Month: October 2002

The RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Project

Issue: Vol 2 No 4 September 2002 - December 2002

Suggested citation: Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (2002, 1 October) The RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Project. Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin, 2(4), Brief report 2. Retrieved [access date] from http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/html/html_bulletin/bull_24/bulletin_brief_reports_cervical.htm

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Project is about supporting general practitioners (GPs) to improve early detection and management of breast and cervical cancer in Indigenous women.

The objectives are: to identify barriers to the provision of effective screening and management of breast and cervical cancer in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women by GPs; to identify strategies which would enable GPs to overcome these barriers; and to develop and implement a plan which would incorporate potential strategies identified.

Why is this project needed? Screening programs for breast and cervical cancer have had considerable success in preventing deaths among women in the general Australian population. However, this success does not appear to have extended to the same degree to Indigenous women.

Although data on the incidence of breast and cervical cancer in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are limited, available evidence suggests that they suffer a disproportionate burden from cancer of the cervix. The incidence of cervical cancer in Aboriginal women has been reported as three times that of all Australian women and the mortality associated with it is up to twelve times higher.

While the incidence of breast cancer in Indigenous women may be lower than in non-Indigenous women, survival outcomes appear to be poorer, probably due to a lower participation rate in early detection programs and reduced access to services.

The project began in July 2000, with a grant from the Sylvia and Charles Viertel Charitable Foundation. Activities to date have included a review of the literature, consultation with Indigenous women and with GPs, discussion with national and state based cancer organisations, and identification of potential strategies to address the barriers to improving early detection and management.

The initial grant has since been supplemented with funds from the Rural Faculty of the RACGP through the General Practice Memorandum of Understanding, as one of a number of projects which support GPs working in remote and rural Indigenous communities.

GPs are seen as key primary health care providers who can improve screening rates for breast and cervical cancer in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, yet a number of barriers prevent them from maximising this potential. To date, the project has identified a range of barriers, and has developed a number of potential strategies to address those barriers.

These strategies are now being tested at the local level, with implementation at pilot sites in three states (Adelaide, Mackay and Coonamble).

Evaluation of the project will help suggest a national framework to support local interventions for improving GP screening and management of breast and cervical cancer in Indigenous women.

The project will run until the end of January 2003 and a report encompassing the findings will be widely distributed.

The initial literature review commissioned through the project is now available through the Rural Faculty Office of the RACGP, or from the Indigenous Health Studies website, James Cook University,Townsville.

For further information about the project, please contact Dr Marion Carey (marion.carey@racgp.org.au) or Dr Jenny Reath (jenny.reath@racgp.org.au).

‘Quick meals for Kooris’

Issue: Vol 2 No 4 September 2002 - December 2002

Suggested citation: Leahy J (2002, 1 October) ‘Quick meals for Kooris’. Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin, 2(4), Brief report 1. Retrieved [access date] from http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/html/html_bulletin/bull_24/bulletin_brief_reports_meals.htm

‘Quick meals for Kooris’ is a ‘hands-on’ cooking program that was designed to assist urban Aboriginal people to cook healthy meals for the family. It is delivered in two three-hour sessions and is very flexible and versatile. It can be used as a stand-alone activity or incorporated within larger programs.

The recipes used include ‘everyday’ foods, fresh, frozen and tinned, which are always the cheapest to buy and often in the cupboard. ‘Quick meals for Kooris’ is designed to be run by an Aboriginal health worker or a member of the Aboriginal community. The group leader does not need extensive nutrition knowledge just some basic home cooking skills and knowledge of their local community.

Why was it developed?

There is a need for urban Aboriginal people to have access to relevant food programs that promote healthy family eating. A program was needed that was ‘hands-on’ and enabled new food skills to be learnt in a friendly informal environment.

‘Quick meals for Kooris’ was designed to enable Aboriginal people to improve their health through gaining knowledge and developing skills to enable them to feed their families healthy food on a budget.

A resource was also needed that could be used to train Aboriginal health workers or interested members of the Aboriginal community to deliver the program thus ensuring sustainability.

How was it developed?

The Central Coast Aboriginal Health Strategic Plan 1997-2001 identified that the Aboriginal community wanted health education programs that focussed on healthy eating, diabetes, heart disease, obesity and healthy eating on a budget. A pilot-cooking program was conducted with members of the local community and a pilot training program was conducted with local Aboriginal health workers.

What is in the cooking program?

There are two three-hour sessions, which begin with a demonstration of aspects of each recipe; then the class is divided into groups to cook a recipe together; the meal is then shared and eaten with socialising and happy discussions taking place.

  • Session 1 – ‘Family meals – fast and easy’; and
  • Session 2 – ‘Feeding children and filling teenagers’

Each recipe has instructions on how to modify it for diabetes, for example: how to substitute ingredients depending on availability; and how to use leftovers.

What are participants involved in?

  • discussion of nutrition issues related to diabetes and heart disease;
  • preparation of low cost recipes;
  • sharing ideas and preparing meals from ingredients that are ‘in the cupboard’;
  • using a range of ingredients, modifying recipes or ‘extending meat’ to serve more people;
  • learning how to adapt or choose recipes to suit cooking skills, utensils and equipment that they may have available;
  • discussing food safety and hygiene (woven into the sessions);
  • preparing meals and snacks suitable for the whole family.

What else is in the kit?

Simple nutrition related health information is included as background for the group leader. It briefly covers diabetes, heart disease, nutrition and drug and alcohol abuse issues, kidney problems, chewing and swallowing difficulties and food allergies and food intolerance.

Information and guidelines are also provided to train Aboriginal health workers and Aboriginal community members to conduct the ‘Quick meals for Kooris’ cooking program. This includes a timeframe (what to do 8 weeks before; 1 week before; what to do on the day) and covers such things as funding sources, equipment needed, shopping list for foods, recipes, transport, childcare, promotion and sample letters/flyers/posters/press releases.

How can it be delivered?

The cooking program can be run as a ‘stand alone’ program or included in larger programs, including those that address: diabetes; heart disease; living on a budget; working with youth; community gardens; vacation care etc. The kit is also designed to train Aboriginal health workers or Aboriginal community members to deliver the cooking program.

What do participants say?

Comments have included:

  • ‘I am surprised at how easy the recipes were to cook and I’ll definitely make them for my family’ – Sonya, 37.
  • ‘It was good to learn how to make the meal go further’ – Lisa, 28.
  • ‘I didn’t know you could grate potato!’- John, 33.

Author:
Carolyn Bunney
Community/Public Health Nutritionist
Central Coast Area Health, NSW

Postal Address:
PO Box 361
Gosford NSW 2250

Tel: (02) 4320 3362
Fax: (02) 4320 2828
Email: cbunney@nsccahs.health.nsw.gov.au

Acknowledgments:
The Nutrition department of Central Coast Health NSW would like to thank the staff of the Nunyara Aboriginal Health Unit CCAHS; staff of the Eleanor Duncan Aboriginal Health Centre; NSW Aboriginal Health Branch for funding and the Aboriginal community of the Central coast for their involvement in the development of this resource.

The National Indigenous Family Violence Grants Programme

Issue: Vol 2 No 4 September 2002 - December 2002

The National Indigenous Family Violence Grants Programme is funded by the Commonwealth Government under the Partnerships Against Domestic Violence (PADV) initiative.

PADV is a collaborative effort between the Commonwealth Government and the States and Territories and the community. Initially funded for $25 million, the PADV aims to achieve more effective ways of preventing and responding to domestic violence across Australia. A second $25 million provided in the 1999 Budget is being directed to key priority areas, including a national Indigenous family violence grants programme.

Over $10 million of the $50 million for PADV is being directed to initiatives specifically addressing Indigenous family violence, including $6 million under the National Indigenous Family Violence Grants Programme. This funding has been allocated to assist grass roots Indigenous organisations to develop culturally appropriate and innovative solutions to family violence. Under the programme sixty-six community organisations have been funded for projects to test and develop new or better ways of responding and preventing family violence.

The Programme’s focus on grass roots Indigenous solutions recognises the need for community ownership and direction of the tools to address family violence. It aims to assist local communities to identify factors which are contributing to family violence and to develop a community strategy to address this problem. The strategies developed will aim to include holistic, sustainable and culturally appropriate responses which strengthen the capacity of individuals, families and the local community to reduce the level of family violence.

In the year 2000, 30 Indigenous organisations from across Australia were funded with $2.2 million to run projects addressing family violence (to view a summary of the 31 projects – see the programme booklet).

Successful projects so far include:

  • A national community awareness campaign on Indigenous family violence, called Walking Into Doors, to provide information, support and inspiration for Indigenous communities. This program, led by Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter, held community events in 10 Indigenous communities across Australia in 2001.
  • A highly successful Rekindling Family Relationships forum on Indigenous family violence held in April 2001. It was attended by more than 400 Indigenous community leaders and service providers.

View details of projects (PDF – 121KB) funded by the National Indigenous Family Violence Grants Programme for the period 2000-02.
View details of PADV Commonwealth projects (PDF – 25KB) focusing on Indigenous family violence.
View details of PADV State and Territory projects (PDF – 41KB) focusing on Indigenous family violence.

A comprehensive evaluation of the first phase of PADV to June 2002 will soon be released. The six volumes of the evaluation will include one volume on what has been learned about addressing and preventing Indigenous family violence.

The findings of the evaluation in relation to addressing and preventing Indigenous family violence include:

  • Any response to Indigenous family violence needs to take account of the social, cultural and historical context of a community.
  • Community dialogue and encouraging the development of strong, proud communities is seen to be the most effective way of addressing family violence.
  • Crisis responses such as safe areas and night patrols are important supports for individuals and families as part of a whole of community response.
  • Programs need to provide a more holistic approach to violence which deals with personal, social and political factors; prevention; treatment and rehabilitation.
  • Indigenous communities are identifying community ownership and control of the issue of family violence as imperative.

There is a Partnerships Against Domestic Violence web site on which you can find more information about the Partnerships Against Domestic Violence initiative, including its priority themes, taskforce, the projects it funds, and its national evaluation. You will also find facts about domestic violence in Australia, the Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse, publications and reports, links and media information. There is a specific area of the site devoted to ‘Indigenous solutions for Indigenous lives’ where you will find more information on the ‘Walking into doors campaign’ and the ‘National Indigenous Family Violence Grants Programme’.

The information on this page has been reproduced with the permission of Rosemary Calder and Robyn Waddington from the Office for the Status of Women.

HealthInfoNet acknowledged with the Eberhard Wenzel Online Media Award

Issue: Vol 2 No 4 September 2002 - December 2002

The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet was announced at the Public Health Association of Australia’s 34th Annual Conference in Adelaide on 1 October 2002 as the inaugural winner of the Association’s Eberhard Wenzel Online Media Award.

In making the announcement, the Honourable Lea Stevens, South Australian Health Minister, said the mass media, of all forms, has a significant role to play in protecting and promoting the health of Australians. She commended the HealthInfoNet’s role in contributing to improving the health of Australia’s Indigenous people by facilitating the sharing and exchange of relevant, high-quality knowledge.

Ms Stevens noted that in the five years since HealthInfoNet was established in September 1997, it has emerged as the major source of knowledge and information about the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for policy makers, health service providers, academics, researchers, students and the general community. The HealthInfoNet’s knowledge translation research, which focuses on the utilisation by potential users of the results of pure and applied research, was of particular value. She commented that the HealthInfoNet also facilitates knowledge sharing and exchange by publishing an electronic peer-reviewed journal, operating a list serve, providing an information service and including on its Internet site an electronic notice-board for details of courses and other pertinent information.

The award was accepted on behalf of Professor Thomson and the HealthInfoNet team by Associate Professor Sherry Saggers, a HealthInfoNet Consultant in the areas of Indigenous health policy and substance abuse.

View the HeathInfoNet application (PDF – 46KB)

View the Public Health Association of Australia Media Release (PDF – 21KB)

 

Editor’s note: The HealthInfoNet is particularly honoured to be the winner of the inaugural Eberhard Wenzel Online Media Award, which is named in recognition of Eberhard’s passion for information technology and Indigenous health improvement. He was an frequent user of the HealthInfoNet, and a very strong voice in support of our aims. We are very proud recipients of the award.