Reducing the Risk of SIDS in Aboriginal Communities
The program aims to reduce the unacceptably high risk of Aboriginal infants dying of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and fatal sleep accidents. As tobacco smoking is one of the contributing factors for SIDS, SIDS and Kids WA's Reducing the Risk of SIDS in Aboriginal Communities (RROSIAC) program aims to raise awareness in community members and local professionals of the need for smoking cessation and encourage access to support. At present SIDS and Kids WA is seeking to build the tobacco control component within the RROSIAC project to better meet the needs of Aboriginal community members and thereby reduce the risk of Aboriginal infants dying of SIDS.
The program conducts community focus groups, community education and train the trainer education to local professionals throughout WA. The development and implementation of a culturally appropriate tobacco cessation component of the program would enable further support and awareness of how to stop smoking for community members/local professionals.
The RROSIAC program has recurrent funding through OATSIH.
Establishing and maintaining local community relationships and working with the community Elders over 5 years has enabled community engagement and buy-in to the program and facilitated program development to better meet regional needs. Establishing and maintaining a strong evaluation focus has enabled the collection of evidence and helped the ongoing development of the program. Having the program staffed and driven by Aboriginal staff members has greatly assisted in the credibility and acceptance of the program within the communities.
The current smoking cessation component of the RROSIAC program is not sufficiently culturally appropriate to meet the needs in many of the communities.
The Reducing the Risk of SIDs in Aboriginal Communities program has engaged over 400 local professionals. 180 community members, and over 60 agencies. Over half of the professionals trained in the program were aware of ALL of the contributing factors for SIDS including that tobacco use is harmful to babies and 80% of the professionals identified their communities as at high risk of infants dying of SIDS..
The Reducing the Risk of SIDS in Aboriginal Communities program has highlighted the need for including a more culturally appropriate smoking cessation component of the program particularly in the rural and remote regions - but includes of the metropolitan region.
There is not good penetration of culturally appropriate smoking cessation programs in Western Australia at the moment.
Working with families during pregnancy and post childbirth can be an incentive for family members to quit.
A 12 month external evaluation is being conducted by Curtin University on the Reducing the Risk of SIDS in Aboriginal Communities program.
Brochures, flip charts, and fridge magnets have been developed.
Sharran Yarran
Aboriginal Project Coordinator
SIDS and Kids Western Australia
33 Sixth Ave, Kensington WA 6151
Ph: 08 9474 3544
Email: sharranyarran@sidsandkids.org
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