Enkel Stephanie L, Dalton Rebecca, Clements Chicky, Thomas Hannah M M, McRae Tracy, Amgarth-Duff Ingrid, Mullane Marianne, Wiese Lisa, Bedford Liam, Lansbury Nina, Carapetis Jonathan R, Wright Edie, Bowen Asha C
Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, The Kids Research Institute Australia (formerly Telethon Kids Institute), Nedlands, WA, Australia.
Medical School, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.
Dialogues Health. 2025 Apr 11;6:100215. doi: 10.1016/j.dialog.2025.100215. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Aboriginal children and families contend with higher rates of preventable infectious diseases that can be attributed to their immediate living environment. The environments in which children spend most of their time are their homes and schools. We aimed to understand the opportunities in the school setting to support student skin health and wellbeing through environmental health activities, how these activities were completed, and the barriers to their implementation.
Recognising the importance of healthy skin for educational success, this work was embedded within a larger cluster randomised stepped-wedge Trial aimed at reducing the rate of skin infections among Aboriginal children living in the Kimberley region of Western Australia by 50 %. We used qualitative data collected via a culturally appropriate yarning methodology during trial evaluation interviews. The data from 35 yarns with 41 individuals were thematically analysed.
Data indicated that schools serve as a hub of health and hygiene support and maintenance, with school staff balancing teaching responsibilities while also meeting the basic health and wellbeing needs of students. Uncertainties regarding funding and policies governing these activities remained; ongoing exploration is required.
Staff in remote Kimberley schools devote substantial time and resources to supporting student hygiene needs, often stepping in when health infrastructure at home is inadequate. These activities are seen as necessary to support student wellbeing and participation in learning. While schools are well-positioned to respond in this way, these responsibilities extend beyond their core role and place additional pressure on staff and budgets. There is a need to better understand how such work is resourced and to consider how policy and funding frameworks might more formally support it.
原住民儿童及其家庭面临着较高的可预防传染病发病率，这可能归因于他们所处的直接生活环境。儿童大部分时间都在家庭和学校中度过。我们旨在了解学校环境中通过环境卫生活动支持学生皮肤健康和福祉的机会、这些活动是如何开展的以及实施过程中存在的障碍。
认识到健康皮肤对学业成功的重要性，这项工作嵌入了一项更大规模的整群随机阶梯式试验中，该试验旨在将西澳大利亚金伯利地区原住民儿童的皮肤感染率降低50%。在试验评估访谈期间，我们通过一种符合文化习惯的交流方法收集了定性数据。对来自35次交流、涉及41人的数据进行了主题分析。
数据表明，学校是健康和卫生支持与维护的中心，学校工作人员在履行教学职责的同时，还满足学生的基本健康和福祉需求。关于这些活动的资金和政策仍存在不确定性；需要持续进行探索。
金伯利偏远地区学校的工作人员投入了大量时间和资源来支持学生的卫生需求，通常是在家庭健康基础设施不足时介入。这些活动被视为支持学生福祉和参与学习所必需的。虽然学校有能力以这种方式做出回应，但这些责任超出了其核心职责范围，给工作人员和预算带来了额外压力。有必要更好地了解此类工作的资源配置情况，并考虑政策和资金框架如何能更正式地支持这项工作。
