Interplay wellbeing framework: a collaborative methodology ‘bringing together stories and numbers’ to quantify Aboriginal cultural values in remote Australia

International Journal for Equity in Health

Research

John Wakerman¹  Sheree Cairney²  Tammy Abbott³  Byron Wilson⁴  Jessica Yamaguchi⁵  Stephen Quinn⁶ 

[1] Centre for Remote Health, a Joint Centre of Flinders University and Charles Darwin University, Alice Springs, NT, Australia;Centre for Remote Health, a Joint Centre of Flinders University and Charles Darwin University, Alice Springs, NT, Australia;Ninti One Limited and the Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation (CRC-REP), Alice Springs, NT, Australia;Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia;Ninti One Limited and the Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation (CRC-REP), Alice Springs, NT, Australia;Ninti One Limited and the Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation (CRC-REP), Alice Springs, NT, Australia;Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia;Policy, Analysis and Evaluation Division, Australian Government Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Canberra, ACT, Australia;Swinburne University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia;

关键词: Wellbeing;    Aboriginal;    Indigenous;    Culture;    Empowerment;    Framework;    Policy;    Aboriginal literacy;    Stories;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12939-017-0563-5

 received in 2016-08-24, accepted in 2017-04-20,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundWellbeing has been difficult to understand, measure and strengthen for Aboriginal people in remote Australia. Part of the challenge has been genuinely involving community members and incorporating their values and priorities into assessment and policy. Taking a ‘shared space’ collaborative approach between remote Aboriginal communities, governments and scientists, we merged Aboriginal knowledge with western science – by bringing together stories and numbers. This research aims to statistically validate the holistic Interplay Wellbeing Framework and Survey that bring together Aboriginal-identified priorities of culture, empowerment and community with government priorities including education, employment and health.MethodQuantitative survey data were collected from a cohort of 842 Aboriginal people aged 15-34 years, recruited from four different Aboriginal communities in remote Australia. Aboriginal community researchers designed and administered the survey.ResultsStructural equation modeling showed good fit statistics (χ/df = 2.69, CFI = 0.95 and RMSEA = 0.045) confirming the holistic nature of the Interplay Wellbeing Framework. The strongest direct impacts on wellbeing were ‘social and emotional wellbeing’ (r = 0.23; p < 0.001), ‘English literacy and numeracy’ (r = 0.15; p < 0.001), ‘Aboriginal literacy’ (r = 0.14; p < 0.001), ‘substances’ (lack thereof; r = 0.13; p = 0.003), ‘work’ (r = 0.12; p = 0.02) and ‘community’ (r = 0.08; p = 0.05). Correlation analyses suggested cultural factors have indirect impacts on wellbeing, such as through Aboriginal literacy. All cultural variables correlated highly with each other, and with empowerment and community. Empowerment also correlated highly with all education and work variables. ‘Substances’ (lack thereof) was linked with positive outcomes across culture, education and work. Specific interrelationships will be explored in detail separately.ConclusionThe Interplay Wellbeing Framework and Survey were statistically validated as a collaborative approach to assessing wellbeing that is inclusive of other cultural worldviews, values and practices. New community-derived social and cultural indicators were established, contributing valuable insight to psychometric assessment across cultures. These analyses confirm that culture, empowerment and community play key roles in the interplay with education, employment and health, as part of a holistic and quantifiable system of wellbeing. This research supports the holistic concept of wellbeing confirming that everything is interrelated and needs to be considered at the ‘whole of system’ level in policy approaches.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017