Population Public Health

Population Public Health
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Population Public Health
Introduction
The Aboriginals of Australia is a population that has experienced numerous challenges ranging from lack of education, unemployment to social and cultural issues that contribute to their poorer health compared to that of their non-indigenous counterparts. The Aboriginals perceptions and experiences of health service providers have continually affected their ability to seek health services since there has been discrimination and great cultural conflicts (Bianca, Anton, Miranda, & Anthony, 2014). Besides, this population has a rich culture related to land and a historical past that was characterized with repossession of their original land. This affected Aboriginals lives greatly creating numerous challenges that can be greatly attributed to their poor mental health. These issues have affected the Aboriginals to date subjecting them to abject poverty, loss of culture and identity, poor education, chronic diseases, and poor standards of living among others. The main health issue is their mental health that evidences several mental disorders such as depression, dementia, and schizophrenia among others. The social determinants of health are the primary factors which have constantly contributed to this deteriorating mental health of the Aboriginals ((Markwick et al. 2014). This paper therefore seeks to discuss mental health of the Aboriginal people of Australia and how the social determinants of health determine their mental health. The paper further discusses some interventions that have been put in place to prevent and reduce the prevalence of mental health issues affecting the indigenous Australians (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011).
The Australian Aboriginals
According to the Australian Healthinfonet (2011), the Indigenous Australian population constituted 3% of the Australian population based on 2011 census. This population comprised of more young people with an average age of 21 years while most of the families had dependent children of approximately 49% and a considerable percentage of families who had one parent. This population is also affected by some social, behavioral, and cultural factors that impact their daily lives. A third of this population as at 2011 occupied major cities indicating a rise in the number of indigenous in urban cities compared to 2006 census. This could be attributed to their increased population, census improvement in conducting its activities and the ability of Aboriginals to identify themselves as indigenous (Government of Western Australian Mental Health Commission, 2010).
Mental Health of the Aboriginals
The health of the Aboriginals can be viewed holistically as the mental, physical, spiritual, political, ideological, cultural and environmental well being. Within this context, the Aboriginals mental health can be examined to establish the bases for the increased mental ailments among this population. For instance, ailments such as schizophrenia, depression and psychosis may have originated from cultural stress which was severe leading to lack of a sense of safety and security. The Aboriginal generally experience low standards in most of the determinants of...