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

A high prevalence of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) among Aboriginal children in northern Australia is coupled with low understanding among families. This has negative impacts on children's health, limits opportunities for prevention and suggests that better healt...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Australian and New Zealand journal of public health Vol. 45; no. 3; pp. 212 - 219
Main Authors:	Mitchell, Alice G., Diddo, Joseph, James, Alistair Djalolba, Guraylayla, Laurie, Jinmarabynana, Cindy, Carter, Abigail, Rankin, Stanley Djalarra, Djorlom, Gideon, Coleman, Carolyn, Scholes, Mason, Haynes, Emma, Remenyi, Boglarka, Yan, Jennifer, Francis, Joshua Reginald
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Australia Elsevier B.V 01-06-2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc Elsevier Limited Elsevier
Subjects:	Aboriginal Australians Australian aborigines Cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular diseases Catalysts Children Children & youth Children of minorities Childrens health Communication Communication in medicine Community Community development community‐led development Coronary artery disease Culture Demographic aspects developmental evaluation Disease Echocardiography Education Empowerment Families & family life Health aspects Health care health communication Health education Heart Heart diseases Indigenous knowledge Indigenous Knowledges Intergovernmental relations Language Languages Leadership Learning Local knowledge Metaphor Methods Native peoples Penicillin Prevention Public health Rheumatic fever Rheumatic heart disease Social networks Social organization Sovereignty Teachers Teaching Ultrasonic imaging Australia Indigenous Knowledges developmental evaluation community‐led development health communication rheumatic heart disease community-led development
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Summary:	A high prevalence of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) among Aboriginal children in northern Australia is coupled with low understanding among families. This has negative impacts on children's health, limits opportunities for prevention and suggests that better health communication is needed. During an RHD echocardiography screening project, Aboriginal teachers in a remote community school created lessons to teach children about RHD in their home languages, drawing on principles of community‐led development. Access to community‐level RHD data, previously unknown to teachers and families, was a catalyst for this innovative work. Careful, iterative discussions among speakers of four Aboriginal languages ensured a culturally coherent narrative and accompanying teaching resources. The evaluation demonstrated the importance of collective work, local Indigenous Knowledge and metaphors. As a result of the lessons, some children showed new responses and attitudes to skin infections and their RHD treatment. Language teachers used natural social networks to disseminate new information. A community interagency collaboration working to prevent RHD commenced. Action to address high rates of RHD must include effective health communication strategies that value Indigenous Knowledge, language and culture, collaborative leadership and respect for Indigenous data sovereignty.
Bibliography:	The authors have stated they have no conflicts of interest. ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	1326-0200 1753-6405
DOI:	10.1111/1753-6405.13100