Gambling in a remote Aboriginal setting - the good, the bad and the ugly

In 2009 the Ceduna Koonibba Aboriginal Health Service, an Indigenous-specific service, and Statewide Gambling Therapy Service joined together to investigate the impact that gambling was having on the Aboriginal people living in this region. Both organisations were funded through the state-based Office for Problem Gambling to provide gambling intervention. A number of signs indicate that the community development approach has proven effective. Towards the end of the first year of the project six people signed up for one-on-one therapy to address gambling; a small group of women met regularly to learn more about how to overcome gambling and provide support to each other. In general, there has been a notable improvement in the level of engagement with the program amongst health and welfare workers in the town, with the Project Officers regularly meeting with staff across agencies

Adapting, Pilot Testing and Evaluating the Kick.it App to Support Smoking Cessation for Smokers with Severe Mental Illness: A Study Protocol

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).(1) Background: While the prevalence of tobacco smoking in the general population has declined, it remains exceptionally high for smokers with severe mental illness (SMI), despite significant public health measures. This project aims to adapt, pilot test and evaluate a novel e-health smoking cessation intervention to assist relapse prevention and encourage sustained smoking cessation for young adults (aged 18–29 years) with SMI. (2) Methods: Using co-design principles, the researchers will adapt the Kick.it smartphone App in collaboration with a small sample of current and ex-smokers with SMI. In-depth interviews with smokers with SMI who have attempted to quit in the past 12 months and ex-smokers (i.e., those having not smoked in the past seven days) will explore their perceptions of smoking cessation support options that have been of value to them. Focus group participants will then give their feedback on the existing Kick.it App and any adaptations needed. The adapted App will then be pilot-tested with a small sample of young adult smokers with SMI interested in attempting to cut down or quit smoking, measuring utility, feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes in supporting their quit efforts. (3) Conclusions: This pilot work will inform a larger definitive trial. Dependent on recruitment success, the project may extend to also include smokers with SMI who are aged 30 years or more.This study is supported by a seeding grant from Flinders University Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences