Australia in 2030: what is our path to health for all? Chapter 2: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander connection to culture: building stronger individual and collective wellbeing

Aboriginal  and  Torres  Strait  Islander  peoples  have  long  maintained that culture (ie, practising, maintaining and reclaiming it) is vital to good health and wellbeing. However, this knowledge and understanding  has  been  dismissed  or  described  as  anecdotal  or  intangible by Western research methods and science. As a result, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is a poorly acknowledged determinant of health and wellbeing, despite its significant role in shaping individuals, communities and societies.•   By  extension,  the  cultural  determinants  of  health  have  been  poorly  defined  until  recently.  However,  an  increasing  amount  of  scientific  evidence  supports  what  Aboriginal  and  Torres  Strait  Islander  people  have  always  said  —    that  strong  culture  plays  a  significant and positive role in improved health and wellbeing.•   Owing to known gaps in knowledge, we aim to define the cultural determinants  of  health  and  describe  their  relationship  with  the  social  determinants  of  health,  to  provide  a  full  understanding  of  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing. We provide examples of evidence on cultural determinants of health and links to improved Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing.•   We  also  discuss  future  research  directions  that  will  enable  a  deeper understanding of the cultural determinants of health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.1 University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW. 2 University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT. 3 Wardliparingga Aboriginal Research Unit, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, SA. 4 University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA. 5 National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT.