Please DYOR next time before you post.Cultural and historical...

Please DYOR next time before you post.

Cultural and historical factors

Colonisation has had a devastating impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and culture. Violence and epidemic disease caused an immediate loss of life, and the occupation of land by settlers and the restriction of Aboriginal people to ‘reserves’ disrupted their ability to support themselves. Together with the forcible removal of Indigenous children from their families and communities, Indigenous Australians have suffered ongoing inter-generational trauma. These factors are recognised as having a fundamental impact on the disadvantage and poor physical and mental health of Indigenous peoples worldwide, through social systems that maintain disparities (see, for example, ANU 2020; Paradies 2016; Paradies and Cunningham 2012).

In contrast, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural identity and participation in cultural activities, access to traditional lands along with connection to family and kinship, are recognised as protective factors and can positively influence overall health and wellbeing (AIHW 2017). For example, ABS survey data show that Indigenous Australians who lived on their homelands or traditional Country were more likely to assess their own health as excellent/very good/good (78%) than those who were not allowed to visit their homelands or traditional Country (47%) (ABS 2019).

https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/social-determinants-and-indigenous-health