Parents' and carers' views on factors contributing to the health and wellbeing of urban Aboriginal children

Miller, Hilary M.; Young, Christian; Nixon, Janice; Talbot‐McDonnell, Melissa; Cutmore, Mandy; Tong, Allison; Craig, Jonathan C.; Woolfenden, Susan

doi:10.1111/1753-6405.12992

Cited by 12 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…SEARCH is a large cohort study that has been co-created with four ACCHSs in NSW to assess the health and wellbeing of 1669 Aboriginal children and their families living in urban communities in NSW to inform the delivery of relevant programs and services [ 43 ]. Food and nutrition insecurity were reported by parents/caregivers in SEARCH to be the third most significant factor affecting the health and wellbeing of their children, after “loving family relationships” and “culturally competent healthcare” [ 44 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Murradambirra Dhangaang (make food secure): Aboriginal community and stakeholder perspectives on food insecurity in urban and regional Australia

et al. 2022

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Background It is widely acknowledged that the invasion by colonial powers of the Australian continent had profound and detrimental impacts on Aboriginal Communities, including food security. Policies of successive governments since European arrival have since further exacerbated the situation, with food insecurity now affecting 20–25% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Food insecurity contributes to long-term impacts on health, in particular diet-sensitive chronic diseases. This study aimed to describe Aboriginal community and stakeholder perspectives on food insecurity to get a better understanding of the key contributing factors and recommendations for potential strategies to address this issue in Aboriginal communities in urban and regional Australia. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 44 participants who were purposively selected. This included Aboriginal people in two communities and both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal stakeholders from local food relief agencies, food suppliers, schools, and government in an urban and regional location in NSW. A conceptual framework was developed from literature on food security, and sensitizing concepts of availability, affordability, accessibility and acceptability or the lack thereof of healthy food were used to elicit responses from the participants. Interview transcripts were analysed thematically. Results All participants felt strongly that food insecurity was a major problem experienced in their local Aboriginal communities. Five core areas impacting on food security were identified: trapped in financial disadvantage; gaps in the local food system; limitations of non-Aboriginal food relief services; on-going impacts of colonization; and maintaining family, cultural and community commitments and responsibilities. Participants suggested a number of actions that could help ease food insecurity and emphasized that Aboriginal values and culture must be strongly embedded in potential programs. Conclusions This study found Aboriginal families in urban and regional Australia are experiencing food insecurity on a regular basis, which is impacted by a range of socio-economic, environmental, systemic and cultural factors, as reported by the participants. Study findings highlight the need to address system level changes in the food environment and acknowledge Aboriginal history, culture and food preferences when considering the development of programs to alleviate food insecurity among Aboriginal people.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Murradambirra Dhangaang (make food secure): Aboriginal community and stakeholder perspectives on food insecurity in urban and regional Australia

et al. 2022

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“…We categorised papers as falling within this category if they described their research as taking a ‘social determinants’ or ‘socioecological’ approach (Bell, Aggleton, et al, 2020; Bell, Ward, et al, 2020; Miller et al, 2020; Priest, Mackean, Davis, Briggs, et al, 2012; Priest, Mackean, Davis, Waters, et al, 2012), were ‘assets‐based’ (Blodgett et al, 2013) or sought to look at a combination of ‘risk’, ‘protective’ or ‘salutogenic’ factors (Barker et al, 2017; Bulman & Hayes, 2011; Nakata et al, 2012; Westrupp et al, 2019). By seeking to understand how health is created through the features of the individual, interpersonal and structural settings in which people live, social–ecological approaches provide the opportunity to focus on a broader range of influences (including positive or protective factors) on Indigenous people's wellbeing and health (Fogarty et al, 2018).…”

Section: Social–ecological Approaches: Strength Through Supportive Environmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other research has offered less conventional perspectives on resilience, seeking to describe how resilience is shaped by the wider context of peoples’ lives (Bamblett & Lewis, 2006; Miller et al, 2020; Nagel et al, 2012; Young et al, 2019). For example, research on sexual health with Aboriginal young people in Queensland Australia documents how young people gained ‘competencies’ in the form of knowledge about where to get health care and condoms, and skills such as advocating for peers to get tested and use condoms (Mooney‐Somers et al, 2011).…”

Section: ‘Resilience’ Approaches: Strengths Through ‘Resilient’ Thinkingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond deficit: ‘strengths‐based approaches’ in Indigenous health research

Bryant

Bolt

Botfield

et al. 2021

Sociology Health & Illness

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Health research concerning Indigenous peoples has been strongly characterised by deficit discourse—a ‘mode of thinking’ that is overly focused on risk behaviours and problems. Strengths‐based approaches offer a different perspective by promoting a set of values that recognise the capacities and capabilities of Indigenous peoples. In this article, we seek to understand the conceptual basis of strengths‐based approaches as currently presented in health research. We propose that three main approaches exist: ‘resilience’ approaches concerned with the personal skills of individuals; ‘social–ecological’ approaches, which focus on the individual, community and structural aspects of a person's environment; and ‘sociocultural’ approaches, which view ‘strengths’ as social relations, collective identities and practices. We suggest that neither ‘resilience’ nor ‘social–ecological’ approaches sufficiently problematise deficit discourse because they remain largely informed by Western concepts of individualised rationality and, as a result, rest on logics that support notions of absence and deficit. In contrast, sociocultural approaches tend to view ‘strengths’ not as qualities possessed by individuals, but as the structure and character of social relations, collective practices and identities. As such, they are better able to capture Indigenous ways of knowing and being and provide a stronger basis on which to build meaningful interventions.

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“…SEARCH is a large cohort study that has been co-created with four ACCHSs in NSW to assess the health and wellbeing of 1669 Aboriginal children and their families living in urban communities in NSW to inform delivery of relevant programs and services (42). Food and nutrition insecurity were reported by parents/caregivers in SEARCH to be the third most signi cant factor affecting the health and wellbeing of their children, after "loving family relationships" and "culturally competent healthcare" (43).…”

Section: Participant Selection and Recruitmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

(Murradambirra Dhangaang - Make Food Secure) Aboriginal Community and Stakeholder Perspectives on Food Insecurity in Urban and Regional Australia: A Qualitative Study

Sherriff

Kalucy

Tong

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background: Food insecurity affects one in five Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people residing in non-remote environments. Inequalities in diet contribute to the differential impact on diet-sensitive chronic diseases and the related burden of disease among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This study aimed to describe Aboriginal community and stakeholder perspectives on food insecurity to get a better understanding of the key factors driving this issue and recommendations for potential solutions in urban and regional Aboriginal communities in Australia. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 44 participants who were purposively selected. This included Aboriginal people in two communities and both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal stakeholders from local food relief agencies, food suppliers, schools, and government. A conceptual framework was developed from food insecurity literature and we used the sensitizing concepts of availability, affordability, accessibility and acceptability or the lack thereof of healthy food to elicit interview responses. Interview transcripts were analysed thematically. Results: All participants felt strongly that food insecurity was a major problem experienced in the local Aboriginal communities. Five core areas impacting on food security identified: trapped in financial disadvantage; gaps in the local food system; limitations of non-Aboriginal food relief services; on-going impacts of colonization; and maintaining family, cultural and community commitments and responsibilities. Conclusions: This study found Aboriginal families in urban and regional Australia are experiencing food insecurity on a regular basis, which is impacted by a range of socio-economic, environmental, systemic and cultural factors, as reported by the participants. Our findings highlight the need to address system level changes in the food environment and acknowledge Aboriginal culture and food preferences while considering the development of programs to alleviate food insecurity among urban and regional communities.

show abstract

Parents' and carers' views on factors contributing to the health and wellbeing of urban Aboriginal children

Cited by 12 publications

References 26 publications

Murradambirra Dhangaang (make food secure): Aboriginal community and stakeholder perspectives on food insecurity in urban and regional Australia

Murradambirra Dhangaang (make food secure): Aboriginal community and stakeholder perspectives on food insecurity in urban and regional Australia

Beyond deficit: ‘strengths‐based approaches’ in Indigenous health research

(Murradambirra Dhangaang - Make Food Secure) Aboriginal Community and Stakeholder Perspectives on Food Insecurity in Urban and Regional Australia: A Qualitative Study

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