ELCHO Health and Wellbeing Project
Diabetes, heart disease and cancer are unacceptability high in northeast Arnhem Land and there is an urgent need to find sustainable preventive measures. That is why University of Melbourne Professor Beverley-Ann Biggs is working in one of the remotest communities to establish the ELCHO Health and Wellbeing project.
Elcho Island in Galiwin'ku, home to the Yolŋu people, is two hours east of Darwin.
There is limited access to the island, and residents there rely on obtaining their food from two Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation (ALPA) stores, delivered twice weekly by barge.
Residents are presenting with high rates of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and cancer and are seeking to understand more about the causes of chronic disease and how to improve their health.
Professor Beverley-ann Biggs, Head of the International and Immigrant Health Group at the Doherty Institute, and her team are working with the community to establish the ELCHO Health and Wellbeing Project.
“We are looking to undertake an evaluation of a community developed and led nutrition and lifestyle program aimed at reducing weight and improving metabolic health,” says Professor Biggs.
The four-month program involves 60 overweight adults in the community.
“We will look at weight loss, but also hope to determine the effects of the program on other key metabolic health indicators including waist circumference, body fat, blood pressure, body mass index and sugar and fat in the blood,” says Professor Biggs.
The team have employed a group of Aboriginal Health Researchers and have visited every household to inform people about the project and opportunity to take part in the program.
Research team members on Elcho Island. Front row left to right: George Gurruwiwi, Kenny Gongnini, Ruth Gulamanda and Joanne Garnggulkpy. Second row, Josh Tynan, Beverly Ann-Biggs, Hasthi Dissanayake.
Research team members on Elcho Island. Front row left to right: George Gurruwiwi, Kenny Gongnini, Ruth Gulamanda and Joanne Garnggulkpy. Second row, Josh Tynan, Beverly Ann-Biggs, Hasthi Dissanayake.
“We want not only to determine effects of the program on diet, physical activity, and quality of life at program end, but also understand Yolŋu perspectives on the benefits and challenges of the program, and its interface with Yolŋu life and ways of experiencing health using ‘ground up’ participatory research,” explains Professor Biggs.
The team have based two Doherty Institute staff members, University of Melbourne Dr Hasthi Dissanayake and Joshua Tynan on Elcho Island, and worked closely with local project chief investigators from the community, Joanne Garnggulkpuy and George Gurruwiwi.
In addition, five casual staff (two nurses, one doctor, two research assistants) and six local Aboriginal Health Researchers have been crucial to the success of screening, recruitment, and baseline assessments. Participants will undertake the program from August 1st to Dec 15th, after which endline measures will be collected.
“It is important that the project benefits the health and well-being of the community living on Elcho Island in a safe and sustainable way,” says Professor Biggs.
“This project will fully document and evaluate the impact of the program.
“Sharing knowledge on the benefits of healthy eating and exercise, and on how we can work together to tackle chronic disease, will hopefully improve the chances of success.”
The team are still conducting the study and hope to publish results later in 2023.
Collaborators include Miwatj Health, Monash University, the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Charles Darwin University, The University of Queensland, and the Menzies School of Health Research.
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