ipl-logo

Health Inequality In Australia Essay

404 Words2 Pages

The World Health Organization (WHO, 2017) estimates that 1.2 billion people in the world live in extreme poverty. This concept of poverty is used to describe those who lack the means or resources to meet basic needs. In effect, those living in poverty are deprived of ready access to sufficient food supply, clean water, basic toilet facilities, safe housing or any health care that is generally the norm of living enjoyed by the broader community (Torpy, Lunm & Glass, 2007, p.1837). In saying this, it is obvious that poverty is a social determinant of health that causes health inequality for those across Australia. In general terms, the lower an individual’s socio-economic status (SES), the poorer their health. Communities with low-economic status and high poverty are at risk of being overweight as there are low levels of physical activity settings (Powell, Slater …show more content…

As Australia is a higher-income nation, the cost per unit of food is low and hence, associates with high-energy intakes. A community study (Drewnowski, 2004, p.6) of French adults found that energy-dense foods that are high in fat, sugar or starch are linked to high energy intakes and excess weight gain. Such foods consist of sweets, fast foods and desserts. In comparison, energy-dilute foods which include fruits and vegetables are associated with higher diet costs. From this observational study, it highlights the low cost of energy dense foods and the association of lower incomes and food insecurity with lower intakes of fruits and vegetables leading to lower-quality diets. For this reason, people living in a lower-income household may be more prone to consume energy-dense foods rather than the healthier options, which most likely contributes to the obesity epidemic (Government of Western Australia Department of Health,

Show More
Related
1067 Words | 5 Pages

He mentions, “People living in low-income areas have limited access to healthy food options for a variety of reasons, a barrier that contributes to their particularly high risk for being obese. ”(Khullar) which shows that he is examining reasons of why obesity is an issue. People in low income areas have no reason to spend extra money on food that may be a little more good for their health. These people have more important issues to worry about in their minds such as bills, providing food for their family, and trying to make ends meet. Even people that have money find that eating healthy proves to be a challenge.

Read More
972 Words | 4 Pages

People in America are encouraged to become healthier by exercising, following a balanced diet, and assuming healthy habits. Unfortunately, most Americans cannot live a healthy lifestyle because their socioeconomic status limits their choices. The United States economic system functions as a hierarchy, where 1% of the population are more affluent than the rest (CNN). The economic gap makes it harder for the rest of the population to afford healthy behaviors. 15.1 percent of Americans fall below the poverty level, due to the economic disparity in America (State).

Read More
1633 Words | 7 Pages

Socioeconomic class remains a consistent and highly influential factor on the many factors of contemporary Australian society. There are three key identifiers of class in modern Australia, economic wealth and inequality, levels of cultural capital, and state of health; these factors need to be addressed in order to demonstrate the impact of class on society today. Economic inequality is overwhelmingly apparent in Australian society, with the distribution of wealth aligning with the traditional ideas of class. Culture is used as a weapon against those deemed to possess less cultural capital within Australia, even those who hold considerable wealth, highlighting the cultural aspects of class that remain relevant within society. Health is a large

Read More
352 Words | 2 Pages

In the HBO documentary segment "The Weight of the Nation: Poverty and Obesity,” the connection between poverty and obesity is explored. One possible reason highlighted in the video is the limited access to healthy food options in low-income neighborhoods, often referred to as food deserts. These areas lack grocery stores with fresh produce and instead have an abundance of fast food outlets and convenience stores offering cheap, calorie-dense, but nutrient-poor options. Additionally, the stress associated with poverty can lead to emotional eating and reliance on inexpensive, high-calorie comfort foods, contributing to weight gain. Beyond poverty, several factors contribute to high overweight and obesity rates.

Read More
489 Words | 2 Pages

Inequality, by definition is the difference in size, degree, circumstances and lack of one. Income and wealth inequality is currently a major phenomenon affecting the lives of many, including Australians. We aussies love to relish on our beliefs, specifically by perceiving our nation as egalitarian. We’ve deemed our country as an income and wealth friendly country, in which everyone receives suitable amounts of income/wealth depending on their occupations. However, all of these remarks are not necessarily correct and in this feature article I will aim to identify, illuminate and discover the current issues of inequality in income and wealth within Australia.

Read More
213 Words | 1 Pages

In this essay I will be talking about the effects of social determinants of health and health inequalities within my area of practice or my neighbourhood. The social determinants of health are the circumstances in which people are born, grow up, live and work. These include housing, education, financial security and the built up environment as well as the health system. Health inequalities is the way health determinant is delivered across different populations. However, these differences are thought to be inequitable, meaning lack of fairness or justice.

Read More
502 Words | 3 Pages

They are often disadvantaged in the areas of education and employment, which means access to general services such as health professionals, hospitals, and dental facilities... Etc. is limited. During the ‘Minimising Health inequalities’ video, Robbi Chaplin, CEO of Inner South Community Health Service stated, “What determine people’s health. It’s people’s access to resources’.

Read More
1068 Words | 5 Pages

Economic inequality is the difference found in various measures of economic well-being among individuals in a population, often referring to income and wealth. Income and wealth inequality is increasingly prevalent in Australia. The top 20% income group receives around five times as much income as the bottom 20% and the top 20% wealth group has 70 times as much wealth as the bottom 20%. Government policies are used to ensure fairness in the spread of wealth and economic opportunity throughout the economy. However policies can be amended and introduced to further reduce income and wealth inequality.

Read More
1397 Words | 6 Pages

Inequality is a big problem in Australian society, including the job market. Even though Australia is a developed country with a strong economy, there are significant differences in job opportunities, pay, and career growth based on things like gender, ethnicity, age, education, social status and technology. Understanding the causes of inequality such as a drive for profitability allows us to work towards a job market that's fairer and gives everyone a fair chance to succeed. Ultimately labour markets are driven by market forces of supply and demand. Inequality significantly impacts the Australian labour markets, manifesting in disparities based on factors such as gender, ethnicity, education, and socio-economic background.

Read More
1951 Words | 8 Pages

The aim of this assignment is providing an overview of the key health issues affecting Australia today. Within the assignment I will cover the historical trends and foretell the country health future in the perspective of social issues and global health. Over the recent years Australia has had to deal with the continuous and current health issues like chronic diseases. Chronic diseases in Australia are the main cause of disability, death and illness and also is the most difficult health challenge the country faces today.

Read More
486 Words | 2 Pages

According to the National Institute of Health (2017), several factors that lead to these disparities are poor access to healthcare, poverty, exposure to environmental problems, inadequate level of education, and individual and behavioral factors. Furthermore, there is a direct correlation between low income, low education level, and poorer health results with elevated morbidity and mortality. According to the National Institute of Health, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, elevated blood lead level, and low birth weight are more prevalent among individuals with low income and low educational

Read More
1700 Words | 7 Pages

1.1 Background Australia thrives on the ideas of ‘living the Australian dream’ and being able to have social mobility regardless of your current position in society. However, Australia is a capitalist society as many other western countries which have clear positions of inequality. We need inequality as it is inevitable as it plays too much in a functional society (Davis and Moore, 1945). This can be clearly shown through the use of a study of social groups and areas which people are located. The examples use come from suburban Brisbane areas as they have been identified as being socially stratified.

Read More
744 Words | 3 Pages

On October 2010 Frist lady Michel Obama proposed a plan on what low income families could purchase with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps. Michel’s plan is to reduce the rising rate of obesity and diabetes among low income families. The popularity of health problems with African American low income families with children have the highest rate of being overweight and

Read More
637 Words | 3 Pages

Indigenous Australians and health disparities Reporting: - It is the most self-evident fact that indigenous society of Australia is underprivileged in terms of health as compared to the non-indigenous counterpart. Health disparities have impoverished aboriginals in such a way that their life expectancy is 12 to 14 years considerably lower than the non-aboriginals. Many researchers have also found that indigenous of other developed countries have better health as compared to the aboriginals of Australia and the unravelled mystery behind this is the accomplishment other countries have achieved in mitigating the health differences within the society of indigenous and non-indigenous people (Shepherd et. al., 2012).

Read More
594 Words | 3 Pages

According to the Economic research service of the U.S department of Agriculture that the family had at times, “limited or uncertain access to adequate food, caused by either economic or social conditions.” In other words the family didn’t always have enough food to feed everyone. Among households with children, one in five 7.8 million households were food insecure. (Hunger Pg.1) How can so many Americans be hungry in a country whe4re obesity is an

Read More

More about Health Inequality In Australia Essay

Related Topics

Open Document