I am a public health researcher investigating improvement of Indigenous primary health care service systems and the social determinants of health for Indigenous Australians.
Establishing Antenatal Screening Uptake For Fetal Anomalies In The NT And Exploring Indigenous Womens Understanding
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$9,875.00
Summary
This project aims to investigate the views of Indigenous women, their families and health service providers about antenatal screening tests for abnormalities like Down syndrome. This will contribute knowledge about why there is low uptake of screening amongst Indigenous women, and whether changes in the provision of antenatal care are required. This is important because all women, regardless of their culture or location, should be offered the same opportunities and care during pregnancy.
Improving Pre-pregnancy Health And Pregnancy Outcomes In North Queensland Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Communities.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$316,819.00
Summary
It is widely recognised that one of the best protections against poor pregnancy outcomes is to have women commence pregnancy in good health, because healthy mothers tend to have healthy babies. The key aim of this research program is to identify opportunities and time-points for effective primary, secondary and tertiary interventions to improve health in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women of childbearing age and their infants in north Queensland communities.
Pandemic Influenza Containment Strategies In Aboriginal Communities: What Is Acceptable And Feasible?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,056,688.00
Summary
Influenza is a serious disease with a much greater impact in Indigenous communities. This project will work with Aboriginal communities in NSW, north Qld and WA on modifying the national pandemic influenza plan to develop control strategies that are acceptable to the culture and circumstances of those communities. A template and acceptable process will then be offered to other Indigenous communities, finally leading to negotiation to modify implementation of pandemic influenza plans.
Safe Koori Kids: Community Based Approaches To Indigenous Injury Prevention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$671,905.00
Summary
The study will involve the development of an intervention targeting Indigenous children, schools and families and schools in urban environments. Specifically, over a three year period, the proposed research aims to: explore the incidence and impact of intentional and unintentional injury in selected urban Indigenous communities in NSW and identify factors contributing to positive and negative consequences relating to injury; develop and evaluate initiatives in Indigenous communities aimed at inc ....The study will involve the development of an intervention targeting Indigenous children, schools and families and schools in urban environments. Specifically, over a three year period, the proposed research aims to: explore the incidence and impact of intentional and unintentional injury in selected urban Indigenous communities in NSW and identify factors contributing to positive and negative consequences relating to injury; develop and evaluate initiatives in Indigenous communities aimed at increasing resiliency in at-risk children, youth and families; and make recommendations for changes to policy and practice across a range of government portfolios and non-government organisations. Injury, which has received almost no research attention among Indigenous populations, is the leading cause of death, illness and disability for young Australians with the burden of injury for Indigenous Australians significantly higher than for the non-Indigenous population. Indigenous children and youth are over-represented in both intentional (eg. suicide, domestic violence and abuse, assaults and self-harm) and unintentional (eg. burns, road injury, falls and drowning) injury statistics. The complexity of injury to Indigenous people and its 'downstream' impact on families and communities has been documented in recent studies and reports. Although Indigenous children and youth are particularly vulnerable to the impact of injury, there have been few studies that have documented the incidence and impact of injury on Indigenous children or which have offered sustainable and culturally acceptable solutions to the problem of injury. The proposed research focuses on the development of effective, sustainable and culturally acceptable interventions for Indigenous children and youth based on an Indigenous perspective.Read moreRead less
Cannabis And Mental Health In Cape York Aboriginal Communities
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$313,786.00
Summary
High rates of cannabis use and dependence are key factors contributing to the high mental health burden in Indigenous Australians. To date, there is very limited understanding of the nature and prevalence of these impacts in remote Indigenous communities where cannabis use is very high. The key objective of this research program is to document, for the first time, the mental health impacts of cannabis use in Aboriginal Australians living in remote Cape York communities.
Acceptability And Effectiveness Of The DESMOND Diabetes Self-management Program For Indigenous Australians
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$531,966.00
Summary
The ‘Diabetes Education Self-Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed’ (DESMOND) program was developed in the UK to help people live with their diabetes. It has been shown to be beneficial for a number of ethnic minority groups in the UK and has been trialed in Australia. At the request of Indigenous community and health care services, this project will test whether this program would be widely accepted by and be beneficial to Indigenous Australians.
Antenatal Screening For Fetal Anomalies In Indigenous Women: Views Of Indigenous People And Their Health Care Providers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$373,204.00
Summary
This project aims to investigate the views of Indigenous women, their families and health service providers about antenatal screening tests for abnormalities like Down syndrome. This will contribute knowledge about why there is low uptake of screening amongst Indigenous women, and whether changes in the provision of antenatal care are required. This is important because all women, regardless of their culture or location, should be offered the same opportunities and care during pregnancy.
Indigenous Community Action To Reduce Harms Associated With Heavy Cannabis Use In Cape York
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$814,163.00
Summary
Cape York Indigenous communities together with Queensland Police, are working to reduce cannabis availability. Community leaders report that cannabis use is widespread in their communities with associated problems such as violence, mental illness and economic hardship. This project will deliver tailored strategies to reduce the demand for cannabis whilst providing support and education about the effects of cannabis and reasons to avoid using it over a three year period.
Randomised Controlled Trial Of Azithromycin To Reduce The Morbidity Of Severe Bronchiolitis In Indigenous Infants
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,456,802.00
Summary
Acute lower respiratory infections are the commonest cause of hospitalisations and retrievals from remote communities. Early severe respiratory infections likely impair lung growth. We will examine whether azithromycin (antibiotic with anti-inflammatory properties) should be used to treat infants hospitalised with bronchiolitis to reduce the severity of bronchiolitis and prevent rehospitalisation. The study potentially improves acute clinical care as well as prevents future respiratory illness.