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Social Determinants Of Health Essay

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What effects do social determinants, particularly socioeconomic status, have on the health of Indigenous Australians?
The social determinants of health refer to the conditions in which people are born, living, working and aging. (http://www.who.int/social_determinants/sdh_definition/en/). It is how population health and inequality is determined by interconnected social factors such as the distribution of money, power and particularly, socioeconomic position (Carson et al., 2007). The socioeconomic position of an individual is defined by their education level, career choices and average incomes (Ruralhealth, 2017).
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, mainly those who live in rural and remote Australia, tend to have a lower socioeconomic …show more content…

Education is also strongly linked to the likelihood of engaging in risky health behaviours such as smoking and substance abuse (ABS 2013). On the other hand, having a higher income allows for greater access to goods and services that provide health benefits. Unfortunately, the large numbers of Indigenous Australians living in rural and remote Australia neither have a high education level or a high income. This results in them being socially excluded from the rest of Australia by not having equal access to “…primary health care and health infrastructure (i.e safe drinking water, effective sewerage systems, rubbish collection services and health housing)” (Carson et al., 2007). They are also not as well informed about general health and safety risks and therefore tend to face a higher risk of poor health due to higher rates of substance use, smoking and dietary behaviour (i.e. lower level of recommended daily food consumption).

The result of being exposed to poorer health care also shows in the birth of Indigenous children. In the National Perinatal Data Collection, AIHW shows how:
• In 2013 Indigenous babies were twice as likely to be of low birthweight as to babies born to non-Indigenous

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