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ARDS Health Education Model
Aboriginal Resource and Development Services Inc. (ARDS) has developed a model for health education based on the principle that people need to have good quality explanations for the health problems they are facing in order to take control of them and deal with them effectively. The challenge is to provide information to the depth that provides a logical, intellectually satisfying explanation as to why and how the problem has occurred, what the current situation is and the possible outcomes.
The
ARDS emphasis is on providing information that allows people to
make their own informed choices rather than just providing instructions about what they should or should not do.
ARDS Inc. works predominantly with Yolngu (the Aboriginal people of north-east Arnhem Land) so we will talk specifically about this situation. The principles, however, could be applied in any cross-cultural setting and are, in fact, congruent with adult education philosophy in general.
The ARDS approach is based on three fundamental principles.
- The first is that Yolngu come from a specific cultural background and have their own cultural knowledge base (information that is commonly shared and believed to be correct and meaningful). They already have a wealth of knowledge about their world and around health issues. This information may, however, be quite different to that contained in the cultural knowledge base of health care providers who come from a different cultural background. Many of the explanations that are provided by health professionals are inadequate because of a mismatch between what the health professional assumes the Yolngu client thinks and knows of a certain issue or problem and what is actually the case. Also the assumptions that the Yolngu client has about the Balanda (European) health carers and the Western medical system they represent may also be incorrect. This can lead to further miscommunication. It is important, therefore, for the educator to be aware of what Yolngu people with whom they are working know and hold to be true around health issues. Educational interventions should be developed with this information in mind. This will ensure that relevant background information can be included in the intervention if necessary and potential areas for miscommunication identified. The other aspect of this is that there are numerous concepts, attitudes, beliefs that Yolngu people already hold true that can be very useful in providing explanations or introducing new information. For example, the diabetes story uses Yolngu food classifications and traditional eating patterns and lifestyle in the discussion about the role of carbohydrates and fats in the body and traditional practices to introduce the role of body fat and the process of weight loss.
- The second principle is tied up with language and communication. Yolngu almost exclusively speak one of the Yolngu Matha languages as a first language, with English often their third or fourth language at best. Any information from a Western medical origin should be introduced keeping these facts in mind. The ARDS philosophy is that education should be undertaken in one of the more common Yolngu Matha languages which are universally understood in this population. For this to be achieved it is a requirement that staff not fluent in Yolngu Matha must become so and work closely with Yolngu to ensure quality information is provided. Language acquisition is a priority area and staff are paid while they undertake language learning activities.
- The third principle is that the emphasis during education sessions is on process. Dialogue is fundamental to process. ARDS educators attempt to engage participants in an interactive process, which is driven by the participants own concerns and questions. While education products such as flipcharts, posters, videos can be useful teaching aids, and ARDS educators rely heavily on good quality diagrams and illustrations, the key to promoting understanding is dialogue.
CLICK HERE for an example of how we use this model in practice with our Diabetes Education
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