A prospective evaluation of first people's health promotion program design in the goulburn-murray rivers region.

Joyce Doyle,Bradley Firebrace,Margaret Cargo,Tui Crumpen,Rachel Reilly,Therese Riley,Petah Atkinson,Julie Calleja,Kevin Rowley,Sharon Atkinson-Briggs

doi:10.1186/s12913-016-1878-4

Abstract

BackgroundAboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) provide community-focussed and culturally safe services for First Peoples in Australia, including crisis intervention and health promotion activities, in a holistic manner. The ecological model of health promotion goes some way towards describing the complexity of such health programs. The aims of this project were to: 1) identify the aims and purpose of existing health promotion programs conducted by an alliance of ACCOs in northern Victoria, Australia; and 2) evaluate the extent to which these programs are consistent with an ecological model of health promotion, addressing both individual and environmental determinants of health.MethodsThe project arose from a long history of collaborative research. Three ACCOs and a university formed the Health Promotion Alliance to evaluate their health promotion programs. Local community members were trained in, and contributed to developing culturally sensitive methods for, data collection. Information on the aims and design of 88 health promotion activities making up 12 different programs across the ACCOs was systematically and prospectively collected.ResultsThere was a wide range of activities addressing environmental and social determinants of health, as well as physical activity, nutrition and weight loss. The design of the great majority of activities had a minimal Western influence and were designed within a local Aboriginal cultural framework. The most common focus of the activities was social connectedness (76 %). Physical activity was represented in two thirds of the activities, and nutrition, weight loss and culture were each a focus of about half of the activities. A modified coding procedure designed to assess the ecological nature of these programs showed that they recruited from multiple settings; targeted a range of individual, social and environmental determinants; and used numerous and innovative strategies to achieve change.ConclusionFirst Peoples’ health promotion in the Goulburn-Murray Rivers region encompasses a broad range of social, cultural, lifestyle and community development activities, including reclaiming and strengthening cultural identity and social connectedness as a response to colonisation.

Highlights

Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) provide community-focussed and culturally safe services for First Peoples in Australia, including crisis intervention and health promotion activities, in a holistic manner
The initial aims of this project were to: 1) identify the aims and purpose of existing health promotion programs conducted within the Health Promotion Alliance; and 2) evaluate the extent to which these programs are consistent with an ecological model of health promotion, addressing both individual and environmental determinants of health
The health promotion programs we have studied included a mix of different types of targets: individual knowledge and behaviours; community development; social connectedness; organisational development; and First Peoples’ relationship with the broader Australian society

Summary

Introduction

Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) provide community-focussed and culturally safe services for First Peoples in Australia, including crisis intervention and health promotion activities, in a holistic manner. There are a large number of Aboriginal organisations operating and providing services to the community These organisations are community focused and culturally safe, and play an important role in employment, education and health for First Peoples of the region. Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) such as these play an important role in providing culturally safe services, strengthening First Peoples’ identity, and in advocacy for health and human rights [1, 2]. In this study, ‘First Peoples’ is the preferred term to refer to the Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander population, as it encompasses both the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the region, while reflecting the shared experiences that unite Indigenous peoples in Australia and internationally

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