scholarly journals A Web-Based Therapeutic Program (We Can Do This) for Reducing Methamphetamine Use and Increasing Help-Seeking Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People: Protocol for a Randomized Wait-List Controlled Trial

10.2196/14084 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. e14084
Author(s):  
Rachel Reilly ◽  
Rebecca McKetin ◽  
Handan Wand ◽  
Julia Butt ◽  
Matthew Smout ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Help Seeking ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Wait List ◽  
Torres Strait Islander People ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Methamphetamine Use ◽  
Therapeutic Program ◽  
Torres Strait

‘We Can Do This’: a web-based therapeutic program for reducing methamphetamine use and increasing help-seeking amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: Wait-list control, randomised trial protocol (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Reilly ◽  
Rebecca McKetin ◽  
Handan Wand ◽  
Julia Butt ◽  
Matthew Smout ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Randomised Trial ◽  
Wait List ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Methamphetamine Use ◽  
Therapeutic Program ◽  
Torres Strait

BACKGROUND Methamphetamine use is of deep concern to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, but access to culturally appropriate treatment resources and services is limited. Web-based programs have potential as flexible and cost-effective additions to the range of treatment options available to Aboriginal people. The We Can Do This web-based therapeutic program (WBTP) is designed to incorporate evidence-based therapies in a culturally-relevant format using narratives from Aboriginal people to contextualise the therapeutic content. OBJECTIVE The effectiveness of the WBTP will be tested in a wait-list control, randomised trial across multiple sites in urban, regional and remote locations. METHODS Recruitment will commence in May 2019, and results are expected in early 2021. RESULTS Participants will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 16 or over who have used methamphetamine at least weekly for the previous three months. They will be recruited online and via health services. During the intervention phase, participants will have access to the WBTP for six weeks with optional telephone or face-to-face support provided by participating health services. The primary outcome measure will be the number of days the participant used methamphetamine over the past four weeks compared to wait-list controls, assessed at baseline, one, two and three months. Secondary outcomes will include help-seeking, readiness to change, severity of dependence and psychological distress. CONCLUSIONS The trial of this WBTP builds on existing research supporting the effectiveness of web-based therapies for a range of psychological and other health-related issues including substance use. If successful, the ‘We Can Do this’ WBTP will increase the range of options available to Aboriginal people seeking to reduce or stop methamphetamine use. It may provide a pathway into treatment for people who may otherwise be disengaged with health services for a range of reasons, and will be a culturally-appropriate, evidence-based resource for health practitioners to offer their clients. CLINICALTRIAL The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12619000134123p.

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.

scholarly journals Strong and Deadly Futures: Co-Development of a Web-Based Wellbeing and Substance Use Prevention Program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Non-Aboriginal Adolescents

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 2176
Author(s):  
Mieke Snijder ◽  
Lexine Stapinski ◽  
James Ward ◽  
Briana Lees ◽  
Cath Chapman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Prevention Program ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Substance Use Prevention ◽  
Aboriginal Youth ◽  
Aboriginal Students ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
Randomised Controlled

School-based programs can effectively prevent substance use; however, systematic reviews and consultation with stakeholders identified a need for effective, culturally inclusive programs for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (hereafter Aboriginal) youth. This paper describes the development of Strong & Deadly Futures, a six-lesson, curriculum-aligned wellbeing and substance use prevention program that was designed for, and with, the Aboriginal youth. Formative reviews and consultation recommended that the program (i) combine effective components of mainstream prevention with cultural elements, highlighting Aboriginal cultural strengths; (ii) avoid stigma and celebrates the cultural diversity by catering to both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students; and (iii) use digital technology to enhance engagement, implementation and scalability. Guided by an Appreciative Inquiry approach, the program was developed in partnership with an Indigenous Creative Design Agency, and four schools in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. Aboriginal (n = 41) and non-Aboriginal students (n = 36) described their role models, positive aspects of their community and reasons to avoid substance use; these formed the basis of an illustrated story which conveyed the key learning outcomes. Feedback from teachers, students and content experts supported the acceptability of the program, which will be evaluated in a subsequent randomised controlled trial.

scholarly journals In the pursuit of equity: COVID-19, data and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-45
Author(s):  
Kalinda Griffiths ◽  
Ian Ring ◽  
Richard Madden ◽  
Lisa Jackson Pulver
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Quality Of Data ◽  
Success Story ◽  
Torres Strait Islander People ◽  
Pandemic Planning ◽  
The Future ◽  
Torres Strait

Since March 2020 in Australia, there has been decisive national, and state and territory policy as well as community led action involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as information about COVID-19 arose. This has resulted in, what could only be framed as a success story in self-determination. However, there continues to be issues with the quality of data used for the surveillance and reporting of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people during the pandemic. This article discusses some of the important events in pandemic planning regarding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and how this relates to surveillance and monitoring in the emerging and ongoing threat of COVID-19 within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The authors also identify some of the data considerations required in the future to monitor and address public health.

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