Journal Article•
Why warriors lay down and die.
About: This article is published in Transactions of the Medical Society of London.The article was published on 2012-01-01 and is currently open access. It has received 35 citations till now.
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TL;DR: It is advocated that history taking, that being Australia’s colonial, political, social and economic histories be a course of action undertaken by all health professionals working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Abstract: Australia's history is not often considered to be an indicator of any person's health status. However, as health professionals we are taught the importance of taking and listening to our client's detailed history to assist us in our comprehension of the issues impacting upon their lives. This skill base is an important one in that it makes available valuable information that assists the health professional to be discerning of intimate and specific circumstances that could contribute to health related problems not previously diagnosed. It is a vital screening tool. I would like to advocate that history taking, that being Australia's colonial, political, social and economic histories be a course of action undertaken by all health professionals working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Health researchers of recent years have been able to clearly illustrate that there is a powerful relationship between health status and individuals or collectives; social, political and economic circumstances (Marmot, 2011; Marmot & Wilkinson, 2001; Saggers & Gray, 2007). This way of knowing how health can be affected through such social health determinants is an important health competency (Anderson, 2007; Marmot, 2011). As such this paper delivers a timeline of specific historical and political events, contributing to current social health determinants that are undermining Indigenous Australians health and well-being. This has been undertaken because most Australians including Indigenous Australians have not benefited from a balanced and well informed historical account of the past 200 and something years. The implication of this lack of knowing unfortunately has left its effect on the way health service providers have delivered health to Indigenous children, mothers, fathers, and their communities. Indigenous Australians view the way forward in improving health outcomes, as active partners in their health service delivery. This partnership requires health professionals to listen to their clients, with respect and a decolonising gaze.
229 citations
Cites background from "Why warriors lay down and die."
...Settlement occurred from 1788, not as a single event but as a staggered assault throughout the continent over a period of 100 years (Goodall, 1996), beginning on the south-east coast (Goodall, 1996) and ending in the Northern Territory around 1870–1885 (Haebich, 2000; Trudgen, 2000)....
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Posted Content•
TL;DR: This paper found evidence of a positive link between attachment to traditional culture and a range of mainstream socio-economic indicators, contrary to the common assumption that traditional culture is a barrier to achievement.
Abstract: Research based on data from the 2002 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey found evidence of a positive link between Indigenous Australians’ attachment to their traditional culture and a range of mainstream socio-economic indicators, contrary to the common assumption that traditional culture is a barrier to achievement. This paper uses data from the 2008 NATSISS to further explore the concept of ‘cultural attachment,’ breaking it down into four constituent elements: participation in cultural events and activities, cultural identity, language and participation in traditional economic activities. The positive effects of cultural attachment on mainstream socio-economic indicators are confirmed, and now found to extend to subjective well-being. This is important as subjective measures of well-being are based on Indigenous peoples’ own values and preferences. Indigenous Australians who identify more strongly with their traditional culture are happier and display better mental health, but at the same time experience more psychological stress due to stronger feelings of discrimination. The findings suggest that traditional cultures should be preserved and strengthened as a means to both improving the well-being of Indigenous Australians and to ‘closing the gap’ on mainstream socio-economic indicators.
42 citations
TL;DR: Having an educational tool in Indigenous patient’s first language is crucial in developing treatment partnerships for Indigenous patients with hepatitis B and using a culturally appropriate worldview as the foundation for development should help to reduce disempowerment and improve health literacy.
Abstract: Hepatitis B is endemic in the Indigenous communities of the Northern Territory of Australia and significantly contributes to liver-related morbidity and mortality. It is recognised that low health literacy levels, different worldviews and English as a second language all contribute to the difficulties health workers often have in explaining biomedical health concepts, relevant to hepatitis B infection, to patients. The aim of this research project was to explore the knowledge, perceptions and experiences of remote dwelling Indigenous adults and their health care providers relating to hepatitis B infection with a view to using this as the evidence base to develop a culturally appropriate educational tool. The impetus for this project came from health clinic staff at a remote community in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, in partnership with a visiting specialist liver clinic from the Royal Darwin Hospital. Participants were clinic patients with hepatitis B (n = 12), community members (n = 9) and key informants (n = 13); 25 were Indigenous individuals. A participatory action research project design was used with purposive sampling to identify participants. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken to explore: current understanding of hepatitis B, desire for knowledge, and perspectives on how people could acquire the information needed. All individuals were offered the use of an interpreter. The data were examined using deductive and inductive thematic analysis. Low levels of biomedical knowledge about Hepatitis B, negative perceptions of Hepatitis B, communication (particularly language) and culture were the major themes that emerged from the data. Accurate concepts grounded in Indigenous culture such as “only your blood can tell the story” were present but accompanied by a feeling of disempowerment due to perceived lack of “medical” understanding, and informed partnerships between caregiver and patient. Culturally appropriate discussions in a patient’s first language using visual aids were identified as vital to improving communication. Having an educational tool in Indigenous patient’s first language is crucial in developing treatment partnerships for Indigenous patients with hepatitis B. Using a culturally appropriate worldview as the foundation for development should help to reduce disempowerment and improve health literacy.
40 citations
Cites background from "Why warriors lay down and die."
...In the context of the NT Indigenous population, English is usually a second (or even third or fourth) language; therefore, achieving effective cross cultural or “culturally safe” communication can be challenging, as has been extensively documented in health care settings over the last decade [20-22]....
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01 Jan 2012
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a table of contents and a list of tables and figures for each of the tables and the figures of the figures, and discuss their relationship with the table.
Abstract: ......................................................................................................................................... iv Table of contents ............................................................................................................................ vi List of Tables ................................................................................................................................... xi List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. xi
36 citations
Cites background from "Why warriors lay down and die."
...Prior to British settlement all Aboriginal tribes had a well established and highly developed system of transferring knowledge and skills from one generation to the next (Berndt, 1979; Broome, 2010; Trudgen, 2000)....
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TL;DR: A qualitative, culturally secure research approach was used to explore the assumption that Aboriginal people in Australia are less susceptible to chronic low back pain than non‐Aboriginal populations due to cultural beliefs about pain.
33 citations
Cites background from "Why warriors lay down and die."
..., 2004; Paradies, 2006) and poor communication between Aboriginal client and health care provider (Trudgen, 2000; Cass et al., 2002)....
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...Known barriers to care include issues of discrimination and racism (Henry et al., 2004; Paradies, 2006) and poor communication between Aboriginal client and health care provider (Trudgen, 2000; Cass et al., 2002)....
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