Indigenous health part 1: determinants and disease patterns.

Malcolm King, Michael Gracey

Journal: Lancet (London, England) 2009;374(9683):65-75

PMID: 19577695

Full Text on Elsevier Science View on PubMed

Abstract

The world's almost 400 million Indigenous people have low standards of health. This poor health is associated with poverty, malnutrition, overcrowding, poor hygiene, environmental contamination, and prevalent infections. Inadequate clinical care and health promotion, and poor disease prevention services aggravate this situation. Some Indigenous groups, as they move from traditional to transitional and modern lifestyles, are rapidly acquiring lifestyle diseases, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes, and physical, social, and mental disorders linked to misuse of alcohol and of other drugs. Correction of these inequities needs increased awareness, political commitment, and recognition rather than governmental denial and neglect of these serious and complex problems. Indigenous people should be encouraged, trained, and enabled to become increasingly involved in overcoming these challenges.

Address: Unity of First People of Australia, Perth, WA, Australia. [email protected]

DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60914-4

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MeSH Terms: Child, Child Welfare, Chronic Disease, Colonialism, Communicable Diseases, Cost of Illness, Global Health, Health Services Needs and Demand, Health Services, Indigenous, Health Status Disparities, Health Transition, Humans, Life Style, Maternal Welfare, Minority Groups, Morbidity, Ownership, Population Groups, Population Surveillance, Poverty, Urbanization