Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community governance of health research: Turning principles into practice

Gwynn, Josephine; Lock, Mark; Turner, Nicole; Dennison, Ray; Coleman, Clare; Kelly, Brian; Wiggers, John

doi:10.1111/ajr.12182

Cited by 37 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It is encouraging that the majority of programs we identified involved Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders, as optimum program practice should encompass culturally specific input at all stages of development, implementation and evaluation. 21 Since 2008, 'Closing the Gap' has been the main policy initiative to achieve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality. 22 We found that while a small number of programs had operated continuously for over a decade; the majority had shorter lifespans, limiting their sustainability.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A snapshot of physical activity programs targeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia

Macniven

Elwell

Ride

et al. 2017

Health Prom J of Aust

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Issue addressed: Participation in physical activity programs can be an effective strategy to reduce chronic disease risk factors and improve broader social outcomes. Health and social outcomes are worse among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders than non-Indigenous Australians, who represent an important group for culturally specific programs. The extent of current practice in physical activity programs is largely unknown. This study identifies such programs targeting this population group and describes their characteristics. Methods: Bibliographic and Internet searches and snowball sampling identified eligible programs operating between 2012 and 2015 in Australia (phase 1). Program coordinators were contacted to verify sourced information (phase 2). Descriptive characteristics were documented for each program. Results: A total of 110 programs were identified across urban, rural and remote locations within all states and territories. Only 11 programs were located through bibliographic sources; the remainder through Internet searches. The programs aimed to influence physical activity for health or broader social outcomes. Sixty five took place in community settings and most involved multiple sectors such as sport, health and education. Almost all were free for participants and involved Indigenous stakeholders. The majority received Government funding and had commenced within the last decade. More than 20 programs reached over 1000 people each; 14 reached 0-100 participants. Most included process or impact evaluation indicators, typically reflecting their aims. Conclusion: This snapshot provides a comprehensive description of current physical activity program provision for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia. The majority of programs were only identified through the grey literature. Many programs collect evaluation data, yet this is underrepresented in academic literature.So what? Capturing current practice can inform future efforts to increase the impact of physical activity programs to improve health and social indicators. Targeted, culturally relevant programs are essential to reduce levels of disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A snapshot of physical activity programs targeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia

Macniven

Elwell

Ride

et al. 2017

Health Prom J of Aust

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For example, a 2015 literature review of community participation in community development projects with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia identified that only half of the included publications clearly described the participatory processes that were used in the study and they were described from researchers' perspectives 1 . Documenting the participatory processes used and articulating the key elements of successful participation based on community members' perspectives can advance rural practice by providing practical guidance for future CBPR partnerships with rural and Aboriginal communities 14‐17 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘We walked side by side through the whole thing’: A mixed‐methods study of key elements of community‐based participatory research partnerships between rural Aboriginal communities and researchers

Snijder

Wagemakers

Calabria

et al. 2020

Australian J Rural Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives To advance the rural practice in working with Aboriginal communities by (a) identifying the extent of community partners' participation in and (b) operationalising the key elements of three community‐based participatory research partnerships between university‐based researchers and Australian rural Aboriginal communities. Design A mixed‐methods study. Quantitative survey and qualitative one‐on‐one interviews with local project implementation committee members and group interviews with other community partners and project documentation. Setting Three rural Aboriginal communities in New South Wales. Participants Thirty‐seven community partners in three community‐based participatory research partnerships of which 22 were members of local project implementation committees and 15 were other community partners who implemented activities. Intervention Community‐based participatory research partnerships to develop, implement and evaluate community‐based responses to alcohol‐related harms. Main outcomes measures Community partners' extent of and experiences with participation in the community‐based participatory research partnership and their involvement in the development and implementation processes. Results Community partners' participation varied between communities and between project phases within communities. Contributing to the community‐based participatory research partnerships were four key elements of the participatory process: unique expertise of researchers and community‐based partners, openness to learn from each other, trust and community leadership. Conclusion To advance the research practice in rural Aboriginal communities, equitable partnerships between Aboriginal community and research partners are encouraged to embrace the unique expertise of the partners, encourage co‐learning and implement community leadership to build trust.

show abstract

“…In addition to improving reporting of the contribution that Aboriginal health promotion makes to 'closing the gap', there are calls for Aboriginal people and communities to become active partners in their health care delivery (5,6). COAG's most recent Closing the Gap report makes stronger assertations to increase meaningful partnerships between all levels of governments and communities, in recognition that work to date is insu cient for meeting 2023 targets (7).…”

Section: Performance Measures Included In the Australian Government'smentioning

confidence: 99%

Could health information systems enhance the quality of Aboriginal health promotion? A retrospective audit of Aboriginal health programs in the Northern Territory of Australia

Percival

Boucher²,

Conte

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background In Australia, health services are seeking innovative ways to utilize data stored in health information systems to report on, and improve, health care quality and health system performance for Aboriginal Australians. However, there is little research about the use of health information systems in the context of Aboriginal health promotion. In 2008, the Northern Territory’s (NT) publicly funded healthcare system introduced the Quality Improvement Program Planning System (QIPPS) as the centralized online system for recording information about health promotion programs. The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of a health information system to capture and share data that could improve quality and reporting of Aboriginal health promotion. Using QIPPS as an example, we identify the potential benefits and limitations of health information systems for enhancing Aboriginal health promotion. Methods We conducted a retrospective audit of information recorded and stored in QIPPS about a sample of chronic disease prevention activities delivered between 2013 and 2016 in NT Aboriginal communities. A validated, paper-based audit tool was used to extract information stored in the QIPPS online system. We conducted an in-depth analysis on the audit data to report on Aboriginal health promotion quality. Simple frequency counts were calculated for dichotomous and categorical items of the audit tool. Text was also extracted and thematically analyzed to describe community participation processes and strategies used in Aboriginal health promotion. Results A total of 39 chronic disease prevention activities were included in the analysis. Of the three phases of the health promotion planning cycle, 34/39 activities recorded information pertaining to the planning phase, such as statements of project goals, ‘needs assessment’ findings, and processes for consulting Aboriginal people in the community. Information about actions during implementation and evaluation phases, was limited. Evaluation findings were reported in approximately one third of projects and were mostly limited to a recording of numbers of people participating in activities. In almost half of the projects analyzed, community participation strategies were not recorded or in insufficient detail.Conclusion This is the first Australian study to shed light on the feasibility of utilizing data stored in a purposefully designed health information system for reporting on Aboriginal health promotion quality. QIPPS provided an organized data source on a vast array of health promotion information for secondary analysis. However, data availability and quality were limiting factors for reporting health promotion quality. Based on our learnings of QIPPS, strategies for improving the quality and accuracy of data entry together with the use of quality improvement approaches are needed to reap the potential benefits of future health promotion information systems.

show abstract

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community governance of health research: Turning principles into practice

Cited by 37 publications

References 12 publications

A snapshot of physical activity programs targeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia

A snapshot of physical activity programs targeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia

‘We walked side by side through the whole thing’: A mixed‐methods study of key elements of community‐based participatory research partnerships between rural Aboriginal communities and researchers

Could health information systems enhance the quality of Aboriginal health promotion? A retrospective audit of Aboriginal health programs in the Northern Territory of Australia

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About