From the HIV epidemic, Australia learned to involve affected communities from the outset of any response to a major health problem. This session asks what ‘involvement of affected communities' looks like for culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
We tend to expect that people affected by a problem will lead the fight to raise awareness and demand an official response. This is the kind of engagement anticipated by the ‘community involvement' strategies that have become standard practice in public health, such as focus and reference groups, community consultations and consumer advocates. These methods can disadvantage CALD communities, who may approach sensitive health issues in different ways, and produce distorted accounts of their needs and experiences.
We look at three emerging issues: chronic hepatitis B in migrant families, HIV stigma and African Australians, and the interaction of cultural and sexual diversity. Our panel will consider how minority and emerging issues and epidemics can be incorporated in culturally sensitive ways with mainstream HIV and viral hepatitis health promotion programs.
Professor Sandy Gifford, Director of the Refugee Health Research Centre at La Trobe University, will then discuss the findings of a groundbreaking study of the sexual health promotion needs of refugee young people in Australia, and offer her perspective on what it takes to put an emerging issue on the agenda for multicultural sexual health promotion.
Speakers
Professor Sandy Gifford
La Trobe University
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Daniel Reeders
Centre for Culture, Ethnicity & Health
Download 'Double Trouble' report (PDF)
Chris Lemoh
The University of Melbourne
(presentation not available)
Jack Wallace
Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health & Society
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