Strate K

Brimblecombe JK

Maple-Brown, Louise

Garrngulkpuy J

Maypilama E

Scarlett M

O'Dea K

Barr ELM

2020-01-01

This study sought to determine change in chronic condition risk factors in a remote Indigenous community following a 3-year period of community-led health promotion initiatives. Data were compared between two cross-sectional surveys of Indigenous Australian community residents before and after health promotion activities, and longitudinal analysis of participants present at both surveys using multilevel mixed-effects regression. At baseline, 294 (53% women; mean age 35 years) participated and 218 attended the second survey (56% women, mean age 40 years), and 87 attended both. Body composition, blood pressure and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio remained stable between baseline and follow-up. After adjusting for age and sex, haemoglobin A1c significantly increased (from 57 to 63 mmol/mol (7.5% to 8.1%), p=0.021) for those with diabetes. Increases were also observed for total cholesterol (from 4.4 to 4.6 mmol/L, p=0.006) and triglycerides (from 1.5 to 1.6 mmol/L, p=0.019), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels improved (from 0.98 to 1.02 mmol/L, p=0.018). Self-reported smoking prevalence was high but stable between baseline (57%) and follow-up (56%). Similar results were observed in the longitudinal analysis to the cross-sectional survey comparison. Community-led health promotion initiatives may have had some benefits on chronic condition risk factors, including stabilisation of body composition, in this remote Indigenous community. Given that less favourable trends were observed for diabetes and total cholesterol over a short time period and smoking prevalence remained high, policy initiatives that address social and economic disadvantage are needed alongside community-led health promotion initiatives.

Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, Australia; and Miwatj Aboriginal Health Corporation, PO Box 519, Nhulunbuy, NT 0881, Australia. kyliestrate@hotmail.com..

Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, Monash University, Victoria, Australia julie.brimblecombe@monash.edu..

Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, PO Box 41096, Casuarina, NT 0811, Australia; and Division of Medicine, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Australia louise.maple-brown@menzies.edu.au..

Yalu Marnggithinyaraw Centre, Galiwin'ku community, NT 0822, Australia joannegarngulkpuy12@gmail.com..

Yalu Marnggithinyaraw Centre, Galiwin'ku community, NT 0822, Australia elaine.maypilama@cdu.edu.au..

Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, PO Box 41096, Casuarina, NT 0811, Australia scar467@gmail.com..

Centre for Population Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia odeak1@gmail.com..

Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, PO Box 41096, Casuarina, NT 0811, Australia; and Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, PO Box 6492, Melbourne, Vic., Australia elizabeth.barr@menzies.edu.au..

Rural Remote Health . 2020 Jan;20(1):4452. doi: 10.22605/RRH4452. Epub 2020 Jan 13.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31926545/?otool=iaurydwlib

https://hdl.handle.net/10137/8079

Indigenous Australians

chronic disease

health promotion

Australia

Chronic condition risk factor change over time in a remote Indigenous community.

Journal Article

Publication