Using community‐led development to build health communication about rheumatic heart disease in Aboriginal children: a developmental evaluation

Abstract

heumatic heart disease (RHD) is prevalent among young people in many sites of social disadvantage globally, with one location being Aboriginal towns and communities in northern Australia. RHD is a complex condition requiring good health communication to enable families to build effective health literacy for their situation. 1 Schools are a logical entry point for health communication about acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and RHD because the population most at risk of ARF -the precursor to RHD -is school-aged children. 2,3 Yet just how to approach health communication and what methods are most effective remain unclear. 4 For Aboriginal families, explanations about RHD are often provided in English by healthcare providers with high levels of western education and health training structured around biomedical ways of thinking. Uncritical use of the biomedical lens when teaching about RHD, even if simplified, can impede health communication so that messages are not understood by Aboriginal people as intended. 5 This is especially so where there is significant language and cultural difference between healthcare providers and clientele. 6,7 In the context of post-colonisation, disempowering health communication may deepen a sense of subjugation or invoke passivity. 8 Empowering pedagogies are urgently needed for RHD because it significantly impacts school-aged children's quality of life and life expectancy, while being largely preventable. 9

Fatores intervenientes na gerência do cuidado de enfermagem à criança hospitalizada com cardiopatia reumática

“…Um estudo 16 realizado na Austrália, identificou que uma alta prevalência de febre reumática aguda e doença cardíaca reumática entre crianças aborígenes, está associada a uma baixa compreensão da doença entre as famílias, fato que reforça a importância de o enfermeiro estabelecer estratégias de ação e interação que favoreçam a adesão e a compreensão da família acerca da doença e do seu tratamento.…”

“…De modo similar, o trabalho em equipe, assim como a educação permanente emergiram nos resultados como fatores facilitadores da gerência do cuidado de enfermagem à criança hospitalizada com cardiopatia reumática. O trabalho em equipe, enraizado em perspectiva coletiva e liderança colaborativa, com metas e objetivos comuns entre os profissionais, se revela fundamental para o cuidado à criança com cardiopatia reumática, tendo em conta a multidimensional de suas demandas de cuidado 16,21 .…”

The projections of global and regional rheumatic heart disease burden from 2020 to 2030

“…First, there is no uniform consensus in Australasia on how to improve the primary prevention of RHD (40). Second, there are disparities in diverse practices among various indigenous populations, restricting their access to healthcare, housing, and education (41)(42)(43)(44). Third, previous health warning campaigns have triggered resistance in indigenous populations due to communication obstacles (44)(45)(46).…”

“…Second, there are disparities in diverse practices among various indigenous populations, restricting their access to healthcare, housing, and education (41)(42)(43)(44). Third, previous health warning campaigns have triggered resistance in indigenous populations due to communication obstacles (44)(45)(46). Fourth, the ethnic background and hereditary may facilitate the development of RHD (47).…”

Bridging the gap between science and indigenous cosmologies: Rheumatic Heart Disease Champions4Change

“…The Lúrra RHD project arose during a medical research project in which community echocardiographic screening of children was being conducted in Maningrida and surrounding homelands. 18 Recognising the need for local language resources, a set of lessons on RHD for school students was developed by the school's Language and Culture Team, an experienced community health educator, and locally based Champions4Change, to create a curriculum of lessons on core RHD primary health messages in local languages. The units cover body systems such as the circulatory and immune systems, and germ theory of disease.…”