'I'm not sure it paints an honest picture of where my health's at' - identifying community health and research priorities based on health assessments within an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community: a qualitative study.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health assessments are conducted annually in Australian primary care to detect risk factors, chronic diseases and implement preventive health measures. At the Inala Indigenous Health Service, health assessment data have also been used for research purposes. This research has been investigator-driven, which risks misinterpreting or ignoring community priorities compared with community-led research. The objective of this research was to learn about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community's health priorities that could be translated into research themes, and investigate these using health assessment data. A thematic analysis of data was conducted from 21 semi-structured interviews with purposively selected key informants from an urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. Key informants articulated an authoritative understanding of how interrelated, inter-generational, social, cultural and environmental determinants operated in a 'cycle' to influence the community's health. Key informant views supported the inclusion of these determinants in health assessments, reinforced the importance of comprehensive primary healthcare and strengthened referral pathways to community resources. Some key informants were ambivalent about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health assessments because of their biomedical emphasis. This research also revealed limitations of health assessment-based research and the biomedical emphasis of the health system more broadly.
The University of Queensland, Discipline of General Practice, Level 8, Health Sciences Building, Building 16/910, Royal Brisbane & Women&#39;s Hospital, Herston, Qld 4029, Australia.
Geoffrey K
GK
Spurling
The University of Queensland, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit, Level 2, Bookshop Building 4, St Lucia, Qld, 4072, Australia.
Chelsea J
CJ
Bond
University of Canterbury - Te Whare W?nanga o Waitaha, School of Health Sciences, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.
Philip J
PJ
Schluter
Southern Queensland Centre of Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care, 37 Wirraway Parade, Inala, Qld 4077, Australia.
Corey I
CI
Kirk
The University of Queensland, Discipline of General Practice, Level 8, Health Sciences Building, Building 16/910, Royal Brisbane & Women&#39;s Hospital, Herston, Qld 4029, Australia.
Deborah A
DA
Askew
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006292:Health Priorities; D006303:Health Services, Indigenous; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011634:Public Health; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life; D012106:Research; D012931:Social Environment