Research Priorities

Social and cultural determinants of health

Research within this theme will look to better understand and address the impacts of the social and cultural determinants of the health for Aboriginal people in the Kimberley as defined by the World Health Organisation as: the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life. These forces and systems include economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies and political systems.

Social and emotional wellbeing, mental health and addressing trauma (with a particular focus on parenting, family support and youth resilience)

This theme looks at research that aims to better understand and address the challenges parents, families and young people face in dealing with the intergenerational transmission of trauma. It focuses on ways of improving child social and emotional development, early childhood health and school readiness. It also targets issues related to the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal people that is defined as a holistic concept that results from a network of relationships between individuals, family, kin and community. It also recognises the importance of connection to land, culture, spirituality and ancestry, and how these affect the individual.

Healthy lifestyles and the prevention of chronic diseases



Chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and kidney disease are a major contributor to the health gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous Australians. Research in this area will seek to better understand the reasons for the high rates of chronic diseases and ways in which these illnesses can be effectively prevented in Kimberley Aboriginal people.

Environmental health and the prevention of infectious diseases



Environmental health relates to improvements in sanitation, drinking water quality, food safety, disease control, and housing conditions. Recognising the cultural importance of the environment to health, community members are keen to see more research in this area. How does the environment affect health and what can they do now to change it? How can proposed new housing and community upgrades be optimised for health? What can families living in overcrowded conditions do now that is feasible and can make incremental differences in health?

Health service improvements and use of data

An overriding concern of Kimberley health services are how to improve the effectiveness and quality of services as the health needs of the population are becoming increasingly complex while the resources available to services have stagnated or are being pared back. From a community perspective, priorities include questions such as: How do we get culture into services? How do we support our families to access services early? How do we ensure services are effective? How do we empower communities with baseline data to support the research and set their own priorities? Health service improvement is both a Priority Research Theme and an objective of the Alliance in its own right.