Currently, Indigenous Australians have been affected by health inequality. Inequalities in health arise from inequalities in the wider population. Although the overall health of Australians has improved there are considerable differences in the health status for Indigenous Australians. If this gap in life expectancy and health is to be closed between Indigenous and non-indigenous, effective solutions are needed to meet this change. The Indigenous definition of health highlights the spiritual connection they have with the land and the importance that it plays in the very essence of Aboriginal life. .
The social determinants of Indigenous health is multifold and are interrelated in their cause and effect. These determinants include but are not limited to, the impact of colonization, early life, social exclusion, socio-economic factors and the lack of adequate access to culturally appropriate health care and lack of support. This combined influence has lead to poor health outcomes for the indigenous community of Australia. The overall health of indigenous australians experience lower levels of access to health services than the general population. They are more likely than non-Indigenous people to be hospitalised for most diseases and conditions, to experience disability as well as a lower quality of life due to ill health, and a reduced life expectancy than other Australians. Indigenous Australians also suffer a higher burden of emotional distress and possible mental illness than that experienced by the wider community. .
Indigenous Australians suffer from many diseases and disabilities at a far more significant rate than non-indigenous. Cardiovascular disease is the largest contributor to ill health experienced by Indigenous Australians, it is also the leading cause of death among Indigenous Australians, with a death rate nearly three times that for non-Indigenous Australians (as cited in Penm, 2008).
