Systems thinking for Aboriginal Health: Understanding the value and acceptability of group model building approaches

Systems thinking is increasingly applied to understand and address systemic drivers of complex health problems. In Australia, group model building, a participatory method from systems science, has been applied in various locations to engage communities in systems-based health promotion projects. To date there is limited evidence regarding GMB use with Australian Aboriginal communities. This study aimed to determine the value and acceptability of group model building (GMB) as a methodological approach in research with Aboriginal communities and identify any adaptations required to optimise its utility. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 18 Aboriginal health and university staff who had prior experience with a GMB research project. Interview transcripts were inductively analysed using thematic analysis and key themes were organised using an Indigenous research framework. Participants reported that GMB methods generally aligned well with Aboriginal ways of knowing, being, and doing. Participants valued the holistic, visual and collaborative nature of the method and its emphasis on sharing stories and collective decision-making. Group model building was viewed as a useful tool for identifying Aboriginal-led actions to address priority issues and advancing self-determination. Our findings suggest that by bringing together Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal knowledge, GMB is a promising tool, which Aboriginal communities could utilise to explore and address complex problems in a manner that is consistent with their worldviews. In adapting group model building methods, non-Aboriginal researchers should aspire to move beyond co-design processes and enable Aboriginal health research to be entirely led by Aboriginal people..

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2021

Erschienen:

2021

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:15

Enthalten in:

SSM: Population Health - 15(2021), Seite 100874-

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Jennifer Browne [VerfasserIn]
Troy Walker [VerfasserIn]
Andrew Brown [VerfasserIn]
Simone Sherriff [VerfasserIn]
Rebecca Christidis [VerfasserIn]
Mikaela Egan [VerfasserIn]
Vincent Versace [VerfasserIn]
Steven Allender [VerfasserIn]
Kathryn Backholer [VerfasserIn]

Links:

doi.org [kostenfrei]
doaj.org [kostenfrei]
www.sciencedirect.com [kostenfrei]
Journal toc [kostenfrei]

Themen:

Aboriginal health
Community based system dynamics
Group model building
Indigenous health
Public aspects of medicine
Social sciences (General)
Systems science
Systems thinking

doi:

10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100874

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

DOAJ058020276