Aboriginal women experience higher rates of circulatory problems, respiratory problems, diabetes, hypertension and cancer of the cervix than the rest of the general female population. Current evidence shows that diabetes is three times as prevalent in Aboriginal communities as in the general population. The birth rate for Aboriginal women is twice that of the overall Canadian female population. Mortality rate due to violence for Aboriginal women is three times the rate experienced by all other Canadian women. For Aboriginal women in the 25 to 44 age cohort, the rate is five times that for all other Canadian women.
Women are often the victims of family dysfunction which result from the alcohol or substance abuse.
Hospital admissions for alcohol related accidents are three times higher among Aboriginal females than they are for the general Canadian population. Suicide rates remain consistently higher for the Aboriginal population than the general Canadian population as a whole, in almost every age category. Health Canada Initiatives Health Canada assists Aboriginal communities and people in addressing health inequalities and disease threats and in attaining a level of health comparable to that of other Canadians. Health Canada ensures the availability of, or access to, health services for First Nations on-reserve and Inuit communities. As part of a larger Canadian Diabetes Control and Prevention Strategy, the Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative is designed to provide a comprehensive, collaborative and integrated approach to decrease diabetes and its complications in First Nations and Inuit communities.