iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

Aboriginal infant mortality rate falls
KELLEE NOLAN
March 10, 2010


Australia's Aboriginal infant mortality rate is falling and is on track to be equal with the non-indigenous rate by 2018, a new report shows.

The National Indigenous Health Equality Council (NIHEC) tracked national indigenous infant mortality rates from 1998 to 2006, for its Child Mortality Target report to the federal government.

Launching the report in Melbourne on Wednesday, NIHEC chairman Ian Anderson said it was the first time indigenous child and infant mortality trends had been tracked nationally and the report showed both were falling.

"In 2018, we expect we will have halved the child mortality rate and certainly halved the infant mortality rate," Prof Anderson said.

"That's very good news and it gives me great pleasure to be able to stand in this place and talk about good news in Aboriginal health, because we don't get enough of that."

The report found that in 1998, 13.5 out of every 1000 Australian indigenous children died in their first year of life compared with 4.4 of every 1000 non-indigenous children.

In 2006, the rate of indigenous infant deaths had fallen to 10 out of every 1000, while the non-indigenous rate stayed stable at 4.4 of every 1000.

The difference between the indigenous and non-indigenous infant mortality rates fell from nine to 5.6 out of every 1000, over this time.

The report shows that if the trend continues, in 2018 the indigenous infant mortality rate will fall to four infants dying out of every 1000, roughly equal to the projected non-indigenous rate of 3.9 of every 1000.

The report will inform the federal government's work in "closing the gap" between indigenous and non-indigenous health outcomes.

Prof Anderson said better ante-natal and post-natal health services for indigenous mothers and children was the reason for the falling infant mortality rate.

NIHEC will use the results of this report to push for more funding into these services across the country, for both urban and remote indigenous communities.

Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) Women's and Children's Unit manager Sue Hedges said more of these services would help lower mortality rates further still.

She said many indigenous women did not feel comfortable going to mainstream services.

"A lot don't because they're not culturally appropriate or friendly type services," Ms Hedges told AAP, adding specialist indigenous services such as VAHS also referred people to drug and alcohol counselling as well as financial and housing services.

This all went towards improving the health of newborn children and was an issue for more indigenous than non-indigenous mothers to be, she said.

New mum Chantelle McGuinness, 21, from Reservoir in Melbourne's north, has a thriving three-month-old boy Eli.

Ms McGuinness used the VAHS maternity services throughout her pregnancy and brings Eli there for his regular check-ups.

She said many indigenous mums-to-be would not use mainstream ante-natal services.

"I think it's because I'm more familiar with this and because they're Aboriginal workers, I just feel more comfortable really," she said.

Indigenous Babies with Low Birth Weigh on the Rise
11 Mar, 2010

According the report from the National Indigenous Health Equality Council, there is an increase in the number of Indigenous babies with low birth weight.

Based on the report, although the Indigenous child mortality rates have significantly reduced but the Aboriginal babies are still three times more likely to die than non-Indigenous infants.

It was also found that the Aboriginal children of less than one year of age are six times are more likely to die from nonspecific conditions, such as sudden infant death syndrome.

According to the report, Indigenous children of up to four years of age are three times more likely to die from injury or poisoning. Between 1991 and 2005, the report shows that the rate of low birth weigh babies born to Aboriginal mothers had increased by 16 percent.

Warren Snowdon, the Federal Indigenous Health Minister stated that although the rate of infant mortality among the Aborigines has reduced by almost fifty percent, more work needs to be directed at reducing the habits of smoking and improving the nutritional food intake of Indigenous women who are pregnant.

Mr Snowdon said, "There are concerns about low birth weight."

"It appears there may be an increase in low birth weight children that leads to a discussion about what we need to do to get pregnant mums to take care of themselves to make sure they're not smoking or drinking, that they've got proper nutrition," stressed Snowdon.