Deadly Choices – Changing Health Attitudes and Behaviours in South East Queensland

The South East Queensland region is Australia’s largest and fastest growing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.  The 2016 Census estimated growth of 33% between 2011 and 2016, compared to the national average of 18%.
The Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH) has been successful in improving access to appropriate comprehensive primary health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in South East Queensland.

IUIH’s flagship Deadly Choices program was established in 2009-2010 to engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and empower behavioural change in making healthier lifestyle choices.  In 2017-2018, a total of 86,476 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health checks (MBS 715) were claimed through Medicare in Queensland.  Of these, 20,968 there completed in South East Queensland through the Deadly Choices programs.  This presentation will look at why Deadly Choices has been successful in engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and the behaviour changes that have occurred in South East Queensland.

Biography:

Ms Donisha Duffis an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman from Thursday Island in the Torres Strait.  She has familial links with Moa and Badu Islands (Torres Strait) and is a Yadhaigana/ Wuthathi Aboriginal traditional owner (Cape York).  She has over 20 years of experience working in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector in health policy, planning and management.

Donisha possesses a Bachelor Arts (Hons) from Griffith University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Australian National University.  She was awarded the Roberta Sykes Indigenous Education Foundation bursary to Harvard University to complete a Summer Program in Business Management.  In 2014, she was awarded National NAIDOC Scholar of the Year.  In 2015, she was awarded the Bob & June Prickett Churchill Fellowship.