Aboriginal health: a discussion of some current issues

This paper explores some health status differences between the Aboriginal and total Australian populations, and investigates trends in Aboriginal mortality and morbidity within the context of some of the socioeconomic, lifestyle and environmental influences. It identifies that Aboriginal people continue to suffer from a number of health problems at significantly higher rates than the rest of the population, and discusses some of the effects of early fertility and alcohol misuse on health status. Drawing on some findings of the 1994 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Survey, the paper concludes with the proposition that it is impossible to consider the economic implications of sub-standard Aboriginal health without also considering the social issues, and that programs aimed at improving this situation must be demand-driven, economically responsible responses to identified problems in specific regions.