The acceptability and utility of Indigenous youth health assessments: a narrative systematic review
Jed Fraser A , Deborah Askew
B , Ray Mahoney C D E and Geoffrey Spurling B *
A The University of Queensland, Surgical Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS), Herston, Qld 4029, Australia.
B The University of Queensland, General Practice Clinical Unit, RBWH, Herston, Qld 4029, Australia.
C Australian eHealth Research Centre (AEHRC), CSIRO, Surgical Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS), Herston, 4029 - Turrbal, Jagera Country, Qld, Australia.
D College of Medicine & Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, Kaurna land, South Australia.
E School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane - Turrbal, Jagera Country, Qld, Australia.
Australian Journal of Primary Health 29(4) 296-305 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY22128
Submitted: 24 June 2022 Accepted: 10 January 2023 Published: 3 February 2023
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of La Trobe University. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
Abstract
Background: Indigenous youth are navigating the transition from childhood to adulthood while contending with challenges of ongoing colonisation and everyday lived experiences of racism. A comprehensive assessment of Indigenous youth’s health could enable early diagnosis and respond to health concerns. This narrative systematic review synthesises evidence about the acceptability and utility of primary health care-based health assessments for improving the health and wellbeing of Indigenous youth.
Methods: A systematic search strategy was conducted using 20 electronic databases. Studies were included if they reported on health assessments conducted in primary health care with youth aged 12–24 years who were Indigenous to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA, Taiwan, and the arctic regions of Scandinavia and Russia. A narrative synthesis was undertaken.
Results: Of 3061 unique studies identified, seven met the eligibility criteria. Included studies showed that youth health assessments were useful for making new diagnoses, detecting social and emotional wellbeing concerns, and biomedical parameters. Co-created health assessments with Indigenous youth conducted by clinicians familiar to the community were well accepted. Digital health assessments administered using an electronic tablet provide advantages. No health outcomes were reported. Additionally, no health assessments addressed the impacts of colonisation and racism.
Conclusion: There is insufficient evidence to make firm conclusions about the benefits of health assessments; however, health assessments can be useful for detecting new diagnoses and concerns regarding social determinants of health, and social and emotional wellbeing. Future development of Indigenous youth health assessments needs to involve Indigenous youth’s perspectives and interpretations of health.
Keywords: appropriateness, e-health, health assessments, holistic, Indigenous, primary health care, utility, youth.
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