Factors influencing the health behaviour of Indigenous Australians: perspectives from support people

Disparities between the health of Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations continue to be prevalent within Australia. Research suggests that Indigenous people participate in health risk behaviour more often than their non-Indigenous counterparts, and that such behaviour has a substantial impact on health outcomes. Although this would indicate that reducing health risk behaviour may have positive effects on health outcomes, the factors that influence Indigenous health behaviour are still poorly understood. This study aimed to interview people who support Indigenous groups to gain an understanding of their views on the factors influencing health behaviour within Indigenous groups in Western Australia. Twenty nine people participated in the study. The emergent themes were mapped against the social ecological model. The results indicated that: (1) culture, social networks, history, racism, socioeconomic disadvantage, and the psychological distress associated with some of these factors interact to affect health behaviour in a complex manner; (2) the desire to retain cultural identity and distinctiveness may have both positive and negative influence on health risk behaviour; (3) strong social connections to family and kin that is intensified by cultural obligations, appears to affirm and disrupt positive health behaviour; (4) the separation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous social connection/networks that appeared to be fostered by marginalisation and racism may influence the effect of social networks on health behaviour; and (5) communication between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people may be interrupted by distrust between the groups, which reduces the influence of some non-Indigenous sources on the health behaviour of Indigenous people

Employers' views on the promotion of workplace health and wellbeing: A qualitative study

Background: The evidence surrounding the value of workplace health promotion in positively influencing employees' health and wellbeing via changes to their health behaviours is growing. The aim of the study was to explore employers' views on the promotion of workplace health and wellbeing and the factors affecting these views. Methods: Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, 10 focus groups were conducted with employers selected from a range of industries and geographical locations within Western Australia. The total sample size was 79. Results: Three factors were identified: employers' conceptualization of workplace health and wellbeing; employers' descriptions of (un)healthy workers and perceptions surrounding the importance of healthy workers; and employers' beliefs around the role the workplace should play in influencing health. Conclusions: Progress may be viable in promoting health and wellbeing if a multifaceted approach is employed taking into account the complex factors influencing employers' views. This could include an education campaign providing information about what constitutes health and wellbeing beyond the scope of occupational health and safety paradigms along with information on the benefits of workplace health and wellbeing aligned with perceptions relating to healthy and unhealthy workers

Chemoautotrophic microbial mantle prevalence in Murra El Elevyn: catastrophic decline or seasonal fluctuation?

The Nullarbor Plain of Western Australia is a plateau of horizontal Eocene and Miocene karst, home to numerous extensive caves flooded with brackish water. In 1999 chemoautotrophic microbial mantles were recorded in Murra El Elevyn, and samples collected in Weebubbie and Warbla caves. The temperature in Murra El Elevyn was 23.7 degrees Celsius, and in nearby Tommy Graham’s cave it was 23.1 degrees. One year later return visits were made to Weebubbie and Warbla caves, and divers reported limited re-growth of 1-2cm where samples had previously been collected. In September 2009 microbial mantles were again recorded in abundance in Murra El Elevyn cave, hanging 20-30cm long underneath ledges and covering the rubble below. The temperature was recorded to have fallen to 18.9C. On a return visit six months later, after the dry Australian summer, divers found substantially fewer mantles, the largest of which was a mere 2cm long. Water temperature was 19.3C in Murra El Elevyn and 23.4C in Tommy Graham’s cave. Meanwhile, the mantles at Weebubbie and nearby Olgolwin caves remained abundant. Given the rapid decline over six months in the prevalence of microbial mantles in Murra El Elevyn alone, we postulate two potential scenarios. Firstly, that localised falling average water temperature has transformed Murra El Elevyn into an inhospitable environment (e.g. altered water chemistry), causing the catastrophic demise of microbial mantles in that cave. Alternately, with notably different rain-driven dissolved nutrient ingress to Weebubbie and Warbla caves, the otherwise morphologically similar mantles in Murra El Elevyn have evolved an annual, seasonally regulated lifecycle and are, thus, relatively faster growing than has been observed in other Nullarbor caves. Further research is underway to monitor this previously unreported phenomena and to establish which, if either of these possibilities, is likelier the cause

The effect of social support on the health of Indigenous Australians in a metropolitan community

This study aimed to identify the influence of social support on the health outcomes of Indigenous people within a Western Australian metropolitan community. Abstract The factors driving the disparity in health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians continue to be poorly understood. Despite this, studies confirm that social connections are a very important part of Indigenous life, and it is likely these connections play an important role in influencing health outcomes among this population. Examining the support provided by social connections in relation to health behaviour may assist our understanding of health outcomes among Indigenous Australians. The current study is focused on exploring Indigenous participants\u27 impressions of their social network and social support using Participatory Action Research methodology and qualitative methods. The objective was to identify the influence of social support on the health outcomes of Indigenous people within a Western Australian metropolitan community. Seventeen members of the community were interviewed during the study. The participants had extensive social networks that mainly comprised members of their kinship group. The consequences of this social network included: (1) the positive effects of social support from bonded relationships; (2) the negative effects of social support produced by over-obligation and unidirectional support involving bonded relationships; (3) limited or inadequate social support caused by withdrawal from bonded relationships; (4) lack of social support from bridging relationships; and (5) a strong desire for connection and a sense of belonging

Factors Affecting Indigenous West Australians' Health Behavior: Indigenous Perspectives

The factors driving the disparity in health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians include socio-economic factors, racism, and history. The current study focused on exploring Indigenous participants' perspectives of the factors that affect the health behavior of their community members. Participatory action research methodology and a grounded theory approach were utilized. In total, 120 members of two urban West Australian Indigenous communities participated in focus group discussions. There was substantial similarity between the themes that emerged within the discussions held in the two communities. Factors relating to culture, social connections, racism, communication, and personal aspects were particularly salient to health behavior of the participants. Several of the themes including culture, racism, communication, and distrust highlight the tension caused by being a member of a minority cultural group that has been marginalized by the practices and attitudes of the dominant cultural group. Personal choice was sometimes prioritized over health

Factors influencing the health behaviour of Indigenous Australians from the perspective of people who support Indigenous groups.

<p>Factors influencing the health behaviour of Indigenous Australians from the perspective of people who support Indigenous groups.</p

A healthier workplace? Implementation of fruit boxes in the workplace

© The Authors 2016 .Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether making fruit boxes available in the workplace is a successful health promotion strategy. Design: A quasi-experimental study involving three conditions - free fruit, 50c per piece of fruit and 1 per piece of fruit - to investigate the effect of a contribution scheme on employees' fruit purchase/consumption behaviours and willingness to contribute when in the paid conditions. Setting: Perth, Western Australia. Methods: In total, 36 workplaces participated and were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions. The results were analysed using generalised linear modelling. A qualitative follow-up was conducted with workplace representatives 6 weeks after the completion of the trial to investigate how many workplaces implemented the provision of fruit boxes after the trial and the factors influencing the decision to implement fruit boxes. Results: A significant difference in average fruit purchasing/consumption per person was found with respect to condition (p <.001), with businesses in the free condition purchasing/consuming a significantly greater amount of fruit than businesses in the 50c contribution condition or 1 contribution condition. Following the trial, 13 workplaces continued providing their own fruit box, of which 7 were initially in the free condition. Qualitative findings revealed that management support, a receptive culture and sufficient resources were key to the implementation of fruit boxes. Conclusion: Having a fruit box may be a feasible health promotion strategy, and the financial burden of this strategy could be alleviated by asking employees to contribute to the cost of fruit