Abstract
Introduction:Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian adolescents from remote communities attend boarding schools, requiring integrated healthcare between home and schools. This study explored students’ health status, healthcare service use and satisfaction.Methodology:A two-phased mixed-methods explanatory design was implemented. 32 Indigenous primary and 188 secondary boarding school students were asked their health status, psychological distress, use of healthcare services in community and boarding school, and service satisfaction. Results were fed back to students, parents and community members, and education and healthcare staff to elicit further explanation and interpretation.Results:In the previous year, 75% of primary and 81% of secondary boarding school students had visited a doctor. More than 90% were satisfied with healthcare services used. Despite 27.1% reporting high psychological distress, students did not perceive distress as reducing their overall health, nor was distress associated with mental healthcare service use.Discussion:Despite high levels of service use and satisfaction, this study highlighted the need for improved healthcare integration for Indigenous adolescents between school-based and remote community services. Further research is needed to identify students’ expectations and models for healthcare integration.Conclusion:With resourcing, schools could play a greater role in facilitating access to healthcare.
Highlights
Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian adolescents from remote communities attend boarding schools, requiring integrated healthcare between home and schools
Our study engaged a purposive sample of 188 Indigenous secondary boarding school students supported by Transition Support Service, and 32 Indigenous primary school students from two remote communities
For secondary boarding school students, the findings suggested that distress is perceived as normal (27.1% reported high levels of psychological distress) and that students do not perceive distress as reducing their overall health status, nor was it reflected in their use of mental healthcare or wellbeing services
Summary
Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian adolescents from remote communities attend boarding schools, requiring integrated healthcare between home and schools. Primary healthcare service providers are able to influence and support the development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (hereafter respectfully termed Indigenous) Australian adolescents’ lifestyles and behaviours at a life stage when many important health risk and protective factors for later life either emerge or strengthen. This opportunity is important given the young age structure of Australia’s Indigenous population, with 37.3% of Indigenous Australians aged 10–24 years [1], and their poorer health status compared to other young Australians [2]. The goal of integration is to: “enhance quality of care and quality of life, consumer satisfaction and system efficiency for patients ... cutting across multiple services, providers and settings. [Where] the result of such multi-pronged efforts to promote
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