College of Health Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia.
Nicotine Tob Res. 2023 Mar 22;25(4):788-795. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntac256.
Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of morbidity and mortality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Accordingly, the provisions of culturally safe and effective smoking cessation strategies are crucial. While previous research has suggested Aboriginal Health Workers/Practitioners are well placed to provide smoking cessation care, no research to date has explored the workforce knowledge, attitudes and practices in offering best practice cessation care.
A cross-sectional study was conducted among Aboriginal Health Workers/Practitioners from June to September 2021. Descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted to examine participant characteristics, provision of smoking cessation care, and explore the factors associated with smoking cessation care.
Out of 1052 registered Aboriginal Health Workers/Practitioners, 256 participants completed the full survey (24.3%). Smoking cessation counseling was always provided by 41.9%; provided some of the time by 42.4%, and never provided by 12.9%. Combination NRT and Quitline referral were always offered by 23.1% and 44.9% of participants, respectively. Those that received training, felt smoking cessation care was part of their role, and were based in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organization were significantly more likely to offer best practice smoking cessation care.
Aboriginal Health Workers/Practitioners and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organizations play a critical role in delivering high quality, evidence based and culturally safe care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Aboriginal Health Workers/Practitioners are well placed to offer smoking cessation care. Ongoing funding and implementation of a targeted smoking cessation workforce with appropriate training and resources are urgently required.
Aboriginal Health Workers/Practitioners are well placed to offer culturally safe, best practice smoking cessation care. However, due to the magnitude and complexity of Aboriginal Health Workers/Practitioners roles, it is challenging for smoking cessation care to be consistently and feasibly integrated into usual care. Acknowledging Australia's National Preventative Health Strategy target of 27% or less Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people smoking by 2030, urgent investment and resourcing must be directed to building a skilled workforce to support quitting and maintaining smokefree behaviors, ensuring equitable access to smoking cessation care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
烟草是导致原住民和托雷斯海峡岛民发病率和死亡率的主要可预防原因。因此，提供文化安全且有效的戒烟策略至关重要。尽管先前的研究表明，原住民卫生工作者/从业者非常适合提供戒烟护理，但迄今为止，没有研究探讨他们在提供最佳实践戒烟护理方面的劳动力知识、态度和实践。
2021 年 6 月至 9 月期间，对原住民卫生工作者/从业者进行了一项横断面研究。采用描述性和推断性统计方法，检查参与者的特征、提供戒烟护理的情况，并探讨与戒烟护理相关的因素。
在 1052 名注册的原住民卫生工作者/从业者中，有 256 名参与者完成了完整的调查（24.3%）。始终提供戒烟咨询的占 41.9%；有时提供的占 42.4%，从不提供的占 12.9%。始终提供组合尼古丁替代疗法和戒烟热线转介的分别占 23.1%和 44.9%。那些接受过培训、认为戒烟护理是其职责一部分、并且在原住民社区控制的健康组织工作的人，更有可能提供最佳实践的戒烟护理。
原住民卫生工作者/从业者和原住民社区控制的健康组织在为原住民和托雷斯海峡岛民提供高质量、基于证据和文化安全的护理方面发挥着关键作用。原住民卫生工作者/从业者非常适合提供戒烟护理。迫切需要为他们提供持续的资金和实施有针对性的戒烟劳动力，配备适当的培训和资源。
原住民卫生工作者/从业者有能力提供文化安全、最佳实践的戒烟护理。然而，由于原住民卫生工作者/从业者角色的规模和复杂性，将戒烟护理始终如一地切实融入常规护理具有挑战性。考虑到澳大利亚国家预防健康战略的目标是到 2030 年，将原住民和托雷斯海峡岛民的吸烟率降低到 27%或以下，必须紧急投资和提供资源，以建立一支熟练的劳动力队伍，支持戒烟和维持无烟行为，确保原住民和托雷斯海峡岛民能够公平获得戒烟护理。
