Jaravani Fidelis G, Massey Peter D, Judd Jenni, Allan Jason, Allan Natalie
Health Protection, Hunter New England Population Health, Newcastle, NSW, Australia,
Health Protection, Hunter New England Population Health, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
Public Health Res Pract. 2016 Apr 15;26(2):2621616. doi: 10.17061/phrp2621616.
A crucial objective of the Australian Government's Closing the Gap program is to improve Aboriginal health, and to achieve morbidity and mortality rates similar to those for non-Indigenous Australians. Reducing public health risks due to drinking water of unknown quality will help to close the gap. Factors such as hardness, taste, colour and odour of water may influence perceptions of risk and quality. Increased contact and familiarity with a hazard is associated with individuals becoming desensitised and habituated to its presence, so that their risk judgements may reflect their behavioural experiences. Consumption of water of unknown quality, such as rainwater, instead of treated town water in Australian Aboriginal communities may be a community norm, a part of a community's culture or a result of lack of trust in government water suppliers. Partnerships between service providers and communities can ensure that the service is responsive to community needs, is conducted in a culturally appropriate manner and is beneficial to the community. Governance of drinking water in Aboriginal communities cannot be comprehensive without active engagement of the communities involved, and greater understanding of cultural issues, perceptions and behaviours towards drinking water quality. This Perspective article reviews the literature to shed light on the need to consider New South Wales (NSW) Aboriginal perceptions about drinking water and its acceptability. We urge more dialogue and research, and a policy focus that includes partnerships with discrete NSW Aboriginal communities to develop a deeper understanding of perceptions of drinking water and encourage consumption of safe water.
澳大利亚政府“缩小差距”计划的一个关键目标是改善原住民健康状况，使其发病率和死亡率与非原住民澳大利亚人相近。降低因水质不明的饮用水带来的公共卫生风险将有助于缩小这一差距。水的硬度、味道、颜色和气味等因素可能会影响人们对风险和水质的认知。对某种危害的接触增加和熟悉程度提高，会使个体对其存在变得不敏感并习惯化，从而他们的风险判断可能反映其行为经历。在澳大利亚原住民社区，饮用如雨水等水质不明的水而非经过处理的城镇供水，可能是一种社区规范、社区文化的一部分，或者是对政府供水供应商缺乏信任的结果。服务提供者与社区之间的伙伴关系可确保服务能满足社区需求，以符合文化习惯的方式开展，并对社区有益。如果没有相关社区的积极参与，以及对文化问题、对饮用水质量的认知和行为的更深入理解，原住民社区的饮用水管理就无法做到全面。这篇观点文章回顾了相关文献，以阐明有必要考虑新南威尔士州（NSW）原住民对饮用水的认知及其可接受性。我们敦促开展更多对话与研究，并将政策重点放在与新南威尔士州不同的原住民社区建立伙伴关系上，以便更深入地理解对饮用水的认知，并鼓励饮用安全水。
