4704.0 - The Health and Welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Oct 2010
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 17/02/2011 Final
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Patterns and behaviours experienced early in life can have far-reaching effects. Health and wellbeing, participation in society, educational attainment and employment outcomes in adulthood can be influenced by the experiences of childhood. Certain lifestyle choices made during pregnancy can determine risk factors for the developing infant (Endnote 1). For example, smoking or high alcohol consumption during pregnancy can increase the risk of health impairment in both mother and child. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children generally experience poorer health than their non-Indigenous counterparts in Australia. Several factors contribute to this outcome including the relatively poor socioeconomic status and social disadvantage experienced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families as well as the health-related behaviours of the mother during pregnancy. This article provides a range of information on aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers' and children's health, drawing mostly on data from the 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS). Topics covered in this article include:
Other related topics:
ENDNOTE 1. American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 'Tobacco, Alcohol, Drugs, and Pregnancy' June 2008, <www.acog.org>.
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