Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health in Australia Today

Archaeologists believe that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people came to (what we now know as) Australia, between 65,000 and 80,000 years ago, making it the world’s oldest living culture.

Before British colonisation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians comprised more than 500 unique groups and approximately 750,000 people in total. Each group had their own languages, customs and beliefs.

Almost 250 years after colonisation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are still burdened by a complex and devastating history.

Years of mistreatment and oppression have resulted in extensive loss of culture and connection to country. Widespread socioeconomic disadvantage and health inequality continues to affect Australian culture.

The unfortunate truth is that research shows Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are more likely to die younger than their non-Indigenous community members.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders living in remote areas of Australia experience higher rates of illness and disease than those living in regional or urban areas. In fact, it comes as a surprise to many that despite being a “developed nation”, many people in remote Aboriginal communities of Australia don’t have access to clean water and fundamental sanitation services.

...

 

What can we as a society, do to achieve equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia?

As a society, there is a lot that we can do to achieve equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia.

The Close the Gap campaign is working to eliminate health inequalities experienced by Indigenous Australians. The Fred Hollows Foundation actively participates in and supports the campaign’s steering committee which aims to improve health systems, by advocating for bipartisan support and long-term funding and solutions.

The Close the Gap campaign believes that by 2030, every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child will live a long and healthy life – like any other Australian child – if the right conditions are put in place.

 

What are the key health issues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia?

Life expectancy is lower for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people than for non-Indigenous Australians

On average, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders die 10 years younger than other Australians (ABS 2013). In some areas, such as the Northern Territory, this can be as much as 17 years younger.

Compared with non-Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are more than six times as likely to be in the advanced stages of chronic kidney disease, however are less likely than non-Indigenous patients to be placed on a waiting list for a transplant.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are more than three times as likely to have diabetes as non –Indigenous Australians, and three times more likely to suffer blindness or vision loss (Overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Status 2018).

 

The disease burden is higher for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people than for non-Indigenous Australians

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders experience a burden of disease that is 2.3 times the rate of non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians (Australian Burden of Disease Study - 2011).

Some of the main health issues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people include:

• injuries (including suicide and self-inflicted injuries)
• cardiovascular diseases including coronary heart disease (CHD);
• cancer;
• respiratory diseases;
• musculoskeletal conditions

 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are more likely to have chronic diseases than non-Indigenous Australians

When we talk about ‘chronic’ disease, it means that it can last a very long time. Because of that, the social and economic effects on a patient’s life can be pervasive. 

Chronic diseases (like respiratory, cardiovascular and kidney diseases, diabetes and mental illnesses) account for almost two-thirds (64%) of this total disease burden (Australian Burden of Disease Study - 2011). 

Diabetes is the second leading cause of death amongst the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, and occurs at 3.5 times the rate of non-Indigenous people. In 2016, diabetes comprised 7.8% of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths, five times the rate of non-Indigenous people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are more than 3.5 times more likely to have a form of diabetes than non-Indigenous people (2012-13) (Overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Status 2018).

 

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

Between 2011 and 2015, cardiovascular disease was responsible for nearly a quarter (24%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths.

In 2017, coronary heart disease (CHD), diabetes, chronic lower respiratory diseases, suicide and lung and related cancers were the leading causes of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with the age-adjusted death rate due to CHD occurring at 1.8 times the rate of non-Indigenous Australians (Overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Status 2018).

 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health in Australia: A quick snapshot

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians have higher rates of many preventable eye conditions than non-Indigenous Australians

Here at The Foundation, we support increased investment in and access to culturally appropriate eye care services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are three times more likely to have vision impairment or go blind than other Australians (National Eye Health Survey Report, 2017). It’s been reported that 34% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians have some form of eye or sight issue (2012-13), including 13% of Aboriginal children (4-14 years old, 2014-15).

Sadly, cases of the bacterial eye infection called trachoma a still being identified in our First Nation peoples, with 175 cases detected in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in 2016. Despite decades of eye health work by organisations like The Fred Hollows Foundation, Australia is still the only developed nation with cases of this disease. Furthermore, trachoma is virtually non-existent in non-Aboriginal populations in Australia.

But here’s the thing.

As many as 35 percent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults have never had an eye exam (AIHW 2015). Without regular eye exams, rates of vision impairment in our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population will rise and these individuals will continue to experience disadvantage in their lives.

So, we’re doing something about it.

Our Indigenous Australia Program is working with partner organisations to:

• Deliver surgery and medical treatment for cataract and diabetic retinopathy, identify and treat uncorrected refractive error, as well as work toward the elimination of trachoma
• Increase access to services for patients in remote and underserviced communities
• Coordinate and improve outreach services so everyone who needs medical care gets it in a timely and culturally appropriate way
• Provide training and support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health staff

The Fred Hollows Foundation partners with local organisations to address the four eye conditions that cause 94% of vision loss in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. These are:

• uncorrected refractive error
• cataract
• trachoma
• and diabetic retinopathy