Background Indigenous academics have advocated for the use and validity of Indigenous methodologies and methods to centre Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing in research. Yarning is the most reported Indigenous method used in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander qualitative health research. Despite this, there has been no critical analysis of how Yarning methods are applied to research conduct and particularly how they privilege Indigenous peoples. Objective To investigate how researchers are applying Yarning method to health research and examine the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers in the Yarning process as reported in health publications. Design Narrative review of qualitative studies. Data sources Lowitja Institute LitSearch January 2008 to December 2021 to access all literature reporting on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research in the PubMed database. A subset of extracted data was used for this review to focus on qualitative publications that reported using Yarning methods. Methods Thematic analysis was conducted using hybrid of inductive and deductive coding. Initial analysis involved independent coding by two authors, with checking by a third member. Once codes were developed and agreed, the remaining publications were coded and checked by a third team member. Results Forty-six publications were included for review. Yarning was considered a culturally safe data collection process that privileges Indigenous knowledge systems. Details of the Yarning processes and team positioning were vague. Some publications offered a more comprehensive description of the research team, positioning and demonstrated reflexive practice. Training and experience in both qualitative and Indigenous methods were often not reported. Only 11 publications reported being Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander led. Half the publications reported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander involvement in data collection, and 24 reported involvement in analysis. Details regarding the role and involvement of study reference or advisory groups were limited. Conclusion Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be at the forefront of Indigenous research. While Yarning method has been identified as a legitimate research method to decolonising research practice, it must be followed and reported accurately. Researcher reflexivity and positioning, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ownership, stewardship and custodianship of data collected were significantly under detailed in the publications included in our review. Journals and other establishments should review their processes to ensure necessary details are reported in publications and engage Indigenous Editors and peer reviewers to uphold respectful, reciprocal, responsible and ethical research practice.

moking during pregnancy is the most significant modifiable risk factor linked to adverse pregnancy and long term health outcomes for both expecting mother and child. 1 Out of every ten Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who smoke, only one successfully quits during pregnancy, 1 so smoking during pregnancy is a recognised factor in the current health, wellbeing and life expectancy inequalities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 2 The higher prevalence of tobacco use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women during the perinatal period is directly linked to colonisation and other social determinants of health.Access to appropriate cessation supports, particularly in the primary care setting, is known to increase quitting rates in the general population. 3,4 Smoking cessation guidelines from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners recommend integrating brief advice for all smokers during routine appointments, and follow-up for those making a quit attempt. This places health professionals in a key role in cessation care. 5 Behavioural support and counselling, coupled with first line pharmacotherapy (where appropriate) and follow-up, is recommended as best practice. 5 Among the general population, accessing and engaging with cessation support options, such as Quitline, can increase quitting success by 25% compared with pharmacotherapy alone. 6 Further, Australian health promotion initiatives have increased referrals to and uptake of cessation support services. 7 It is critical to recognise that current guidelines and recommendations for best practice smoking cessation draw on general population evidence, and do not always reflect the unique needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. There is new and emerging evidence for individualised support strategies, including mobile phone apps, 8 text message-based

ince the 2005 Social Justice report criticised the Australian Government for not addressing the inadequate life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, national efforts have been made towards closing the gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Aboriginal Australians. The then Social Justice Commissioner, Professor Tom Calma AO, made three recommendations to address equality in life expectancy: i) a government commitment to achieving equality in health status in 25 years, ii) equality in access to primary care and health infrastructure, and iii) bipartisan support for this commitment. 2 Improvements in age-standardised mortality rates of about 10% have been observed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people since 2006, but similar improvements have occurred for non-Aboriginal Australians. 3 Therefore, Australia has fallen short of the federal government's targets to close the gap in disproportionate health outcomes and life expectancy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 3 In the Prime Minister's 2020 Closing the Gap statement to Parliament, he reported "despite the best of intentions; investments in new programs; and bi-partisan goodwill, Closing the Gap has never really been a partnership with Indigenous people". 4 The "best of intentions" for Closing the Gap has been widely questioned in academic literature 5,6 and mainstream media, 7,8 including highlighting the lack of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples involvement in decision-making processes 9 and acknowledgement of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services as exemplars of best practice in providing holistic health care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 10 Over the past 12 years, the reported "investments in new programs" funding has fluctuated, 11,12 highlighting resources as finite. The Closing the Gap framework identifies the need for research and evaluation to inform effective policies, 13 with calls for increased research in urban settings 14 and to evaluate evidence-based practices, policy and programs. 6 Early research also explored the extent to which the policy changes informed new models for research conduct. 15 In 2021, with a reformed agenda for Closing the Gap now established with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people represented by their community-controlled peak organisations, the Coalition of Peaks 16 -an Aboriginalled research team -felt it timely to interrogate the intentions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health through a critical review of research outputs since Closing the Gap was established in 2008.Providing an overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research since 2008 allows for an examination of the scope and characteristics of the knowledge base to inform evidencebased practices, policies and programs. To date, no review of Indigenous health research outputs have described the scope and characteristics of the research, most notably the burden of disease focus or the research designs being im...

IntroductionSmoking remains the leading preventable cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who smoke are more likely to make a quit attempt than their non-Aboriginal counterparts but less likely to sustain the quit attempt. There is little available evidence specifically for and by Indigenous peoples to inform best practice smoking cessation care.The provision of a free Koori Quit Pack with optional nicotine replacement therapy sent by mail may be a feasible, acceptable and effective way to access stop smoking support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.Methods and analysisAn Aboriginal-led, multisite non-randomised single-group, pre–post feasibility study across three states in Australia will be conducted. Participants will be recruited via service-targeted social media advertising and during usual care at their Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services. Through a process of self-referral, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who smoke daily will complete a survey and receive mailout smoking cessation support. Data will be collected over the phone by an Aboriginal Research Assistant. This pilot study will inform the development of a larger, powered trial.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval has been obtained from the Aboriginal Health & Medical Research Council Ethics Committee of New South Wales (NSW) (#1894/21) and the University of Newcastle (#H-2022-0174). Findings will be reported through peer-reviewed journals and presentations at relevant local, national and international conferences. The findings will be shared with the NSW and Victoria Quitline, Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council and Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation and the National Heart Foundation.Trial registration numberACTRN12622000654752.

Background: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women deserve improved smoking cessation support. Aboriginal health workers (AHW) and practitioners (AHP) can be central to the provision of culturally safe smoking cessation care (SCC). The objective of this study is to explore attitudes and the perceived role of AHWs/AHPs toward providing SCC to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pregnant women. Method: A mixed-method study using quantitative and qualitative data was conducted among AHW/AHPs in 2021 across Australia. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used to characterise AHWs’/AHPs’ attitudes towards SCC and to evaluate the factors associated with perceptions of who is best placed to provide SCC. Results: From the total AHW/AHP workforce, 21.2% (223) completed the survey. Less than half (48.4%) believed that AHW/AHP were best placed to provide SCC for pregnant women. The majority believed that group-based supports (82.5%) and cultural support programs (63.7%) were the best strategies to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pregnant women to quit smoking. Conclusion: This study highlights the need to enhance SCC offered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pregnant women. A targeted workforce dedicated to smoking cessation should be resourced, including funding, standardised training, and ongoing SCC support tailored to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pregnant women.