Aboriginal people throughout Canada are over-represented in the lower health demographics more so than non-Aboriginal people. Aboriginal people’s health has been negatively affected by many external factors that have led to their lower overall health status. Despite the reasons, it is very important that we make a concerted effort to help improve Aboriginal people’s health status.

Why is it important to focus on Aboriginal health?

• It is a complex issue – reflects historical disadvantages such as: colonialism, racism, diseases and loss of land and
• Imposition of cultural and political institutions - residential school experience, forced separation of
• Disruption of healthy families
  • loss of traditional lifestyle and foods
  • poverty, unemployment and inadequate housing
• Source: British Columbia. Provincial Health Officer. (2002). The Health and Well-being of Aboriginal People in British Columbia.

Is Aboriginal Health Improving?

Many statistics about the Aboriginal population are grim, yet the data shows that over the past few decades, there has been an encouraging recovery of the health status of Aboriginal people. Source: BC Provincial Health Officer (2002). The Health and Well-being of Aboriginal People in British Columbia.

Improvements

• For infant mortality, unintentional injuries, suicide and most other major causes of death, death rates are improving steadily, often at a rate of improvement that exceeds the provincial average
• If 1990s trends continue, First Nations could achieve a level of health comparable to other British Columbians some time during the next decade.

Aboriginal Demographics

• There are approximately 1.4 million Aboriginal people in Canada, of which 150,000 live in British Columbia
• VCH Region includes 15 First Nations – 12 rural, 2 sub-urban, 1 urban
• Over 50% of the Aboriginal community live in urban settings
• Almost 60% of the Aboriginal community is under the age of 25

Health Indicators: Aboriginal population compared to general population

• Live on average seven years less
• Have an infant mortality rate between two to four times higher
• Rate of diabetes is triple
• AIDS/HIV deaths are double
• Alcohol related deaths range between 4 and 9 times higher, and drug-induced deaths are two to seven four times higher
• Hospitalization rate and preventable admissions are likewise higher among the Aboriginal population
• The hospitalization rate is 39% higher among Aboriginal men compared to the non-Aboriginal men and even higher among Aboriginal women — 77% higher
• Psychiatric hospitalization rates are 50-100 percent higher
• Hospitalization rate for diabetes is 12 percent higher among Aboriginal men and 150 percent higher for Aboriginal women
• Rate of preventable hospital admissions for Status Indians is three times higher
• Aboriginal utilization of residential care in Vancouver is twice as high
• Utilization rate for home support hours is less than the rate for non-Aboriginals across BC, but the utilization by Aboriginals in the VCH region is more than 70 percent higher than the rate seen among Aboriginals elsewhere in BC.
• It is recognized that improvements in health status of Aboriginal people will depend on improvements in the social determinants of health and not just improvements to health services. On average, the Aboriginal population has levels of employment, income, and educational attainment that are about 80 percent of other British Columbians.