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Revision as of 22:27, 12 May 2019 by Gns89 (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Prisoners in Australia are generally from a disadvantaged socioeconomic background, and often have higher rates of tobacco smoking, illicit drug use and alcohol consumption in comparison to the general public. The disadvantages in socioeconomic background consequently develop into a significant disparity in health between prisoners and the general public in Australia.
The health of prisoners is an ongoing issue in Australia requiring assessment, as the health status of prisoners project onto the society of Australia as a whole.
History
Socioeconomic factors
Through extensive research on the relationship between socioeconomic factors and health and wellbeing, it is widely acknowledged that the correlation between socioeconomic factors to health and wellbeing is not limited to Australia, but accepted worldwide.
Common socioeconomic factors of prisoners in Australia that reflect onto the health and wellbeing include cultural background, education and family relationships/upbringing.
Cultural Background
The majority of prisoners in custody are born in Australia, at eighty-one percent. Three percent are born in New Zealand, two percent are born in Vietnam, two percent are born in the United Kingdom and the remaining eleven percent from other countries.
Education
"Education is one of the recognised social detriments to health, with lower levels of education being strongly associated with poorer health". Lower income and less education suggests that
Family
Medical conditions
Physical Health
There are numerous physical health conditions that arise for prisoners in Australia. Some of the most common health problems include; asthma, arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and complications to oral health.
Asthma
Asthma is a common respiratory disease amongst prisoners in Australia, and is frequently caused by contaminated prison conditions, such as airborne substances and inadequate health habits such as the smoking of tobacco, excessive alcohol consumption and illicit drug use. Nearly a quarter of male prisoners have been diagnosed with asthma (22%) and over a quarter of female prisoners have been diagnosed with asthma (31%). Also, Asthma is more prevalent in prisoners as age increases, with the exception of ages between 25 and 34, where asthma diagnosis rate is highest (29%).
There is no significant evidence of asthma being more prevalent in Indigenous Australians (25%) relative to Non-Indigenous Australians (23%).
Arthritis
Arthritis refers to numerous medical conditions that affect the joints, and although it is more frequent as age increases, anyone from any age group can develop a case of arthritis. Although it is one of the most common medical conditions that prisoners in Australia are diagnosed, it is unknown to researchers the predominant cause of arthritis in inmates. It is instead often concluded that heredity and environmental factors both affect the likelihood of developing a type of arthritis.
Just under one-fifth of female inmates are diagnosed with arthritis (18%), and it is twice as common in female prisoners than male inmates (9%). Also, "Non-Indigenous entrants (12%) were more likely than Indigenous entrants (7%) to report having had a diagnosis of arthritis".
Cancer
Cardiovascular Disease
Diabetes
Hypertension
Oral Health
Complications of oral health within prison inmates are a recurrent condition, and "it is important to consider the wider social determinants of health when looking at treatment options" .
Infectious Diseases
Sexually Transmissible Infections
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus
"More than 300,000 Australians are estimated to have been exposed to HCV virus, of whom around 226,700 are living with chronic infection, including 16,000 Indigenous Australians".
Mental Health
Self-harm
Health services
While Australians have access to free and subsidised healthcare in the form of medicare, prisoners are not granted medicare and are therefore not granted access to free and subsidised healthcare.
Generally, nurses are predominantly the first
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References
- ^ The health of Australia's prisoners 2015. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 2015. ISBN 978-1-74249-866-9.
- Osborn, Mary (2003). "Oral health status of prison inmates - New South Wales, Australia". Australian Dental Journal. 48: 34–38.
- Mokhlis, Michael (2016). "Hepatitis C in Australian prisons: a national needs assessment". International Journal of Prisoner Health. 12: 3–16.