Jacinta Elston

Factors to consider in smoking interventions for Indigenous women

More than 18,000 Australians die annually from diseases caused by tobacco. Indigenous Australians suffer a greater smoking-related disease burden than the remainder of the general public and have a higher prevalence of tobacco use than other Australians. The overall decline in smoking rates is slowest in women of low educational status between the ages of 25 -44. This is of particular concern as these young women may be pregnant or raising young children. During pregnancy, the effects on the foetus from cigarette smoke include respiratory illness, low birthweight and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. However, if the mother is able to give up smoking by her fourth month of pregnancy, her risk of delivering a low birthweight baby decreases to nearly that of a non-smoker. As part of the planning to develop an effective smoking cessation program for young Indigenous pregnant women, the Townsville Aboriginal and Islanders Health Services (TAIHS) surveyed a group of women to assess smoking habits, attitudes to smoking, nicotine dependence and readiness for change. This paper reports on this survey and the results found can be used to develop a tailored, smoking cessation program for Indigenous women.

Sudden infant death syndrome risk factors in North Queensland: a survey of infant care practices in Indigenous and non-Indigenous women

Objective: To assess the prevalence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) risk factors in the Indigenous and non‐Indigenous community of Townsville, a large remote urban centre in north Queensland, Australia.

Building Indigenous Australian research capacity.

Abstract Objectives: To build individual Indigenous research capacity and strengthen the capability of health research programmes to be culturally and ethically inclusive of Indigenous Australians in public health research. Methods: In order to facilitate optimal participation and in recognition of the differing levels of research experience and knowledge held within this community of practice, an inclusive and culturally appropriate mixed methods approach with influences from action research and Indigenous research principles was undertaken. Results: Over the duration of the project, participants improved their research outcomes as measured by a range of factors including publications, completion of degrees and retention of project members. Conclusions: Provision of an Indigenous led, culturally appropriate system of infrastructure and support centred on capacity building is effective in strengthen the inclusion of Indigenous Australians in research.

Leaving Culture at the Door: Aboriginal Perspectives on Christian Belief and Practice

Pat Dodson and Jacinta Elston offer perspectives on the relationship between the Christian church and Aboriginal culture with Brian McCoy. Both Pat and Jacinta grew up in very different regions, culturally, historically and geographically in north Australia. Their relationship to Aboriginal culture and Christian expression is compared and contrasted. Brian, work colleague and friend to Pat and Jacinta, continues to work with Aboriginal people around issues of health. Their contribution begins with Pat and Jacinta offering early memories of growing up within a church and its particular Christian and social context. It then moves to their reflections on current church practice, and how problematic the connection between Aboriginal culture and Christian practice can become. This leads to a focus on the conduct of funerals where culture and belief, Aboriginal and Christian, so often meet and sometimes collide. The article concludes with some challenges that face the Christian churches today.

Boys becoming men: what makes a difference?

Objective: In 1983 an Under 17 Australian Rules Football team visited Melbourne. They came from Townsville in North Queensland and the majority were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. For several months prior to the trip they worked to raise the money and resources they needed for the trip. This paper describes the preliminary results of a research project that looked at the health of this group 25 years later. What can we learn from their experience in 1983? What can they tell us about the health of the next generation of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men? Method: The research project used a mixture of quantitative and qualitative research methods. It included a questionnaire, interviews, workshop and a focus group. Results: All of those involved in 1983 are still alive. Over a range of social and economic indicators many score very well but there are signs, as with other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, of underlying health issues. Conclusions: Sport can provide for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men a culturally ‘safe’ place where important values across generations are developed and sustained.