Learning Task 3: Public Health Enquiry Report (Rough Draft)

Section 1: Literature review:

Alcohol holds a prevalent role in Australian culture, and has done so for over a century. However since the white colonisation, alcohol abuse within the indigenous community has made its way to the forefront of Australian Public Health.In 1964 a majority of Legislative Council Committee members voted that, for the Northern Territory at that time, alcohol should be made available to Aboriginal people (Korff, 2014). However after this legislation had been passed, no information was provided to those in the indigenous communities as to the effects of alcohol abuse. Moreover it was to do the lack of communication and trending attitudes towards the indigenous and alcohol consumption, that a lack of awareness was born and so to was prevalent alcohol abuse.

In a recent study conducted by the Steering Committee for the review of Government Service Provision (SCRGSP)a 2008 report found that there was a strong link between alcohol consumption and representation in the criminal justice system among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The report stated that: “chronic risky/high risk drinkers were more likely than low risk drinkers to have been arrested in the last five years (29% compared with 15%), to have been formally charged by police (55% compared with 36%) and to have been incarcerated at some point in their lifetime (18% compared with 7%).They were also more likely to have been a victim of violence in the last 12 months (35% compared with 25%). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men who were chronic risky/high risk drinkers were two and a half times as likely as women drinkers to be arrested; twice as likely to be charged by police and nearly five times as likely to have been incarcerated.”(Pc.gov.au, 2014), (Abs.gov.au, 2014). Provided these figures it is evident that alcohol consumption within indigenous communities played a major role in the number of criminal acts and subsequent arrests made by law enforcement. In 2003, the burden of disease attributable to alcohol use among Indigenous people was more than twice that among other Australians (5.4% compared with 2.3%) (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2014).). Provided such contrasting figures between the two major racial groups within Australia, it is clear to see the effects of alcohol within the indigenous population.

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Section 2: Identify a narrow focus on the problem:

Given the high levels of alcohol consumption and binge drinking within indigenous communities, effects on the persons liver health and mental health should be considered. Among Indigenous people living in NSW, Vic, Qld, WA, SA and the NT in the two-year period July 2008 to June 2010, almost nine-tenths (86%) of hospitalisations related to alcohol use were for ICD ‘Mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol use’, including acute intoxication, dependence syndrome, and withdrawal state. The hospitalisation rate for alcoholic liver disease among Indigenous people was six times the rate for non-Indigenous people. (Healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au, 2014), costing the Australian government $50.7 billion each year (SBS, 2014). Given the high ratio of indigenous to non-indigenous liver disease victims, it is important to address liver health within the indigenous population. By addressing and possibly reversing this issue, it should be hoped that the number of aboriginal liver disease victims should be fewer therefore lessening funding required to support those with a liver illness. This would therefore benefit other programs requiring funding to enhance other failing aspects of indigenous life in Australia.

Section 3: Public Health Pilot Project:

In light of the lack of Public Health resources provided to remote indigenous communities regarding alcohol abuse, a community health program (Drop the Grog), involving teams of trained health professionals, who would travel to communities at the highest risk of severe alcohol abuse. Over the course of two weeks each team would educate both local law professionals and community members on how to deal with the excessive use of alcohol and how best to deal with those who abuse the substance. Moreover the teams would train a small group of 10 selected locals who would carry through the education after the start-up teams had left. After a period of six months an assessor will be sent back to check up on the progress of the trained community teams and how well they have been supporting the program goals. If successful Drop the Grog would continue to be funded for a further six months. At the conclusion of this final period, an overall assessment on the crimes committed by those under the influence of alcohol, and the number of those who are still abusing the substance would be carried out by government officials who would then concluded whether or not the program should be implemented to other affected communities.

References:

– Abs.gov.au. (2014). 4704.0 – The Health and Welfare of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Oct 2010.

Retrieved 10 September 2014, from

http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/lookup/4704.0Chapter756Oct+2010#EN

– Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2014).

– Healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au. (2014). Health risk factors « Overview of Australian Indigenous health status 2013 « Health facts « Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet.

Retrieved 6 September 2014, from

http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/health-facts/overviews/health-risk-factors#fnl-30

– Korff, J. (2014, September 3). Aboriginal alcohol consumption.

Retrieved September 8, 2014, from

http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/health/aboriginal-alcohol-consumption

– Pc.gov.au. (2014). Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage – Review of Government Service Provision.

Retrieved 9 September 2014, from

http://www.pc.gov.au/gsp/overcoming-indigenous-disadvantage

– SBS, (2014). Report issues liver disease warning.

Retrieved 13 September 2014, from

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/03/28/report-issues-liver-disease-warning

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