Building Mental Wealth: Improving Mental Health For Better Health Outcomes Among
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,509,816.00
Summary
Mental health issues impact on the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians who do not always engage with mainstream mental health services. This project will build the capacity of a critical mass of Indigenous and non Indigenous researchers who will engage, collaborate and work with Indigenous communities, clinicians and health providers to develop a sustainable culturally appropriate mental health policy and service model including adjunctive services to chronic disease management.
Community-Based Interventions To Reduce The Risk Of Diabetes And Cardiovascular Disease In Indigenous Australians
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,699,291.00
Summary
Poor nutrition is one of the main factors causing high rates of diabetes and heart disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Obesity is one of the main risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases and it is associated with poor diet, lack of exercise and many social factors. Access to fresh vegetables and fruit is often difficult for indigenous people , especially in remote areas. The aim of this project is to work with indigenous communities in rural and remote areas to ....Poor nutrition is one of the main factors causing high rates of diabetes and heart disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Obesity is one of the main risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases and it is associated with poor diet, lack of exercise and many social factors. Access to fresh vegetables and fruit is often difficult for indigenous people , especially in remote areas. The aim of this project is to work with indigenous communities in rural and remote areas to plan and run programs to lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease. The programs will be designed by community members and involve health education, diet, exercise and improving availability of healthy food choices in community stores. The programs will target diabetic people and their families or, in most cases, the whole community. It is very difficult for overweight adults to lose weight permanently, so school-based programs will be run to provide health education and healthy canteen policies put in place to try and prevent excess weight gain in younger people. To see whether these programs are effective, we will measure changes over time in risk factors for diabetes and heart disease, nutrition and community support and involvement in the program. Where a community achieves even modest improvements in diet and exercise, this is likely to lead to a much lower risk of diabetes and heart disease. We will identify what factors make a program effective and sustainable over the long term. This study will help us to set up a system for introducing and monitoring similar programs in other indigenous communities. (1358 characters)Read moreRead less
A Randomized Trial Of The Impact Of A Multi-intervention Anti-tobacco Strategy In 8 Indigenous Communities.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$567,750.00
Summary
Tobacco smoking represents the major risk to life and health within Australian Indigenous communities. Survey data suggest that prevalence rates for the Indigenous community are more than twice those of the non-Indigenous population. These rates are reflected in the pattern of mortality and morbidity within Indigenous communities. During the period 1989-1999 the smoking-related death rate amongst Indigenous Queenslanders was almost three times greater than that of non-Indigenous Queenslanders. A ....Tobacco smoking represents the major risk to life and health within Australian Indigenous communities. Survey data suggest that prevalence rates for the Indigenous community are more than twice those of the non-Indigenous population. These rates are reflected in the pattern of mortality and morbidity within Indigenous communities. During the period 1989-1999 the smoking-related death rate amongst Indigenous Queenslanders was almost three times greater than that of non-Indigenous Queenslanders. Additionally, tobacco smoking is a major contributing factor in many conditions that constitute significant Indigenous health problems. The natural history of smoking also differs between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. Indigenous smokers start younger, are more likely to develop smoking-related conditions and tend to die younger than non-Indigenous smokers. Despite the above statistics, there is little published data on the effectiveness of anti-smoking interventions within Australia's Indigenous populations. Lessons from non-Indigenous communities suggest that the most successful strategies are those that target populations at many different levels. Rather than one isolated intervention, such strategies may include policy initiatives, training and education of health staff, community education and awareness campaigns and increased access to cessation techniques. Indigenous communities generally lack the capacity to initiate these type of tobacco control strategies. This project aims to examine the impact of a multi-intervention anti-tobacco strategy within north Queensland Indigenous communities. The project has three broad aims: 1) to increase the capacity of health services to implement and deliver anti-tobacco interventions; 2) to increase community knowledge and awareness of the risks of smoking and 3) to decrease the level of tobacco consumption within communities.Read moreRead less