Effects of Nutritional Interventions on Cardiovascular Disease Health Outcomes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Nutrition interventions can support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This review examines nutritional interventions aiming to improve CVD outcomes and appraises peer-reviewed interventions using an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Quality Appraisal Tool. Five electronic databases and grey literature were searched, applying no time limit. Two reviewers completed the screening, data extraction and quality assessment independently. The study quality was assessed using the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute and the Centre of Research Excellence in Aboriginal Chronic Disease Knowledge Translation and Exchange Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Quality Appraisal Tool (QAT). Twenty-one nutrition programs were included in this review. Twelve reported on anthropometric measurements, ten on biochemical and/or hematological measurements and sixteen on other outcome domains. Most programs reported improvements in measurable CVD risk factors, including reduced body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), weight, blood pressure and improved lipid profiles. Most programs performed well at community engagement and capacity strengthening, but many lacked the inclusion of Indigenous research paradigms, governance and strengths-based approaches. This review highlights the need for contemporary nutrition programs aimed at improving cardiovascular health outcomes to include additional key cultural components.

How Can We Find Out What Indigenous Children and Their Families Need to Manage Weight? Lessons from Formative Nutrition Intervention Research with First Australians

“…In their scoping review of the effects of nutritional interventions on cardiovascular health outcomes in First Australian communities, Porykali and colleagues found the most successful projects were those of the longest duration [20]. The short-term nature of the funding was an issue in our project.…”

“…A systematic review of 26 nutrition-related interventions in First Australians found that only half of the studies achieved moderate or strong community engagement [19]. A scoping review of 21 nutrition interventions for cardiovascular disease with First Australians found that while most of the interventions achieved community engagement and capacity strengthening, few reported taking a strengths-based approach or adopting Indigenous research paradigms and governance [20]. An approach that deeply and authentically involves the community concerned in the research process would clearly be advantageous.…”

Programs Addressing Food Security for First Nations Peoples: A Scoping Review

“…The importance of funding and resource allocation should be acknowledged as a barrier to ongoing program implementation [ 32 ]. This is a common theme across all First Nations research, and it is well known that community-based programs in Australia experience barriers, including adequate funding for end-to-end holistic programs that are evaluated and sustainable [ 53 ], and the lesson is to provide for long-term funding.…”

Yarning about Diet: The Applicability of Dietary Assessment Methods in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians—A Scoping Review

“…Papers that received a ‘yes’ or ‘partially’ for six to nine questions were considered to be of moderate quality and papers that received a ‘yes’ or ‘partially’ to five or fewer questions were considered to be of low quality and less culturally appropriate [ 24 ]. To assess how well each individual question performed across all of the peer-reviewed papers, three marks were assigned for a ‘yes’, two for a ‘partially’, one for an ‘unclear’, and zero for a ‘no’ [ 25 ].…”