Articles: community-health-services.
-
Bmc Health Serv Res · Jul 2016
Improving healthcare for Aboriginal Australians through effective engagement between community and health services.
Effectively addressing health disparities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians is long overdue. Health services engaging Aboriginal communities in designing and delivering healthcare is one way to tackle the issue. This paper presents findings from evaluating a unique strategy of community engagement between local Aboriginal people and health providers across five districts in Perth, Western Australia. Local Aboriginal community members formed District Aboriginal Health Action Groups (DAHAGs) to collaborate with health providers in designing culturally-responsive healthcare. The purpose of the strategy was to improve local health service delivery for Aboriginal Australians. ⋯ The evaluation concluded that this process of actively engaging the Aboriginal community in decisions about their health care was a key element in improving local health services, increasing Aboriginal people's trust and access to care.
-
To assess the use, effectiveness and acceptance of prescribed contraception in three remote Western Australian Aboriginal communities. ⋯ The high uptake of LARCs in these communities is consistent with international recommendations about contraception use. High acceptability was reflected in excellent continuation rates. Service delivery models that use community engagement and capacity building are recommended for broadening the focus of sexual health beyond sexually transmitted disease detection and management, giving priority to the reproductive rights and unmet needs of Aboriginal women.
-
Childhood obesity has increased dramatically over several decades, and the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended primary care practices as ideal sites for the identification, education, and implementation of therapeutic interventions. The objective of this study was to describe the implementation and results for the Fit Family Challenge (FFC), a primary care-based childhood obesity intervention. ⋯ A primary care-based childhood obesity intervention may result in significant clinical and lifestyle changes.