A program linking sleep science and traditional knowledge is being expanded to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnoea in regional Indigenous communities.
Associate Professor Yaqoot Fatima from The University of Queensland's Poche Centre for Indigenous Health said one in four Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have the condition, known as OSA, to a moderate or severe level but it is largely untreated.
"When a person's airway is blocked during sleep, there are sudden drops in blood oxygen levels and frequent wakefulness affecting restorative sleep and straining the cardiovascular system," Dr Fatima said.
"People who don't sleep well are more likely to be overweight and at risk of diabetes, heart disease and mental health issues like depression and anxiety."
The OSA project has received $4.06 million from the Medical Research Future Fund and will be an extension of Let's Yarn About Sleep (LYAS), a partnership led by UQ which runs a co-designed sleep health program for young Indigenous people in north west Queensland.
"When we started, we were focused on the sleep health of teenagers but during the community consultation Elders were quite vocal about the lack of sleep health services in community and said people are struggling with sleep apnoea," Dr Fatima said.
"Sleep is a biological necessity for good health and brain function, and it affects spiritual health - in First Nations culture it is an important time to connect with ancestors, country and cultural knowledge.
"Consulting with community members and up to 100 service providers we will identify what's contributing to poor sleep and upskill local health workers to improve the diagnosis and treatment of OSA and other sleep health conditions.
"People meeting the criteria for a home-based sleep study will be visited by trained Aboriginal Health Workers and moderate to severe cases will be managed locally while complex cases will be referred to specialist services."
LYAS program coordinator in Mount Isa, Roslyn Von Senden, said the sleep program for young people had ignited interest in the importance of sleep and communities including Cloncurry, Doomadgee, Normanton, Burketown, Yarrabah and Wujal Wujal were becoming involved.
"A part of my role is actually moving to each community and talking to people about what we're doing and then having steering groups from these communities set up," Ms Von Senden said.
"They have a lot of knowledge and a lot of skills to make sure that the foundations are laid in the way that we do things with respect and integrity."
Sleep coach Karen Chong has been running the program in Mount Isa and will be upskilling for the sleep apnoea project.
"I feel that our culture will be lost if our children don't sleep properly because when we're sleeping, all our messages and everything comes through our dreams and without proper sleep, we could lose our culture.
"I'm going to be training to be a sleep technologist and I will be doing on the job training with my people out in the communities and in Mount Isa and, similar to the young people, I would like to educate them on how to prevent these chronic diseases and have a longer life."
Dr Fatima and the LYAS research team have received a UQ Partners in Indigenous Research Excellence Award during Research and Innovation Week.
The LYAS OSA program partners are Ngak Min Health, Mithangkaya Nguli, Sleep Health Foundation, Gidgee Healing and North West Hospital and Health Service.
