What does the data tell us?

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples comprise approximately 3.8% of the Australian population.
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live, on average 8.6 years less for males and 7.8 years less for females compared to non-Indigenous Australians (AIHW, 2023).
• Indigenous Australians experience 2.3 times the burden of disease of non-Indigenous people.
• Infant mortality rate is almost twice as high among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies (approximately 6 per 1,000 live births) compared to non-Indigenous babies (around 3.2 per 1,000).
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have higher rates of nearly all major chronic diseases.
• Rates of psychological distress are 2.5 times higher than for non-Indigenous people.
• Higher rates of smoking, risky alcohol consumption, poor nutrition and physical activity.

How do the determinants of health interact to affect the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples?

Learning Activity:

Create a concept map to review the health determinants (broad features of society, environmental factors, socioeconomic characteristics, health behaviours and biomedical factors) explored in Focus Area One.

How do the determinants of health interact to affect the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples?

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people, factors such as cultural identity, family and kinship, country and caring for country, knowledge and beliefs, language and participation in cultural activities and access to traditional lands are key determinants of health and wellbeing (AIHW, 2023). 

Key differences between First Nations people and non‑Indigenous Australians include:

• The social determinants of health – on average, levels of education, employment, income and housing quality are lower among First Nations people than among non‑Indigenous Australians 

 (AHMAC, 2017; AIHW, 2023a)

• Health risk factors – on average, rates of smoking are higher, levels of physical activity are lower and the risk of high blood pressure is greater among First Nations people than among non-Indigenous Australians (AHMAC, 2017; AIHW, 2023a)
• Access to appropriate health services – First Nations people are more likely than non‑Indigenous Australians to report difficulty in accessing affordable health services that are close by (AIHW, 2015). First Nations people also face additional barriers to accessing health services due to cultural reasons, such as language problems, discrimination and cultural appropriateness (AIHW, 2023a).

Causes that underpin inequities in health:

• Historical disadvantage and colonisation (e.g. dispossession, intergenerational trauma)
• Lower levels of education and employment
• Overcrowded or inadequate housing
• Limited access to culturally safe and geographically accessible health services
• Systemic racism and discrimination

Learning Activity:

Research and create a timeline of significant events that have affected the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Include events such as:

• European colonisation and the impact on Indigenous Australians 
• The Stolen Generations
• The introduction of health policies specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
• The Mabo Decision and Native Title
• Key public health interventions and their effects. 

After completing the timeline, ‘Think Pair Share’ how these events may have contributed to current health disparities. Reflect on the long-term effects of colonisation, dispossession and systemic exclusion from mainstream healthcare.

What actions can be implemented to improve the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples?

Learning Activity:

Research or propose solutions and strategies that have been implemented to improve the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (e.g. programs targeting education in remote communities, initiatives to improve housing or healthcare policies for Indigenous populations).