Draft Australian Dietary Guidelines (PDF, 3MB) - Eat For Health

A7.4 Aboriginal and Torres Strait IslanderpeoplesA7.4.1. Diet-related health outcomesAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia suffer significant health inequitiescompared with the broader community. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people typically dieat much younger ages and are more likely to experience ill health, disability and reduced quality oflife [1020]. Poor nutrition is a major risk factor for many of the diseases with higher prevalenceamong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups and it has been estimated that 19% of thenational Indigenous burden of disease is attributable to poor diet [1024].Socioeconomic disadvantage underlies many of these health statistics [1025]. Compared with non-Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders report lower incomes, higher ratesof unemployment, lower educational attainment, more overcrowded and inadequate housing[1026], higher rates of incarceration and limited access to transport [26]. Disrupted family andcommunity cohesion, social marginalisation, stress, lack of control over circumstances, anddiscrimination and racism are also apparent [30, 1025].Overweight and obesity are common [30, 855]. Measured anthropometric data for Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islanders are unavailable, however less reliable self-reported data indicated that morethan half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over were overweightor obese [1027].Under-nutrition among young children and relatively poor growth from around six months of agepersists in some parts of Australia [1028-1031].Vitamin and mineral status has been measured infrequently in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderpopulations [30]. Multiple deficiencies have frequently been described in the same subject,suggesting the generally poor nutritional status of such individuals, rather than a specific micronutrientproblem. In particular, vitamin status (in relation to folate, ascorbic acid and betacarotene)consistent with low intakes of fruit and vegetables have often been described [8, 134].More recently iodine deficiency in an Aboriginal birth cohort in the Northern Territory [1032]and low vitamin D status in a South Australian Aboriginal population [1033] have been found.A7.4.2 Food intake, diet and nutritional statusAll the available evidence suggests that, traditionally, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were fitand healthy. The traditional diet appears to have been low in energy density but high in nutrientdensity—high in protein, low in sugars, high in complex carbohydrate, and high in micro-nutrients.Energy expenditure appears to have been high [30, 1034-1038].DRAFT Australian Dietary Guidelines- December 2011 185