The Indigenous health gap: social factors hit hard

From ABC Health and Wellbeing, 8 July 2015:

Australia has long been called the lucky country. We have a life expectancy of 82 years, which places us in the top 10 countries in the world when it comes to lifespan.

But this isn’t the case for all of us. Indigenous Australians have a ten-year lower life expectancy than non-Indigenous Australians. For Indigenous men, that figure is even worse. In theory, we all have access to all the same amenities, so why the difference?

While the issue is complex, experts say much of the answer can be found in examining what are known as social determinants of health – factors like income, access to affordable housing, stress, age and race. Read more.