Discussion
Heart and circulatory disorders are seen to one of the most contributing factors to the burden of diseases the Aboriginal as well as the Torres Islanders. They are considered one of the major contributors for the occurrence of the gap in the life expectancy that is been found between the indigenous as well non-indigenous people. Present day researchers are of the opinion that native people have higher rates of cardiac conditions but they suffer from poorer access to the varieties of the health services that help in prevention as well as treatment of cardiac conditions (Tiew-Hwa et al., 2015). Moreover, important social determinants of health are indirectly associated with the poorer conditions of the cardiac system in the natives in the nation that contribute to poor quality living for these people. This assignment would be mainly helping in shedding more light on the conditions of the Aboriginal people that make them prone to develop the cardiac disorders. Moreover, it would be also highlighting the self-care management regime that they can uptake in order to ensure prevention of such disorders in their own lives.
Statistical data have shown that Aboriginal and Torres Islander people are twice as likely to develop a heart attack in comparison to non-indigenous people. The hospitalization rate for rheumatic fever as well as rheumatic heart disorder for the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people is seen to be seven times the rate that is shown by the non-native people. They are also seen to be 10.5 times more likely to be dying from the situations of the coronary heart disorders in comparison to the non-indigenous people. They are also seen to 1.2 times more likely to develop the symptoms of higher blood pressures than the non-native people are (Azzopardi et al., 2018).
Cardiovascular disorders occurring to the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people are mainly seen to involve the heart, arteries, veins as well as other components of the circulatory disorders. Cardiovascular disorders like coronary heart disorders, heart failure, rheumatic fever and heart diseases, cerebro-vascular disorders, peripheral; vascular disorders and many others are seen to affect Aboriginal and Torres Islander people increasing the rates of their hospitalization. Researchers have identified the in case of Aboriginal and Torres Islander people, the levels of the cardiovascular disorders are higher because of a number of risk factors. These are excessive level of tobacco smoking as well as physical inactivity (Vallegio & Snodgrass, 2015). Moreover, poor nutrition as well as being overweight and obese are the other direct risk factors associated with the higher rates of prevalence of the disorders in the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people. Moreover, the people are also seen to have high blood pressure as well as high blood cholesterol and diabetes. Risk factors like socio-economic as well as psychosocial factors had also been stated to be the contributing factors for the disorders.
Association between obesity, hypertension, smoking and development of heart failure
About 44% of the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people aged over 15 years and over are seen to be smokers that are about 2.5 times the non-indigenous rates. Researchers are of the opinion that smoking between the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people causes about one third portion of the burden from cancer and different heart disorders resulting in 1 out of 5 deaths among the population. Data also shows that 66% of the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people who are aged over 15 years and above are found to be overweight and obese (Belton et al., 2017). Studies have been concerned with the increasing number of cases of obesity and overweight in the nation as it seem to bring on a “virtual tsunami of cardiovascular disorder” in the forthcoming years. Data have also shown about 20% of the indigenous people having high blood pressure and more than 755 of the individuals are not aware of their hg pressure status. High blood pressure is found to be one of the major factors for the occurrence of stroke, heart failure, coronary heart diseases as well as kidney failure. About 115 of the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people are seen to suffer from diabetes that is about thrice the rate of the native people. About 61% of the people who were diagnosed had high levels of blood sugar which indicated a particular scenario. It indicated that the disorder was not managed while 14% of the people were not aware that they had such conditions.
Different types of social determinants of health are found to be intricately associated with the occurrence of cardiovascular disorders in the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people. For example housing is one of the social determinants of health. Researchers are of the opinion that overcrowded housing as in seen in the regions of the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people create a hotbed of the disorders (Lyngkaran et al., 2016). Improper sanitation, lack of hygiene facilities as well as people being more exposed to the spreading of the spreading of the bacterial infections like Strep A are the main reasons that lead to the acute rheumatic fever. When untreated it results in affecting the heart causing rheumatic heart disease (RHD) resulting in suffering of the people.
Lack of education is one the other social determinants of health that affect Aboriginal and Torres Islander people to a great extent. It is seen that they do not gain proper education that results in not knowing about the importance of balanced meal or the significance of avoiding calorigenic food and taking in of nutrient dense food products. Their lack of knowledge about the nutrient constituents of each of the food they take make them overeat or make them take in calorigenic foods which result them in gaining weight and hence obesity occurs (Zambas & Wright, 2016). Moreover, it is also seen that they have poor health literacy for which they cannot take proper decisions regarding their health conditions. They do not engage themselves in physical activities and even do not know about its importance in maintaining weight by burning of calories. Therefore, education and health literacy plays important social determinists of health (McNamara et al., 2018). Obesity mainly results in the increase in the circulating volume of the blood as well as the flow of the blood. This in turn may lead to fluid retention which is a harful situation. this is dangerous as it has the potential to affect the heart and forcing it to undergo volume overload. This in turn puts further strains on the capacity of the heart to work. Increase of the strain is also occurs from excess weight gain. This in turn results in the greater and higher workload at a particular given level of activity in comparison to another individual who is not obese. When such situations gets coupled with hypertension, it also leads to the hypertrophy as well as left ventricular hypertrophy. This can result in increasing the risk for occurrence of heart attack, producing irregular as well as fatal forms of the heart rhythms. This leads to not only kinds of heart attacks but also to threatening situations like sudden deaths. Adipose tissues also cause promotion of the developing of the symptoms of atherosclerosis that is actually the hardening of the arteries resulting in the inflammatory disorder (Lyngkaran et al., 2016). Excessive adipose tissue produces hormone called the leptin that promotes the symptoms causing coronary atherosclerosis and inducing insulin resistance. This is seen to damage the cells of the heart. This has the potential to lead to replacement of healthy cells of the heart with fatty cells causing disturbances in rhythms of the hearts.
Hypertension is the situation when the blood pressure increases beyond the value of 120/80. This situations can led to many heart disorders that are called the hypertensive heart diseases. Researchers are of the opinion that when the heart is seen to work under increased pressure, different types of complications might occur that includes heart failure, coronary artery diseases, thickening of the heart disorders and many others (Blagg, 2017). High blood pressure may make the blood vessels to become narrow for which the blood flow to the heart can slow or stop. This is coronary artery diseases affecting the heart. This makes it difficult for the heart to function successfully thereby supplying the rest of the organs of the body with blood. three might be situation when the individual might have a heart attack due to a clotted blood which might get stuck within the narrow blood vessels cutting off the blood flow the heart. Another issue that might also take place is the difficulty in the heart in pumping the blood due to higher blood pressure. Like many other muscles in the body, the heart muscles are also seen to thicken and grown, which alters the heart functions. This happen usually in the main pumping chamber of the heart which is the left ventricle leading to left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH).
Lack of education means less scope of employment, poor financial security and lesser income. This in turn result the person to take up addictions that are another social determinant of health for the occurrence of cardiovascular disorders. Smoking of tobacco is very common among the native people from a very early age and in turn become some of the main contributors for death and hospitalizations. Researchers are of the opinion that nicotine in smoke results in reduction of the amount of oxygen that the heart requires (Howitt & McLeon, 2015). It also results in raising the blood pressure which in turn cause the different heart disorders as mentioned above. It causes speeding of the heart rate putting more pressure on the heart to work more. It also increases the chance of making blood clots more likely, which can lead to heart attacks or strokes. It also harms the insides of the blood vessels that also include those present in the heart. Therefore, all these factors are intricately associated with the occurrence of the heart diseases (Ullah, 2016).
It is very important for the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people to learn about the different ways which they can follow to prevent cardiovascular disorders or to maintain their health after heart disorders so that they do not have to be hospitalized once again. The most important way is to ensure a heart healthy diet. The individuals should be described about how proper diet would help them in preventing the occurrence of heart problems and then they should be educated about their diet plan along with providing them with templates. They should eat more vegetables, fruits as well as whole grains along with other processed foods (Chan et al., 2015). This includes choosing foods that are low in the saturated fat, cholesterol and trans fat. They should be advised to limit salt to less than 2300 mg daily that would be equivalent to one teaspoon. They should be encouraged to maintain a healthy weight by the balancing of the calories they would be taking along with the physical activity. The Aboriginal and Torres Islander people should eat more foods that are high in amount in omega-3 fatty acids such as the fish. Even if they want to drink they should be instructed to limit the alcohol to two drinks daily for both men as well as women. Sugar intake should be limited totally (Kowal et al., 2014).
Another important arena of education would be helping them to understand the importance of physical activity to help them be fit and healthy. Researchers are of the opinion that getting regular exercise is significant as a short period of inactivity is also enough for making the muscles as well as the cardiovascular systems to be weakened. Exercises can help in reduction of the chest pain as well as symptoms for the coronary artery diseases. It is also an effective intervention for controlling the cholesterol levels, especially when combined with different lifestyle changes (Smyle & Firestone, 2016). This might include eating a balanced, not smoking as well as reduction of stress. Effective management of the blood pressure is also possible with the help of exercises. Exercises successfully help in reduction of the control for the weight that in turn decreases the risk for the coronary artery diseases as well as diabetes. Exercises also help in reduction of stress as well as decreasing the depression as well as anxiety. The healthcare professionals should help the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people individually by talking with them regarding the beginning the exercise program for determining how much activity that heart of the individual can handle. Researchers are of the opinion that individuals can aim for about two and half hours of moderate exercises each week for the optimum results. Studies have shown that exercises had helped in the reduction in the number of fatal heart attacks in people with the coronary artery diseases (Anderson et al., 2016).
The above two procedures help in management of obesity as well as hypertension that are contributors to the development of the cardiovascular disorders. Apart from that, health promotion the professionals where the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people should participate and thereby learn the negative outcomes associated with learning should develop programs. They should be helped to undertake actions that would help them in reducing their cravings for smoking. Effective counseling session as well as self-control strategies could be explained to the native people so that they can diligently try to their best to overcome smoking habits to reduce the chances of heart disorders (Williams, 2016). Apart from that, they should be clearly described about the referral option that they can take help from when they feel ill or when they face any symptoms of the heart disorders. They should understand the importance of screening and accordingly they need to approach and participate effectively for routine check ups to see the vulnerabilities for person to develop heart disorders. They can go to the cardiologists for the testing and monitoring of the heart (Bahiru et al., 2017). They should approach the dieticians for helping with the weight management as well as that of the healthy eating. They should be also advised about the importance of going to the psychologists if they have feelings of depression as well as aloneness. They should be also approaching the exercise physiologists for helping with the identification of the right physical activity that would be aligning with the age, stage as well as lifestyle (Browne et al., 2017). If the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people are believers of traditional, healing and therefore they can also approach to the naturopaths for the advice about the different supplements as well as the vitamins that might help the individuals who have the risk factors for the disorder.
Conclusion:
From the above discussion, it becomes clear that Aboriginal and Torres Islander people are at a greater risk for the development of the cardio-vascular disorders in comparison to that of the non-natives. Moreover, it is also seen that several statistical data shows higher rate of deaths and hospitalizations in the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people than the natives leading to poor quality lives of the people. Several social determinants of health like lack of education, income, employments, poor housing, addiction, food and many others are the indirectly affecting the native people making them vulnerable to the development of the disorders. Obesity, smoking issues and hypertensions are some of the immediate contributors of the disorder and hence care should be taken by which individuals can manage these risk factors. Therefore, native people should learn about the self-management strategies by which they can prevent the occurrence of the disorder or can prevent them again from being affected by the disorder and being hospitalized. Proper management of diet, effective up taking of exercise regimens as well as proper participation in health promotion programs, screening programs as well as following the referral options can help them to manage their health. These would be ensuring them safe and quality lives free from any danger.
References:
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