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Evidence-based healthy lifestyle brief intervention on alcohol, tobacco, nutrition, and physical activity

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Researchers

  1. Dr Lisa Jackson Pulver, Muru Marri Indigenous Health Unit, University of New South Wales
  2. Dr Rowena Ivers, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), University of New South Wales

Summary

The aims of this project are to develop and pilot a lifestyle intervention for Indigenous people in primary care, which can be adapted for use in primary care settings anywhere in Australia, including rural and remote areas. This involves the establishment of a steering committee with representatives from Indigenous health organisations, target communities and recognised researchers, to ensure that Indigenous people are adequately consulted and involved in the development and evaluation of the intervention.

The next step is to deliver a pilot of the healthy lifestyle intervention that will not only elicit information about behaviours such as alcohol consumption, diet, and exercise, but also reduce the incidence of substance abuse.

Finally the project aims to develop a research plan for a major study and or research trial of the lifestyle intervention, including an evaluation of its effectiveness at changing behaviours and overall cost effectiveness.

Outcomes

The healthy lifestyle intervention provided a structured framework for health professionals to deliver evidence-based preventive health care. This proved to be particularly important for Aboriginal Health Workers (AHWs) whose lower educational levels, professional status, and level of clinical skills in comparison to that of other types of health professionals, created barriers to their greater involvement in clinical care.

Increasing AHWs access to, and utilisation of, well-designed and practical preventive health care kits facilitates their greater involvement in prevention, thereby increasing their ability to integrate their clinical skills with evidence-based practice.

References

Clifford, A, Jackson Pulver, L, Richmond, R, Shakeshaft, A & Ivers, R 2009 %d5%d4Disseminating best-evidence health-care to Indigenous health-care settings and programs in Australia: identifying the gaps. OUP Health Promot. Int. 2009; 24: 404-415

Recent research papers

FARE continues to fund and undertake research that contributes to the knowledge-base about alcohol harms and strategies to reduce them.

This research is used to inform our approach to evidence-based alcohol policy development, ensuring that the solutions we are advocating for are informed by research. FARE’s research is also often quoted by governments, other not-for-profit organisations and researchers in public discussions about alcohol, demonstrating that FARE is seen as a leading source of information.

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