Background
As in the general community, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men experience higher levels of illness and die younger than women. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males have identified a lack of male-specific health services as a barrier to accessing primary care.
However, gender-based educational programs to support health workers to increase the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males in health care are rare and lack appropriate content.
Under the guidance of a Reference Group comprising community leaders in Aboriginal and Torres Strait male health, a culturally appropriate Male Health Module for health worker training was developed and piloted.
Aim
To evaluate the pilot phase of use of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Male Health Module in training workshops.
Methods
Three pilot workshops were held in Victoria and Queensland with differing formats for each one: one for ‘trainers’, one for male health workers and one for male and female health workers.
The evaluation involved in-depth interviews with module developers, pilot workshops for trainers and health workers, questionnaires and focus group discussions with workshop participants, and participant observations.
Results
Participants included 9 ‘trainers’ and 16 ‘learners’ (n=25). The analysis revealed three main themes.
Conclusion
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander male health module was found to be a potentially useful resource for health worker training to improve access of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males to primary health services.
Partnerships between curriculum developers, training providers and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander male support networks will help to make the course accessible to men.
This study was supported by Andrology Australia
