Healthy skin is a vital factor in the fight against life-threatening conditions like sepsis, heart disease and kidney disease, all of which can be caused by the bacteria Strep A.
With skin a key entry point for the dangerous bacteria, researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia’s Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention team have developed a large program of work focused on investigating healthy skin strategies to control Strep A and Staph aureus.
At the centre of the program is the SToP Trial, a large clinical trial in Western Australia’s Kimberley region, which aims to decrease skin infections in Aboriginal children by 50 per cent. Since commencing in 2019, the project has produced paradigm-shifting research, informed therapeutic guidelines for healthcare workers, and delivered a suite of health promotion tools.
These have included eight healthy skin books, a HipHop2 SToP music video and, most recently, an updated version of the National Healthy Skin Guideline first launched in 2018.
The Telethon-funded second edition of the guideline, developed by a multi-disciplinary group including Aboriginal clinicians, has built on the first edition to include more skin conditions experienced over a wider geographical area.
Clinical Professor Asha Bowen said the guideline had evolved significantly since the first edition, with updates informed by newer research findings generated by the SToP Trial.
“The second edition includes diagnosis and treatment of scabies, skin sores, tinea, eczema and headlice, which can contribute to Strep A bacteria becoming invasive when skin is scratched, as well as a new chapter on the culturally-informed health promotion resources,” Professor Bowen said.
Given the success of the first guideline – viewed online more than 10,000 times – we’re expecting the second edition, with its updates and expanded focus, to make a significant impact.
Results from the SToP Trial have also informed Koolungar Moorditj Healthy Skin, a first-of-its kind project that aims to understand more about the health needs of urban-living Aboriginal children. The results of this study informed the development of several community-driven health promotion resources.
Led by Aboriginal Elders and community members, the Koolungar Moorditj Healthy Skin Team have co-developed resources including a children’s story book and strength-based music video called Moorditj Skin means Moorditj Health.
Featuring local talent and produced by a Supply Nation-Certified organisation, the music video was created to support healthy skin practices in a fun, engaging and catchy way.
Children’s story book Kaal Tackles Eczema was co-authored with an Aboriginal community advisory group to fill a gap in health promotion resources focused on eczema.
The book – funded by Telethon and the WA Future Health Innovation Research Fund and launched in February this year – supports children and families to identify eczema early, enabling preventive measures that can both relieve discomfort and avoid potentially invasive bacterial infections.
Next steps
- The Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Team is working on making tinea treatment Terbinafine more palatable by formulating a chewable, chocolate-flavoured base
- A Healthy Skin app, intended to help families identify skin infections and provide easy access to all Healthy Skin team resources, will be launched this year
- The team has received further funding to develop more co-authored healthy skin books and find better treatment for scabies and head lice