Description

The Mayi Kuwayu Questionnaire is part of the Mayi Kuwayu: National Study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing. It was developed to measure cultural determinants of health and wellbeing as defined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples themselves. The indicators capture six overarching cultural domains: connection to country; beliefs & knowledge; language; family, kinship, & community; cultural expression & continuity; and self-determination & leadership. Items were generated and refined through extensive consultation with communities and focus groups, and represent a culturally grounded approach to understanding how culture influences health and wellbeing.

AI/AN Communities where the measure has been used

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia

Demographics of AI/AN participants where the scale has been used

Participants aged 16 years and older across diverse regions of Australia, though general underrepresentation of younger people and residents in urban areas.

Notes on adaptations or modifications

N/A

Modality and administration

Self-report; paper-based questionnaire or online survey.

Scoring

Questionnaire includes 41 items addressing six domains, scored on Likert-type response scales (e.g., time spent, agreement levels).

Psychometric evidence

Initial evidence supports strong content validity, developed through extensive community consultation. Further psychometric evaluation is planned as part of ongoing research.

Citation(s)

  • Bourke, S. C., Chapman, J., Jones, R., Brinckley, M.-M., Thurber, K. A., Calabria, B., Doery, K., Olsen, A., & Lovett, R. (2022). Developing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural indicators: an overview from Mayi Kuwayu, the National Study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing. International Journal for Equity in Health, 21:109. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-022-01710-8 [Original citation]

    Note: The included citations are not exhaustive, but represent the examples we had access to. If you are an original author or have other work that could be included here, please contact us.

Disclaimer: The included citations are not exhaustive, but represent the examples we had access to. If you are an original author or have other work that could be included here, please contact us.