They also have three times the rate of road death and injury than other AustralianвЂ™s, a result of lower seatbelt use and, driving on lower-standard roads in vehicles with a lower safety standard. Violence and hospitalisations for injuries arising from assault are higher for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. While food supply can be more limited in rural and remote areas, including quality, variety and cost of fresh fruit and vegetables, 39 food supply problems are also evident in urban poor communities. The nutritional status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is influenced by socio-economic disadvantage and geographical, environmental and social factors.

Obesity, which can result from the combination of poor nutrition and physical inactivity, increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Smoking leads to higher incidence of a number of diseases, including chronic lung disease, cardiovascular disease and many forms of cancer. The top seven risk factors that require a continued focus are illustrated above.

Risk factors contributing to the health gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous people. Interventions on these issues need to recognise the importance of a multi-layered approach to risk factor modification including system-level and community responses alongside programs targeted at individuals. Top of page Health Impacts Across the Life CourseThere are a number of health conditions that significantly contribute to the disparity in the health status between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the non-Indigenous population. For example, delays in child development impact on education progress which in later life can impact on employment and opportunities, and consequently reinforces the social inequalities that produce health inequalities in subsequent generations. A life course approach is necessary in order to address the inter-generational mechanisms that impact on health inequalities. Addressing health risks earlier in the life span, through prevention and early intervention during developmentally sensitive periods, provides greater returns for the resources invested. The key challenge here will be to deliver person-centred, culturally appropriate health care for older people that maximises their function and independence through access to a flexible range of general and specialist health services.ДЄpplying a whole-of-life perspective recognises the different stages in life, highlights key transition periods for individuals and provides strategic points of intersection between health and mental health and social and emotional wellbeing. However there will also be increases in the number of older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over the coming decade. The younger age profile of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population requires a focus on well-designed and implemented antenatal care and early childhood programs, along with effective interventions to support young adults to adopt healthy lives. Sixty two per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are less than 30 years of age and just three per cent are aged 65 years and over, compared to 14 per cent of non-Indigenous Australians. Goal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are as healthy as non-Indigenous people and enjoy the same life expectancy by 2031 (one of the six Closing the Gap targets).Д¬ontext Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are three per cent of the total Australian population, which has increased by 30 per cent from June 2006, with a birth rate which is 25 per cent higher than for non-Indigenous Australians. Whole of life вЂњThe strength of using a whole-of-life structure is that it encourages attention to the broader factors affecting health as people move through the stages.вЂќ 35

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health.

Department of Health | Priorities-Whole of Life

Circle of life eye care