Non communicable health problems in indigenous people

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.

http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/climate-change/natural-disasters/health/non-communicable-diseases


Children’s health issues
1. Being underweight (newborns)
2. constantly exposed to cigarette smoke (age 5 years and under)
3. Middle ear infections, which contributes to hearing problems and can cause speech or schooling difficulties

Health problems by age group
1. 15 years and under - diseases of the chest and throat, injuries from accidents, middle ear infections.
2. Adult men - injuries from accidents, diseases of the heart and chest, substance abuse, diseases of the digestive system.
3. Adult women - pregnancy and birth, diseases of the urinary and reproductive systems, injuries sustained in accidents

Contagious diseases
- Gonorrhoea
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- HIV/AIDS
- Meningitis
- Salmonellosis
- Syphilis
- Tuberculosis.

Diet and nutrition
Traditional diets were rich in nutrients and low in fat. Modern urban diets tend to be high in fat and sugar, but low in nutrition. High fat, low fibre diets have been linked to a number of disorders including obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Causes of death
Indigenous people have a shorter life expectancy - around 18 to 19 years less than non-indigenous people. The average life span is 57 years for an Aboriginal male and 62 years for an Aboriginal female. The most common causes of death include:

1. Circulatory diseases - including heart disease and stroke. The number of deaths caused by conditions such as coronary heart disease is double that of the non-indigenous population.

2. Diabetes - and other diseases of the endocrine system. The rate of diabetes is six times higher among indigenous people. It is estimated that diabetes affects between 10 to 30 per cent of the Aboriginal population.

3. Injuries - sustained in accidents such as car crashes. An indigenous person is three times more likely to die in an accident than a non-indigenous person. The Aboriginal population also has high rates of suicide and homicide.

4. Respiratory system diseases - deaths from chronic disease are three to five times more common. Around half of the diseases are caused by infections. Respiratory infections are 10 times more common in the indigenous population.

5. Cancer - particularly lung, cervical and liver cancer. According to the South Australian Cancer Registry, the death rate among the indigenous population is higher because the cancers are typically diagnosed at a later stage.

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Aboriginal_health_issues