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How we’re reaching multicultural communities to talk about incontinence
The Foundation has many resources available in different languages to support those from multicultural backgrounds. To ensure these continence resources are effective in reaching people from these communities, The Foundation conducted a 'needs analysis’, which was funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care under the National Continence Program.
Why is reaching these communities important?
Incontinence is often seen by many as a normal part of ageing and not as a medical condition.
It is essential that we dispel misunderstandings such as this by providing all individuals, including those from diverse communities, with access to information that meets their needs.
The Foundation aims to provide easy to understand information on incontinence that is practical and accessible to all communities.
A report published by the Foundation, ‘Awareness of Incontinence in Ethnic Communities’, highlighted some of the misunderstandings people from multicultural communities have about incontinence, including
- It is not seen as an illness and not serious enough to seek professional help
- Incontinence is seen as a social or hygiene problem
- Individuals often self-blame.
What did we find in our analysis?
To help us understand how we can improve our multilingual resources, the Foundation conducted a 'needs analysis'. A needs analysis is a process which helps identify needs or gaps between where you are now and where you want to be. Identifying these gaps can help to highlight appropriate solutions.
There were two stages taken in our needs analysis:
Stage 1 – we reviewed the languages we currently offer
To ensure we target communities with the highest need for translated information, we identified communities where most people speak little or no English using Census and Settlement data. We asked questions about which languages have the most reach and which languages have the highest needs. We found
- Close to 40% of all people born outside of Australia with little or no English were from China and Vietnam
- Over 40% of all migrants settled in Australia with little or no English were from Iran, Syria, Myanmar, Pakistan and Thailand
- The languages of highest needs of health informational resources were Khmer, Assyrian and Hazaragi.
These insights have highlighted the need to focus on 17 relevant languages, including some languages from newly emerging communities in Australia such as Khmer and Punjabi.
Stage 2 – we engaged with 15 communities to provide feedback on our current resources
The feedback we received was that
- Our current level of information is too detailed, with a short summary preferred
- Audio-visuals are an ideal communication method
- Social media platforms and other messaging apps should be used to share the information.
Where to now?
The Foundation has partnered with four communities (Mandarin, Arabic, Punjabi and Khmer speaking groups), with plans for another 13 partnerships in the next two years. Together we will develop and design resources about incontinence for each community. They will help us to understand what is important to them and how continence information should be delivered.
Information will be available in different formats such as videos and simple fact sheets on topics about incontinence and bladder and bowel control health.
Explore all of our incontinence information in other languages
We wish to thank the following organisations for partnering with us:
- Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland
- Muslim Women’s Association of South Australia
- Khmer Community of New South Wales
- Indian Care.
Working with these organisations and the communities they represent enables us to incorporate invaluable feedback via authentic and credible experiences. This approach will support multicultural communities make informed decisions to prevent, treat or better manage incontinence.
“Improving accessibility to healthcare services for those who might experience barriers including language and socio-cultural, is of paramount importance. Through this work, we are aiming to ensure a more level playing field when it comes to receiving much needed barrier free continence care.” Nives Zerafa, Access and Information Coordinator at the Continence Foundation of Australia