Communities In NSW Research Articles

Food intake in an Australian Aboriginal rural community facing food and water security challenges: A cross-sectional survey.

Researchers were invited by Aboriginal leaders to collaborate on this study which aimed to assess food intake in the Walgett Aboriginal community to inform long-term community-led efforts to improve food and water security and nutrition. Aboriginal adults living in or near Walgett, a remote community in north-west NSW, Australia, completed an adapted Menzies Remote Short-item Dietary Assessment Tool, which was administered verbally and face-to-face in early 2022. Aboriginal people were involved in the survey design, training and collection, and analysis of data. Descriptive statistics were tabulated, overall and by gender, age, and location. Differences by sex, age group (18-44 years versus ≥45 years), and location (Walgett town or other) were determined using a chi-square test. A total of 242 participants completed the survey; 55% were female. Three-quarters of participants reported meeting the recommendations for discretionary foods (73%); however, more than half (56%) exceeded the recommended maximum serves of sugar-sweetened beverages. The proportion of participants meeting core food group guidelines was 72% for meat, 36% for fruit, 20% for bread and cereals, 6% for dairy, and 3% for vegetables. Overall, none of the participants met the recommended serves of all food groups outlined in the Australian Dietary Guidelines. Findings show that Walgett Aboriginal community members surveyed were consuming a healthier diet than national data reported for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. However, none of the participants were meeting all of the national dietary guidelines, placing them at increased risk of diet-related chronic disease. Local Aboriginal community-led efforts to improve food and water security should include specific strategies to improve nutrition.

Understanding householders’ perceptions of threats following the 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires in Australia

Purpose Of all the deaths associated with disasters, bushfires account for 40% of these fatalities. The resulting fatalities are consequent upon householders’ decision-making, leading to late or non-evacuation from at-risk communities. However, while decision-making is a function of risk perception, this paper aims to investigate householders’ perceptions of bushfire risks following the catastrophic Black Summer bushfires of 2019/2020. Design/methodology/approach An inductive research approach was adopted. Thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted to elicit qualitative data from southeastern NSW, Australia householders. The data were collected via face-to-face and online Zoom. Each interview was recorded, transcribed using Otter.AI and thematically analyzed with NVivo 12 Pro (Braun and Clarke, 2006, 2019). In addition, inter-rater reliability was done by engaging an independent researcher to code the de-identified data independently. The codes were cross-checked for reliability and adjusted where necessary. Findings It was found that bushfire risk perceptions were high among the householders in bushfire at-risk communities following the 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires. High levels of perceptions were recorded among the participants regarding the likelihood of bushfire occurrence, concern for bushfires, severity of bushfires and vulnerability to bushfire threats. Research limitations/implications The study’s results do not reflect all householders in the southeastern part of NSW. It was limited to 30 householders who indicated their intentions to participate and are living in the study area. Therefore, future studies should be undertaken with more participants from broader geographical areas, including emergency responders like firefighters, recovery officers and non-government organizations in charge of recovery operations. This study will add to the prioritization of risk perceptions. Practical implications All else being equal, elevated bushfire risk perceptions among participants can potentially decrease the fatalities linked with bushfires and their subsequent ripple effects. This holds particularly true when residents opt for early self-evacuation from at-risk communities. Social implications The paper contributes to developing a better understanding of the bushfire risk perceptions underlying the evacuation decision-making of the residents in bushfire at-risk communities in south-eastern NSW of Australia. Originality/value The paper contributes to the existing knowledge on bushfire risks by providing insights into residents’ perceptions after the catastrophic 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires. As a qualitative study, it describes bushfire risk perceptions on four themes: likelihood, concern, severity and vulnerability, which is uncommon in many bushfire studies.

The Role of Human–Animal Bonds for People Experiencing Crisis Situations

Human-animal bonds, by providing social support, have been shown to improve the health and wellbeing of pet owners, especially those experiencing a crisis situation. The human-animal bond for people in crisis situations is complex and multifaceted, as it has shown to improve health, whilst it can also discourage people from seeking help, due to fears of leaving their pet behind. The purpose of the study is to capture and to assess the role of the human-animal bond for people in crisis situations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with pet owners involved in the RSPCA NSW Community Programs (n = 13) in 2021 and 2022. The findings of the study indicate that the human-animal bond is highly valued by people experiencing crisis situations, that the human-animal bonds can affect people's ability to seek help or refuge, and that the human-animal bond helps people to recover after a crisis. The findings suggest that community crisis support services, prison systems, hospital systems, emergency housing, and government legislation should recognize and aim to preserve this bond to provide the best help for people experiencing crisis situations.

Aspiring to higher education in regional and remote Australia: the diverse emotional and material realities shaping young people’s futures

Students from regional and remote areas remain significantly under-represented in higher education despite decades of equity policy designed to encourage participation. One explanation is that policy initiatives often overlook the realities in local rural contexts that can make higher education less desirable. Applying the theoretical lens of ‘doxic’ and ‘habituated’ aspirations, this paper analyzes interviews with 13 students, 10 parents/carers, and 4 teachers from one regional and one remote community in NSW, Australia. We document the emotional and material realities shaping young people’s imagined futures in these communities, highlighting the commitment to a rural lifestyle in one, and the desire to escape the other community in decline. We argue that developing successful initiatives to address equitable participation in higher education requires a departure from hegemonic discourses of ‘rurality’ and greater recognition of and respect for the diverse needs and desires of regional and remote students.

The success of Australia’s ‘No Jab, No Pay’ policy at a local level; retrospective clinical audit of a single medical practice assessing incidence of catch‐up vaccinations

Vaccination is a vital health care initiative to prevent individual and population infection. To increase vaccination rates the federal government implemented the 'No Jab, No Pay' policy, where eligibility for several government benefits required children to be fully vaccinated by removing 'conscientious objections' and expanding the age range of children whose families receive benefits. This study assesses the impact of this policy at a local area within a single medical practice community in NSW, Australia. A retrospective clinical audit was performed between 2012 and 2017 on a single general practice's vaccination records for children ≤19years. Catch-up vaccinations were assessed based on age at vaccination. Incidence of catch-up vaccinations was assessed for each of four years before and two years after the implementation of the 'No Jab, No Pay' policy in January 2016, along with the age of children and vaccination(s) given. Catch-up vaccinations were assessed temporally either side of implementation of 'No Jab, No Pay'. Comparing the average annual vaccination catch-up incidence rate of 6.2% pre-implementation (2012-2015), there was an increase to 9.2% in 2016 (p<.001) and 7.8% in 2017 (p=.027). Secondary outcome measurement of catch-up vaccination incidence rates before (2012-2015) and after (2016-2017) 'No Jab, No Pay' implementation showed statistically significant increases for children aged 8-11years (3.2%-5.6%, p=.038), 12-15years (7.5%-14.7%, p<.001) and 16-19years (3.3%-10.2%, p<.001) along with a statistically significant reduction in children aged 1-3years (11.4%-6.2%, p=.015). Also, catch-up rates for DTPa significantly increased after program implementation. This study demonstrates that the Australian federal government vaccination policy 'No Jab, No Pay' was coincident with an increase in catch-up vaccinations within a rural NSW community served by one medical practice, especially for older children.

Aboriginal Human Research Ethics Committees ensuring culturally appropriate research

Abstract Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Australia's Indigenous peoples, make up three percent of the population of Australia. Like many other Indigenous peoples in colonised countries, they suffer the worst health and social status of any population group. Australian Indigenous people have a lower life expectancy (8.6 years lower for men and 7.8 years for women) compared with other Australians (ABS 2018a). The reasons for the poorer health outcomes are complex and include historical, political and social factors (AIHW 2015a). The health disparity has driven a high number of research projects with a focus on Australian Indigenous people or mainstream research projects where Australian Indigenous people are overrepresented. Given the uniqueness of Australian Indigenous cultures as well as the historical, political and social context, in 1998, the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of New South Wales (AH&amp;MRC) established an Australian Indigenous-specific human research ethics committee (HREC). The AH&amp;MRC is the Indigenous peak health body of New South Wales. This presentation will outline the role and benefit of the AH&amp;MRC HREC as a specialised HREC. The AH&amp;MRC HREC is fully constituted and registered under the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). The NHMRC is the leading expert body in health and medical research in Australia and develops health research guidelines. The AH&amp;MRC HREC is one of three AHRECs in Australia. The AH&amp;MRC Ethics Committee not only guarantees that research is conducted ethically but also ensures research involving Indigenous people is undertaken in a culturally appropriate manner. One of the key elements required by the AH&amp;MRC is that researchers consult Indigenous communities across all stages of the project from the design, implementation, analysis and write up. The AH&amp;MRC HREC is essential, ensuring the research is of benefit to the Indigenous community in NSW and is conducted in a culturally safe manner. Key messages Specialised Indigenous human resarch ethics committees are vital to enuring research is culturally appropriate. Spscialised human resarch ethics committees can be of benefit for other disctinct populations.

A new project investigating the floral phenology and seed biology of threatened ecological communities in northwest NSW

A new project investigating the floral phenology and seed biology of threatened ecological communities in northwest NSW

Family Trees and the Return of Native Title Research Material to Aboriginal Communities in NSW

ABSTRACTFor more than a decade, NTSCORP, the native title services provider for Aboriginal communities in NSW and ACT, has returned genealogical information to claimants in the form of ancestral family trees. The exceptionally popular program has seen more than 4,000 requests logged and completed. This article reviews some of the strengths and weaknesses of the program and how it has changed over time. It also considers the return of research material as a whole within the context of ongoing discussions among historical and archival communities about the necessity of decolonising the archives and returning control of information about First Nations communities to the people themselves. Digital technologies have a role to play in resolving some of the challenges surrounding the return of research records, particularly with regard to cultural protocols and confidentiality.

Quantifying low English literacy in Australian Aboriginal communities: a correlational study

While the English literacy outcomes of Aboriginal children are constantly measured and debated, attention falls away once they leave school, leading to limited data on English literacy rates among Australia’s Aboriginal adults. This paper reports on an investigation into the prevalence of low literacy in adults in eight Aboriginal communities in NSW, Australia, drawing on both self-report data from household surveys and objective professional assessments using the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF). The research was conducted in partnership with a national Aboriginal organisation as part of a longitudinal study of the impact of improved adult literacy on the social determinants of health and social wellbeing. Of the participants who were measured to have low or very low English-language literacy level using ACSF, 51% had completed Year 10 or higher. This casts serious doubt on the value of school completion data which is used, for example, in Close the Gap reporting, as an accurate predictor of adult literacy rates. Results further show that while self-reported low literacy was prevalent in the population studied, there was also a significant overestimation, with adults who have completed years 10–11 nearly 30 times more likely to overestimate compared to people who only complete primary school. Given the well-known associations between adult literacy and a range of other outcomes including income, employment and health, national adult literacy surveys such as the Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies should aim to produce more comprehensive national, regional and local data on Aboriginal adult English literacy.

Cancer Council NSW - Policy and Advocacy: “I Care For Palliative Care” Campaign to Increase Government Investment in Specialist Palliative Care Services

Background and context: I Care for Palliative Care Campaign was developed and delivered by the Cancer Council NSW between November 2015 and July 2017. This advocacy campaign was developed in recognition of the fact that the state had fewer palliative physicians and palliative care nurses than were needed to meet the palliative care demands of the NSW community. This meant that some people with life-limiting cancer were being denied quality of life and were unable to die in the place of their choosing. Moreover, Aboriginal people remained disadvantaged by limited access to specialist palliative care that fits with their community values, beliefs, rituals, heritage and place. Aim: The primary aim of the campaign was to secure additional funding from the NSW Government for an additional 10 FTE palliative physician positions; an extra 129 FTE palliative care nurse positions; and provision of culturally-appropriate specialist palliative care services to Aboriginal people. Strategy/Tactics: Various tactics were used, including collection and sharing of engaging community stories via media and online channels, mobilizing community support via training and events, and targeted engagement of key decision-makers and members of parliament (MPs), which took into consideration marginal electorates, personal experiences with cancer, and geography, noting the issue disproportionally impacts regional and rural communities. An online and offline “pledge” activity was also used, providing both the public and MPs with an opportunity to support the campaign. Program/Policy process: Meetings, the pledge activity, collection and presentation of stories and community-events were all incorporated into a program of activities over the campaign period to engage decision-makers and ultimately influence the policy-making process. Outcomes: An independent qualitative evaluation confirmed that the campaign was undoubtedly a success. It noted that the campaign created an environment in which the NSW government made a historic decision to provide an additional $100 million in funding for palliative care services over four years. Without the campaign, palliative care could well have lost out to other healthcare and government spending priorities. What was learned: The campaign confirmed the power of personal stories as an effective campaign tactic to influence decision-makers. Empowering volunteers to generate local media coverage also resulted in significantly greater coverage for the campaign. The “pledge” activity for MPs was also an effective tactic that brought together the issue, the politician and our brand. Aspects to be improved include simplifying our policy ask, evaluating the resources we invest in key decision makers versus less influential MPs, and assessing how we better integrate political context and political experts into our campaign planning and governance.

P57 Taking hepatitis C issues to the homes of Arabic communities in NSW

P57 Taking hepatitis C issues to the homes of Arabic communities in NSW

Assessing the public acceptability of proposed policy interventions to reduce the misuse of antibiotics in Australia: A report on two community juries.

ObjectiveTo elicit the views of well‐informed community members on the acceptability of proposed policy interventions designed to improve community use of antibiotics in Australia.DesignTwo community juries held in 2016.Setting and participantsWestern Sydney and Dubbo communities in NSW, Australia. Twenty‐nine participants of diverse social and cultural backgrounds, mixed genders and ages recruited via public advertising: one jury was drawn from a large metropolitan setting; the other from a regional/rural setting.Main outcome measureJury verdict and rationale in response to a prioritization task and structured questions.ResultsBoth juries concluded that potential policy interventions to curb antibiotic misuse in the community should be directed towards: (i) ensuring that the public and prescribers were better educated about the dangers of antibiotic resistance; (ii) making community‐based human and animal health‐care practitioners accountable for their prescribing decisions. Patient‐centred approaches such as delayed prescribing were seen as less acceptable than prescriber‐centred approaches; both juries completely rejected any proposal to decrease consumer demand by increasing antibiotic prices.ConclusionThese informed citizens acknowledged the importance of raising public awareness of the risks, impacts and costs of antibiotic resistance and placed a high priority on increasing social and professional accountability through restrictive measures. Their overarching aim was that policy interventions should be directed towards creating collective actions and broad social support for changing antibiotic use through establishing and explaining the need for mechanisms to control and support better prescribing by practitioners, while not transferring the burdens, costs and risks of interventions to consumers.

The Conversational Model and Child and Family Counselling: Treating Chronic Complex Trauma in a Systemic Framework

Child and Family Counselling Teams in NSW Community Health Services are expected to provide therapeutic services to children who have experienced complex trauma. However, parental trauma is often overlooked or referred elsewhere. A systemic perspective informed by attachment theory and trauma theory provides the basis for addressing parental trauma in Child and Family Counselling Teams, thereby improving parenting. The Conversational Model is an evidence‐based intervention for chronic complex trauma. The foundations of the Conversational Model and its brief component, Short Term Intensive Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, are outlined and a case study is given to illustrate the usefulness of the intervention in Child and Family Counselling. Highlighted is the importance of addressing systemic trauma through parenting to improve attachment quality, family relationships, and children's function.

'I miss my family, it's been a while…' A qualitative study of clinicians who live and work in rural/remote Australian Aboriginal communities.

Dental issues are more prevalent for Aboriginal Australians, especially those living in rural/remote locations, but distribution of clinicians is favoured towards metropolitan areas and are not always culturally competent. This study aimed to document the experiences of dental clinicians who relocated to rural/remote communities to provide dental services to Aboriginal communities in an effort to redress these gaps. Clinicians working in a new rural/remote dental service strategy to Aboriginal communities in Northern NSW. Qualitative semi-structured face-to-face interviews and reflective diaries were analysed qualitatively. Relocating dental clinicians and their support team. Three major themes emerged: Theme one: Mastering the clinical environment through professional experiences: Increasing professional capabilities, clinical environment, valuing team work and gaining community respect. Theme two: Development and growth of the individual through personal and social experiences: culture shock, developing cultural competence, social impact, economic cost and personal adjustments and growth. Theme three: An overarching sense of achievement and advice to new clinicians. Relocation to rural and remote communities to provide health services is a complex but rewarding process. Providing personal and professional support, to relocating clinicians resulted in an overall positive experience for the participants, where they increased their professional skills and developed personally. Living and working in the community increased their cultural competence. Barriers were overcome through effective communication, flexibility and teamwork. Funding for rural placements, such as these, is critical for rural and remote health services and should include long-term appropriate funding for mentoring and support.

Connections or conflict? A social and economic analysis of the interconnections between the professional fishing industry, recreational fishing and marine tourism in coastal communities in NSW, Australia

Resource conflict is a common feature of coastal management. This conflict is often managed by using spatial planning tools to segregate uses, with access decisions made through a comparison of the economic costs and benefits of the competing sectors. These comparisons rarely include an in-depth analysis of the extent or nature of the conflict. One commonly experienced form of resource conflict in coastal communities involves professional fishing, recreational fishing and broader coastal tourism. In New South Wales, Australia the professional fishing industry is often seen as being in conflict with recreational fishing and tourism, and there are frequent calls to close areas to professional fishing, arguing that this will provide improved economic benefits to local communities. This research examined the relationships between the three sectors using economic valuations, qualitative interviews and a large-scale representative questionnaire of the general public. The results revealed highly interconnected and mutually supportive relationships, with professional fishing providing a range of services that benefit both tourism and recreational fishing. These results suggest that spatial management exercises that seek to segregate or remove one sector from an area, may be counterproductive to the interests of all these groups. Relying on economic valuations of each sector as if they stand alone is insufficient to adequately understand their roles in local communities. Resource allocation decisions should be based on evaluations that consider the interconnections between sectors, and consider whether negotiated sharing of resources may provide greater community benefits than excluding certain groups of users.

Lost in translation: a focus group study of parents’ and adolescents’ interpretations of underage drinking and parental supply

BackgroundReductions in underage drinking will only come about from changes in the social and cultural environment. Despite decades of messages discouraging parental supply, parents perceive social norms supportive of allowing children to consume alcohol in ‘safe’ environments.MethodsTwelve focus groups conducted in a regional community in NSW, Australia; four with parents of teenagers (n = 27; 70 % female) and eight with adolescents (n = 47; 55 % female). Participants were recruited using local media. Groups explored knowledge and attitudes and around alcohol consumption by, and parental supply of alcohol to, underage teenagers; and discussed materials from previous campaigns targeting adolescents and parents.ResultsParents and adolescents perceived teen drinking to be a common behaviour within the community, but applied moral judgements to these behaviours. Younger adolescents expressed more negative views of teen drinkers and parents who supply alcohol than older adolescents. Adolescents and parents perceived those who ‘provide alcohol’ (other families) as bad parents, and those who ‘teach responsible drinking’ (themselves) as good people. Both groups expressed a preference for high-fear, victim-blaming messages that targeted ‘those people’ whose behaviours are problematic.ConclusionsIn developing and testing interventions to address underage drinking, it is essential to ensure the target audience perceive themselves to be the target audience. If we do not have a shared understanding of underage ‘drinking’ and parental ‘provision’, such messages will continue to be perceived by parents who are trying to do the ‘right’ thing as targeting a different behaviour and tacitly supporting their decision to provide their children with alcohol.

Developing a Sustainable Model of Oral Health Care for Disadvantaged Aboriginal People Living in Rural and Remote Communities in NSW, Using Collective Impact Methodology

A sustainable model of oral health care for disadvantaged Aboriginal people living in rural and remote communities in New South Wales was developed using collective impact methodology. Collective impact is a structured process which draws together organizations to develop a shared agenda and design solutions which are jointly resourced, measured and reported upon.

Ageing on Hammond Island: Is there cause for concern in the Torres Strait?

[Extract] An increased risk of dementia has recently been reported in Aboriginal Australians living in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia. For those aged 45 and over, dementia prevalence was 12.4%, which was more than five times higher than the population rate of 2.4% for the same age, with a further 8% meeting criteria for cognitive impairment not dementia. Unexpectedly, the risk was higher for men than women. A threefold risk of dementia has also been found in urban and regional Aboriginal communities in NSW for those aged 60 and over. Alzheimer's disease was the most common dementia diagnosis in both studies. It is not known if Torres Strait Islander communities share this increased risk of dementia, although high rates of vascular risk factors, such as hypertension and diabetes, which can increase the risk of dementia, are found in Torres Strait communities. Additionally, rates of dementia can vary between communities due to diversity in lifestyles, health factors, access to medical and health services, and other demographic and geographical differences.

Building regional change at scale and pace: Integration lessons from the NSW Chronic Disease Management Program

Introduction: Over the last four years NSW has developed at scale and pace local disease management services following implementation of the Chronic Disease Management Program (CDMP-Connecting Care). Connecting Care has worked to engage and empower people to be actively involved in their health care. This has resulted in a streamlined patient journey with improved care coordination, self-management and coaching for people with long term conditions in the community. Practice and Context: A team of committed managers implemented the CDMP Connecting Care Model across NSW. Person-centred care is increasingly seen as a key indicator of quality and essential to improving healthcare systems and consumers are a key part of the model. In order to improve experiences and outcomes for patients and carers, staff charted a course between the acute, community and primary health care interface by embedding referral lines, recognising care pathways and GP care in the home. Description of Change Implemented: The first steps were to seek engagement and integration between health services and to deliver better health outcomes by streamlining the patient journey, providing greater care coordination and access to coaching for people with long term conditions in their home setting. Empowering consumers to play an active role in decisions about their care is central to the provision of person-centred care. This would lead to improved self-management and is a key goal of the ACI Chronic Care Network. Improvement realized: A central organising entity prioritised primary care engagement across intersection points within the acute care system. This led to the creation of patient navigation hubs for registered patients with long term conditions. Care partnerships, improved technology, outbound call centre protocols and integrated service delivery have meant patients have been more rapidly returned to the community after unplanned hospital admissions. Targeted population: Connecting Care targeted people in NSW with chronic disease i.e. Diabetes, Congestive Heart Failure, Coronary Artery Disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary World Congress on Integrated Care 2014, Sydney, November 23-26, 2014. International Journal of Integrated Care – Volume 14, 8 December – URN:NBN:NL:UI:10-1-116665– http://www.ijic.org/ Disease and Hypertension who were aged 16 years and over and who were at high to very high risk of hospitalisation and who may benefit from care coordination and self-management support. Stakeholders Engaged: At a local level engagement has consisted of Local Health Districts Medicare Locals (MLs) in collaboration with General Practice (GP), Aboriginal Medical Services (AMS), Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), private health care professionals, and private health insurers. Timeline: Connecting Care has been implemented across NSW since 2010. Theory/Methods used: As people often have more than one chronic disease and require different levels of care and access the Kaiser Permanente triangle has been used to inform navigation to a range of services as their disease progresses and changes. Local Health Districts and Specialty Health Networks have been recurrently funded to deliver Connecting Care to eligible people in their community. The aim is to enrol at least 59,000 people into the program by 2014-15. Innovation, Impacts and Outcomes: Results for the program have been measured locally and with the assistance of a state wide evaluation consortium led by the George Institute for Global Health. Case Study based processes and local evaluation reveal a reduction in admissions (66%), bed days (63%) and 2.1 day average length of stay. Patient feedback has shown many have been engaged with disease management services for the first time and appreciate the coaching, locally based interventions and stronger links with their General Practitioners. Sustainability, Transferability: Connecting Care staff were able to chart a course between the acute, community and primary health care interface in NSW; preparing for a regional House of Care locally that had patient and carer centred care, recognition of the importance of the GP led medical home, embedded referral lines, known care pathways and greatly improved outcomes. Conclusions: A central organising entity was created with the Connecting Care program that prioritised primary care engagement and created patient navigation hubs for a registered group of patients with long term conditions. Discussions and Lessons Learnt: Care partnerships, improved technology, outbound call centre protocols and integrated service delivery are the building blocks of a sustainable system change. Other programs are now using this model to implement fracture prevention services and widen the targeted diseases scope.

Meeting the physical health needs of people living with mental illness: Current practices within NSW community managed organisations and where to from here

The International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles in the field of integrated care on a continuous basis.IJIC has an Impact Factor of 5.120 (2020 JCR, received in June 2021)The IJIC 20th Anniversary Issue was published in 2021.