AOD community prevention

We are funding $400,000 for two projects over 18-months to develop community-focused AOD prevention resources that aim to improve health literacy across Queensland and, ideally, prevent AOD related harms from occurring.

Why is this important?

Access to health information can be limited in remote and rural areas, while economic instability and social pressures can heighten experiences of substance-related harm throughout Queensland.

Community-focused AOD prevention projects are important because they are informed by community needs.

Community prevention engages communities in AOD primary prevention efforts and is tailored to meet the specific needs of a community, address a wide range of AOD-related issues relevant to that community, and can be delivered in multiple settings by different methods.

Community prevention can be community-based or community-led.

• A community-based approach is project-focused and is driven by external people or organisations who have helped a community to identify an area of concern or led activities to address specific community issues.
• A community-led approach involves grassroots projects where the community has identified its own needs and is then supported to respond to those needs. Communities are the main driver of this method.

What we are doing

As a result of a July 2024 tender process, the two successful applicants are Queensland Positive People (QPP) and Queensland Remote Aboriginal Media (QRAM).

Queensland Positive People (QPP)

QPP will co-design AOD primary prevention resources specifically for people living with HIV (PLHIV). These resources will aim to enhance AOD health literacy, promote positive behaviour change, and improve understanding of AOD-related harm and safety. 

Approximately 6,000 people are living with HIV in Queensland, encompassing diverse identities, including LGBTIQA+, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and First Nations peoples. 

Research confirms that PLHIV are at an elevated risk of problematic substance use and mental health issues compared to the broader population―highlighting the importance of prevention and intervention. However, PLHIV face specific barriers to accessing mainstream information and education on these issues.

Research confirms that PLHIV in Australia continue to encounter HIV-related stigma and discrimination. The day-to-day experience of HIV stigma can adversely impact the mental, physical, social and economic wellbeing of PLHIV. The impact of stigma and discrimination for PLHIV is twofold:

• Firstly, the experience of stigma and discrimination in and of itself has been found to contribute to social isolation, substance use and mental ill-health.
• Secondly, stigma deters engagement with mainstream mental health or AOD education and interventions due to fear of discrimination.

In regional and rural areas (where 50% of PLHIV are located), these issues are compounded.

As such, there is a demonstrated need for PLHIV to have access to specialised AOD primary prevention programs that are HIV competent. 

Follow the AOD prevention project for PLHIV at https://www.qpp.org.au/.

Queensland Remote Aboriginal Media (QRAM)

QRAM will co-design culturally-appropriate AOD awareness resources for 19 First Nations communities in remote Queensland. This community-driven initiative will utilise local voices and cultural knowledge to enhance AOD literacy, reduce stigma, and foster better attitudes towards people who use drugs.

First Nations peoples in remote communities have greater exposure to life stressors, traumatic events and associated drug and alcohol use, which are factors that influence social and emotional wellbeing.

Self-harm, homelessness and incarceration can both precede and be a result of drug and alcohol use in these communities, with harmful levels of alcohol and drug use also linked to suicide clusters.

Community-based awareness-raising programs and interventions that are culturally safe, closely involved with local communities and delivered by Indigenous community-controlled organisations are effective in addressing these issues.

Follow the AOD awareness in First Nations communities in remote Queensland project at https://qram.com.au/.

How does this support reform?

Achieving balance: The Queensland Alcohol and Other Drugs Strategic Plan 2022-2027 (Achieving balance) recognises the vital importance of prevention and awareness.

Under ‘Strategic priority 1 – Prevention and early intervention’, the Queensland Government has two actions to:

• improve shared understanding of alcohol-and other drug-related-harm and protective factors from the early years through to older people
• strengthen alcohol and other drug literacy through sustained and integrated communication campaigns to improve community awareness, attitudes, and behaviours.

Prevention and early intervention are important public health strategies designed to prevent alcohol and other drug (AOD) related harms. They aim to reduce the effect of risk factors and enhance protective factors.

The AOD Community Prevention initiative, progresses these actions.

Further information

For more information, please contact AOD@qmhc.qld.gov.au.