Majok Wutchok

Immigrants Health: Social Determinants of Health and Health Inequities Among East African Australians

Health equity is often referred to as socio-economic, health equity means absence of remediable, unfair and avoidable differences in a healthy population group that is defined socially, demographically, economically or geographically (Cole et al., 2011). Essentially, health inequities pose health differences that are produced socially, are unfair and systematically distributed across population (Harris-Roxas et al., 2011). Health outcomes are increasingly being recognised as results of individual and biological risk factors such as ethnic background, wealth, education, gender and so forth (Payne & Doyal, 2010). Immigrants and refugees face a lot of challenges in accessing health care due to inequalities in getting the right information, decision-making and life opportunities that contribute to burdens of health deficiencies and their levels of well-being in society. Social organisation and political choices that are deployed in the distribution of resources and power unequally across the population reproduce unequal health outcomes (Hofrichter & Bhatia, 2010). The structural determinants coupled with conditions of everyday life of immigrants constitute social determinants of health that are responsible partly for creating health inequities between regions in the world and within countries and racial, ethnicity and even on gender (Nikora & McFarlane, 2010)

The health differences are identified as inequities that do not render themselves objectively but implies ethical normality (Schrecker, 2013). The primary objective of protecting and enhancing equity in health is manifested in the national government. This research project is key vital to Australian government agencies, educational institutions and immigrant health centres to address key health inequities facing immigrants of East African origin who are residing in Australia.The goal of promoting equity in immigrants health and healthcare provision among East African Australians is to improve the access and understanding of wider cultural view in healthcare industry. The research will formally delineate the outcomes and processes of the program to ensure that it will be useful in making future decisions (O'Connor-Fleming et al., 2006).