‘I still remember your post about buying smokes’: a case study of a remote Aboriginal community-controlled health service using Facebook for tobacco control
Vicki Kerrigan A C , Rarrtjiwuy Melanie Herdman B , David P. Thomas A and Marita Hefler A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Menzies School of Health Research, PO Box 41096, Casuarina, NT 0811, Australia.
B Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation, PO Box 519, Nhulunbuy, NT 0881, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: vicki.kerrigan@menzies.edu.au
Australian Journal of Primary Health 25(5) 443-448 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY19008
Submitted: 21 January 2019 Accepted: 1 August 2019 Published: 8 October 2019
Abstract
Many Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) embrace Facebook as an organisational tool to share positive stories, which counter the negative narrative surrounding Aboriginal issues. However, the Facebook algorithm prioritises posts on personal pages over organisations. To take advantage of the algorithm, this project paid three Yolŋu employees of a north-east Arnhem Land ACCHS to share quit smoking messages on their personal Facebook pages. Smoking prevalence among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians is nearly three-fold higher than non-Indigenous Australians, and previous research has identified the need for culturally appropriate communication approaches to accelerate the decline in Indigenous smoking. This research found Yolŋu participants nurtured healthy behaviours through compassionate non-coercive communications, in contrast to fear-inducing health warnings prevalent in tobacco control. Cultural tailoring of tobacco control messages was achieved by having trusted local health staff sharing, and endorsing, messages regardless of whether the content was Indigenous specific. This research also revealed online Facebook activity does not reflect the reach of posts, which may extend beyond social media users to individuals who do not have a Facebook profile.
Additional keywords: Aboriginal health, qualitative methods, smoking, social media.
References
Batenburg A, Bartels J (2017) Keeping up online appearances: how self-disclosure on Facebook affects perceived respect and likability in the professional context. Computers in Human Behavior 74, 265–276.| Keeping up online appearances: how self-disclosure on Facebook affects perceived respect and likability in the professional context.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Bond C, Brough M, Spurling G, Hayman N (2012a) ‘It had to be my choice’ Indigenous smoking cessation and negotiations of risk, resistance and resilience. Health, Risk & Society 14, 565–581.
| ‘It had to be my choice’ Indigenous smoking cessation and negotiations of risk, resistance and resilience.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Bond RM, Fariss CJ, Jones JJ, Kramer ADI, Marlow C, Settle JE, Fowler JH (2012b) A 61-million-person experiment in social influence and political mobilization. Nature 489, 295–298.
| A 61-million-person experiment in social influence and political mobilization.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 22972300PubMed |
British Heart Foundation (2015) Daddy couldn’t give me pocket money. (British Heart Foundation: London, UK) Available at https://asheragency.com/snuffing-out-tobacco-use-one-ad-at-a-time/ [Verified 9 September 2016]
Carlson B (2013) The ‘new frontier’: emergent Indigenous identities and social media. In ‘The Politics of Identity: Emerging Indigeneity’. (Eds M Harris, M Nakata, B Carlson) pp. 147–168. (University of Technology Sydney: Sydney, NSW, Australia)
Carlson B, Jones LV, Harris M, Quezada N, Frazer R (2017) Trauma, shared recognition and Indigenous resistance on social media. Australasian Journal of Information Systems 21, 1–18.
| Trauma, shared recognition and Indigenous resistance on social media.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Chamberlain C, Perlen S, Brennan S, Rychetnik L, Thomas D, Maddox R, Alam N, Banks E, Wilson A, Eades S (2017) Evidence for a comprehensive approach to Aboriginal tobacco control to maintain the decline in smoking: an overview of reviews among Indigenous peoples. Systematic Reviews 6, 135
| Evidence for a comprehensive approach to Aboriginal tobacco control to maintain the decline in smoking: an overview of reviews among Indigenous peoples.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 28693556PubMed |
Charmaz K (2014) ‘Constructing Grounded Theory.’ (Sage: London, UK)
Creative Spirits (2018) Aboriginal use of social media. (Creative Spirits: Australia) Available at https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/media/aboriginal-use-of-social-media#ixzz5KQhrHuzj [Verified 8 May 2018]
D’Arcy C, Taket A, Hanna L (2018) Implementing empowerment-based Lay Health Worker programs: a preliminary study. Health Promotion International 34, 726–734.
| Implementing empowerment-based Lay Health Worker programs: a preliminary study.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Dunlop SM, Cotter T, Perez D (2014) When your smoking is not just about you: antismoking advertising, interpersonal pressure, and quitting outcomes. Journal of Health Communication 19, 41–56.
Healthier Futures (2016) You smoke. Your child smokes! Take your smoke outside. (Public Health England: London, UK) Available at https://www.behance.net/gallery/41289655/Second-hand-Smoking [Verified 9 September 2016]
Hefler M, Kerrigan V, Henryks J, Freeman B, Thomas DP (2018) Social media and health information sharing among Australian Indigenous people. Health Promotion International 34, 706–715.
| Social media and health information sharing among Australian Indigenous people.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Houston Methodist (2016) How to Quit Smoking. (Houston Methodist: Houston, TX, USA) Available at https://www.pinterest.com.au/methodisthosp/how-to-quit-smoking/?lp=true [Verified 10 September 2016]
Janssens F (2011) Smoking Kids. (Absolute Art Gallery: Bruges, Belgium) Available at http://frieke.com/uncategorized/smoking-kids/ [Verified 10 September 2016]
Johnston V, Thomas D (2008) Smoking behaviours in a remote Australian Indigenous community: the influence of family and other factors. Social Science & Medicine 67, 1708–1716.
| Smoking behaviours in a remote Australian Indigenous community: the influence of family and other factors.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Larson E, Vieregger C (2019) Teaching case: strategic actions in a platform context: what should Facebook do next? Journal of Information Systems Education 30, 97–105.
Leftheriotis I, Giannakos MN (2014) Using social media for work: losing your time or improving your work? Computers in Human Behavior 31, 134–142.
| Using social media for work: losing your time or improving your work?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lohoar S, Butera N, Kennedy E (2014) Strengths of Australian Aboriginal cultural practices in family life and child rearing. Child Family Community Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies: Melbourne, Vic., Australia.
Lowell A (1998) Communication and Cultural Knowledge in Aboriginal Health Care. A review of two subprograms of the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal and Tropical Health’s Indigenous Health and Education Research program. Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal and Tropical Health: Darwin, NT, Australia.
Mazel O (2016) Self-determination and the right to health: Australian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services. Human Rights Law Review 16, 323–355.
| Self-determination and the right to health: Australian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (2013) NACCHO Aboriginal Health News Alerts. (NACCHO: Canberra, ACT, Australia) Available at https://nacchocommunique.com/2013/page/42/ [Verified 8 September 2016]
Rice ES, Haynes E, Royce P, Thompson SC (2016) Social media and digital technology use among Indigenous young people in Australia: a literature review. International Journal for Equity in Health 15, 81
Tane MP, Hefler M, Thomas DP (2018) An evaluation of the ‘Yaka Ŋarali’’ Tackling Indigenous Smoking program in East Arnhem Land: Yolŋu people and their connection to ŋarali’. Health Promotion Journal of Australia 29, 10–17.
| An evaluation of the ‘Yaka Ŋarali’’ Tackling Indigenous Smoking program in East Arnhem Land: Yolŋu people and their connection to ŋarali’.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 29700930PubMed |
Taylor K (2014) ‘Health Care and Indigenous Australians: Cultural Safety in Practice.’ (Palgrave Macmillan: South Yarra, Vic., Australia)
The Guardian (2018) Facebook overhauls News Feed in favor of ‘meaningful social interactions’. (Guardian Australia: Surrey Hills, NSW, Australia) Available at https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/11/facebook-news-feed-algorithm-overhaul-mark-zuckerberg [Verified 20 January 2018]
Wilson S (2008) ‘Research is ceremony: Indigenous research methods.’ (Fernwood: Black Point, NS, Canada)
