Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) Community

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) community constitutes approximately 3% of the Australian population. They experience a wide range of health inequities including higher mortality and infant mortality rates and a lower life expectancy. Individuals, communities and governments each have their own roles in addressing health inequities experienced by the ATSI community but they must work in collaboration in order to achieve the most beneficial result.
Individuals are encouraged to reduced risk behaviours and increase protective behaviours by making informed, positive health-related decisions. Individuals should also ensure they can access facilities and resources that enable them to make positive health decision and therefore improve
Diet is a major contributing factor for overweight and obesity. 97% of Indigenous adults aged 15 and over had inadequate daily fruit and/or vegetable intake. In response, the Austrian government has developed a Guide to Healthy Eating specific to the ATSI community. This encourages individuals to take responsibility for their own diet. Community groups can support this program by hosting healthy community breakfasts where they provide ATSI people with a range of healthy food and inform them about what their diet should include, utilising the ATSI Guide to Healthy Eating. Schools and community groups can also provide ATSI individuals with education in relation to what types of food should be in their
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are 3.5 times as likely to have diabetes compare to non-Indigenous Australians. Participation in physical active can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. In 2011-12, 70% of people with diabetes were also physically inactive. 61% of Indigenous adults living in non-remote areas had been sedentary or undertook low levels of physical activity in the week prior to the survey. Providing education about the consequences of physical inactivity empowers ATSI people to increase their decision-making ability through education. By acknowledging that they are not getting enough physical exercises means that they can take action themselves. The community have the role of prompting the work of non-government organisations who focus on ATSI people, such as Diabetes Australia who developed to ‘Live Now and Have Hope’ Booklet. The Austrian Government assists by providing free diabetes testing to the ATSI