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Some other government
opinions...
"Substance misuse is also a problem for indigenous communities
in other parts of the developed world. A survey in 1996 in the
Northwest Territories of Canada found that Aboriginal people aged over
15 years were about 11 times more likely than non-Aboriginal
respondents to report having sniffed aerosols or solvents (Health
Canada 1999)."
"Aboriginal Canadians 15 years of age were approximately three
times more likely than non-Aboriginal people to report having used
marijuana or hashish in the past year, and three-and-a-half times more
likely to report having used LSD, speed, cocaine, crack or heroin (Health
Canada 1999)."
"In the United States, the 1991–93 National Household Survey
on Drug Abuse found that Native Americans tended to report higher rates
of illicit drug use and the need for illicit drug treatment than people
in the general population. For example, 20% of Native Americans over
the age of 12 reported the use of illicit drugs in the previous year
compared, with 12% of the total population. Native Americans also had
the highest reported rate of marijuana use at 15%, compared with 9% in
the total population (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration 1998)."
| Insert: The worldwide trend of
substance abuse in indigenous communities is due to the deleterious
effects of European invasion. Substance abuse is a symptom of cultural
and physical displacement on a devastating scale, not a cause. |
RISK FACTORS FOR ILL HEALTH
The relative socioeconomic disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Australians compared with other Australians
places them at greater risk of ill health. A review of research
literature indicates that one reason for this is that health risk
behaviours such as cigarette smoking and excessive alcohol consumption
are more likely to occur among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. Winkleby
et al. (1990) found that lower levels of education, a key
indicator of socioeconomic status, were associated with a higher
prevalence of health risk factors such as smoking and obesity.
Results of the 1994 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Survey (NATSIS) showed that Indigenous people aged 18 and
over who had completed at least year 12 were less likely to report that
they smoked than those who left school earlier (ABS & AIHW 1999).
While an association between socioeconomic status and an increased
level of health risk behaviour is apparent, the reasons why
socioeconomically disadvantaged people are more likely to take health
risks than others are complex, and the subject of ongoing research.
"Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live in
remote areas of Australia and do not have the same opportunities as
other Australians to obtain affordable, healthy food. For example, the 2000
Healthy Food Access Basket survey in Queensland confirmed that the
cost of basic food was considerably higher in rural and remote
communities than in metropolitan and regional centres, and noted that
‘the food supply and delivery system is structured to favour
metropolitan areas’ (Public Health Services, Queensland Health
2001, p. 38)."
Insert: And not just food...
I once bought a 'ghetto-blaster' in Darwin for $199.
An identical ghetto-blaster was being sold at Wagait Store (a 20 minute
ferry trip from Darwin) for $360.
These were being sold to Aboriginal people without the
means (or inclination) to travel to an
often hostile urban environment.
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Stores in remote locations were also less likely to have basic
food items or ‘better nutritional choices’ (such as reduced fat milk,
wholemeal bread and lean meat) available, and had the least variety of
fresh fruit and vegetables. The price of tobacco and take-away food
items also rose with increasing remoteness, but the relative cost
increase was not as high as that for healthy food (Public Health
Services, Queensland Health 2001)."
Source: 4704.0 The Health and Welfare of Australia's
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (2001)
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