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A new study in the journal Public Health suggests that culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Sydney, Australia experienced significant hardships during the COVID-19 Delta wave, revealing a need for improved public health communication and community engagement strategies.
For the study, CUNY SPH’s Dr. Danielle Greene collaborated with researchers from the University of Sydney and the Sydney Local Health District on findings from interviews with 27 participants from 24 local health and social care programs. Dr. Greene is executive director of state and local public health initiatives and CUNY chief operating officer for the NYC Preparedness and Recovery Institute.
Culturally and linguistically diverse communities were disproportionately affected by COVID-19, with more than 70% of fatalities in Australia during the Delta wave occurring among individuals born overseas. The study team found that these communities experienced mixed messaging from government sources, the spread of anti-vaccination misinformation, and cross-cultural misunderstandings.
Participants reported that timely, reliable, culturally appropriate information about COVID-19 and vaccination was often lacking. Translation errors and difficulties accessing easy-to-understand information further eroded trust in authorities, compounded by feelings of isolation and oppression in some communities.
“Information needs to be equally understandable and accessible to different groups at all times, but especially during public health emergencies,” says Dr. Greene. “Sustainable, bidirectional collaborative networks need to be developed and sustained during the calm times if we are to ensure effective culturally sensitive communication for all communities during public health emergencies.”
