When this kind of effect happens to a certain group or population, it could have harmful consequences towards their identity. It is because indigenous Australians economic status, sex, race and ethnicity area affected by the change and became the target for racist comments and ruined their “identity”, in fact, they did not have to face situations like this (racism) prior to the Assimilation Policy, putting them at a higher risk for developing mental problems, that greatly affect the total well being of an individual, tribe or culture (AIHIN 2013). Racism, one out of five Australians experience it everyday (All together now 2014). And it has brought varying effects to people in Australia, especially the Indigenous Australians. Racism has given them the wrong identity of being violent, unhealthy, sickly, poor and uneducated; it is just traumatic, when in fact all of these happened because of their exposure to racism (Creative Spirits 2013).
The negative efforts of immigration also be emphasized by some people who against immigration in Australia. Firstly, they point out that immigration bring lots of intranquil social factors. It is no surprise that Australia is one of the country with highest welfare in the world, so every migrant to Australia must be provided with accommodation, food, transport, hospital, water and all the basic of necessities of life. With the increasing number of immigrants, some people worry about the increasing the request of welfare will be a heavy burden for the society. Besides, the immigrants with different cultures often have different morals standards and religion beliefs, which is always the potential cause of contend and crime.
According to Loschmann & Pearce. (2006). Among Maori there is a large amount of mortality which is attributed to diseases that had effective health care services available. This identifies dissimilarities in access to health care. Access to primary and secondary health services differ for Maori and non Maori.
Social practices and certain beliefs are constantly affecting our health and wellbeing from the day we are born right up until the day we die. When dealing with Australian Aboriginal health and comparing it to the rest of the Australian population there are many differences that become apparent and need to be taken into account. Some of the strong differences include the influential connection between people and food, their basic lay understandings and perceptions of health and illness in their society (Nettleton 2006, p.1). Indigenous Australian communities carry a huge burden of preventable chronic diseases such as Non Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus. There is currently a 17-year age difference between the life expectancy of an Indigenous
Core 1 – Health priorities in Australia – ‘Groups experiencing health inequalities’ For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples: 1) Describe the nature and extent of the health inequalities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Health inequity occurs when individuals or communities experience relatively high levels of a disease, or other health issue, due to circumstances which are quite often beyond their control. For example, some groups have shorter life expectancies, poor access to health services, higher levels of avoidable risk factors and/or reduced ability to make healthy lifestyle choices. Inequities refer to situations or actions that lack fairness or justice. Inequities refer to social or economic differences between people or groups.
In addition, age and gender also play significant roles in influencing people’s perception and pain management. The authors determined that newly arrived immigrants and people who don't speak the local language tend to have “disadvantages with respect to treatment for painful condition”. When patients do not understand what their doctor are telling them or are insensitive to cultural differences, the quality and efficiency of healthcare services reduce significantly. Furthermore, in some countries, patients are only allowed to visit the doctors with the same sex. Therefore, delay in treatment may occur when they immigrant to a new country with a different culture.
The reasons for these inequalities are linked with socioeconomic status, ethnicity, gender and the geographical area in which people live. There is also statistical evidence which highlights the fact that Maori, Pacific Islanders and people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are dying at a younger age and generally have poorer health than other New Zealanders (Ministry of Health [MOH], 2002). The Reducing Inequalities in Health report (MOH, 2002) states that the primary causes of health inequality in New Zealand are directly related to the distribution of and access to resources such as income, education, employment and housing. The report also states that another major influence on this inequality in health is the difference in how and when people access health care services and how that care may differ between those receiving the services. This is also said to have a significant impact both on peoples’ health status and mortality rates.
Nowadays, life expectancy in developing countries has been shockingly low and it is has become a subject that the whole world has become increasingly worried about, more so than ever. People need to know about the diseases that lurk the world. “For this to happen, help is needed across the world in breaking down all against barriers that make people second-class citizens and build a world where they can flourish” (Mitchell, 2009). There is more the one issue that has to be dealt with in order to gradually diminish the differences between the life expectancies of citizens in first world countries, in comparison to those in third world countries. For example, some differences are water and sanitation, diseases (such as HIV), medicine and medical treatment.
Ethnicity has repeatedly been shown to be a strong indicator of health status. Deprivation, socioeconomic factors such as income, education and unemployment, is recognised as a major indicator of health. These are demographic characteristics that will influence services, for example if a local community have a particularly high number of older people then residential homes and nursing homes are going to be more important that than services for children like nurseries and playgroups. I have chosen to look at teenage pregnancies and child poverty in Norfolk. Child Poverty Many children and young people in Norfolk face a variety of disadvantages that mean they are less likely to have positive outcomes for their lives.
The effect of social integration on health is conclusively documented in the theory of ‘social support’ [Cassel, 1976]1. The effect of social and economic inequality on health is profound too. Poverty, which is a result of social and economic inequality in a society, is detrimental to the health of population. The outcome indicators of health (mortality, morbidity and life expectancy) are all directly influenced by the standards of living of a given population. More so, it is not the absolute deprivation of income that matters, but the relative distribution of income [Wilkinson, 1992]2.