HealthBulletin

Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin
Vol 7 No 4 October 2007 - December 2007: ISSN 1445-7253

A peer-reviewed electronic journal from the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

Reports and publications

This section of the Bulletin identifies recent reports and publications, including book chapters. If you are aware of material that would be appropriate for inclusion in this section please contact us.

Altman JC, Buchanan GJ, Larsen L (2007)
The environmental significance of the Indigenous estate: natural resource management as economic development in remote Australia.
Canberra : Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research
View report
View website: Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research

This report explores the geography and the environmental significance of the Indigenous estate, and some of the innovative approaches Indigenous landholders have adopted to protect the natural and cultural values of their land. The paper also discusses programs that use a form of payment for environmental services (PES). These programs might provide alternate development opportunities on Indigenous estate in some of the remotest parts of Australia, areas far from mainstream labour markets.

Alzheimer's Australia (2007)
Dementia: a major health problem for Indigenous people: briefing prepared for Parliamentary Friends of Dementia.
Hawker, ACT: Alzheimer's Australia
View report (PDF - 169KB)
View website: Alzheimer's Australia

This briefing paper highlights that a start has been made in identifying the prevalence of dementia among Indigenous people. Recent research in the Kimberley region of Western Australia suggests that prevalence rates of dementia could be 4 -5 times higher among Indigenous people than those in the general Australian community. A National Indigenous Dementia Strategy has been developed to provide a framework for action, with a need for Alzheimer's Australia and Indigenous organisations to obtain the resources required to implement this strategy.

This is the second report in a series, providing the most recent data on Indigenous housing across Australia. Data provided relate to: home ownership; renting, public housing; Indigenous community housing organisations; overcrowding; and presence of essential services, such as sewerage and water supply.

Department of Local Government (2007)
Engaging with local Aboriginal communities: a resource kit for local government in New South Wales.
Nowra, NSW: NSW Department of Local Government
View report (PDF - 591 KB)
View website: NSW Department of Local Government

This kit provides a comprehensive, user-friendly resource for local councils and Aboriginal communities in New South Wales. Councils are encouraged to use the kit as a starting point in promoting the cultural and economic development of Aboriginal communities.

In the Northern Territory, the basis of Arrernte traditional healing is both spiritual and cultural. This book highlights the interconnectivity between the land, the spirit and Angangkere, the healers. Traditional medicine for a variety of health conditions is described.

This report outlines a project undertaken by the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council aimed at providing support for professional development of managers within Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations in Queensland , and to increase an understanding of the management challenges faced by member organisations.

This report provides an analysis of Australian Indigenous health information within an international Indigenous context. It particularly focuses on the Aboriginal peoples of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA. The report considers published peer-reviewed and government accounts of health outcomes, and also includes selected case studies outlining successful Indigenous programs.

This action plan aims to offer service providers and communities a statewide vision for Aboriginal primary care, evidence-based priorities, an approach to culturally secure models of care, and achievable health outcomes that strongly emphasise a focus on child and maternal health. This plan seeks to build on existing strategies that are working successfully, establish strong links with new initiatives taking place and offers a framework to assist service providers and communities with their local planning. In particular, a lifecourse approach identifying key periods in life impacting on health is promoted for the planning and delivery of primary care services to Aboriginal people in Western Australia.

Jamieson LM, Armfield JM, Roberts-Thomson KF (2007)
Oral health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
View report (PDF - 2.3MB - large file warning!)
View website: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

This report provides a summary of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child oral health using information from the Child Dental Health Survey, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Receipt of Hospital Dental Care Investigation and the Study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Oral Health in Remote Communities. This report documents that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have consistently higher levels of dental disease compared to their non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander counterparts. With trends indicating that dental disease levels for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are continuing to rise, oral health is highlighted as an important public health and dental service provision issue.

This report presents demographic, pregnancy and childbirth factors of Indigenous women who gave birth between 2001 and 2004, as well as information about the babies born to Indigenous women in this period. Information on demographic and birth trends from 1991 to 2004 is also included. One chapter is dedicated to an assessment of the quality of data relating to Indigenous status in the perinatal data collections.

National Drug Research Institute (2007)
Restrictions on the sale and supply of alcohol: evidence and outcomes.
Perth: National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University of Technology
View report (PDF - 2.5MB - large file warning!)
View website: National Drug Research Institute

This report presents the results of a study which aimed to determine the effectiveness of past and existing alcohol restrictions applied throughout Australia. The study found that alcohol restrictions in Indigenous communities are effective but only where community consultation has occurred. The study also suggests that these restrictions should be complemented with measures to address the underlying causes of alcohol misuse. The report aims to provide practical guidance for Indigenous communities addressing alcohol related problems.

Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (2007)
National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health 2003-2013: Australian Government implementation plan 2007-2013.
Canberra: Department of Health and Ageing
View report (PDF - 315KB)
View website: Department of Health and Ageing

The Australian Government Implementation Plan was developed by the Department of Health and Ageing in consultation with all relevant Australian Government agencies and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Council. It has a strong emphasis on a whole of government approach to addressing the key priorities identified.