Co-design, Implementation and Evaluation of a Social and Emotional Wellbeing Program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Males in a Very Remote Community of the Northern Territory, Australia.
1
Rural and Remote Health, Flinders University, Darwin, Australia
2
James Cook University, Cairns, Australia
3
National Centre for Indigenous Genomics, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
4
Curtin University, Perth, Australia
5
Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
6
Apunipima Cape York Health Council, Bungalow, Australia
7
Freemasons Centre for Male Health and Wellbeing, Adelaide, Australia
8
University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
9
Poche Centre and School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A1935
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT:
Journal.
BACKGROUND:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males in very remote Australia experience significant social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) inequities driven by structural, geographic, and cultural determinants. In Nauiyu, a very remote community of approximately 350 people in the Northern Territory, community consultations identified an urgent need for culturally safe, locally governed, and preventative SEWB strategies. This presentation describes the co-design, implementation, and evaluation of a community-led men’s group and examines its relevance as a place-based public health program.
METHODS:
This study was grounded in Indigenous ways of being, doing and knowing, and aligned with public health principles of equity, prevention, and community governance. A co-design approach involved: (1) remote consultation and evidence gathering to identify community priorities and determinants of SEWB; (2) partnership development and capacity strengthening with health, sporting, and community-controlled organisations; (3) co-implementation emphasising local leadership, ownership, and knowledge translation; and (4) evaluation and continuous quality improvement. A local male governance group provided cultural authority, guided program delivery, shaped evaluation measures, and ensured community accountability. Reflexive public health practices, including cross-cultural researcher debriefings and reporting, supported implementation.
RESULTS:
A men’s group was co-designed and met on 84 occasions during 2023–25. In the first two years of operation, approximately 59% of community men took part, with numbers growing. Local male Elders and community leaders led activities including on Country excursions, cultural exchange with other remote men’s groups, male-only preventative health checks, and health education. Participating in the men’s group resulted in men’s SEWB expressions, such as strengthened connections to Country, culture, community, and peer support.
CONCLUSIONS:
This community-governed model demonstrates how Indigenous-led, place-based SEWB initiatives supported by sustained partnerships can function as effective public health strategies in very remote settings. The approach itself provides transferable lessons for equitable and sustainable public health systems working with Indigenous populations globally.
Journal.
BACKGROUND:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males in very remote Australia experience significant social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) inequities driven by structural, geographic, and cultural determinants. In Nauiyu, a very remote community of approximately 350 people in the Northern Territory, community consultations identified an urgent need for culturally safe, locally governed, and preventative SEWB strategies. This presentation describes the co-design, implementation, and evaluation of a community-led men’s group and examines its relevance as a place-based public health program.
METHODS:
This study was grounded in Indigenous ways of being, doing and knowing, and aligned with public health principles of equity, prevention, and community governance. A co-design approach involved: (1) remote consultation and evidence gathering to identify community priorities and determinants of SEWB; (2) partnership development and capacity strengthening with health, sporting, and community-controlled organisations; (3) co-implementation emphasising local leadership, ownership, and knowledge translation; and (4) evaluation and continuous quality improvement. A local male governance group provided cultural authority, guided program delivery, shaped evaluation measures, and ensured community accountability. Reflexive public health practices, including cross-cultural researcher debriefings and reporting, supported implementation.
RESULTS:
A men’s group was co-designed and met on 84 occasions during 2023–25. In the first two years of operation, approximately 59% of community men took part, with numbers growing. Local male Elders and community leaders led activities including on Country excursions, cultural exchange with other remote men’s groups, male-only preventative health checks, and health education. Participating in the men’s group resulted in men’s SEWB expressions, such as strengthened connections to Country, culture, community, and peer support.
CONCLUSIONS:
This community-governed model demonstrates how Indigenous-led, place-based SEWB initiatives supported by sustained partnerships can function as effective public health strategies in very remote settings. The approach itself provides transferable lessons for equitable and sustainable public health systems working with Indigenous populations globally.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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