonisation. This paper attempts to critically analyse four articles that are focused on the living and housing conditions, among the Australian indigenous communities and how social factors discussed the influence the health of indigenous communities.

Inadequate infrastructure, overcrowding, contaminated sources of water and poor sanitation services are some of the many factors influencing the living conditions of people in Australia. Services and the housing infrastructure among the Australian indigenous communities have not supported the essential elements of promoting quality of life by providing some of the vital commodities such as clean drinking water, fresh air and safe housing (Altman,  & Jackson,  2014). According to some studies and research, one in every four indigenous people lives in full houses all over Australia. This overcrowding leads to poor health standards due to low hygiene and other concerns associated with health mainly how some of the infectious diseases such as trachoma are spread. Also, the aura, thors of these articles state the living conditions of an area are determined by the government and government policies (Escobar, 2015).

It’s a fallacy that all Australians have access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (Lansbury Hall, Shannon, Jagals, 2016)

Impact of Social Determinants on Indigenous Communities

https://theconversation.com/its-a-fallacy-that-all-australians-have-access-to-clean-watersanitation-and-hygiene-61436

The author of the article aims to assess and articulate the progress made in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the Australian government. The report was written when different nations were discussing the UN (SDGs) in New York. The SDGs were formulated to facilitate the improving the well-being and the health of the people both in the developed and developing countries.

Many people tend to assume that developed countries such as Australia have achieved the SDGs. Ensuring sustainable management of sanitation and water is among the prioritised goals of UN. (White,  2013). The Australian government committed itself to achieve the SDGs in 2015   and revealed they were very keen on the developing the indo-pacific areas. Although all these efforts have been put to meet the UN goals, it is unfortunate that many indigenous communities in Australia do not have access to clean drinking water and proper safe sanitation. (Garcia-Garcia,  & Jha,  2015).  The goals have not been achieved in the country since the required water standards are not met among many remote communities. The author is concerned about its dedication to delivering equally in every part of the country.

Clean drinking water is an essential requirement for achieving the needed standards of health and well-being. There are some areas in Australia which do not have clean and safe drinking water. An example is the Western Australia where some the communities living there receive contaminated water with high levels of uranium, nitrates and faecal bacteria making it very unsafe for human consumption. (Choy et al. 2014)

Lack of proper hygiene, overcrowded conditions and water contamination among the communities are the primary causes of health problems such trachoma which is associated with water. The author claims that the persistent of such diseases in Australia is a clear indicator of the government’s failure to achieve water and sanitation standard. There is a need for more attention to be given to preventing the health problems associated with water among the remote communities (Dyall et al. 2013)

Based on what has been discussed in different issues, the government and other healthcare organisations should recognise that majority of the health problems among the indigenous communities are as a result of challenges in public health which are caused by lack of hygiene in poor living conditions. All the issues addressed in this article just but a sample of how the western style of housing, water and sanitation has been affecting and influencing the health of the indigenous communities for long. The affected communities have been consistent in advocating for their rights to have better living conditions for more than forty years now. Despite all their effort, these populations continue to suffer hygiene-related diseases without access to clean enough, uncontaminated drinking water. Since colonisation, the indigenous communities have been disadvantaged without the proper resources to improve their health. A lot should be done by all the health stakeholders to ensure the health standards of the indigenous populations. (Martin,  & Trigger, 2015).

Living Conditions and Housing among Indigenous communities

The article has been used to turn the attention of the media towards focusing on the need to address the living conditions and the indigenous health inequalities in Australia. The author gives reference to a discussion paper released by the University of Queensland and tries to highlight some of the ways that can be utilised to achieve proper sanitation, water and hygiene in indigenous populations. Although the article does not give a precise clarification of what should be done, it highlights how these issues can be social determinants of health among the affected populations. It also helps people question the commitment of the government to close the gap between non-indigenous and indigenous communities through providing clean water and proper sanitation services for all people ( Abate, & Kronk, 2013).

The article is about the lack of enough uncontaminated water in some of the indigenous communities affect their health. It raises questions why the author refers to this communities as “remote” while it is evident that they are the indigenous population in Australia. The author has managed to direct the media attention to what the government has achieved in the provision of clean water and sanitation without misleading the people

Fighting Trachoma in Indigenous Australia (Harvey, 2016)

https://thediplomat.com/2015/09/fighting-trachoma-in-indigenous-australia

Trachoma is an infectious eye disease, and it is the leading cause of preventable blindness across the globe. All the developed countries have managed to eliminate the disease except Australia which is struggling to control it, especially among the indigenous communities. The condition has remained an epidemic in the indigenous communities despite the fact that it was monitored over a century ago among the non-indigenous population (Maclean, Ross, Cuthill, & Rist, 2013). The author has utilised the article to reveal some statistical data on the rates of trachoma infections among the indigenous populations. The report also outlines the progress made by the government to eliminate the disease but there is a lot that is supposed to be done bearing in mind Australia is a developed country.

 The inequalities in the living conditions experienced among different populations of Australia and the access to excellent health care services play a significant role in spreading of trachoma. Poor hygiene, overcrowding, water supply, inadequate sanitation and the environmental factors play a role in facilitating the spread of trachoma infection (Gray, Grace, & McDonald, 2013). The world health organisation recommends four strategies for eliminating trachoma. Improving the residential environment and maintaining a clean face are some of the most effective approach to deal with trachoma as recommended by the WHO. The strategies are part of the WHO to push and achieve the global elimination of trachoma by 2020. The Fred Hollows Foundation (FHF) in Australia is focused on addressing the isolation issues in indigenous populations by raising the levels of awareness. The best way to fight trachoma is to promote hygiene which will require improved conditions of living and access to clean water (Zander, Dunnett, Brown, Campion, & Garnett, 2013).

Access to Clean Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

The article has emphasised how lacking suitable living conditions influence and promote the spread of trachoma infection. Poor hygiene is the primary factor that contributes to new cases of trachoma every year across the globe. The range of the diseases for many years has been perceived as a problem of behaviour among the indigenous populations. The healthcare personnel have always believed the solution to the infection is in promoting cleanness and behaviour change. This perception fails to address the influence of the environment on promoting some behaviours and how colonisation affected the infrastructure and housing among the indigenous communities and how they continue to affect the health of the people. Good hygiene and cleanness can never be achieved without clean running water. (Jackson, S. 2018). With the improvement in sanitation services and water supply, the country has witnessed a significant decrease in infectious diseases. Despite the reduced cases of infectious diseases across the country, their rates of transmission among the indigenous communities have increased because they lost their first traditional lifestyles, environment factors and poverty levels.  The prices at which the native populations are affected infectious diseases like trachoma are associated with overcrowding because most the houses in Australia are western models and they do not favour the lifestyle of the indigenous people (Lacey, & Lamont, 2014)

The article is written in such a way that it displays the health disparity which exists between the indigenous and non-indigenous communities. It reveals the failure by the Australian government to eliminate trachoma among the indigenous population completely. The author has also succeeded in focusing the efforts made by organisations such as FHF in the area. It has linked trachoma to poor living conditions. It also highlights the health inequalities between the indigenous and non-indigenous populations in Australia. The article can support a discussion of what the government has achieved in addressing some social determinants of health. The article is also an eye opener to expose the factors that affect the health of the eyes and how other factors such as employment and education influence the health of the disadvantaged communities within Australia (Song, Perry, & McConney,  2014).

There is need to stop the blame for trachoma victims based on their behaviours and start addressing the possible social determinants of health that may influence the spread of the infection. The author should have discussed the conditions that the indigenous communities go through such as racism and discrimination and how these affect their health.  Indigenous communities struggling to deal with trachoma currently when it was eradicated among other populations in Australia is a clear indication of so many disadvantages to these communities.

Trachoma and its Effect on Indigenous Communities

Self-harm risk in NT housing overcrowding (Vanovac, 2016)

https://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/housing-at-root-of-all-nt-problemsmp/news-story/77701484f71a57aff112896df78b89b0

The article is about the state of housing in Northern Territory where communities living in central Australia began legal action against the department of housing. The reaction was initiated by the failure of the department conduct maintenance and repairs. A review was proposed into the house by the country liberal party, but the author feels it is very late since it is not clear who should conduct the investigation and decision has to be made after the August elections. According to one Member of Parliament, lack of reasonable and adequate housing is contributing to almost all the social problems faced by the indigenous people. The social issues include child abuse, domestic violence and health issues. According to the author, community controlled housing is the solution to get all the matters to deal with house addressed adequately (Rigney, & Hemming, 2014).

The article highlights a range health problem affecting the indigenous groups that are influenced by homelessness and poor living conditions.  The conditions have altered the disadvantaged group since colonisation, and they should be recognised as social determinants of health. Also, housing is an essential resource that determines health and lack of suitable housing as it is in Northern Territory affects the health of residents in a broad way (Wilson, 2014).

The article tries to highlight some impacts of politics on indigenous populations and housing issues, especially in an election year.  The author has failed to provide enough evidence other than the statistics on housing. The author has not elaborated the present state of housing and its effects on the social and mental well-being of individuals to take part in the current health discussion.

Globally, politics play a significant role in determining the housing styles and management, and they two have many effects on the health of the people. However, I feel there was no need to include politics and election into the article since it is about self-risk and overcrowding in housing.  The report was supposed to focus on living conditions as a determinant of health and how it may lead to self-harm and suicide. The issue of death is only mentioned once, and therefore self-harm has not been adequately addressed to fit the title of the article (Mercer,  de Rijke,  & Dressler, 2014).

WA Government urged to fix contaminated water supplies in remote Indigenous communities (Parke, 2016)

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-22/wa-communities-grow-impatient-over-lack-ofdrinking-water/7435474

The author is focused on revealing the degree to which the problem of contaminated water affects the indigenous communities.  A report released in 2015 on water supply in WA’s 271 indigenous communities revealed the presence of nitrate contamination in more than twelve communities, Uranium contamination in four communities, E. coli and Naegleria microbes in 76 communities. The levels nitrates were so high that they could cause a blue baby syndrome (Tamadon, & Zahmatkesh, 2015). As a way of fighting the condition, the Housing Authority committed to supply bottled water to high risk fifteen communities to protect the children from water-related infections. Those who were thought to have low risk had to continue drinking the contaminated water. The WA housing Authority spokesperson explained that though a lot of improvements in the quality of water have been made the problems are still not addressed due to lack of suitable infrastructure (Bark et al. 2015). 

Efforts to Fight Trachoma

The article provides an insight into the fact that the non-indigenous and the indigenous groups do not share equal opportunities. The two do not have the same access to health services and infrastructure. The communities with fewer resources and inadequate support are as a result of colonisation. The effects of colonialism continue to affect the indigenous Australians two hundred years after (von der Porten, S., & de Loë, R. C. 2013).

The article tries to reveal the disparity that exists in the provision of clean drinking water between the indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. Many people assume that funding of the infrastructure, housing and the rule of fresh water is the priority of the government has it seeks to close the gap in healthcare. The move would be the best way to reduces the cases of water contamination especially among the indigenous populations (Ford et al. 2014). The author has attempted to address the issues by including how the Commonwealth government failed in improving the infrastructure which was its responsibility until 2014. However, he has not resolved anything on how much the government spends or what the long-term plans to provide clean water to this communities are (Taylor, Hunter,& Gray, 2013).

The article is much focused on how much the water is contaminated without an explicit discussion of the possible health outcomes to the residents (Knibbs, & Sly, 2014). (The author would have considered writing about the health problems associated with contaminated water among the indigenous tribes to make more impact. It is so unfortunate that some people have neglected their responsibility of providing clean drinking water yet the people are told nothing can be done about it (Hotez, 2014).

Conclusion

In the government should stop neglecting the indigenous populations and address the social determinants of health. This paper pays excellent attention to the different factor that influences health such as contamination of water and indigenous housing. It gives reference to how the issues are addressed in various mass media. The social determinants of health are given more attention instead of considering the behaviours of the affected people. Although the indigenous people continue to suffer the consequences of colonisation, the authors avoid addressing the issue for different reasons. Problems like poor sanitation, overcrowding and poor sanitation have existed for a very long time, but changes must be done by the current government to improve the health of the people.

References

Conclusion

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