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. 2021 Apr 16;18(8):4220.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18084220.

Evaluation of the B.strong Queensland Indigenous Health Worker Brief Intervention Training Program for Multiple Health Risk Behaviours

Frances C Cunningham  1 , Majella G Murphy  1 , Grace Ward  2 , Royden Fagan  1 , Brian Arley  1 , Peter H d'Abbs  1
Affiliations

Evaluation of the B.strong Queensland Indigenous Health Worker Brief Intervention Training Program for Multiple Health Risk Behaviours

Frances C Cunningham et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Queensland's B.strong brief intervention training program was a complex intervention developed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers to assist clients address multiple health risks of smoking, poor nutrition and physical inactivity. This study evaluates program effectiveness by applying the Kirkpatrick four-level evaluation model: (1) Reaction, participants' satisfaction; (2) Learning, changes in participants' knowledge, confidence, attitudes, skills and usual practice; (3) Behaviour, application of learning to practice; and (4) Results, outcomes resulting from training. A retrospective analysis was conducted on data for respondents completing pre-training, post-workshop and follow-up surveys. Changes in domains such as training participant knowledge, confidence, attitudes, and practices between survey times were assessed using paired-samples t-tests. From 2017-2019, B.strong trained 1150 health professionals, reaching targets for workshop and online training. Findings showed statistically significant improvements from baseline to follow-up in: participants' knowledge, confidence, and some attitudes to conducting brief interventions in each domain of smoking cessation, nutrition and physical activity; and in the frequency of participants providing client brief interventions in each of the three domains. There was a statistically significant improvement in frequency of participants providing brief interventions for multiple health behaviours at the same time from pre-workshop to follow-up. Indigenous Queenslander telephone counselling referrals for smoking cessation increased during the program period. B.strong improved practitioners' capacity to deliver brief interventions addressing multiple health risks with Indigenous clients.

Keywords: Indigenous; brief intervention; multiple health behaviours; nutrition; physical activity; primary health care; program evaluation; smoking; workforce development.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funder of the B.strong program had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses or interpretation of data, in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Components of the B.strong program.
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