Factors affecting the use of primary health care by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
This chapter provides a conceptual overview of the factors that affect the use of primary health care use by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including a summary of findings from previous research.
It is important to note that, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, good health is more than just the absence of disease or illness. It is a holistic concept that includes physical, social, emotional, cultural, spiritual and ecological wellbeing, for both the individual and the community. This concept of health emphasises the connectedness between these factors and recognises the impact that social and cultural determinants have on health (Dudgeon et al. 2014; Gee et al. 2014; Parker and Milroy 2014; Social Health Reference Group 2004). This definition of health also implies a potentially different set of health needs and ways of meeting those needs than what may traditionally have been offered in mainstream services.