Community In Melbourne Research Articles

Community music, identity and belonging among Dutchies in Australia: Comparing assimilation to multiculturalism

AbstractThis article discusses variations in the experiences of Dutch identity and belonging to a music‐making group in the Dutch migrant community in Melbourne, Australia. It answers the research question “Which variations of ‘Dutch identity’ are there for the participants and how does music‐making relate to this?”. Feelings of identity and belonging are shaped by federal policies and micro‐interactions. This article builds on the concepts related to migrant identity and ethnomusicology in the context of two distinct federal integration policies: the White Australia policy (which is characterised by an assimilation policy) and multiculturalism. The findings showed that community music has the potential to bridge generational, gender and class differences. Multiculturalism, enabling the participants to meet and sing in Dutch, empowered them to explore their dual identity as Dutch Australians, intersecting with disability, racial differences, age and education level. This study improves our understanding of the impact of diverse emigration and immigration resettlement policies that form part of the complexities of diverse generations and backgrounds of the Dutch‐Australian diaspora.

Metformin for low back pain: Study protocol for a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

BackgroundChronic low back pain is a major cause of pain and disability with limited effective therapies. Metformin is a safe, inexpensive, well-tolerated drug that has pleotropic effects, including effects on pain pathways that may influence low back pain. The aim of this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial is to determine whether metformin reduces low back pain over 4 months in individuals with chronic low back pain. Methods and analysisOne hundred and twenty-three participants with chronic low back pain will be recruited from the community in Melbourne, Australia, and randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to receive either metformin 2g or identical placebo daily for 4 months. The primary outcome will be change in pain intensity assessed using a 100 ​mm visual analogue scale at 4 months and the secondary outcomes will be change in low back disability, physical activity and narcotic use. Adverse events will be recorded. The primary analysis will be by intention to treat. DiscussionGiven the societal burden of LBP and the limited effective treatment options available, this study that evaluates the efficacy of metformin in LBP, if proves to be effective, will offer an important therapeutic approach for this disabling condition. Ethics and disseminationEthics approval has been obtained from the Alfred Hospital Ethics Committee (392/21) and Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (30607). Written informed consent will be obtained from all the participants. The findings will be disseminated through peer-review publications and conference presentations. Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12621001453875 (registered 25th October 2021).

Didar: Activating Exhibition Spaces With Diaspora Communities In Melbourne

The twenty-first century conservator is more regularly involved in collection-based community engagements. This is in response to and influenced by the revised roles of cultural institutions as social spaces that recognise the importance of inclusivity, community participation and sustainability. Despite this focus on communities, the practical details and the care needed to undertake this work are not adequately documented. The challenge for conservators, needing to stay relevant and connected, is how best to engage participants from diverse backgrounds in structured and meaningful ways. This research sought to develop practices around conservation that is engaged with communities, working with culturally diverse groups in an exhibition setting. In 2022, the exhibition Didar: Stories of Middle Eastern Manuscripts from the University of Melbourne opened in the Arts West Gallery. Sixty manuscripts were displayed alongside Grimwade Centre research for the first time. The exhibition presented a timely opportunity to reach out to communities. Our approach was open-ended, inspired by the themes of the manuscripts and materials to increase our chances of engagement. Reflective practice supported the iterative event design process, which aimed to create opportunities for audience meaning making and interpretation. Pen portraits were employed as a method of data presentation to offer vignettes of participant narratives. Such narratives are part of the ethos of care that the research team aimed to put into practice—in this case, care for stories and care for the ways in which individuals connect with the collection. This paper adds to the scholarship needed to professionalise conservation community engagement.

Three Women, Three Generations: An In-Depth Case Study of Language Retention and Shift in One Family from the Maltese Australian Community in Melbourne

This paper analysis one family pertaining to the Maltese Australian community in Melbourne and investigates the retention of the Maltese language. The Maltese Australian community is a small community that is getting smaller since migration from Malta to Australia has largely stopped. Thus, the Maltese language is spoken mostly by the first generation of immigrants who left the island after the Second World War seeking a better future. The second generation, born in Australia, usually understands the language but lacks the opportunity or the will to speak the language except with members of the family. The third generation, raised in a multicultural country, normally has very little fluency in the Maltese language. The investigation is grounded in interview data gathered among a family of three generations of Maltese origin in Melbourne. The findings of this research show that the aging population of the Maltese community and the dominance of the English language do not favour the retention of the Maltese language in the future. With the end of the first generation of post-World War Two migrants and the emergence of the fourth and fifth generations, probably, there will be an absolute shift to English, the de-facto national language of Australia.

Metformin for knee osteoarthritis with obesity: study protocol for a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

IntroductionOver half of the populations with knee osteoarthritis (OA) have obesity. These individuals have many other shared metabolic risk factors. Metformin is a safe, inexpensive, well-tolerated drug that has pleiotropic...

Methotrexate to treat hand osteoarthritis with synovitis (METHODS): an Australian, multisite, parallel-group, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial

Hand osteoarthritis is a disabling condition with few effective therapies. Hand osteoarthritis with synovitis is a common inflammatory phenotype associated with pain. We aimed to examine the efficacy and safety of methotrexate at 6 months in participants with hand osteoarthritis and synovitis. In this multisite, parallel-group, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial, participants (aged 40-75 years) with hand osteoarthritis (Kellgren and Lawrence grade ≥2 in at least one joint) and MRI-detected synovitis of grade 1 or more were recruited from the community in Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide, and Perth, Australia. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) using block randomisation, stratified by study site and self-reported sex, to receive methotrexate 20 mg or identical placebo orally once weekly for 6 months. The primary outcome was pain reduction (measured with a 100 mm visual analogue scale; VAS) in the study hand at 6 months assessed in the intention-to-treat population. Safety outcomes were assessed in all randomly assigned participants. This trial was registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12617000877381). Between Nov 22, 2017, and Nov 8, 2021, of 202 participants who were assessed for eligibility, 97 (48%) were randomly assigned to receive methotrexate (n=50) or placebo (n=47). 68 (70%) of 97 participants were female and 29 (30%) were male. 42 (84%) of 50 participants in the methotrexate group and 40 (85%) of 47 in the placebo group provided primary outcome data. The mean change in VAS pain at 6 months was -15·2 mm (SD 24·0) in the methotrexate group and -7·7 mm (25·3) in the placebo group, with a mean between-group difference of -9·9 (95% CI -19·3 to -0·6; p=0·037) and an effect size (standardised mean difference) of 0·45 (0·03 to 0·87). Adverse events occurred in 31 (62%) of 50 participants in the methotrexate group and 28 (60%) of 47 participants in the placebo group. Treatment of hand osteoarthritis and synovitis with 20 mg methotrexate for 6 months had a moderate but potentially clinically meaningful effect on reducing pain, providing proof of concept that methotrexate might have a role in the management of hand osteoarthritis with an inflammatory phenotype. National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.

What Got You through Lockdown?

What Got You through Lockdown?

Effective communication of COVID-19 vaccine information to recently-arrived culturally and linguistically diverse communities from the perspective of community engagement and partnership organisations: a qualitative study

BackgroundIn many high-income countries, COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities. Barriers to engaging with essential health messaging has contributed to difficulties in following public health advice and exacerbated existing inequity in Australia. Research suggests that recently-arrived CALD populations are particularly vulnerable to misinformation and are more likely to experience vaccine hesitancy. The aim of this study was to explore the barriers and enablers to COVID-19 vaccination among recently-arrived CALD communities in Melbourne’s outer north and identify strategies to reduce hesitancy in this population.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives from community organisations working with recently-arrived CALD communities in Melbourne’s north. This included a mix of peer (from the community) and health care workers.ResultsFifteen participants from community organisations participated in interviews. Thematic analysis identified four themes; (1) trusted sources, (2) accurate and culturally sensitive information, (3) supported pathways and (4) enablers to vaccination.ConclusionsParticipants reported a perceived lack of accurate, culturally sensitive health information and service provision as key barriers to vaccination in recently-arrived CALD communities. Participants identified a range of perceived enablers to increasing vaccination uptake in the communities they work with, including utilising established channels of communication and harnessing the communities’ strong sense of collective responsibility. Specific strategies to reduce vaccine hesitancy included identifying and utilising trusted sources (e.g. faith leaders) to disseminate information, tailoring health messages to address cultural differences, providing opportunities to contextualise information, and modifying service delivery to enhance cultural sensitivity. There is an urgent need for increased efforts from health and government agencies to build sustainable, collaborative relationships with CALD communities.

Barriers to COVID-19 vaccination of migrant populations: A qualitative interview study of immunisation providers in Victoria, Australia

IntroductionThis study aimed to understand barriers and enablers, future strategies, communication approaches and resources needed for COVID-19 vaccination among migrant communities in Melbourne, Australia. Material and methodsWe interviewed 24 immunisation providers who deliver immunisation services to migrant populations in Melbourne. We used the WHO Behavioural and Social Drivers framework (underlined) to organise barriers and enablers to COVID-19 vaccination. ResultsParticipants believed migrants had concerns about vaccine safety and efficacy and saw vaccines as minimally beneficial in the ‘low COVID-19′ environment of Australia (what people think and feel). Healthcare providers with established relationships within migrant communities played key roles in vaccine advocacy (social processes). Migrants’ vaccine motivation was mediated by health literacy, institutional trust and previous experiences with health services. Practical issues included perceived lack of information on vaccine booking process and accessibility challenges. ConclusionsStrategies to increase migrant vaccine coverage should utilise immunisation providers with community links and trusted local vaccine ambassadors to engage and address community vaccine concerns.

Multifaceted intervention to increase the delivery of alcohol brief interventions in primary care: a mixed-methods process analysis.

Brief interventions (BIs) are effective for reducing harmful alcohol consumption, but their use in primary care is less frequent than clinically indicated. The REducing AlCohol- related Harm (REACH) project aimed to increase the delivery of BIs in primary care. To assess the effectiveness of the REACH programme in increasing alcohol BIs in general practice and explore the implementation factors that improve or reduce uptake by clinicians. This article reports on a sequential, explanatory mixed-methods study of the implementation of the REACH project in six general practice clinics serving low-income communities in Melbourne, Australia. Time-series analyses were conducted using routinely collected patient records and semi-structured interviews, guided by the consolidated framework for implementation research. The six intervention sites significantly increased their rate of recorded alcohol status (56.7% to 60.4%), whereas there was no significant change in the non-intervention practices (344 sites, 55.2% to 56.4%). REACH resources were seen as useful and acceptable by clinicians and staff. National policies that support the involvement of primary care in alcohol harm reduction helped promote ongoing intervention sustainability.

“A balancing act of keeping the faith and maintaining wellbeing”: perspectives from Australian faith communities during the pandemic

PurposeThe pandemic presented many new challenges is all spheres of life including faith communities. Around the globe, lockdowns took pace at various stages with varying restrictions that included the closure of places of worship which significantly affected the way people serve God and gather as a community. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the wellbeing and resilience of members of Christian faith communities in Melbourne (Australia) who had experienced one of the longest lockdowns in the world.Design/methodology/approachThe authors draw on online survey N = 106 collected between November 2021 and May 2021. Participants were over the age of 18 from Catholic, Anglican, Uniting Church, Baptist and Pentecostal/Evangelical faith communities. They employ thematic analysis to analyze, and code open-ended responses from four questions in relation to the research question: In what ways has your wellbeing been impacted during the pandemic?FindingsMelbourne experienced one of the longest lockdown periods in the world between 2020 and 2021 when blended modes of worship forced people to congregate in new and different ways. The empirical insights of participants express their views in relation to celebrating faith and hope, connecting with community, pursuing leisure activities and pursuing leisure in relation to the PERMA model of wellbeing. The findings may resonate with other faith communities in Melbourne and around the globe. They may also lead to new and innovative ways of planning and envisioning modes of worship that may be helpful in a variety of faith contexts.Research limitations/implicationsThe research was limited by its sample size (N = 106) and its geographical restriction of Christian faith communities in the Melbourne metropolitan area. This means that broad generalizations cannot be made. Nevertheless, the findings may resonate with other faith communities in Australian and in other parts of the world.Practical implicationsIn highlighting the impact COVID-19 had in Australia and ways people balanced their sense of faith and wellbeing, this study raises concerns about the lack of funding that supports mental health initiatives in faith settings and the wider community. The study recommends that faith community leaders and members use informal communication channels to foster hope building wellbeing and resilience, and that pastoral care networks be established in the wider community to promote leisure activities that nurtures social connection, builds faith and resilience.Social implicationsWhilst the pandemic has provided new openings for members of faith communities to engage with God, the scriptures, each other and leisure, it remains “a balancing act of keeping the faith and maintaining wellbeing”. Such a balancing act may positively enliven a sense of wellbeing and resilience as people continue to navigate the uncertainty inherent in a milieu beginning to be named as “post-Covid”.Originality/valueThis is an original work carried out by the authors. It raises concerns about the lack of funding that supports mental health initiatives in faith settings and the wider community. While much research, news and social media discussed the pandemic's impact on communities, there is an urgent need for ongoing research that encourages, supports and connects people to faith and to leisure activities in order to promote a continued sense of wellbeing as communities begin to transition to a “post-Covid” world. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge about the impact COVID-19 had in Australia and ways people balanced their sense of faith and wellbeing.

Application of the optimizing health literacy and access (Ophelia) process in partnership with a refugee community in Australia: Study protocol.

Refugees experience health inequities resulting from multiple barriers and difficulties in accessing and engaging with services. A health literacy development approach can be used to understand health literacy strengths, needs, and preferences to build equitable access to services and information. This protocol details an adaptation of the Ophelia (Optimizing Health Literacy and Access) process to ensure authentic engagement of all stakeholders to generate culturally appropriate, needed, wanted and implementable multisectoral solutions among a former refugee community in Melbourne, Australia. The Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ), widely applied around the world in different population groups, including refugees, is usually the quantitative needs assessment tool of the Ophelia process. This protocol outlines an approach tailored to the context, literacy, and health literacy needs of former refugees. This project will engage a refugee settlement agency and a former refugee community (Karen people origin from Myanmar also formerly knowns as Burma) in codesign from inception. A needs assessment will identify health literacy strengths, needs, and preferences, basic demographic data and service engagement of the Karen community. This community will be engaged and interviewed using a semi-structured interview based on the Conversational Health Literacy and Assessment Tool (CHAT) will cover supportive professional and personal relationships, health behaviors, access to health information, use of health services, and health promotion barriers and support. Using the needs assessment data, vignettes portraying typical individuals from this community will be developed. Stakeholders will be invited to participate in ideas generation and prioritization workshops for in-depth discussion on what works well and not well for the community. Contextually and culturally appropriate and meaningful action ideas will be co-designed to respond to identified health literacy strengths, needs, and preferences of the community. This protocol will develop and test new and improved methods that are likely to be useful for community-based organizations and health services to systematically understand and improve communication, services and outcomes among disadvantaged groups, particularly migrants and refugees.

Enhancing social inclusion in sport: Dynamics of action research in super-diverse contexts

There are systemic and longstanding inequalities in sport participation for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) migrants. Drawing on theoretical foundations of critical pedagogy and social justice education, as well as a public sociology perspective, this paper examines the development of an action research (AR) project to support the co-creation of inclusive climates in sports clubs in CALD communities in Melbourne, Australia. We use artefacts from collaborative sessions, interviews, and surveys to analyse the AR's impact on participating community sport leaders’ awareness and practice. The findings indicate how the collaborative process of assessing clubs’ diversity and inclusion climates affected participants’ awareness of inequities and exclusionary practices, and how the co-creation of strategies for change brought together diverse perspectives. We reflect on the implications and limitations of the AR for research practice aimed at promoting equitable social inclusion for CALD migrants in community sport.

‘There is light despite all of the darkness’: Exploring perceptions of faith and hope during the pandemic in Australian church settings

The pandemic and resulting stay-at-home orders since March 2020 have come at a high cost to lives and livelihoods around the globe including ways in which faith communities meet. This paper forms part of a wider study Exploring hope, grace, and resilience in parish communities in COVID-19 times. It investigates how members of Christian faith communities in Melbourne (Australia) made meaning of their understanding of hope during the pandemic. The authors draw on survey data gathered between November 2021 and mid-March 2022 and using thematic analysis they discuss two overarching themes (Light despite the darkness and Connection to God). While generalisations to other faith communities cannot be made, the findings indicate churches fostered hope and offered a sense of belonging. The paper discusses implications for ways in which churches can continue to build faith with church members and the wider community in the changing landscape of the pandemic.

‘Merely a Compliment’? Community Perceptions of Street Harassment in Melbourne, Australia

Community attitudes towards sexual and gender-based violence play a central role in normalising, excusing and minimising perpetrators’ actions, as well as fostering a violence-supportive culture. However, we currently know little regarding how members of the community understand or perceive ‘everyday’ or seemingly ‘minor’ forms of harassment and intrusion, such as street-based harassment, with most research focusing on sexual assault and rape. To address this gap, we conducted a mixed-methods, vignette-based survey with members of the community in Melbourne, Australia. The survey examined participants’ perceptions of five scenarios depicting incidents that might constitute street harassment, including the extent to which participants viewed the scenarios as harmful, complimentary or in breach of social norms, and who bore responsibility for the incident. Findings suggest that participants typically held progressive understandings of harassment, but they nonetheless drew on victim-blaming or minimising discourses at times. In closing, we consider the implications for future research and primary prevention work.

Educational Social Enterprise and the Wicked Problem of Creativity and Literacy

This article examines the potential contribution of social enterprise to the “wicked” problem of creativity and literacy in a performative schooling environment, drawing on an ethnographic study of Ciento, a social enterprise organization that works with under-resourced young people, families, and communities in Melbourne, Australia. In light of the growing body of research on the ways in which schools navigate creativity and performativity, this article contributes new knowledge on non-school organizations that is largely missing from this conversation, as well as new insights on the operations of education-focused social enterprises in Australia. It considers the social, political, and historical factors that have shaped this unique space of educational “wickedity” and the ways in which organizational rationales and practices, as well as the experiences and views of staff and participants, indicate a complex, promising, and innovative approach to educational problem-solving.

The CLASS Study (Circadian Light in Adolescence, Sleep and School): protocol for a prospective, longitudinal cohort to assess sleep, light, circadian timing and academic performance in adolescence

BackgroundDuring adolescence, sleep and circadian timing shift later, contributing to restricted sleep duration and irregular sleep-wake patterns. The association of these developmental changes in sleep and circadian timing with cognitive...

The Nature and Impact of Informal Mental Health Support in an LGBTQ Context: Exploring Peer Roles and Their Challenges.

BackgroundResearch shows that LGBTQ communities experience high levels of suicidality and mental ill health. They also face significant barriers to accessing adequate mental health treatment in service settings. In response to these factors, it is likely that LGBTQ community members turn to their peers for informal mental health-related support. Such support, however, is largely undefined, the extent of it poorly understood and its impacts on those who perform it underexplored.MethodsWe explored the nature and impact of informal mental health-related support provided by peers in LGBTQ communities in Melbourne, Australia. Drawing on semi-structured in-depth interviews with 25 LGBTQ adults in 2020, we explored how and why peers provided mental health support to friends, partners, housemates and even strangers and the impact this had on them.ResultsWe found that participants performed support roles as extensions of their existing relationships. We demonstrate that the support roles of the safe friend, housemate and partner, among others, represent everyday relationships stretched—even to breaking point—to incorporate informal mental health support. Each of these support roles is distinct, but they can all potentially result in similar impacts on those performing them. One of the more significant of these is burnout.ConclusionsLGBTQ community members face a diverse range of challenges when they support peers with their mental health. Informal peer-support roles are a significant responsibility for those performing them. LGBTQ community members stepping up to support others should be better supported to help manage their roles and the impacts of performing them.Policy ImplicationsFindings can contribute to policy that not only addresses high levels of mental ill health in LGBTQ communities, but also seeks to help peers in support roles to prevent them from being negatively impacted.

Insurance, fire and the peri-urban: perceptions of changing communities in Melbourne’s rural-urban interface

ABSTRACT Across the world, cities are growing, blurring lines between urban and rural. In Australia, peri-urban areas are undergoing demographic shifts and extensive development. In the literature, these shifts are characterised by differences in the risk perceptions and hazard experiences between established and incoming residents. In this paper, we illustrate how some of these differences are perceived by focusing on house and contents insurance in the bushfire-prone City of Whittlesea on the fringes of Greater Melbourne. This location captures the complex relationship between growing population and high bushfire risk, and is the site of the country’s deadliest bushfire event, Black Saturday, in 2009. Through in-depth interviews, we observe that residents perceive insurance as playing a role in peri-urban change. Specifically, underinsurance is understood to be a challenge faced by many impacted by the Black Saturday fires, and contributes to feelings of uncertainty regarding the capacities of changing communities to work together to prepare for and recover from future fires. Our focus on insurance is informed by the need to better understand the social qualities of this dimension of disaster preparedness and recovery, and how perceptions of insurance amid peri-urban change may help produce social patterns and trends.

African Youth Gangs: The Marginalization of South Sudanese Young People in Melbourne, Australia

South Sudanese youth especially young male youth face racism and discrimination in Australia. This research was conducted with South Sudanese young people, and stakeholders within the South Sudanese community in Melbourne, Australia. The study explored how South Sudanese young people respond to the narrative in the media about ‘African Gangs’ and how this impacted their personal experiences of racism. The study used an exploratory, qualitative case study approach in a real-world setting, underpinned by the psychosocial conceptual framework. The analysis documented areas of concern, including the poor mental health arising from racism and racial profiling.