Aims:  
  • To understand how social media can be harnessed to enhance the impact of tobacco control strategies among Indigenous Australians.  
Objectives:  
  • Smoking causes 1/5 deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Many social media tobacco control campaigns exist, but there is minimal understanding of their effectiveness.
Summary:  

This is a three year project, made up of four studies:

  • Study 1: What social media health information is being shared within communities, how and by who?
  • Study 2: How can social media be used effectively to reduce smoking and improve health?
  • Study 3: How can Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services use social media effectively for reducing smoking?
  • Study 4: How can Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services use social media to support people who want to quit smoking?

Working with a team of over 20 Indigenous community based peer researchers from Darwin, Nhulunbuy and Alice Springs we will combine online data collection and analysis with interviews with both users and non-users of social media.

All community based peer researchers are eligible to enroll in the Certificate II in Community Health Research. 

Chief investigators:
Contact information:

Please email Marita Hefler for further information.

Project dates:

The project commenced in April 2016 and was completed in December 2019.