A new study from Deakin University shows that migration to Australia might be harmful to your health

\Tisible m inority stanis may p lace some migrant communities at risk.

Anew study conducted by Associate Professor Santosh Jarrana of Alfred Deakin Res earch lnstimte (ADRJ), has revealed that healthy immigrants who arrive in Australia can end up suffering from the same chronic health disorders experienced by locallyborn Australians afte r just 20 years of their lives here.

The study, conducted b y Assoc. Prof. Jatrana along with Dr Samb a Siva Rao Pasupuleti (ADRl) and Dr Ken Richardson (Univers ity of Orago, NZ), showed t hat in just over two decades th ere was a significant decline in the h ealth of migrants who ar rived in Australia from both Englis h- speaking and non -English speaking countries.

When asked what prompted her to study the health profile of Australia's migrant population, Dr Jau·ana said t hat an estimated 26 per cent of Australia's total population is born overseas, a n d net overseas migration is the major co n tribution to p opula tion growtb Since em p loyability is one of the m ain criteria by which migrants are selected, a n d s ince good hea lth is essential for employability (and productivity when employed) , a decline in the health of immigrants with l o nger duratio n of stay in a new country u n de rmi nes one of the main goals of immigration policy.

"As the number of imm igrants in Australia continues to rise, it has becom e increas ingly important to know how health profiles differ between foreign b orn and native born individuals, and how those health profil es change over time," Dr Jatrana said. " Th is will help identify vulnerable immigrant populations and thereby lead to relevant and revised migratio n policies"

The study r evealed that there are several parameters that can contribute to migrant health including adoption of Australian habits relating to diet, physical activity, smoking and alcohol, as well as the stress o f migrating, adjusting to a new culture, and discrimination.

While all migrants are at r isk of so m e stress and discrimination because of their overseas- born status, c ha racteristics such as

Dr Jarra na al so said that another significan t factor was soc iocul tural bar riers whic h could a lso impact some immigrants from accessing preve n tative health care, such as lower rates of cancer sc reening a m ong so m e imm igrant women from certain ethnic gro ups.

Assoc. Prof Jatrana's study has been published in the journal Social S cience and 1vfedici11e and the data required ,vas obtained from the Household, Income and Labour D yn amics in Australia ( HILDA) Survey. This study was funded by an Australian Research Council D iscover y Gram to Professor Jatrana.

The immigrants selected for tbe study were di,Tided into two broad groups, namely foreign-born people from Engli sh - speaking countries, and foreign-born people from non-E nglish -speaking countries. Immigrants from the United Kingdom, U nited States of America, ew Zealand, Canada, Ireland and South Africa were in the English - speaking g roup, and other inm1igranrs were in the non E n glish -speaking group

Currently, the study only looks at th e presence of chronic conditions relevant in tl1e Australian population like cance r, ch.tonic bronchitis, asthma, heart/ coronary clisease, high blood pressure/ anxiety, circulatory conditions (stroke, hardening of arteries), arthritis, and diabetes mellitus.

When asked i f her study could have negative repercussions on the pe rc en tage of migrants arriving in Australia, Dr Jatrana said diat it is roo early to provide a definitive answer but unlikely to bappen.

"First, health i s only one of many reasons wh y people migrate, think about income, education, governance and so on. Second , the effec t s are generally long- ter m , and people don't tend to tl1ink long- te rm. Third , for those that do, if they know about our smdy and the possible reasons for what we have found, they will bope to mitigate tl1em. Fourth, we ate arguing for a policy response, so the y m ay conclude ch ar ir could well be different in 10-20 year s' cin1e".

Ao alumna of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi a nd The Australi an ational University, Can berra, Dr Santosh Jatrana joined Deakin U niversity in February 201 1 after ,vorking in the Department of Public HeaJtl1 at t he School of Medicine and

Health Sciences, U niversity of Orago, New Zea lan d She also currently holds an honorary senior research fellow position ar th e Unive r si ty of Otago. She is also the lead editor o f the book M_igmtion and Health in Asia and was one of the gues t editors of a special issues of tl1e A.rim, and Pacific Migration ]011r11al on Migmtio11 and Health in A sia. She has published widely on migrant health i ssues in peer-reviewed jom nals 1n 2012, she was also aw a rd ed a fellowship from the Australian Academ y of Science for ber p roject 'Brain drain t h ere, brain gain here: U nderstanding tl1e health impact, regulation and health policy implication s of health workforce imbalances in an Indian context'. Assoc. Prof. Jatrana and her team continues their researc h o n tliis topic and are currentl y exploring other health issues such as obesity, mental, physical health, specific chroriic conditions and the role of health behaviour, health service uciJisation and social suppor t to explain the decline in health of immigrants with years spent in Australia.

It's a welcome exercise in cultural sensitivity, tying the turban on to willing members of the public ln an inspiring new program , members of the mainstream communi ty gee an opportunity to have the turban tied aro und thei r heads to see what ic feels like.

At a time when pressures on Australia's muJticulrural fabric are threatening to tear it apart, a new initiative has been doing wonders to create a personal connection across difference.

With much d iscuss ion in recem days about the burqa and its ill- informed connection with 'terrorism', the nrrban, the preferred beadwear of Sikhs, has been used in a new way, wirming peopl e over with its message of trust and peace.

" l fee l secure," says a young Auss ie woman who has worn the li n en fabric prJgri (m rban) for the fi r st time.

''There's a sense of peace," her male friend agrees.

Smiles abound on the faces of o ther s who are sporti ng, for a few minutes, the most identifiable symbo l of Sikhism the world over.

\X/ith one simple ace, ic is as if a vast culnrral divide has been bridged. The mrban, it is now known, can be trusted.

Turbans a11d Trust

That is cbe name of the new Australian program that bas become a textbook case of a culnrral sens itivity exe rc ise. Its video clip went viral with over a 1,200 views on YouTube and 14,000 on Facebook, in just tbree days

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In these times when misunderstanding and fear dominate om social and political landscape, (the program) is about changing perceptions and creating trust where there may have been fear". That is the Turbans mid Tmst message.

"The program evolved out of both a need and an oppornmity: a need for non -Sikhs to understand more about the turbans char have been appearing increasingly in Australian streets, and an opportunity co use the simple bur profound ace of Ly ing a turban to create a connection," say the Turbans cmd Tmst team.

A not-for- profit developed by Harj ic Singh in Brisbane,Jasdeep Singh in Cairns and Daniel Connell in Adelaide, the T111·bam mid T1mt p rogram has been feamred at the recent OzAsia Festival in Adelaide ro much acclaim, and is now looking at oppormnities across the country le all started as a germ of an idea w ith Harjit Si n gh, a Perthbased tax adviser and National Direcror of United Sikhs Australia, who has conducted cultural and Sikh awareness training sessions for some years now with the WJ\ police. He wanted to bring his work to the wider p u blic and demys tify the mrban he has worn all his life, and to reinstate i t nor only as an identifier of his faith but as an actual. mechanism for bringing people together and echo its original spirit.

A core reason a Sikh wears a mrban, is co be identified as one who has made a com.mi tmellt to do good for others.

The name T11rbm1s and Tmst was coined accident.-illy as Harjic chatted casually with close friend Daniel ConneU.

Daniel ConneU, an Adelaidebased artist is well- known for his large-s cale portraits o f Sikh men. He has exhibi ted widely in Australia, as well as in 1ndia, and has been feanrred several times in Tudia11 Link.

Talking to Harjit about Sikhi (Sikhism) in Ausrrali a, Daniel made mention of his 2012 work for OzAsia called T11rba11s rJnd Transport, which addressed the 150-year long histor y of mrbans in the transport industry in

Australia, from camels in the old days to ta.xis today.

Harjit misheard h im , apparently

"'\°:zyhar did you say?' he s aid to Daniel "Turbans and Trust?"

It was no use correcting him, recaUs Danie l; Harjic was on another tangent and the idea was born.

"Every day, n1rban-wearing Sil,hs face a question, a look, a stare, a comment," says Jasdeep Singh. ''And yet, aU nuban wearing Sikhs would agree that tl1e Tenth Guru gave us Sildis the nrrban specifically for tl1is reaso n, so we would always be noticed and identified. But our Gurus didn't wanc u s just to be known for the sake of our turbans; rather tl1ey wanted us to stand out as perso ns of integrity; as people who have made a choice to do something good for others."

Many say tl1is idea of public identification for Sikhs was b o rn in response to tl1e sacrifice of the Nintl1 Guru of the Sikhs, Guru

Tegh Bahadur Ji, who gave his life for the liberatio n of another com munity. S ikbi champions the rights of people to Aourish according to their own culmre and faith So ir's fitting chat the turban is used today not only co identify Sikhs but also spread i ts stori es of compassion, and more impo rtantly to build trust between communities today, especially for the sake of those w ho are most marginalised and vilified

A nd this is exactly wbac Tmbon.r and Trust does, in a fun and frien dly atmosphere "\Xie invite non-Sikhs co experience a turban and we tie it on for them," says Har jic. Even women are welco m e to try on the nirbans.

A nd in the Ly ing p r ocess, the conversation inevitably ensues about Si khism and all chat it stands for.

Harjit exp lains, "Inberem in the idea of trust, is risk. To build trust we have to take a risk. The person who wants a n1rban tied, places their bead in the bands of a strange r The Sik h who is tying the turban, bands over something ,1er y precious to a stranger with the expectation tlrnt i t will be respected, and it is"

It may seem potentially chaotic to tie turbans on strangers, b ut the beautiful tl1ing about T11rha11s and TIYJSf is that it is q uite solemn People respond to the sacredness o f tl1e moment.

At t h e core of it all, T11rha11s and T,-ust is a disciplined and tl1ougbtfuJ act that hol ds to agreed rules and values. Volt1nceers are trained pr ior to par tic ipating and location s are chosen carefully.

"'\Ve take chis program wherever the re is au atmosphere of genui.oe openn es s and new ideas a re welcome," Jasdeep rev eals. " \Y./e like to reach out to families, and where people can wear a mrban but bring it back co us after a while. We steer clear of public places whe re respectful discussion is not happening". ever do tl1e Turbans 011d Tmst engi n eers compare Sikhi to any ocher religion, faitl1 or community

T11rbam and T,mt focuses on the pe r sonal relation s hip formed during tl1e !:)fog of the nirban.

A conversation is initiated using an agreed format; Sikh history in Australia, wh y Sikh s wear turbans and then the conversation wiJJ take a nanrral comse.

The religious ele m e n ts of Sikh i are discussed but not promoted. All conversa tions are about building posi tive in1ages of people irrespecti,1e of faith, culture and backgro t10d, in accordance with a Sikh's dul:)' to uphold the dignity of the human person

The program has invested in over 400 nrrbans in various co lours which of course are used once onl y at each activil:)• Banners, stickers and bold original t- shi.rts are av ailab le on the website to purchase co support more Turbans and Trust events

A sister organisation is Australian Sikh Heritage, a website resource that i s spearheading a campaign to centralise the history of Sikhs in A u stralia and acknowledge their significant sites.

With a dedicated tea.in tl1at truly spans Australia, the project was launched in 2013. We hope to see Tm-ba11.r and Tm.rt events be ing held across the nation and beyond, so th e ttuban, whetl1e r we choose to wear one or not, can once again be recognised as a beacon of hope for all.

For m01·e information visit www.tztrbansaruh:ntst.com and www.australiansikhheritage.com