Priority populations
![Priority Populations research]()
This program of work focuses on reducing harms from alcohol and drug use for populations which face systemic inequities. These priority populations include communities where cultural, religious, geographic, or linguistic factors present barriers to receiving support for substance use (e.g. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other culturally and linguistically diverse groups), and where groups are at additional risk from alcohol or illicit drug use (e.g. pregnant women or young people).
Our team works in partnership with communities to inform and support local responses, influence policy, and to secure funding for local services. By facilitating meaningful collaborations, we aim to improve prevention and treatment of alcohol and other drug-related harms.
Specifically, we aim to:
- Improve community awareness of the harms from alcohol and other drugs
- Encourage and support community-led initiatives to address substance use
- Develop flexible methods that can be adapted and applied across communities to reduce harms from substance use
Research Team:
Kylie Lee, James Conigrave, Teagan Weatherall, Monika Dzidowska, Annalee Stearne, Mustafa Al Ansari, Basma Al-Ansari, Taleah Reynolds, Summer Loggins, Catherine Zheng, Miro Saunders
CONTACT RESEARCH LEAD
Have questions about our research conducted with priority populations?
Email Kylie Lee (kklee@latrobe.edu.au)
Projects within this area:
Substance use is linked with physical, psychological, and social harm in Australia, including among its First Peoples. To ensure substance use is prioritised by government, and local communities, accurate estimates of substance use are needed. However, screening tools developed for general Australians are often inappropriate for Indigenous Australians who can have specific cultural and language needs. Accordingly, population estimates of substance use among Indigenous Australians have been described as inadequate to inform service planning. In this project we will create a computer-based survey tool to improve self-reported data on methamphetamine, other illicit drugs and tobacco. This screening tool will be co-designed with communities and health services. It will be graphical, and use storytelling to help alcohol and drug use to be communicated in natural, culturally appropriate ways. It will also be modifiable so communities can adapt questions, and languages used to suit local priorities and needs. We will also develop a tailored digital brief intervention, something not currently available. ‘The Drug app’ will be available on all platforms, including iOS, Android, and on the web. It will provide communities with a way to self-monitor substance use, and to leverage local data to secure funding and support from governments.
Team: Kylie Lee, Scott Wilson, Kate Conigrave, Tanya Chitritzhs, Noel Hayman, Angela Dawson, Robert Ali, James Conigrave, Michelle Fitts, Louisa Degenhardt, Jimmy Perry, Tim Slade, Michael Doyle, Nadine Ezard, Taleah Reynolds, Monika Dzidowska, Mustafa Al Ansari, Summer Loggins, Catherine Zheng, Miro Saunders
Funder: NHMRC (Ideas grant) APP1183744
Making it easier for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care services to screen for risky drinking and provide tailored feedback: adapting the Grog Survey App
Alcohol screening and brief intervention are effective ways to reduce risky drinking and related harms in general populations. Yet, it can be challenging and complex to detect risky drinking in First Nations Australian primary health care settings. Some health workers feel uncomfortable discussing substance use due to stigma and concerns about invading the privacy of clients, who they may know personally. We previously developed ‘The Grog Survey App’ that addressed these issues for population screening. However, these solutions are also needed for clinical screening which has the potential to connect at-risk locals with support. In this project, we will deliver a valid, reliable, and acceptable digital alcohol screening and brief intervention tool for First Nations Australians, which is integrated into a commonly used practice software system. We will work closely with a partner clinic to trial the clinical integration, modify the screening tool based on local priorities, and develop clinical flows to help maximise the potential of this new digital screening tool.
Funder: Medical Research Future Fund (Primary Health Care Digital Innovations) MRF2021660
Team: Kylie Lee, James Conigrave, Scott Wilson, Noel Hayman, Kate Conigrave, Nikki Percival, Tanya Chitritzhs, Angela Dawson, Marguerite Tracy, Kirsten Morley, Michael Doyle, Michelle Fitts, Teagan Weatherall, Jimmy Perry, Craig Holloway, Lynette Bullen, Gaby Bruning, Annalee Stearne, Mustafa Al Ansari, Monika Dzidowska, Taleah Reynolds, Summer Loggins, Catherine Zheng, Miro Saunders
Current approaches used to measure alcohol use among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) populations in Australia are limited. Previous studies have documented shortcomings in sampling, survey administration, and questionnaire content. However, improving estimates of alcohol consumption among CALD communities requires a culturally sensitive and collaborative approach. This project will identify deficits in current approaches used to collect population estimates of alcohol use behaviours among CALD Australians. It will also suggest ways to measure alcohol use behaviours among this group of peoples.
Team: Basma Al-Ansari, Kylie Lee, Mustafa Al Ansari, James Conigrave, Taleah Reynolds, Summer Loggins
Handbook for Aboriginal Alcohol and Drug Work
Aboriginal health professionals work in a broad range of settings and have identified a strong desire to continue building their skills and knowledge, to better serve their community. The Handbook of Aboriginal Alcohol and Drug use (Lee, Freeburn et al. 2012) is the only comprehensive text written specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (hereafter ‘Aboriginal’) Alcohol and Drug Workers. However, the text is now more than 10 years old and key updates are needed. Several areas that have changed markedly over that time, including opioid dependence treatments (e.g. with advent of injectable buprenorphine); methamphetamine use and responses; assessment and treatment for hepatitis C; and national guidelines on alcohol consumption We have been funded by the NSW Ministry of Health to produce a Second Edition of the Handbook for Aboriginal Alcohol and Drug Work.
Editors: Kylie Lee, Bradley Freeburn, Jimmy Perry, Scott Wilson, Julie Woods, Lynette Bullen, Kate Conigrave
Project staff: Summer Loggins, Taleah Reynolds, James Conigrave
Funder: Centre for Alcohol and Other Drugs, NSW Ministry of Health
