Gould, Gillian (2013) Making Blow Away the Smokes DVD for Indigenous smokers: the journey and lessons learnt. In: Proceedings of the 12th National Rural Health Conference (12) pp. 1-12. From: 12th National Rural Health Conference, 7-10 April 2013, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

PDF (Published Version) - Published Version Restricted to Repository staff only

Abstract

Objective: To describe the process of making a smoking cessation DVD for rural and regional Aboriginal smokers on the North Coast NSW, from concept through to production and distribution.

Background: Indigenous smoking prevalence is high in Northern NSW. Audio-visual messages are useful for Aboriginal health promotion. The aim of the Blow Away The Smokes DVD was to provide a culturally appropriate self-help resource to be viewed at home, or with an Aboriginal Health Worker.

Methods: Community consultation occurred through the No Smokes North Coast Steering Committee, and Arts/Media subcommittee. A working party was formed with a smoking cessation expert, Aboriginal project officers and a media expert to develop a brief and tender process to find a suitable producer.

The content of the DVD was based on consultation with the local Aboriginal community and stakeholders as recommended by Brady's report Vaccinating with Videos and evidence from previous research. Script development was a collaborative process between the producer and the medical director, with feedback from Aboriginal community representatives. Salient anti-tobacco and cessation messages were designed to be positive, re-enforcing and build efficacy. A range of trusted community members, Elders, Indigenous role models, ex-smoking mentors and experts presented the messages. Animated sections were included for visual impact: to entertain, educate and change the pace. The narratives of people’s own stories and community dialogues were unscripted, allowing for spontaneity and a documentary feel. The DVD contains an extra feature for maternal smokers.

Filming occurred over a 2 week period with strong input from Aboriginal community members across the mid-North Coast. The DVD was pre-tested with a convenience sample of nineteen community and health professionals. The survey instrument was adapted from a questionnaire used to measure Indigenous responses to TV anti-smoking advertisements.

Results: The DVD was highly rated on scales measuring believability, acceptability, relevance, cultural suitability and effectiveness. The DVD was launched in December 2011 and distributed across the North Coast NSW through Aboriginal Medical Services and community organisations, and a dedicated web site. The web site received 300,000 hits in the first 6 months of it going live. The DVD has received favourable reviews from both professionals and community members across Australia.

Conclusion: Blow Away The Smokes is a unique and effective health promotion product, which has been developed co-operatively with the local Aboriginal community and is suitable for rural and regional smokers to educate, inform, inspire and support smokers to quit.

Item ID:	28942
Item Type:	Conference Item (Research - E1)
ISBN:	978-1-921219-23-8
ISSN:	1445-3363
Keywords:	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders; tobacco smoking; smoking cessation; nicotine replacement therapy; health promotion; audio-visual media; anti-tobacco messages
Related URLs:	Organisation
Funders:	Department of Health and Ageing Indigenous Tobacco Control Initiative, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), National Heart Foundation
Projects and Grants:	No Smokes North Coast, APP1039759
Date Deposited:	23 Aug 2013 02:24
FoR Codes:	11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1117 Public Health and Health Services > 111701 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health @ 50% 11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1117 Public Health and Health Services > 111712 Health Promotion @ 25% 11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1117 Public Health and Health Services > 111710 Health Counselling @ 25%
SEO Codes:	92 HEALTH > 9203 Indigenous Health > 920301 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health - Determinants of Health @ 40% 92 HEALTH > 9202 Health and Support Services > 920205 Health Education and Promotion @ 60%
Downloads:	Total: 2
	More Statistics