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Barriers and enhancers to dietary behaviour change for Aboriginal people attending a diabetes cooking course
Author(s) -
Abbott Penelope,
Davison Joyce,
Moore Louise,
Rubinstein Raechelle
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
health promotion journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.515
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 2201-1617
pISSN - 1036-1073
DOI - 10.1071/he10033
Subject(s) - gerontology , medicine , qualitative research , diabetes mellitus , community health , nutrition education , environmental health , nursing , public health , sociology , social science , endocrinology
Issue addressed Aboriginal people access diabetes and nutrition education less than non‐Aboriginal people. Culturally appropriate, effective and accessible diabetes and nutrition education for Aboriginal people is urgently needed. Methods A qualitative approach was used to explore the experiences of Aboriginal people who had attended cooking courses run at the Aboriginal Medical Service Western Sydney between 2002 and 2007. Data from 23 semi‐structured interviews were analysed thematically. Results Despite reported improvements in nutrition knowledge and cooking skills, the ability of participants to implement desired dietary changes varied. A new health diagnosis, such as diabetes, pre‐diabetes, heart disease or cancer and the desire of participants to influence their families to lead healthier, diabetes‐free lives were strong motivators for dietary change. In contrast, lack of family support for dietary change and a sense of social isolation caused by dietary change strongly impeded some participants' attempts to improve their diets. Other significant barriers were poor oral health and depression, the higher cost of healthier food and generational food preferences. Conclusion Aboriginal cooking course participants faced multiple barriers to dietary change – social, financial, medical and historical. The family was the most crucial determinant of participant ability to achieve sustained dietary change. So what Recognition of these barriers must inform the design and delivery of nutrition interventions in Aboriginal communities. In particular, nutrition interventions should target the family unit and incorporate strategies for combating possible negative social effects of dietary change in order to maximise their effectiveness.