Qualitative Research on Aboriginals' Knowledge of Heart Disease

This report is a qualitative research proposal and investigation into the knowledge of Aboriginal Australians regarding heart disease. It examines the prevalence of heart disease within the Aboriginal community, highlighting disparities in health knowledge and access to healthcare. The study employs a phenomenological approach, collecting data through interviews with six Aboriginal participants. The report details the research question, study design, participant selection, data collection methods, and analysis techniques, including a questionnaire used to gather information on participants' understanding of heart disease, interpretation of symptoms, and treatment approaches. The research also includes a reflection on the researcher's personal connection to the topic and the importance of addressing health inequalities within the Aboriginal community. The report's findings are aimed at providing insights into specific health needs within the community. The report concludes with a discussion of the research's implications for improving health outcomes and access to care for Aboriginal populations. The report is available on Desklib, a platform providing AI-based study tools for students.

Running head: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
KNOWLEDGE OF ABORIGINALS REGARDING HEART DISEASE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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Executive summary
This is a research proposal designed to identify the ideas of indigenous people about the health
issues such as heart disease provided to them. The paper discusses about the heart diseases that
Aboriginals are unaware of, Qualitative research performed and the reason for choosing this
method of research, how and number of participants chosen and asked for interview regarding
the issues. The paper also provided a reflection on the topic selected.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Background of the study..................................................................................................................3
Research Question...........................................................................................................................6
Study design.....................................................................................................................................6
Study population and sampling.......................................................................................................6
Data collection method and analysis...............................................................................................7
Reflection.........................................................................................................................................8
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
References........................................................................................................................................9
Appendix (Questionnaire).............................................................................................................11

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Introduction
The recent population of Australia is assessed to be around 25 million as per the data
given by Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2019. Aboriginals are considered to Australia’s original
people living there for more than 50000 years. They are categorised into two groups such as
group descended from the Torres Strait Island as well as aboriginal colonising Australia during
British rule in the year 1788 and Torres Strait Islander, which is a considered to be a part of
Queensland, Australia (Ballantyne 2014). The recent statistical records have displayed that there
exists a total of 40,000 aborigines constituting about 2 percent of total population in Australia.
The Aborigines experience poor health due to lack of knowledge. They are economically poor,
do not have proper education and hence are unaware of different issues they undergo (Reading
and Greenwood 2018). The poor health highlighted is additional strengthened by the data
received on outflow records from the period of 2016-17. The record stated that there is a yearly
deficit in facilities provided to those residing in low economic areas.
The paper is structured to discuss about the difference in the health knowledge related to
heart among Aboriginals. The paper mainly focusses on the views of the consumers from
indigenous community. The methodology and the participant’s selection as well as personal
reflection would focus on the subject matter. The question would be answered focussing on the
health services.
Background of the study
Indigenous public include that people living in Australia in addition to the neighbouring
areas of the British colonisation. Indigenous people are of two types such as Torres Strait
Islander plus Aboriginals (Wilson et al. 2015). Almost 30 percent of the Australian populace

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socialise with the native people as few people have an idea that the inhabitants are hurtful
(Markhan and Biddle 2018). As per the census of 2016, it was anticipated that aboriginal
Australians exemplify only 3.3 percent above the total population of Australia that was recorded
in the year 2011. There is an extensive gap amongst indigenous as well as non-indigenous
women. Social, ethnic, psychological modelling, in addition to gender differences amid females
and males, have put a prominent aspect in Australian lives (Anderson et al. 2016). The
Aboriginals resides in different parts of Australia however away from the urban culture. They
experience less benefits in health sectors and services due poor economic status of the
community.
The socio-economic exhibit discrepancy among indigenous as well as non-indigenous
people have created a rift in getting heath facilities. In appraisal to the non-indigenous
Australians, undergo exertion from the health related information as there are less basic
education and health measures (Anderson and Brady 2018). The lower economy status affects
healthiness and henceforth escalates the jeopardy of health factors. As the Aboriginals have poor
economy, unemployment percentage is also high.
This unemployment makes people get involved in smoking along with illegal substance.
This, smoking upsurges the threat of health factors, diminishes education plus affects economic
status of the family (Valeggia and Snodgrass 2015). The dissimilarity in the economic status
created a difference in the lifestyle. Indigenous people with little income have a small rate of
education consequently no occupation. Health of the individual gets affected as they are involved
in adverse and illegitimate activities. Hence, they often get affected with serious health issues.
Research have shown that Aboriginals suffer from serious heart disease and they have less
knowledge about the signs and symptoms of the disease. On other hand, people in rich states

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have better jobs and relishes a better lifestyle, good education facilities, good health knowledge
and services in addition good education. The health problem is more Aboriginals than any other
parts in Australia (Rigney 1999).
This inclination states that health position fluctuates is contingent on the dangerous health
behaviours that are common in the lower-income group. There is a behavioural risk always
allied with employment status. Research have shown that job prospects are less for Aboriginals,
hence faces a higher chance of bad health plus the augmented rate of smoking in addition
improper diet (Lin, Green and Bessarab 2016). Even the state has less company, job prospects in
this state is less, which affects economy and further health services.
The Australian government need to improve health outcomes in Australia. Government
must provide equal health knowledge and services in every parts of Australia irrespective of the
economy. They need make the people of various health issues and ways to deal with it. Previous
researches have shown that National Health care sectors have implanted some health services for
Aboriginal however it was not properly implemented by the government (Campbell et al. 2018).
The economy is overcoming the services. Government need to improve the economy of the
community. As it had been known, that the major economy depends on lower income.
Government can develop new work opportunities, companies in places where aboriginals live to
enhance the economy which would further help in improving the health services (Watts 2011).
Still today no national health policy and data explains that chasing additional advanced
facilities there is a requirement to notify an interconnected, entire arrangement method to
progress health outcomes. It was also acknowledged that absence of educations also affects the
development of health care services (Gwynne and Lincoln 2017). This deficiency of
investigative and evocative knowledge of such an occurrence suggests it is internationally

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putative perception rather than exact on this subject is discussion. Government improvement will
help in bringing the change in the health prospects in Australia’s states and territories.
Improvement in health care services would reduce the health defects among Aboriginals. The
gaps if the research would have before, would be unavailability of proper sources of data
collection strategy and planning. Earlier there was less development in medical techniques and
implementing in Aboriginal community would have been costly.
Research Question
Discover the knowledge of Aboriginals about heart diseases and to study the definite
requirements, needed however not available.
Study design
To conduct this research, the qualitative approach would be the Phenomenological
method. This method was chosen as it will focus on the role of health care among Aboriginals
from the individual’s point of view. It will explain the ways the participants understand the daily
world. This type of method will help in capturing the principle of the understanding rather than
quantifying the total number of people using and not using the service among Aboriginals (Flick
2008).
Study population and sampling
The investigation population for this inquiry will be 6 individuals from Aboriginal
community, who are diagnosed with some heart problems. Phenomenological strategy depends
on the issues that is acquired from questionnaires, interviews as well as observation from
different viewpoints or from other research documents (Holloway and Galvin 2016). To conduct
this inquiry, face to face interviews and in depth interview will be conducted for all the

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participants. The interviews will be performed through by visiting their houses directly and
recording their statement. Recording for the interview will be done because it ensures that
statement and insights made for the study population are accurate.
It is imperative to certify that during the process of inquiry that permission is taken from
the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research. This paper provides an outline
towards liable research practices, in addition to upholds reliability in study for researchers
besides providing a clarification of what is anticipated of researchers by the people of the
community.
It is suggested that this kind of investigation the sample size must be between 5 to 25
people who faced the situation. The sample size of this study will be six. The only precise
benchmarks necessary for participants is that they are the permanent resident of community and
have used the health service of the state.
Data collection method and analysis
The questionnaire for this investigation will be a 10 questions (Appendix). The
questionnaire is articulated into three explicit areas such as –knowledge about heart issues, how
to interpret and ways to provide necessary treatment. The main reason behind designing the
questions into groups is to make the analysis of changeover to data examination easier. The open
minded questions are set for the formulation of the questionnaire (Watt 2007). These sets of
questions gather information, which will lead towards structural and textual description of
experiences and hence result in understanding the experience of participants involved.
The collection of information and recordings from phenomenological investigation is
often large. There is huge number of comprehensive quotes and evidence understood through the
interview process. During investigation the material will be analysed for identifying noteworthy

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testimonials, quotes that provide an understanding of what the participants in this form of inquiry
experienced. The data obtained will then be assembled into as a report by providing a clear
explanation of what the applicant faced and that of the investigators (Foley 2003.).
Reflection
The impulse behind this method of investigation is associated to my personal condition.
My friend is an Aboriginal. His family reside in Murri, southern part of Queensland. His father is
having a health issue, which was later diagnosed was heart blockage. His father was having
difficulty in breath and he used to feel suffocating often. However, he was not taken to the doctor
for treatment as they have less knowledge about the disease
Conclusion
This phenomenological study mainly emphases on an Aboriginals and the accessibility of
health issues. Explicitly, I concentrated on the fact that aboriginals have less knowledge about
heart problems as there is lack of health education. The World Health Organisation
acknowledged that solidification of health information, which is key to accomplish the health-
related problems. However, the facilities vary from state to state depending on the economy
however every community requires basic health services to fulfill the needs of the respective
community.
This paper portrays the opinions from community people who have experiencing the
problem. The methodology, sampling process as well as data analysis was conversed in this
paper. Reflection was provided to develop inspiration behind investigating this form of review.

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References
Anderson, I. and Brady, M., 2018. Performance indicators for Aboriginal health services.
Anderson, I., Robson, B., Connolly, M., Al-Yaman, F., Bjertness, E., King, A., Tynan, M.,
Madden, R., Bang, A., Coimbra Jr, C.E. and Pesantes, M.A., 2016. Indigenous and tribal
peoples' health (The Lancet–Lowitja Institute Global Collaboration): a population study. The
Lancet, 388(10040), pp.131-157.
Ballantyne, T., 2014. Mobility, empire, colonisation. History Australia, 11(2), pp.7-37.
Campbell, M.A., Hunt, J., Scrimgeour, D.J., Davey, M. and Jones, V., 2018. Contribution of
Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Services to improving Aboriginal health: an evidence
review. Australian Health Review, 42(2), pp.218-226.
Flick, U. 2008. Managing quality in qualitative research. Sage.
Foley, D., 2003. Indigenous epistemology and Indigenous standpoint theory. Social alternatives,
22(1), p.44.
Gwynne, K. and Lincoln, M., 2017. Developing the rural health workforce to improve Australian
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes: a systematic review. Australian Health
Review, 41(2), pp.234-238.
Holloway, I., & Galvin, K. 2016. Qualitative research in nursing and healthcare. John Wiley &
Sons.
Lin, I., Green, C. and Bessarab, D., 2016. ‘Yarn with me’: applying clinical yarning to improve
clinician–patient communication in Aboriginal health care. Australian Journal of Primary
Health, 22(5), pp.377-382.
Reading, C. and Greenwood, M., 2018. Structural determinants of Aboriginal peoples’ health.
Determinants of Indigenous Peoples' Health: Beyond the Social, 1.

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Rigney, L.I., 1999. Internationalization of an Indigenous anticolonial cultural critique of research
methodologies: A guide to Indigenist research methodology and its principles. Wicazo sa review,
14(2), pp.109-121.
Sutton, J. and Austin, Z., 2015. Qualitative research: Data collection, analysis, and management.
The Canadian journal of hospital pharmacy, 68(3), p.226.
Valeggia, C.R. and Snodgrass, J.J., 2015. Health of indigenous peoples. Annual Review of
Anthropology, 44, pp.117-135.
Watt, D., 2007. On becoming a qualitative researcher: the value of reflexivity. Qualitative
Report, 12(1), pp.82-101.
Watts, J.H., 2011. Ethical and practical challenges of participant observation in sensitive health
research. International journal of social research methodology, 14(4), pp.301-312.
Wilson, A., Magarey, A.M., Jones, M., O'Donnell, K.M. and Kelly, J., 2015. Attitudes and
characteristics of health professionals working in Aboriginal health.

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Appendix (Questionnaire)
1. What age group do you belong?
a) Under 18 b) 19-30 c) 30-50 d) 50 – 70 e) 70-100
2. How long have you lived in this area?
3. What do you think are the most noteworthy challenges faced by your community?
Service Access
4. What do you feel about the schools available in your community?
5.What facilities do you think would be advantageous to your community in addition to would
help in later diagnosis of heart problems?
Data and utilisation of existing local health care services
6.Do you access health schemes provides supports for the cost of treatment and housing when
you need to travel far away for treatment? If not, why not?
7.Do you know how about ACAT is and how it can be accessed?
8.What is your belief of telehealth?
9. Is there any health clinic for treating serious heart patient? If so, is it affordable by you?
10. Do you have anything else to share?