Media release
"Caring for country" linked to good health
Indigenous people in the Northern Territory who participate in “caring for country” activities enjoy significantly better health, a study published in the May 18 Indigenous Health issue of the Medical Journal of Australia
has found.
In collaboration with Indigenous land-owners, Dr Paul Burgess, from the Menzies School of Health Research and the CRC for Aboriginal Health, and his co-authors conducted a health study of 298 Indigenous adults aged 15-54 years recruited between March to September 2005 in an Arnhem Land community.
The study found greater participation in caring for country activities was associated with more frequent physical exercise, better diet, less obesity, lower blood pressure, less psychological distress, less diabetes and lower risk of heart disease.
“These are the principal preventable diseases contributing to the gap in Indigenous life expectancy,” Dr Burgess said.
“Our findings suggest that investment in caring for country programs may be a means to generate sustainable economic development and gains for both ecological and Indigenous peoples’ health in remote areas of Australia.”
Caring for country programs occur on Aboriginal lands and seas and deliver a range of essential environmental services including border protection, quarantine, control of invasive weeds and feral animals, greenhouse gas abatement through wildfire management, biodiversity conservation, fisheries management and sustainable commercial use of wildlife.
Dr Burgess said conflicting policies that are aimed at centralising populations and services into large remote townships while simultaneously promoting Indigenous management of their own lands (comprising 49% of the Northern Territory) should be reconsidered in light of the study’s findings.
“Our findings indicate that outstations foster important health-promotion activities that appear to deliver both ecological and human health gains,” he said.
The statements or opinions that are expressed in the MJA reflect the views of the authors and do not represent the official policy of the AMA unless that is so stated.
CONTACT:
Dr Paul Burgess 0401 110 405 / paul.burgess@menzies.edu.au
Ms Alex Boston(Menzies Media Officer) 08 8922 8196 / 0425 238 223
Please note: Dr Burgess is not available between 16 May and 27 May 2009.
During this period contact:
Professor Stephen Garnett (Project leader) 0408 832 109 / 08-89467115
Dr Fay Johnston (Medical co-author) 0407 612 247 / 03 6226 7726
Mr Dean Yibarbuk (Aboriginal elder, researcher and co-author) 08 8979 0772 / 08 8979 0712
Mr Ian Munro (CEO Bawinanga Corporation) 08 8979 5852
Mr Joe Morrison 08 8946 7691 / 0429 695 324
(CEO NAILSMA – North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance)
In collaboration with Indigenous land-owners, Dr Paul Burgess, from the Menzies School of Health Research and the CRC for Aboriginal Health, and his co-authors conducted a health study of 298 Indigenous adults aged 15-54 years recruited between March to September 2005 in an Arnhem Land community.
The study found greater participation in caring for country activities was associated with more frequent physical exercise, better diet, less obesity, lower blood pressure, less psychological distress, less diabetes and lower risk of heart disease.
“These are the principal preventable diseases contributing to the gap in Indigenous life expectancy,” Dr Burgess said.
“Our findings suggest that investment in caring for country programs may be a means to generate sustainable economic development and gains for both ecological and Indigenous peoples’ health in remote areas of Australia.”
Caring for country programs occur on Aboriginal lands and seas and deliver a range of essential environmental services including border protection, quarantine, control of invasive weeds and feral animals, greenhouse gas abatement through wildfire management, biodiversity conservation, fisheries management and sustainable commercial use of wildlife.
Dr Burgess said conflicting policies that are aimed at centralising populations and services into large remote townships while simultaneously promoting Indigenous management of their own lands (comprising 49% of the Northern Territory) should be reconsidered in light of the study’s findings.
“Our findings indicate that outstations foster important health-promotion activities that appear to deliver both ecological and human health gains,” he said.
The statements or opinions that are expressed in the MJA reflect the views of the authors and do not represent the official policy of the AMA unless that is so stated.
CONTACT:
Dr Paul Burgess 0401 110 405 / paul.burgess@menzies.edu.au
Ms Alex Boston(Menzies Media Officer) 08 8922 8196 / 0425 238 223
Please note: Dr Burgess is not available between 16 May and 27 May 2009.
During this period contact:
Professor Stephen Garnett (Project leader) 0408 832 109 / 08-89467115
Dr Fay Johnston (Medical co-author) 0407 612 247 / 03 6226 7726
Mr Dean Yibarbuk (Aboriginal elder, researcher and co-author) 08 8979 0772 / 08 8979 0712
Mr Ian Munro (CEO Bawinanga Corporation) 08 8979 5852
Mr Joe Morrison 08 8946 7691 / 0429 695 324
(CEO NAILSMA – North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance)