The Social Determinants of Health and Its Influence on Indigenous People’s Health in Canada

Introduction

Firstly, there is no globally accepted definition for Indigenous people. These are the first contact people on land and also known as natives and Aboriginal people. The term Indigenous is used in research for Aboriginal people. Canadian constitution recognizes three groups of Aboriginal people as Indians, M’etis and Inuit. They are distinct with unique heritages, languages and cultural practices and religious beliefs. They struggle for recognition in their identities, their approaches of lifestyles and their right to conventional lands, territories and natural resources.

This paper uses convenient information to report health imbalance among indigenous people in Canada. The aspects of Social determinants of health includes Education status, economic status, employment settings, social support or social network and cultural equalities .We are going to understand conceptual framework for the relationship of most important social determinant of health like between Education and health of indigenous people. We found that how Iliteracy increases the health problem among these Aboriginal people.

Social determinants of health means how people‘s lifestyle conditions in which they born, survive and work hard impact their Physical health, Mental health, family and social relationship. These social determinants of health interrelated with each others. For instance, Education upgrades the Economic status of people and more education creates awareness and more access to health care services.

Background

John A MacDonald formed a way in 1883 as a ideal school or Residential school to dissociated the native children from their prejudicial band communities and these Aboriginal children’s were bring to main stream society as a servants or laborers. How lack of Education creates the Health challenges to Indigenous people

1. Lack of education leads to lack of awareness about determinants of health and enhance disease risks.
2. Increasing substance use like smoking, alcohol and tobacco and other drugs.
3. High –risk to unsafe sexual intercourse and its associated disease like HIV-AIDS and Sypllis etc.
4. High –risk to poorly survived pregnancies and maternal and infant high morbidity and mortality rate.
5. Lack of Education is major cause of low Socio-economic status and unemployment and social exclusion leads to stress and mental health problems.
6. Indian Residential schools as an example of trauma for victim Aboriginal children and their involvement in these ideal schools increased sexual assult and violence to them by teachers.
7. IRS system of education had increased low child development and lack of education success.
8. Low level of education increases life style based disease like obesity, diabetes, hypertension and cardio vascular disease.

Discussion

The Canadian 2003 report conducted on multinational adult Education status and skill survey (IALLSS) that states about 48% of adults counted as low literacy rate. The findings on Aboriginal adult literacy in Canada were in down trend. The Canadian council learning reports the ratio of Indigenous people with low level of Educational status scores was at least 16 percent greater than Non –Indigenous people in Manitoba, Saskatchwan and Northwest. A population based study on effect of community economic status and maternal education on birth outcomes shows maternal literacy rate and employment status as a important determinant of maternal and fetal health for inequities.

In 1991-2000 findings determine the extent of maternal education level and community based measures for females. In Quebec the birth registration forms used that contained data for mother’s level of education. The findings showed the lower level of education increases crude risk of preterm birth, small for gestation age, still birth and post neonatal deaths. Also seen that the access of quality care for women and neonatal intensive care less for illiterate families.

The current study conduct on overview and context examination of stolen children as a form of structural violance and social disparities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. Aboriginal families disadvantages by Non-Aboriginal communities, who have their high Economic status and high literacy level.

The unemployment consideration for Aboriginal humans is at about 23% in comparison with 7.4% for the entire population. School participation rates are low, particularly in senior high school, in which the participation fee for the Indigenous population is 36% compared to 75% for all Australians at that age. Aboriginal human beings are much more likely to live in poor housing conditions, to have decrease get admission to health services and treatment policies, extensively more health issues, and a lifespan that is on common twenty years less than that of the non‐Aboriginal people.

The qualitative study of Education in indigenous and visible minority students in postsecondary education in developed Canada shows its finding about the facts that suffered by indigenous students had an worse affect on their physical and mental health during higher education levels. Aboriginal people are poor in their economic status that leads to transport barrier to get education at high level. Low education increase the poverty and poor decision making that leds to unsecure setting of social environment and associated health problems like stress, mental health problems etc.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Education play crucial role for influence the life course of Indigenous people, for instance Education is a type of learning which help the indigenous people to upgrades their status as social determinants of health. That requires diminishing the social and health disparities and inequities in Indigenous people. Higher level of education needs to change the lifestyle and dietary pattern of Aboriginal people like to quit smoking, better child development and increase maternal and neonatal survival rate.