Otitis Media in Aboriginal Communities

Authors Avatar

Indigenous Health Assignment

Diabetes is a very serious health concern among Indigenous communities throughout Australia. It is a disease which affects multiple aspects of Aboriginal life, creating a need for a complete lifestyle change; one which some Indigenous people do not have the money or knowledge to be able to achieve. In this assignment, I will be discussing the epidemiology and trends of diabetes and why type II diabetes, in particular, is a worrying and statistically high form of the disease. I will also be exploring the fundamental causes of diabetes in Aboriginal communities, which includes a discussion about historical circumstances and socio-economic conditions. I will conclude with information about organisations and services which are helping to improve the health of Aboriginal people through community based diabetes assistance.

The prevalence and trend of diabetes in Indigenous communities is significantly higher than that of the non-Indigenous community. In 2006, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that diabetes was 3.4 times more common for Aboriginal people than for other Australian people.1,2 From the data collected by the Bureau of Statistics, it has been estimated that around 6% of Indigenous Australians have some form of diabetes.1,2 However, this only reflects the number of Aborigine’s who reported and are aware that they currently have diabetes. Unfortunately many Aborigines’ are not aware that they suffer from diabetes and are only diagnosed with the disease after they have seen a doctor for another medical reason.2 Therefore, this figure of 6% is grossly understated and the true figure is estimated to be in between 10% to 30%.1,2  Another disturbing trend for Indigenous Australian’s is that diabetes (especially type II) begins earlier in life and to a greater extent. Between the ages of 25 to 34 years old, 4.3 percent of the Indigenous population have diabetes compared to only 0.6 percent of the non-Indigenous population.1,2 However, it is not until the ages of 45 to 54 years old that the proportion of non-Indigenous Australian’s who suffer from diabetes reaches 4.0 percent.1,2 “A sedentary lifestyle doubles the risk of CVD, Type II diabetes and obesity”3; a trend that applies for all Australian’s. In 2002, a survey was conducted within Aboriginal communities to discover the amount of sport and recreational activities they had undertaken3. It was found that 51% of people had not participated in any sports or recreational activities throughout the past 12 months.3 Another alarming trend throughout the Indigenous community is the high mortality rate.1-3 In 2004, the Bureau of Statistics estimated that of the amount of deaths from, “endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases”1,2 (mostly due to diabetes and its complications), the death rate was 10.5 times higher for Aboriginal Australian women and 7.5 times higher for Aboriginal Australian males than other Australian’s.1 The epidemiology and trends currently facing the Australian Indigenous people are too severe. Hopefully, these trends will be able to be reversed over the next few years via community based preventative methods which I will discus near the completion of this paper.

Join now!

Type II diabetes is a very concerning disease which affects the sufferers physical, financial and emotional wellbeing. Type II diabetes is the most predominant form of diabetes that is suffered by Indigenous people. Around 98% of all Aboriginal diabetes mellitus is type II, and about 2% is type I.3 Type I diabetes mellitus is acquired via genetic predisposition and the body cannot produce any or enough of the hormone insulin which is required to regulate blood sugar.3 However, type II diabetes is acquired mainly through lifestyle conditions and the body becomes unable to effectively use the insulin that is produced and ...

This is a preview of the whole essay