Maldahnalanga: Integrating rigorous research and community participation in Aboriginal community-based research

Aboriginal Australians experience poorer health and social outcomes than non-Aboriginal Australians as a consequence of colonisation, with alcohol-related harm a particularly visible consequence. Despite good intentions of past research aiming to improve this situation, the impact of its contribution has been limited, which is partly due to poor methodological quality and the culturally inappropriateness of the research to the community. Consequently, researchers have called for improved quality of research methods, to increase confidence in research findings, as well as increased community participation, to help ensure that research is appropriate to and beneficial for the participating Aboriginal communities. A systematic review of the literature concluded that the methodological rigour of published evaluations of Aboriginal community development programs was poor, while the community participation in the projects was moderate (Chapter 2). An analysis of alcohol-related crime data identified that rates of alcohol-related crimes were higher among Aboriginal than non-Aboriginal Australians. However, the same individual and community characteristics predicted higher rates of alcohol-related crimes among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. These characteristics included: being younger than 40 years, living in a remote or regional community and living in a community with a higher proportion of on-venue licences (Chapter 3). A community-based participatory research (CBPR) project was established in close partnership between researchers and Aboriginal communities to address these characteristics. Interviews with the community-based partners in the project identified that the key elements of successful CBPR are that the complementary expertise of community and researchers were mutually respected and integrated in a way that most benefits the project (Chapter 4). Each community in the project implemented a multi-component community-based program, which was evaluated using a rigorous multiple baseline design. The program was associated with a reduced number of Aboriginal victims of alcohol-related crimes as well as improvements in community perceptions of alcohol-related harms, community safety, and empowerment (Chapter 5).Taken together, the findings of this thesis demonstrate that equitable partnerships between community-based partners and researchers, as promoted in CBPR, can improve the processes and outcomes of Aboriginal community-based research