Healthy Skin, Healthy Mepla: A skin health promotional event for children in the Torres Strait.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: Skin infections such as impetigo and scabies are common in Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander children living in rural and remote settings. Effective health promotion is a key element when addressing health literacy aimed at reducing the burden of skin disease. Community-driven health promotion provides a potentially effective and sustainable model for improved health outcomes. METHODS: A one-day community-driven skin health promotional event was conducted on Waiben [Thursday Island] with the aim of improving local Torres Strait Islander children's appreciation of the importance of skin health through art, music and creation of a video. Participants completed written pre- and post-questionnaires to determine their response. RESULTS: Fifty-two children participated in the event; median (range) age was 11 (9-12) years and all identified as Torres Strait Islander. Overall, 34 of 50 children (68%) felt that participating in this workshop improved their skin health knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: Skin health promotion can be successful achieved through a locally conceived, locally driven and locally owned approach. SO WHAT?: This skin health promotional event could be a model for other health promotion activities in the Torres Strait.

How Australian First Nations peoples living in the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area of Australia describe and discuss social and emotional well-being: a qualitative study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Colonisation has, and continues to, negatively impact the mental well-being of Australia's First Nations peoples. However, the true magnitude of the impact is not known, partially because clinicians have low levels of confidence in using many existing screening tools with First Nations clients. In addition, many authors have critiqued the use of tools designed for Western populations with First Nations peoples, because their worldview of health and well-being is different. Therefore, the aim of the overarching study is to develop an appropriate mental well-being screening tool(s) for older adults (aged 45 and over) living in the Torres Strait that can be used across primary health and geriatric settings. This protocol describes the first phase designed to achieve the overarching aim-yarning about social and emotional well-being (inclusive of mental well-being) in First Nations peoples living in the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area of Australia. METHOD AND ANALYSIS: The study will be guided by decolonising and participatory action research methodologies. Yarning is an Australian First Nations relational method that relies on storytelling as a way of sharing knowledge. Yarning circles will be conducted with community members and health and aged care workers living on six different island communities of the Torres Strait. Participants will be recruited using purposive sampling. Thematic analysis of the data will be led by Torres Strait Islander members of the research team. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The Far North Queensland, Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) (HREC/2021/QCH/73 638-1518) and James Cook University HREC (H8606) have approved this study. Dissemination of study findings will be led by Torres Strait members of the research team through conferences and peer-reviewed publications.