Australian and New Zealand journal of public health
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Aust N Z J Public Health · Oct 2020
The decline of smoking initiation among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander secondary students: implications for future policy.
Smoking is a major cause of preventable illness for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with most commencing in adolescence. Understanding trends in youth tobacco use can inform prevention policies and programs. ⋯ Most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are now never smokers. Comparable declines indicate similar policy impact for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and all students. Implications for Public Health: Comprehensive population-based tobacco control policies can impact all students. Continued investment, including in communities, is needed to maintain and accelerate reductions among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to achieve equivalent prevalence rates and reduce health inequities.
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Determine major barriers to, and facilitators of, influenza vaccination of Aboriginal adults, in order to improve coverage from the current level of 30%. ⋯ Misconceptions about influenza disease and vaccine among Aboriginal people and inadequate identification of Aboriginality in general practice appear to be the greatest barriers to vaccination, rather than health service access in general. Implications for public health: More active communication to and targeting of Aboriginal adults is required; this is even more urgent following the arrival of COVID-19.
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Aust N Z J Public Health · Jun 2020
Randomized Controlled TrialParent reports of sun safety communication and behaviour for students in a randomised trial on a school policy implementation intervention.
Schools are an important setting for skin cancer prevention. An intervention for implementation of school sun safety policy, Sun Safety Schools (SSS), was evaluated. ⋯ A school district sun protection policy and support for implementation increased dissemination of sun safety information to parents and student sun safety. Implications for public health: Technical assistance for sun safety policies may increase sun protection of children.