Indigenous People – Diabetes The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are commonly known as Indigenous People of Australia who were descended from groups that lived in Australia and nearby islands before the European settlement. It is estimated that 669,900 indigenous people spread across Australia representing 3% of the total Australian population as per the information from the 2011 Census. (The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)-2013). The majority of (79%) of Indigenous Australians live in metropolitan area and remaining people live in rural and remote areas. The highest number of Indigenous Australians live in Northern Territory, with 30% of its population are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people. (Indigenous Health,
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There are three types of diabetes which are Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM). Type 2 Diabetes is one of the serious health problems among indigenous people who tend to develop it at earlier ages and often die at younger ages. GDM experiences among women during pregnancy and is more common in indigenous woman than the non-indigenous women. Diabetes can develop to life threatening health issues within months of diagnosis or later stage in life. Diabetes was the second leading cause of death among indigenous people and leading cause for one-in-twelve deaths of Indigenous people living in Australia. (A I HealthInfoNet, 2015 Overview of Indigenous Health). Diabetes in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community is five to ten times higher than other Australians. Controlling of diabetes is hard among indigenous people due to limited access to health services and language barriers. There is no direct way to cure diabetes but it can keep under control by maintaining healthy weight, eating healthier foods, doing more exercises, stopping smoking and managing blood pressure and cholesterol. (Diabetes Australia, 2014) Undoubtedly diabetes is a major health issue for many Indigenous people, mainly type 2 diabetes, which affects more Indigenous people than non-Indigenous people. Numerous Indigenous people die from the effects of Diabetes and is caused by the way …show more content…
The Diabetes Strategy and Implementation plan, National Diabetic Strategy 2000-2004, and Western Australian Diabetic Strategy 1998 are some instances for the government initiatives for preventing this disease. State organisations run a number of programs and services for people with diabetes like My Healthy Balance, Get on Track, Workplace Power and Walking Away. ‘My Healthy Balance’ is a healthy lifestyle program conducted through online and ‘Walking Away’ is an interactive program for those people with pre-diabetes or at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. (Diabetes Australia, 2014) Apart from Government agencies non-Government agencies also work in indigenous groups for their health and well-being. ANTaR is an example of Non-Government agency working for the Indigenous community. ANTaR is mainly working for indigenous people in support of justice, rights and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia. (https://antar.org.au/about/purpose). It is necessary and more beneficial if the agencies work collaboratively like increased use of services, increased access of services and many other issues can be solved in the population health
There are three types of diabetes which are Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM). Type 2 Diabetes is one of the serious health problems among indigenous people who tend to develop it at earlier ages and often die at younger ages. GDM experiences among women during pregnancy and is more common in indigenous woman than the non-indigenous women. Diabetes can develop to life threatening health issues within months of diagnosis or later stage in life. Diabetes was the second leading cause of death among indigenous people and leading cause for one-in-twelve deaths of Indigenous people living in Australia. (A I HealthInfoNet, 2015 Overview of Indigenous Health). Diabetes in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community is five to ten times higher than other Australians. Controlling of diabetes is hard among indigenous people due to limited access to health services and language barriers. There is no direct way to cure diabetes but it can keep under control by maintaining healthy weight, eating healthier foods, doing more exercises, stopping smoking and managing blood pressure and cholesterol. (Diabetes Australia, 2014) Undoubtedly diabetes is a major health issue for many Indigenous people, mainly type 2 diabetes, which affects more Indigenous people than non-Indigenous people. Numerous Indigenous people die from the effects of Diabetes and is caused by the way …show more content…
The Diabetes Strategy and Implementation plan, National Diabetic Strategy 2000-2004, and Western Australian Diabetic Strategy 1998 are some instances for the government initiatives for preventing this disease. State organisations run a number of programs and services for people with diabetes like My Healthy Balance, Get on Track, Workplace Power and Walking Away. ‘My Healthy Balance’ is a healthy lifestyle program conducted through online and ‘Walking Away’ is an interactive program for those people with pre-diabetes or at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. (Diabetes Australia, 2014) Apart from Government agencies non-Government agencies also work in indigenous groups for their health and well-being. ANTaR is an example of Non-Government agency working for the Indigenous community. ANTaR is mainly working for indigenous people in support of justice, rights and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia. (https://antar.org.au/about/purpose). It is necessary and more beneficial if the agencies work collaboratively like increased use of services, increased access of services and many other issues can be solved in the population health