Development of the MultIcultural commuNities co-DeSigned ostEoporosis Toolkit Programme for People From Culturally...

Using experience-based co-design (EBCD) methodology, we aimed to co-design and pilot a culturally adapted osteoporosis programme with older people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Australia.

This three-phased study was conducted in one of the most culturally diverse regions in Australia. Twelve end users from three selected language communities with lived experience of osteoporosis and eight subject matter experts were recruited for the first two phases. Phases 1 and 2 utilised interviews and workshops to explore challenges experienced during osteoporosis diagnosis and management and co-designed the key elements for the MultIcultural commuNities co-DeSigned ostEoporosis Toolkit (MINDSET) programme. This programme was piloted with the selected communities (Phase 3) and evaluated for acceptability (participants' satisfaction) and efficacy. The latter was measured by comparing the differences in pre/post Osteoporosis Knowledge Assessment Tool (OKAT) scores among end users.

Common challenges identified included (i) lack of access to reliable information, (ii) osteoporosis perceived as a normal part of ageing, and (iii) lack of resources to guide discussions with general practitioners. The programme was piloted with 132 participants (n = 46 Cantonese-speaking, n = 52 Mandarin-speaking and n = 34 Vietnamese-speaking). All participants were highly satisfied with the programme, with 90% of participants stating that they would likely/very likely recommend the programme to others. A significant improvement in pre-post scores on the OKAT was also observed across all groups (mean difference = +2.03, 95% CI 1.42 to 2.63, p < 0.001).

MINDSET is an acceptable community-based education programme to improve short-term osteoporosis-specific knowledge for people from selected culturally diverse backgrounds.