Background/Aims: Vaping is a current and growing source of nicotine-related harm. Several guidance documents around management of vaping have now been published, including by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. However, there is limited knowledge about current state of practice. We have therefore aimed to quantify and explore current Australian GPs’ practice regarding vaping.

Methods: We have undertaken a national survey of GPs using the HealthEd platform, with questions collating demographic data as well as questions regarding vaping-related care.

Preliminary Findings: The survey was administered on 13/5/2025 and preliminary analysis commenced. There were 2238 GP and GP-in-training respondents from all states and territories. 41% always or often enquire about vaping; 37% assess vaping dependence using validated questions; 38% seek to quantify vaping; 9% utilise vapes as a smoking cessation aid; and 9% utilise them as a harm minimisation tool for current smokers. 62% of GPs provide vaping cessation support through one or more of: counselling (33%), nicotine replacement therapy (27%), varenicline or similar medications (19%), or other interventions (small number). Further analysis will include chi-square +/- regression to identify association between vaping management and demographic and practice variables. Qualitative analysis of free-text data may provide additional insights.

Implications: Preliminary quantitative findings reveal current practices in the Australian primary care context regarding vaping. Findings point to need for more assessment of vaping in the community and raise questions for further research around the role (if any) for vaping quantification, role of varenicline or similar medications, and more broadly how we can better support GPs in supporting their patients. We plan to follow this study with semi-structured interviews to explore our quantitative findings in more depth, to better understand why or how GPs approach vaping in their day-to-day practice.

Background 
The Northern Territory (NT) has the highest smoking prevalence in Australia (13.3% compared to 8.3% nationwide). Although international and national studies report associations between tobacco retailer density (TRD) and higher smoking prevalence, no Australian state or territory currently regulates the location or density of tobacco outlets. In this paper, we map the locations of tobacco retail licences in the NT, analyse TRD, and explore associations between TRD, geographic remoteness and area socio-economic status (SES). 
  
Methods  
 We obtained licensing data from Licensing NT and using Statistical Areas 2 as our unit of analysis, we geolocated retailers, and used multiple regression to analyse associations between TRD and explanatory variables including SES, population density, percentage of First Nations residents and remoteness. 
 
Results  
Mean TRD in the NT was 1.81/1000 persons (95%CI: 1.38/1000 to 2.23/1000), and TRD increased with remoteness (p=0.02), although this relationship did not follow a strict gradient. In bivariate analyses, population density, and percentage of First Nations residents, and remoteness were significantly associated with TRD. In the adjusted model, only remoteness remained statistically significant. 
  
Discussion 
In the NT, TRD increased with geographic remoteness, consistent with findings in other Australia jurisdictions. This finding is likely influenced by small population denominations. In small and geographically isolated communities where compliance and enforcement are more difficult, it is important to ensure that strategies to address tobacco supply are generated with community support as well as ensuring equitable access to smoking cessation support for people who are already addicted to nicotine. 

Background
Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF) and Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) disproportionately affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. In Cairns, North Queensland, Wuchopperen Health Service (WHS), an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community-Controlled Health Organisation (ATSICCHO), has provided primary health care for 40 years, including for over 150 RHD patients. Recurrent skin infections, such as impetigo and scabies, are common among children at WHS and are strongly associateds with an increased risk of developing ARF and RHD.
The 'Healthy Skin, Strong Hearts' program was co-designed with local clinic staff and the community to prevent Strep A infections—and consequently ARF and RHD—in First Nations children and families. The program was developed through Working Group meetings with First Nations Health Workers, nurses, Wellbeing workers, and non-Indigenous clinical staff. WHS Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers (AHWs) and nurses lead outreach visits, health education, and environmental support, focusing on early intervention, education, and follow-up for skin infections. In-reach activities ensure culturally appropriate care within the clinic, improve detection and treatment, and address barriers to healthy skin practices.
Objective
To evaluate the sustainability and acceptability of a community-driven Healthy Skin outreach program.
Methods
A multicomponent implementation approach, including supportive activities, will be assessed. Acceptability and sustainability data will be collected via questionnaires and observational data from both participant-households involved and participating AHWs. Household level data on overcrowding and adequacy of health hardware will also be collected through questionnaires.
Expected Outcomes
The primary outcome assessed will be the acceptability, cultural safety and sustainability of this approach. Secondary outcomes involve identifying barriers to strengthening Strep A infection prevention and increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices in research and implementation.
Findings will contribute to WHS service improvements and innovations in Strep A infection prevention. Successful strategies may inform other settings across regional and remote Australia where Strep A infections and RHD are prevalent. The long-term goal is to establish this approach as standard practice.
Community Permissions: Permission for this service evaluation has been obtained from the Wuchopperen Research Subcommittee and has received ACCHO board approval. Several members of the project team identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and will co-present on the day.

Background
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples maintain rich, culturally rooted traditional healing practices that remain central to their health and wellbeing. Integrating these practices into Australia’s biomedical system offers opportunities to improve cultural safety, trust, and holistic care. However, integration is challenged by systemic barriers and limited understanding within mainstream healthcare. Existing research has not been systematically reviewed to identify key barriers, enablers, and outcomes of such integration. This review addresses this gap by synthesising evidence across health sectors to understand better how traditional healing can be effectively incorporated into the Australian healthcare system.
Methods
Following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, a comprehensive search was conducted across Medline, Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science, and grey literature sources. Inclusion criteria focused on qualitative and mixed-methods studies published between 2000 and 2025 that explored traditional healing practices within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare contexts. Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria and were appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist.
Results
Barriers to integration included institutional racism, lack of formal policy recognition, and limited awareness or respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healing systems by mainstream practitioners. Enablers included strong community leadership, recognition of cultural authority, and respectful partnerships between traditional healers and biomedical providers. Positive outcomes were seen in models that prioritised Indigenous governance, cultural safety, and trust-building.
Conclusion
To advance health equity, culturally safe and community-led integration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditional healing into mainstream healthcare is essential. Policy and practice must embed Indigenous knowledge systems and be guided by Indigenous leadership and sovereignty. This review strengthens the evidence for collaborative, culturally competent models of care that align with public health values and uphold Indigenous rights.

Cultural competence is essential to equitable healthcare and public health practice. Health Protection NSW (HPNSW) recognises that culturally safe, inclusive, and respectful systems are fundamental to improving health and well-being outcomes for Aboriginal communities. Lessons from several public health incidents, most notably the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrated that system change is needed to ensure Aboriginal voices were reflected in public health policy. Within HPNSW, Aboriginal public health workforce considerations have been made a priority to deliver culturally appropriate and impactful outcomes. A commitment to creating and recruiting to Identified positions, and subsequent training of Aboriginal staff in strategic and policy-based roles provided the groundwork for Aboriginal-led policy development. These system changes have supported meaningful engagement with Aboriginal staff and communities, and in doing so, we ensure culturally safe responses that reflect the lived realities of Aboriginal people. An example is the recently published NSW Health guideline, Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response with Aboriginal Communities. These workforce changes are supported by other structural changes that prioritise Aboriginal voices. HPNSW supported the establishment of the Aboriginal Health Protection Sub-Committee, a network of Aboriginal public health staff in NSW from all disciplines, created and chaired by senior Aboriginal staff. The committee plays a critical advisory role for NSW public health policy, with all documents, policies, and resources that impact Aboriginal people undergoing consultation through this committee. The co-chairs of this group are members of the NSW Health Protection Leadership team, of which all other members are Directors of Public Health Units or policy branches, ensuring Aboriginal voices exist in leadership spaces. Our experience demonstrates that commitment to Aboriginal workforce development, grounded in genuine partnership, is a powerful tool for reconciliation and enhancing cultural competency. By valuing Aboriginal voices, we model a collaborative approach that other jurisdictions can adopt to promote health equity.

The Growing Deadly Kids video series illustrates how Aboriginal voices can be meaningfully honoured through public health projects, both in process and outcome. Developed by the Equity and Prevention Service at South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD), in close partnership with Aboriginal community members, the Aboriginal Health Directorate, a First Nations videographer, and local Aboriginal organisations, this project prioritised cultural leadership and community ownership at every stage.

The initiative produced five short, codesigned videos focused on feeding young children, a period of critical importance for lifelong health and chronic disease prevention. Aboriginal families, health professionals, and creatives were deeply involved in shaping the content, determining the visual and narrative style, and appearing on screen to share personal stories. This ensured the final product reflected community strengths, knowledge, and aspirations, and felt authentic and empowering to Aboriginal viewers.

Growing Deadly Kids demonstrates that when Aboriginal voices guide public health messaging, the result is more than effective communication, it is an opportunity to ensure community ownership of health messages. The project offers a valuable model for future health promotion efforts seeking to centre Aboriginal perspectives and leadership.

Aboriginal governance and co-presentation:
Strong Aboriginal governance has guided this project from its inception. Aboriginal staff from the Aboriginal Health Promotion team at SESLHD provided cultural expertise to the project ensuring that both the processes and final outcomes were culturally safe, respectful, and community led. Reflecting the project’s commitment to community leadership and ongoing partnership, community members who were involved in the project will co-present alongside the Manager of the Aboriginal Health Promotion Team. Their willingness to share their experiences and insights as part of this presentation demonstrates the project’s commitment to Aboriginal voices being front and centre in how their stories are shared with broader audiences.

Background: Indigenous people experience a disproportionately higher burden of early onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). To address this health disparity, effective evidence-based interventions are urgently needed. This systematic review examines interventions specifically designed to prevent and manageT2DM in Indigenous children and young adults.
Methods: Five electronic database searches were carried out in February 2023 to identify publications on T2DM prevention and management among Indigenous children and youth under 25yrs old. The search adhered to the PRISMA guidelines. We included studies of all designs, written in English. An adapted version of the NIH quality assessment tool for pre-post intervention studies was used for quality assessment. The convergent integrated approach developed by Joanna Briggs Institute for mixed-method systematic reviews was employed in the analysis. Prospero registration ID: CRD42023423671.
Results: The search identified 1,127 publications, of which 26 studies (total n= 4,914 participants) met the inclusion criteria after screening. The majority of included studies (76%) originated from North America. Most interventions involved less than 100 participants and had a duration of 6 months or less (58%). Interventions combining community- and school-based approaches showed more promise in reducing T2DM risk factors. While most interventions demonstrated improvements in knowledge and behaviours, longer, culturally responsive interventions appeared to have a greater impact on anthropometric measures and biomarkers associated with T2DM.
Conclusion: This review highlights the limited body of research focused on early T2DM prevention and management in Indigenous children and youth. Most studies prioritize short-term outcomes and are implemented over brief periods, with a limited focus on long-term impacts on anthropometric measures and biomarkers—critical indicators for diabetes prevention. Further research is urgently needed to develop and evaluate culturally appropriate, sustainable interventions that address the specific needs of Indigenous communities and demonstrate long-term effectiveness in preventing and managing T2DM.


Indigenous Governance:
This study is grounded in principles of Indigenous self-determination and ethical research practice, evidenced by its conduct within the UQ Poche Centre for Indigenous Health – an Indigenous-led research centre. This ensures that research is not only about Indigenous peoples health but also for and by Indigenous peoples. Professor James Ward, a respected Pitjantjatjara and Narungga scholar, governs all research activities in this centre. His oversight ensures that projects align with Indigenous priorities and protocols. Complementing this leadership, Auntie Mary Martin, our Elder in Residence who provides guidance and scrutiny regarding cultural appropriateness, tangible benefit to Indigenous communities, and the upholding of Indigenous governance structures throughout the research lifecycle. The inclusion of an Aboriginal researcher as a co-author further strengthens the study's commitment to embedding authentic Indigenous perspectives and knowledge from inception to dissemination.

Background: Tuberculosis is a recognised global public health threat; however, it will not be possible to achieve the World Health Organization’s goal of TB elimination by 2035 without greater stakeholder support for elimination strategies in both TB high burden and low burden countries, including Australia. Significant opportunities exist to reduce TB transmission and progression to active TB disease through targeted screening and treatment for TB infection (TBI), a latent state of TB disease. Methods: A survey (n=45) and stakeholder interviews (n=12) were undertaken to explore views and opinions of health care providers (e.g. general practitioners, nurses and infectious diseases physicians), policy makers and researchers, on whether targeted TBI screening and treatment should be implemented in primary care in Australia, and if so, how this could occur. Findings: There was consistent support from the participants for TBI screening and treatment in primary care with strong recommendation for changes to the current systems and processes prior to implementation. Other recommendations included buddying with pharmacists, clear specialist referral pathways, and resources and education for staff in primary care settings. For priority communities at increased risk, a strategy for community engagement and awareness raising on TB infection was an identified enabler. Conclusion: Significant challenges identified included changes to MBS and PBS eligibility criteria to enable the provision of free IGRA screening test and short-term treatment regimens in primary care. Other reported challenges included identifying individuals and groups at increased risk for progression to active TB disease (e.g. migrants from high TB burden countries and vulnerable local communities such as First Nations peoples). Targeted screening for TBI in primary care offered to communities who are assessed to be at higher risk, along with a direct pathway to treatment of screen-positive individuals, is urgently needed and is feasible with the provision of appropriate supports.

Title ‘Keep your culture strong, make your family proud…’: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Perspectives on Growing Up Strong

Authors: *Brittany Wilson1, Rona Macniven1, Ebony Lewis1

1School of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney)

Background

Deficit discourse dominates much of the research and policy discourse related to the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Whereas, a strengths-based approach aligns more closely with community values, and it is more likely to facilitate positive health outcomes. Recognising the importance of cultural and identity connections, this project aimed to understand what promotes strength in children, i.e. what facilitates children to ‘grow up strong.’

Methods

A qualitative thematic analysis of ‘Footprints in time: The Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children’ (LSIC) was conducted. The study analysed responses from 250 children and their primary caregivers. Free text responses were exported to Microsoft Excel for thematic analysis.

Results

Five themes included identity and culture; attributes; aspirations; social determinants of health; and connections. Preliminary findings show identity and culture are crucial to strength and wellbeing, with children knowing and being proud of who they are and their culture. Social determinants of health such as housing, education, safety and employment also play an important role. Key attributes include the qualities and skills that participants perceived as important (e.g. independence and confidence), while aspirations focused on participants' hopes and future goals such as access to opportunities and good health. Strong connections with family, friends, Elders and communities were understood to be vital for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Conclusion

Findings from this study highlight factors that relate to the strength and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. These factors can contribute to the success of community-led recommendations, programs and policies that aim to improve social and emotional wellbeing by building on the priorities, values and strengths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Governance

Two authors (including the presenting author) of this abstract are Wiradjuri women and led the thematic analysis of the data collected in the LSIC study. Therefore, our project upholds a governance model whereby decision-making is guided by Indigenous values and priorities. We also had cultural support and input available from Aboriginal academics and the LSIC committee (more details below).

The research project is based on data that has already been collected through ‘Footprints in time: LSIC.’ The LSIC study is guided (in the design, development and implementation phase) by a steering committee, where the majority of members are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. These members have academic and community backgrounds, and they have experience working in a wide range of disciplines including health, early learning and childcare. The Committee provides expertise in areas such as survey content, design, collection methods, community engagement, ethics, cultural protocols and data analysis/ interpretation. Sub-committees of the steering committee were also formed to help guide the study. For example, there was a design sub-committee which governed specific components of the project such as survey design and content. These processes were developed in consultation with the participating communities and families. The HREC of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies provides ethical clearance for the content and fieldwork processes in this study. The AIATSIS HREC approval number is EO83-12062018.

Background
Bacterial sexually transmissible infections (STIs) continue to rise in Australia, disproportionately affecting key populations such as gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM), young people, sex workers, culturally diverse groups, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Doxycycline-based prophylaxis (Doxy-PrEP) has emerged as a potential biomedical intervention for STI prevention. We explored the perceptions and acceptability of Doxy-PrEP among at-risk populations and healthcare providers in Queensland, with a focus on identifying factors influencing willingness to use or prescribe this intervention.

Results
We conducted two online surveys targeting consumers and prescribers. Among consumers (n = 250), acceptability of Doxy-PrEP was associated with older age, recent HIV PrEP use, and prior antibiotic use. Ethical concerns were raised around antibiotic resistance and risk compensation. Among providers (n = 37), support for Doxy-PrEP was mixed. While awareness was moderate, most clinicians expressed concern over long-term resistance, side effects, and patient adherence. Support increased if use was limited to periods of heightened sexual activity or endorsed by formal guidelines.

Discussion
Our findings highlight the complex social, behavioural and clinical factors shaping views on STI prophylaxis. For consumers, familiarity with biomedical prevention approaches increased acceptance, while concerns about public health consequences tempered support. Among providers, cautious optimism was balanced by professional and ethical obligations, underscoring the need for evidence-based guidance and professional development.

Conclusion
Doxy-PrEP may offer a promising STI prevention tool, particularly for populations at higher risk. However, successful implementation requires careful consideration of public health risks, targeted education, and the development of culturally safe, regulated prescribing frameworks. These findings contribute to growing evidence supporting innovation in STI prevention and underscore the importance of integrating biomedical interventions within broader public health strategies.


Aboriginal Governance Structure
The research was developed with strong Aboriginal governance and leadership to ensure alignment with Indigenous Data Sovereignty principles and culturally appropriate methodologies. Two Indigenous researchers, Professor Faye McMillan and Ms Jacintha Manton are integral members of the research team. Their roles include guiding all phases of the project, particularly the recruitment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants, community engagement, and interpretation of results. Both are members of the Girra Maa Indigenous Health Discipline at UTS, ensuring cultural leadership is embedded at an institutional level. Community consultation was undertaken with Indigenous health practitioners, and the project received direct support and co-design input from the Indigenous 2Spirits program (Queensland Council for LGBTI Health). Data collection tools, including the survey, were reviewed and adapted to ensure cultural safety, and results will be disseminated through culturally appropriate formats such as plain-language summaries and community presentations. Indigenous participants and communities retain control over how data about them is interpreted and used, with the 2Spirits program supported to conduct its own analyses.