A culturally safe and decolonising approach to prevention and management of cardiovascular health led by Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing.
Prevention and management of simultaneous conditions
Diabetes and cardiovascular disease are biologically and socially interlinked, disproportionately affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Over 35% of Aboriginal adults live with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or chronic kidney disease, and 38% live with two or more conditions simultaneously. Treating these conditions in isolation ignores their synergistic impact. Integrated, culturally safe models—such as Aboriginal-led Shared Medical Appointments (SMAs) offer a way forward for simultaneous prevention and management. Evidence shows that SMAs improve engagement, reduce clinical risk, and foster relational healing. The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2021–2031 calls for holistic, strengths-based approaches that prioritise community control - which our proposed model aligns with. Integrated care is not optional- it is essential to Closing the Gap and reversing preventable disease trajectories.
Culturally-safe approaches to prevention of heart disease and related risk factors
The project aims to implement a culturally safe, multidisciplinary and decolonising approach to prevention and management of cardiovascular health and related risk factors in Aboriginal women that draws on local Aboriginal cultural knowledge and evidence-based science.
Our design will use a mixed method approach, drawing on the iterative cycles of Participatory Action Research and will be inclusive of critical cultural protocols that we consider to be important to a project like this. We will apply Autoethnography/story telling as part of this approach, to ensure Aboriginal women's voices are centred and continue to guide and inform the evolution of the project.