Australian journal of public health
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Aust J Public Health · Dec 1995
Review Comparative StudyEvaluating government health and substance abuse programs for indigenous peoples: a comparative review.
Most health and substance abuse programs for indigenous peoples in Australia are funded by government. Over the past decade there have been calls for greater accountability in the conduct of these programs. Initial attempts focused on the development of standardised performance indicators, an approach that has been criticised on both political and methodological grounds. ⋯ However, this literature review and our own research and experience in working with Aboriginal community organisations have identified some principles that should be an essential part of any attempts to evaluate health and substance abuse programs for indigenous peoples. Underlying these principles is the realisation that evaluation is not a politically or ideologically neutral activity. Theoretical and methodological considerations of the evaluation process must take into account the very real differences between the agendas of indigenous peoples and those who seek to evaluate programs for them.
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Malignant mesothelioma occurred in a female Aborigine after environmental exposure to asbestos. All known cases of the disease in Aborigines in Western Australia were reviewed; all occurred in Pilbara residents. Most were exposed while involved in the transport of asbestos from the Wittenoom crocidolite operation. Based on recent estimates of the size of the Aboriginal population in the Pilbara region, their incidence of this disease (250 per million for ages 15 and over) is one of the highest population-based rates recorded.