Indigenous Health Research – Julie Mooney-Somers

Sexual risk and health care seeking behaviour in young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in north Queensland

The Indigenous Resiliency Project was part of the International Collaborative Indigenous Health Research Partnership (ID: 361621), a trilateral partnership between the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Health Research Council of New Zealand. There were parallel projects in Canada and New Zealand; together we aimed to examine the role of resilience in protecting Indigenous populations against sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections.

In the qualitative arm we conducted community-based participatory projects with two communities. Check out the findings below:

Mooney-Somers, J, Olsen, A, Erick, W, Scott, R, Akee, A, & Maher, L (on behalf of the Indigenous Resiliency Project). (2011) Young Indigenous Australians’ sexually transmitted infection prevention practices: A Community-based Participatory Research project. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 12(6): 519-532.
Mooney-Somers, J, Olsen, A, Erick, W, Scott, R, Akee, A, Kaldor, J, & Maher, L (on behalf of the Indigenous Resiliency Project). (2011) Learning from the past: young Indigenous people’s accounts of blood-borne viral and sexually transmitted infections as resilience narratives. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 13(2): 173 – 186.
Mooney-Somers, J, Erick, W, Scott, R, Akee, A, Kaldor, J, & Maher, L (on behalf of the Indigenous Resiliency Project). (2009) Enhancing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people’s resilience to blood borne and sexually transmitted infections: Findings from a community-based participatory research project. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 20(3):195-201.
Mooney-Somers, J & Maher, L (2009) The Indigenous Resiliency Project: A worked example of community-based participatory research. NSW Public Health Bulletin, 20(7 & 8), 112–118.

In 2010 we used the qualitative work as the basis for community surveys. Again, researchers worked closely with community, in this case the Townsville Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Service. The cross-sectional survey covered location of usual residence, recent and past sexual activity, alcohol and other drug use, history of selected health outcomes and health service utilisation. We trained five young local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in research ethics and survey methodology. These peer researchers collected surveys from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 16 to 24 years at the Townsville Show, sporting events, shopping centres, a health service open day and a NAIDOC parade and community event.

Check out what we found: Scott, R, Foster, R, Oliver, L, Olsen, A, Mooney-Somers, J, Mathers, B, Micallef, J, Kaldor, J and Maher, L (accepted 22/10/2014). Sexual risk and health care seeking behaviour in young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in north Queensland. Sexual Health

Note: this is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of the accepted article; I’ll post the link to the definitive publisher-authenticated version as soon as it is released.

Learning about viral hepatitis and Indigenous people

Since 2010, I’ve been part of an NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Aboriginal health – REACCH (Research Excellence in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health). The collaboration is jointly managed by the Kirby Institute at UNSW and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO); there are four participating Aboriginal community-controlled health services:

Nunkuwarrin Yunti in South Australia
Aboriginal Medical Service Western Sydney
Victorian Aboriginal Health Service
Goondir Health Services in Queensland

Our research focuses on sexually transmitted infections and blood-borne viruses; each health service has developed projects that meet local priorities but we have also undertaken complex analyses of data from the services’ patient information management systems (for example this paper on hepatitis b).

This week I’m at the inaugural World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Viral Hepatitis in Alice Springs, with several REACCH colleagues. Viral hepatitis is a significant health burden for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (eg the rate of help c is increasing, in contrast to non-Indigenous people). Check out the twitter conversation via #IndigHVConf . Yesterday I presented on clients’ experiences of hep c treatment undertaken within a community setting – Nunkuwarrin Yunti.

Later in the week the World Indigenous Peoples’ conf makes way for the 9th Australian Viral Hepatitis Conference. I’m presenting on Friday on what made the community-based hep c treatment program acceptable to clients (hint: it was everything a hospital wasn’t). I’ll post the twitter hash tag here when things kick off.

Annual meeting of REACCH

15 & 16 August 2011 – the annual face to face meeting of the Research Excellence in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health was held at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Coogee. We spent two sunny days talking and planning. It was great to catch up with everyone from last year, hear about progress and make great plans for the coming three years.

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