Using Participatory Action Research to Develop Culturally-appropriate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Education Resources

Abstract

Nationally, the gap between Indigenous and non-indigenous health outcomes remains unacceptably high; thus, improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health in Australia is a priority. One way to improve health is to ensure adequate health resources. Traditionally, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities educate their people through stories, art and the lived experience of people in their community. Thus, health literacy for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people needs to be developed using these approaches to make the resources more culturally appropriate. This study employed participatory action research (PAR) to guide the development of culturally-appropriate educational resources. PAR was considered a collaborative and safe way to uncover vital information and concepts to underpin the development of health resources. PAR reflects the way Aboriginal people embrace learning through action, collective decision making and empowerment, which occurs via group activity over time. The mutual inquiry and learning experience in this study was aimed at reaching agreement and mutual understanding of the situation, resulting in an unforced consensus about how to act and what outcomes can be achieved together. This thesis discusses the adoption of the PAR approach, and describes how PAR helped promote self-determination, self-reliance and the creation of a useful, localised health resource that was relevant to the community.