[New post] NACCHO Aboriginal Health News: Link between sexual health and chronic conditions
nacchomedia posted: " Male sexual health chronic disease link The HIV/AIDS story – 40 years on Bardi Jawi woman's diabetes story Ways to strengthen mental health workforce Spurring next generation of Indigenous dentists Climate change and food shortages "
The latest publication from the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, a Review of sexual health issues linked with cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males, which can be accessed hereconfirms that although the links between male sexual health and chronic conditions are well established, there is poor knowledge and awareness about these links among both health professionals and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males.
This review outlines the mounting evidence that erectile dysfunction (ED) can be a sign of future cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes. This has the potential to motivate males of all ages to seek help if they experience ED, and for health professionals to become skilled in discussing sexual health with patients. This requires further consideration of cultural factors for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males and the social and historical context in which their health and wellbeing exists.
You can access the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNetmedia release about the review here, an infographic Summary of the key information contained in the review here, a factsheet here and a short video below.
Feature tile artwork When the freshwater meets the saltwater by Bec Morgan taken from the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNetSummary of sexual health links with chronic disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males.
The HIV/AIDS story – Forty years on
Forty years ago this month (on July 3, 1981) a story in The New York Times made the paper's first mention of a disease baffling doctors.
"Rare cancer seen in 41 homosexuals," said the headline, atop a story buried on page 20. "The cause of the outbreak is unknown, and there is as yet no evidence of contagion."
The story followed the publication on June 5, 1981 by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) of an MMRW report of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in five previously healthy young men in Los Angeles, California, of whom two had already died. This report later was acknowledged as the first published scientific account of what would become known as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
In Australia, research from the Kirby Institute shows that the broad availability of the HIV-prevention drug tenofovir with emtricitabine (known as PrEP) reduced HIV transmissions in New South Wales by 40 percent, to an all-time low, in the period 2016 to 2019. However, the researchers warned that the elimination of HIV in Australia will require better adherence to PrEP among young people.
The Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations has produced a report that says Australia can end HIV transmission in the country by 2025. You can read the "Agenda 2025" report here.
The full story by Associate Professor Lesley Russell can be viewed in Croakey Health Mediahere.
Scanning electromicrograph of an HIV-infected T cell. Credit: NIAID
Bardi Jawi woman's diabetes story
This short video aims to raise awareness of diabetes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The video features Cecelia Tigan, a Bardi Jawi woman from Djarindjin in the Kimberley region of WA. Cecelia explains how she was first diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy and how she now lives with type 2 diabetes. Cecelia says her diabetes remained after giving birth to her fourth child. Cecelia explains that she is worried about the young children in her community with the availability of junk foods and how the consumption of sweets and junk food is putting them at risk of diabetes.
Ways to strengthen mental health workforce
New research by Charles Darwin University (CDU) scholars suggests a strengthened Indigenous mental health workforce could effectively improve mental health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The report, written by Prof Dominic Upton, Assoc Prof Linda Ford, Prof Ruth Wallace, Sarah Jackson, Jenna Richard from CDU and Dr Penney Upton from the University of Canberra, finds that an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander led mental health workforce would promote self-determination and increase the reach of mental health services by providing culturally competent services.
Mental health services delivered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander professionals are considered more culturally safe and trustworthy.
Read the article by Charles Darwin Universityhere.
Illustration of chat between psychologist and patient. Image credit: flourishaustralia.org.au
Spurring next generation of Indigenous dentists
A new partnership between the Australian Dental Association New South Wales (ADA NSW) and the Indigenous Dentists' Association of Australia (IDAA) will explore how to improve oral health outcomes for—and inspire—the next generation of Indigenous dental practitioners.
"Only 0.4 per cent of employed dental professionals in Australia are Indigenous, according to the latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Oral Health and Dental Care in Australia report," ADA NSW president Dr Kathleen Matthews said.
"More than 60 per cent of Indigenous patients aged 35-54 have signs of gum disease and almost one-third of Indigenous adults rate their oral health as poor or fair.
"We believe this partnership with ADA NSW is, given our shared values and purpose, another important step towards improving overall health and wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples."
A Boggabillia Central School student shows how to brush your teeth. Credit ABC News.
Climate change and food shortages
Surging consumer food prices are a growing global problem, making food staples in many countries unaffordable. An Oxfam report just out says that world hunger rose steeply in 2020, with six times more people living in "famine-like conditions" than in 2019. Oxfam calculates that 11 people a minute are likely to be dying from acute hunger, compared to seven people a minute from COVID-19.
A new FAO report on global food security has just been released, estimating that between 720 and 811 million people in the world faced hunger in 2020 – as many as 161 million more than in 2019. "The high cost of healthy diets and persistently high levels of poverty and income inequality continue to keep healthy diets out of reach for around three billion people in every region of the world," it says.
A 2019 UN report outlined how extreme weather as a result of climate change, combined with loss of agricultural land and the mismanagement of water resources, will shrink the global food supply. The potential risk of "multi-breadbasket failure" was seen as a particular threat.
There's a raft of reports that highlight what climate change means for food production, availability and prices in Australia. In addition, as noted in a 2015 report from the Climate Council, Australia's food supply chains are vulnerable to extreme weather events.
This week, public health researchers have underscored the urgency of addressing food security issues for children, warning food insecurity should be understood as a form of trauma.
One issue highlighted is that food security is not measured regularly or consistently at a population level. Estimates suggest that between 4 percent and 13 percent of the general population and 22 percent to 32 percent of the Indigenous population are food insecure.
The full story by Associate Professor Lesley Russell can be viewed in Croakey Health Mediahere.
Red, black and yellow food arranged like the Aboriginal flag. Image credit: preventioncentre.org.au.
New process for job advertising
NACCHO have introduced a new system for the advertising of job adverts via the NACCHO website and you can find the sector job listings here.
Click here to go to the NACCHO website where you can complete a form with job vacancy details - it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.
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