The Aboriginal population of Canada
A very prominent issue in the healthcare system today is the various inequalities faced by the aboriginal populations of Canada. These populations are subject to a high degree of social violence and inequality due to the unequal distribution of the social determinants of health (SDOH). The health inequities challenging the Aboriginal peoples are closely related to their socio-economic and socio-political status as well as their physical environment. These include, but aren’t limited to, economic disadvantages, social exclusion, lack of influence on policy, and poor educational and employment opportunities. The unequal distribution of SDOH is also seen through unequal access to healthcare, food insecurity and poor nutrition, demanding physical environments, poor health practices, and geographic, demographic, and economic barriers. These factors work in a synergistic-antagonistic method to enhance health challenges.
Education, occupation, and income are key determinants in defining socioeconomic status and the quality and level of health, and therefore determine its outcomes and overall quality of life. Inequality in these factors coupled with geographic isolation and land dispossession result in a lack of access to healthy food and healthcare, ultimately increasing vulnerability and prevalence of chronic disease. Their geographical isolation, in particular, makes them more likely to experience the unequal distribution of the social determinants and social exclusion, and therefore they very likely to suffer from poor health.
High rates of chronic health challenges and the inability to adequately treat them further contribute to the depreciating health of Aboriginal populations. The lack of essential SDOH amongst these underprivileged, underrepresented, and under-serviced populations is appalling and should be viewed as a contemporary form of racism, discrimination, and oppression. Research studies support this by actually identifying social determinants that are specific to Aboriginal populations: racism, political marginalization, and colonization. Another key factor affecting these individuals, poverty, is also responsible for their high rates of morbidity, mortality, and improper and unequal access to food, housing, employment, education, income, and healthcare. These inequalities can be rectified if global health concepts are implemented.
By adopting governmental initiatives, social services, a focus on health promotion and disease prevention, and an education system seen in countries where health inequity is practically non-existent like Switzerland, Canada can successfully begin to address these issues. This can also be accomplished by concentrating on the social and systemic etiology of illness, understanding the social determinants of disease, and addressing the factors of structural violence. By employing these practices in our system, a sustainable and dynamic biosocial approach with a focus on health promotion and maintenance, disease prevention, collaboration, and communication can be implemented to address the issues.
Poverty is another factor that compounds the hardships faced by Aboriginal populations. It “is arguably the greatest risk factor for acquiring and succumbing to disease”.1 The effects of poverty are transcendent to finance; it encompasses the loss of opportunity, and has a great effect on mental health. It produces and is also the product of illiteracy and a lack of resources. Additionally, the situation is further influenced by the lack of access to sanitation and clean drinking water. Some reserves require residents to utilize water only after boiling it due to contamination with bacteria such as E-coli and a lack of filtration against diarrhea causing viral particles. This, coupled with the aforementioned factors, leave these individuals susceptible to nutritional deficits. A case of scurvy, a nutritional deficit resulting from a lack of vitamin C, was recently diagnosed in Northern Ontario. This finding is shocking as scurvy is otherwise isolated to very poor regions of developing countries, particularly in the continent of Africa.
Many health inequalities still exist today despite Canada’s promise to ensure universal, accessible, portable, and comprehensive health care to all. Issues affecting aboriginals, homeless individuals, and even immigrants all are a product of the unequal access and distribution of the SDOH. It is evident that income, education, and employment are the fundamental determinants that define the socioeconomic status and quality of life for individuals in Canada and around the world. Although globalization has a positive impact on income and employment, Canada must adopt systemic change to adequately address the needs of its vulnerable populations. Addressing these factors embodies an upstream approach to health by the provision of opportunities to employment, income, and a strong social support network, providing education and facilitating autonomy in health practices, and building capacity and planning for systemic improvements. Contemporary health must be equally accessible by all populations, should emphasize disease prevention and health promotion, adopt global health standards and concerns, and focus on primary health care. Global health has a tremendous impact on local practice, and should be thoroughly studied to craft the best possible method of addressing health inequities.
By Muhammad Akhter
Please note that opinions expressed are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the views and values of The Blank Page.
References:
Alsan, M. M., Westerhaus, M., Herce, M., Nakashima, K., & Farmer, P. E. (2011). Poverty, Global Health, and Infectious Disease: Lessons from Haiti and Rwanda. Infectious Disease Clinics of North America, 25(3), 611-622. doi:10.1016/j.idc.2011.05.004
