scholarly journals The Need to Extend Beyond the Knowledge Gained in Cross-Cultural Awareness Training

2008 ◽  
Vol 37 (S1) ◽  
pp. 81-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bronwyn Fredericks
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Awareness Training ◽  
Torres Strait Islander People ◽  
Aboriginal Women ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Improve Service Delivery

Abstract In the Health sector, Cross-Cultural Awareness Training has been seen as a way to improve knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to therefore improve service delivery and therapeutic care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Health personnel may have undertaken this type of training in their workplace or as part of their education in an undergraduate degree program. Other sectors additionally undertake Cross-Cultural Awareness Training for similar reasons and in similar educational settings. This paper includes the views of a selection of Aboriginal women and highlights the need to extend beyond knowledge gained through Cross-Cultural Awareness Training to Anti-Racism Training. Furthermore, that Anti-Racism Training and addressing white race privilege is required in order to address the inequities within the health system, the marginalisation and disempowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

scholarly journals Getting A Job

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bronwyn Fredericks
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Torres Strait Islander People ◽  
Aboriginal Women ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
Indigenous Participation ◽  
Torres Strait

Indigenous participation in employment has long been seen as an indicator of Indigenous economic participation in Australia. Researchers have linked participation in employment to improved health outcomes, increased education levels and greater self-esteem. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of Indigenous workforce policies and employment strategies as employers and industries attempt to employ more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Coupled with this has been a push to employ more Indigenous people in specific sectors to address the multiple layers of disadvantage experienced by Indigenous people, for example, the health sector. This paper draws on interview discussions with Aboriginal women in Rockhampton, Central Queensland, along with findings from the research of others to offer a greater understanding of the mixed benefits of increased Indigenous employment. What is demonstrated is that the nature of Indigenous employment is complex and not as simple as ‘just getting a job’.

scholarly journals ‘Which way? Talking culture, talking race’

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bronwyn Fredericks ◽  
Debbie Bargallie
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Competency ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Indigenous Australians ◽  
Service Needs ◽  
Awareness Training ◽  
Competency Training ◽  
Cultural Competency Training ◽  
Torres Strait

In Australia, organisations identify Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cross-cultural awareness training or Indigenous cultural competency training as a means to address the service needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and to address the gap in disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. This training is also one of the strategies utilised in working towards reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. This paper presents the findings from an institutional study based on the development and implementation of an Indigenous Cultural Competency Course within an Australian university and the tensions that exist within the teaching and delivery of such a course.

scholarly journals An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cardiac Rehabilitation program delivered in a non-Indigenous health service (Yeddung Gauar): a mixed methods feasibility study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Freene ◽  
Roslyn Brown ◽  
Paul Collis ◽  
Chris Bourke ◽  
Katharine Silk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Cultural Safety ◽  
Awareness Training ◽  
Aboriginal Women ◽  
Torres Strait

Abstract Background There is limited evidence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people attending cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs despite high levels of heart disease. One key enabler for CR attendance is a culturally safe program. This study evaluates improving access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to attend a CR program in a non-Indigenous health service, alongside improving health workforce cultural safety. Methods An 18-week mixed-methods feasibility study was conducted, with weekly flexible CR sessions delivered by a multidisciplinary team and an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Worker (AHW) at a university health centre. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who were at risk of, or had experienced, a cardiac event were recruited. Data was collected from participants at baseline, and at every sixth-session attended, including measures of disease risk, quality-of-life, exercise capacity and anxiety and depression. Cultural awareness training was provided for health professionals before the program commenced. Assessment of health professionals’ cultural awareness pre- and post-program was evaluated using a questionnaire (n = 18). Qualitative data from participants (n = 3), the AHW, health professionals (n = 4) and referrers (n = 4) was collected at the end of the program using yarning methodology and analysed thematically using Charmaz’s constant comparative approach. Results Eight referrals were received for the CR program and four Aboriginal women attended the program, aged from 24 to 68 years. Adherence to the weekly sessions ranged from 65 to 100%. At the program’s conclusion, there was a significant change in health professionals’ perception of social policies implemented to ‘improve’ Aboriginal people, and self-reported changes in health professionals’ behaviours and skills. Themes were identified for recruitment, participants, health professionals and program delivery, with cultural safety enveloping all areas. Trust was a major theme for recruitment and adherence of participants. The AHW was a key enabler of cultural authenticity, and the flexibility of the program contributed greatly to participant perceptions of cultural safety. Barriers for attendance were not unique to this population. Conclusion The flexible CR program in a non-Indigenous service provided a culturally safe environment for Aboriginal women but referrals were low. Importantly, the combination of cultural awareness training and participation in the program delivery improved health professionals’ confidence in working with Aboriginal people. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) 12618000581268, http://www.ANZCTR.org.au/ACTRN12618000581268.aspx, registered 16 April 2018.

Embedding cultural conceptualization within an adopted language

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-169
Author(s):  
Ian G. Malcolm
Keyword(s):  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Indigenous Australians ◽  
Torres Strait Islander People ◽  
Heritage Languages ◽  
Cross Cultural Communication ◽  
Reference Orientation ◽  
Contact Language ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
Cultural Linguistics

Abstract Although a minority of Indigenous Australians still use their heritage languages, English has been largely adopted by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as their medium of communication both within and beyond their communities. In the period since English first reached Australia in 1788, a dialect has emerged, drawing on English, contact language, and Indigenous language sources, to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander speakers to maintain cultural conceptual continuity while communicating in a dramatically changed environment. In the perspective of Cultural Linguistics it can be shown that many of the modifications in the lexicon, grammar, phonology, and discourse of English as used by Indigenous Australians can be related to cultural/conceptual principles, of which five are illustrated here: interconnectedness, embodiment, group reference, orientation to motion, and orientation to observation. This is demonstrated here with data from varieties of Aboriginal English spoken in diverse Australian locations.1 The understanding of Aboriginal English this gives has implications for cross-cultural communication and for education.

scholarly journals The RHD Endgame Strategy; the blueprint to eliminate rheumatic heart disease in Australia by 2031

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
R Wyber ◽  
K Noonan ◽  
C Halkon ◽  
S Enkel ◽  
J Carapetis
Keyword(s):  
Heart Disease ◽  
Rheumatic Heart Disease ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Group A Streptococcus ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Secondary Prophylaxis ◽  
Torres Strait Islander People ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
Rheumatic Heart

Abstract Background Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a preventable yet deadly condition resulting from untreated Group A Streptococcus infection. Despite being eliminated from most high-income countries, RHD and its precursor acute rheumatic fever (ARF) persist in developing countries and settings of disadvantage. In Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience among the world's highest rates. Following five years of research, investigation and advocacy, the Endgame Strategy provides a technical foundation to eliminate RHD in Australia by 2031. Methods A range of potential strategies to reduce ARF and RHD were identified. Approaches at the social and environmental, primary, secondary and tertiary prevention levels were evaluated using the GRADE Evidence to Decision framework, together with structural review of the health system. Recommendations were made according to level of prevention opportunity and responsibility. Modelling was undertaken to estimate the health and economic impact of an indicative bundle of the most promising strategies. Results Reducing household crowding, improving health infrastructure, strengthening primary healthcare and enhancing delivery of secondary prophylaxis were identified as having the greatest potential impact on RHD. They are also largely acceptable, practical and readily implementable with investment. Modelling indicates that this approach would reduce ARF and RHD by 69% and 71% respectively, preventing 471 deaths and saving $188 million on healthcare expenditure to 2031. Conclusions Eliminating RHD is only possible with a holistic approach led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with communities at the core. This will entail funding communities to develop programs, resourcing a national RHD unit to coordinate efforts across Australia, guaranteeing access to healthy housing and built environments, establishing comprehensive skin and throat programs and improving the health of those living with ARF and RHD. Key messages RHD demands responses from the health sector strengthened by political advocacy and engagement to drive evidence-based decision making. The evidence and collective experience now exist to eliminate RHD, an exemplar of the gap in health outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the non-Indigenous population.

Considering the Impact of Social Media on Contemporary Improvement of Australian Aboriginal Health: Scoping Review (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Troy Walker ◽  
Claire Palermo ◽  
Karen Klassen
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Aboriginal Health ◽  
Health Messages ◽  
Community Control ◽  
Torres Strait Islander People ◽  
Australian Aboriginal ◽  
Torres Strait

BACKGROUND Social media may have a significant role in influencing the present and future health implications among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, yet there has been no review of the role of social media in improving health. OBJECTIVE This study aims to examine the extent of health initiatives using social media that aimed to improve the health of Australian Aboriginal communities. METHODS A scoping review was conducted by systematically searching databases CINAHL Plus; PubMed; Scopus; Web of Science, and Ovid MEDLINE in June 2017 using the terms and their synonyms “Aboriginal” and “Social media.” In addition, reference lists of included studies and the Indigenous HealthInfonet gray literature were searched. Key information about the social media intervention and its impacts on health were extracted and data synthesized using narrative summaries. RESULTS Five papers met inclusion criteria. All included studies were published in the past 5 years and involved urban, rural, and remote Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people aged 12-60 years. No studies reported objective impacts on health. Three papers found that social media provided greater space for sharing health messages in a 2-way exchange. The negative portrayal of Aboriginal people and negative health impacts of social media were described in 2 papers. CONCLUSIONS Social media may be a useful strategy to provide health messages and sharing of content among Aboriginal people, but objective impacts on health remain unknown. More research is necessary on social media as a way to connect, communicate, and improve Aboriginal health with particular emphasis on community control, self-empowerment, and decolonization.

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