Combining First Nations Research Methods with a World Health Organization Guide to Understand Low Childhood Immunisation Coverage in Children in Tamworth, Australia

In Australia, we used the World Health Organization’s Tailoring Immunization Programmes to identify areas of low immunisation coverage in First Nations children. The qualitative study was led by First Nations researchers using a strength-based approach. In 2019, Tamworth had 179 (23%) children who w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International Indigenous Policy Journal
Main Authors: Thomas, Susan, Allan, Natalie, Taylor, Paula, McGrady, Carla, Bolsewicz, Kasia, Islam, Fakhrul, Cashman, Patrick, Durrheim, David, Creighton, Amy
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: Scholarship@Western (Western University) 2021
Subjects:
First Nations
children
immunisation
primary health care
Australia
World Health Organization
vaccine
Online Access:http://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1081835ar
https://doi.org/10.18584/iipj.2021.12.2.10959
Description
Summary:In Australia, we used the World Health Organization’s Tailoring Immunization Programmes to identify areas of low immunisation coverage in First Nations children. The qualitative study was led by First Nations researchers using a strength-based approach. In 2019, Tamworth had 179 (23%) children who were overdue for immunisations. Yarning sessions were conducted with 50 parents and health providers. Themes that emerged from this research included: (a) Cultural safety in immunisation services provides a supportive place for families, (b) Service access could be improved by removing physical and cost barriers, (c) Positive stories promote immunisation confidence among parents, (d) Immunisation data can be used to increase coverage rates for First Nations children. Knowledge of these factors and their impact on families helps ensure services are flexible and culturally safe.

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