Investing in the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescents: a foundation for achieving health equity

Onethird of the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) population are adolescents or young people aged 10–24 years.1 These young people are central to assuring cultural continuity and the prosperity of Australia’s First Nations people. First Nations young people are incredibly resilient, the majority reporting good health, pride in their culture, and strong nurturing relationships with family and community.1,2 However, as highlighted by two recent publications, there are also substantial health needs that appear to be largely unmet by current services.1,3 First Nations adolescents experience a heavy burden of mental disorders, suicide and selfharm, sexually transmitted infection, and injury — all health needs that typically manifest during adolescence. They also experience an excessive burden of pneumonia and skin infections (more typical of childhood), early onset of type 2 diabetes and ischaemic heart disease (more typical of adulthood), and a high burden of rheumatic heart disease and bronchiectasis, otherwise rare in Australia.1 As a result, adolescence is where disparities in mortality widen between First Nations and other Australians. However, more than 80% of mortality among First Nations adolescents is potentially avoidable within the current health system, providing an important opportunity for health gain.1