Discrepancy Of Health Equity And Inequality In Australia

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), equity is defined as the absence of avoidable differences among groups of people, socially, economically, demographically, or geographically. Whereas, equality means the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, or opportunities, (Oxford Dictionary of English). There is a great discrepancy of health equality and equity in Australia. Especially with people who live in rural or remote areas, Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders (ATSI) and low socioeconomic groups. Inequities in social determinants often lead to health inequalities. For example, female mortality rates in the lowest socioeconomic areas are 23 percent higher than females in the highest socioeconomic areas (Australian
This is reflected in the large gap in life expectancy and higher rates of infant mortality. In 2008, the Australian government made it an official obligation to address Indigenous disadvantage in Australia, known as 'Closing the Gap’. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2016) Indigenous Australians have a life expectancy of around 10 years less than non-Indigenous Australians. With the estimated life expectancy of 71 for Indigenous Australians and 81 for non-indigenous. Approximately around 45 percent of deaths amongst Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders are caused by cardiovascular disease and cancer such as neoplasms. Whereas, among non-indigenous Australians these diseases represent a much smaller percentage of deaths. The main causes of these diseases are a result of alcohol and drug abuse, as well as smoking. Alcohol related harm experienced by Indigenous Australians results in an estimated fifteen years less, on average, than in the general population (Calabria, Doran, Vos, Shakeshaft & Hall,
Unintentional injury is the leading cause for such rates and is a key contributor to childhood health inequalities. In the years 2014-2016, the number of deaths in Indigenous children aged 0-4 were more than double than that of non-Indigenous children. (Australians Together | Indigenous disadvantage in Australia, 2018). Most of these inequalities can be explained by the socioeconomic disadvantage Aboriginal people’s experience. Past policies of colonization and dispossession has resulted in a cycle of disadvantages such as: poor education, high unemployment and low income, separation of families, drug abuse and overcrowded living conditions in Aboriginal peoples, all of which have been associated with an increased risk of child injury. Higher child injury rates can also be attributed to that fact that a larger proportion of Aboriginal Australians live in remote and in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. In the years 2014-2016, the number of deaths in Indigenous children aged 0-4 were more than double than that of non-Indigenous children. (Australians Together | Indigenous disadvantage in Australia, 2018). This could also be credited to the high rates child abuse with the aboriginal community. Australian Institute of Family Studies (2003) states that from 2001-2002, 3,254 Indigenous children under 17 years had