Lowitja Institute Repository
We are Australia’s only Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled health research institute, named in honour of our namesake and co-patron, the late Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue AC CBE DSG. We deliver high-impact quality research, knowledge exchange, and by supporting a new generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers. This repository contains information on Lowitja research outputs.
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Browsing Lowitja Institute Repository by Subject "Environmental health"
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Item Advancing the Australian global health community's commitment to climate change and global health.(2023-12-19) Bone A.; Kaur P.; Capon A.; Lin V.K.-W.; Tu'itahi S.; Bowen K.; Watts N.; Fisher J.R.W.; Stewart P.J.; Evans H.; Lo S.N.Item An ecological approach to health promotion in remote Australian Aboriginal communities.(2010-05-20) McDonald E.; Bailie R.; Grace J.; Brewster D.Poor environmental conditions and poor child health in remote Australian Aboriginal communities are a symptom of a disjuncture in the cultures of a disadvantaged (and only relatively recently enfranchised) minority population and a proportionally large, wealthy dominant immigrant population, problematic social policies and the legacy of colonialism. Developing effective health promotion interventions in this environment is a challenge. Taking an ecological approach, the objective of this study was to identify the key social, economic, cultural and environmental factors that contribute to poor hygiene in remote Aboriginal communities, and to determine approaches that will improve hygiene and reduce the burden of infection among children. The methods included a mix of quantitative and qualitative community-based studies and literature reviews. Study findings showed that a combination of crowding, non-functioning health hardware and poor standards of personal and domestic hygiene underlie the high burden of infection experienced by children. Also, models of health promotion drawn from developed and developing countries can be adapted for use in remote Australian Aboriginal community contexts. High levels of disadvantage in relation to social determinants of health underlie the problem of poor environmental conditions and poor child health in remote Australian Aboriginal communities. Measures need to be taken to address the immediate problems that impact on children's health-for example, by ensuring the availability of functional and adequate water and sanitation facilities-but these interventions are unlikely to have a major effect unless the underlying issues are also addressed.Item Conceptual interdisciplinary model of exposure to environmental changes to address Indigenous health and well-being.(2019-12-04) Billiot S.; Mitchell F.M.Objectives: Global environmental changes not only impact the physical environment but the health and well-being of people on earth. Emerging research demonstrates how Indigenous peoples' physical and behavioural health is disproportionately affected by changes to their ecosystems in combination with pre-existing social and economic inequities. This article introduces a conceptual model to enhance our understanding of environmental change and its impact on Indigenous behavioural health and well-being. Study design: Using an Indigenous theoretical lens, this article presents a review of existing theoretical frameworks applied to environmental changes and empirical studies with Indigenous populations. Method(s): The conceptual model joins elements from the indigenist stress-coping model from the field of social work with the exposure pathway model from the field of public health. Result(s): The interdisciplinary model joins elements from the indigenist stress-coping model with the exposure pathway model to highlight Indigenous-specific sensitivities and cultural buffers that are particular to the impacts of environmental change among Indigenous peoples. Conclusion(s): Implications for public health and social work policy, practice and research with Indigenous communities are discussed.Copyright © 2018 The Royal Society for Public HealthItem One Health and Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities: a One Health pilot study.(2023-08-21) Riley T.; Cumming B.; Thandrayen J.; Meredith A.; Anderson N.E.; Lovett R.Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities face barriers in accessing animal healthcare and are exposed to disproportionate environmental health exposures leading to increased risk of disease. A One Health approach has been promoted to address public health risks and improve human, animal, and environmental health outcomes in communities. We undertook a pilot One Health study in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Queensland collecting animal, human, and environmental health data from 82 households. We performed a descriptive analysis and assessed the association between human and environmental health exposures and animal health outcomes. Most households were not crowded (82.9%) but did report a high level of environmental health concerns (86.6%). The majority of households owned cats and dogs (81.7%), with most animals assessed as healthy. There was no association between human and environmental health exposures and animal health outcomes. As most households experienced concerns regarding housing conditions, environmental health programs should prioritise improving household factors. There was also strong support for animal healthcare (including access to medicines and veterinarians, education programs and population management), indicating that a One Health approach is desired by communities.Copyright © 2023 by the authors.