Births
- Summary of births and pregnancy outcome among Indigenous Australians
- Key facts
- Recent journal articles
- Recent reports and publications
- Recent reports - not available on the Internet
- Conference abstracts
- Theses
- Other resources
Summary of births and pregnancy outcome among Indigenous Australians
Our Overview of Australian Indigenous health draws largely on published information, some of which has been re-analysed to
provide clearer comparisons between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. It
is updated as new information becomes available and includes a summary of births
and pregnancy outcome among Indigenous Australians. After viewing the overview
return to this webpage by using the back button.
View overview
section: Births and pregnancy outcome
Key facts
What do we know about Indigenous births?
- What do we know about the number of Indigenous births?
- What do we know about births to Indigenous mothers?
- What do we know about the weights of babies born to Indigenous mothers?
Recent journal articles
2005
Panaretto KS, Lee HM, Mitchell MR, Larkins SL, Manessis V, et al. (2005)
Impact of a collaborative shared antenatal care program for urban Indigenous women: a prospective cohort study.
Medical Journal of Australia;182(10):514-519
View paper: Medical Journal of Australia (PDF)
2003
Nel P, Pashen D (2003)
Shared antenatal care for Indigenous patients in a rural and remote community.
Australian Family Physician;32(3):127-131
View
abstract: HealthBulletin
Singh GR, Hoy WE (2003)
The association between birthweight and current blood pressure: a cross-sectional
study in an Australian Aboriginal community.
Medical Journal of Australia;179(10):532-535
View
paper (HTML)
View
paper (PDF)
2002
Panaretto KS, Muller R, Patole S, Watson D, Whitehall JS (2002)
Is being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander a risk factor for poor neonatal
outcome in a tertiary referral unit in north Queensland?
Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health;38:16-22.
View
abstract: HealthBulletin
2001
Mackerras D (2001)
Birthweight changes in the pilot phase of the Strong Women, Strong Babies, Strong Culture Program in the Northern Territory.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health;25(1):34-40.
View paper: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (PDF - 74KB)
2000
Coory, M. (2000).
Trends in birth rates for teenagers in Queensland, 1988 to 1997: an analysis by economic disadvantage and geographic remoteness.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 24(3), 316-319.
View abstract: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
Mackerras D (2000)
Size for gestation in Aboriginal babies: a comparison of two papers.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health;24(3):287-290.
View abstract: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
Roberts, C. & Algert, C.S. (2000).
The urban and rural divide for women giving birth in NSW, 1990-1997.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 24(3), 291-297.
View abstract: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
Recent reports and publications
2007
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2007)
Births Australia, 2006. (ABS catalogue no. 3301.0)
Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics
View report (HTML)
View report (PDF - 1.9MB - large file warning!)
View website: Australian Bureau of Statistics
Laws P, Abeywardana S, Walker J, Sullivan EA (2007)
Australia's mothers and babies 2005. (AIHW catalogue no. PER 40)
Canberra: National Perinatal Statistics Unit, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
View report (PDF - 452KB)
View report (HTML)
View website: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Leeds K, Gourley M, Laws P, Zhang J, Al-Yaman F, et al. (2007)
Indigenous mothers and their babies, Australia 2001-2004.(AIHW catalogue no. PER 38)
Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
View report (HTML)
View report (PDF – 518KB)
View website: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
2004
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2004)
Experimental estimates and projections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics
View abstract: HealthBulletin
View report: Australian Bureau of Statistcs (PDF - 1.8MB - large file warning!)
View website: Australian Bureau of Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
(2005)
Health and welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples 2005.
Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the Australian Bureau
of Statistics
View
current topic: HealthBulletin
View
abstract: HealthBulletin
View
report (HTML)
Australian Medical Association (2005)
Lifting the weight: low birthweight babies: an Indigenous health burden that must be lifted. (Australian Medical Association report card series 2005: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health)
Barton, ACT: Australian Medical Association
View abstract: HealthBulletin
View report: Australian Medical Association (PDF - 562KB)
View website: Australian Medical Association
Bower C, Eades D, Payne J, D'Antoine H, Stanley F (2004)
Trends in neural tube defects in Western Australian in Indigenous and non-Indigenous
populations.
Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology;18:277-280
View
abstract: HealthBulletin
Jan S, Conaty S, Hecker R, Bartlett M, Delaney S, Capon T
(2004)
A holistic economic evaluation of an Aboriginal community-controlled midwifery
programme in Western Sydney.
Journal of Health Services Research and Policy;9(1):14-21
View abstract: HealthBulletin
Koori Human Services Unit (2006)
Koori health counts: information from the reports of Koori hospital liaison officers for 2004/05.
Melbourne: Department of Human Services
View abstract: HealthBulletin
View report (PDF - 2.2MB - large file warning!)
View website: Department of Human Services, State Government of Victoria
Central Australian Aboriginal Congress Inc
Alukura women's
health
Provides information on Alukura - an Aboriginal women's community-controlled
health and birthing centre
Health Department of Western Australia
Health
and ill-health among special populations (Aboriginal health)
Included in this report is information on fertility and pregnancy; birthweight;
infant and perinatal mortality; and breast feeding.
Koori Health Unit, Department of Human Services, Victoria
Information
about Koori women and their babies - 1996
This report provides information on Koori women who gave birth in 1996 and babies
born to Koori mothers in 1996. The report outlines characteristics of the mothers,
such as age, number of previous births and the regions they were from. For babies,
statistics of low birthweight, prematurity, still birth and deaths are provided.
How
many Koori babies were born in Victoria in 1996?
Outlines the three sources of birth information in Victoria - the Perinatal
Data Collection Unit (Midwives data), the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
(Birth registry) and the Victorian Hospitals (Hospital data). The report discusses
births recorded in each of the datasets and issues such as babies born to Koori
fathers and non-Koori mothers.
Information
on Koori births
Describes sources of information on Koori births in Victoria as well as information
on Koori Births provided by the Victorian Perinatal Data Collection Unit.
Koori
pilot birthing services project - birthing services program in Victoria
This report provides details of six pilot Koori birthing service projects which
were funded as part of the Birthing Services Program in Victoria. Information
provided in the final evaluation reports of the projects has been used to examine
strategies used to achieve positive outcomes and improved service provision
for Koori women having a baby in Victoria.
Providing
services to Koori women having a baby
In this report, Koori health workers have provided information about the needs
of Koori women having a baby. The report also provides the statistics which
are available on births to Koori women in Victoria for 1993-94.
Centre for the Study of Mothers' and Children's Health
Hunt J (2002)
How can routine antenatal care protocols and practice in the Northern Territory
be improved? A discussion paper, July 2002.
Carlton: Centre for the Study of Mothers' and Children's Health, La Trobe University.
View
abstract: HealthBulletin
View
report summary (PDF - 82KB)
View
report (PDF - 1.2MB - large file warning!)
New South Wales Health Department
NSW Department of Health (2003)
The NSW Aboriginal perinatal health report.
Sydney: NSW Department of Health
View
abstract: HealthBulletin
View
report (PDF - 398KB)
The health of the people of New South Wales: Report of the Chief
Health Officer
This report is available in a number of formats including HTML, frames/javascript,
and downloadable with Adobe Acrobat (available at site).
The frames version allows you to choose a health issue (Health of Aboriginal
peoples), and to search within this on a wide range of issue specific topics.
New South Wales Mothers and Babies 1996 report
This report is downloadable with Adobe Acrobat (available at site - note this
document takes a considerable time to download)
Part 3 of the report is on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers and babies. The report covers trends, plurality, previous pregnancies, maternal age, health area of residence, booking status, duration of pregnancy at 1st antenatal check, smoking in pregnancy, medical conditions and obstetric complications, labour and delivery, epidural block, episiotomy, birthweight, gestational age, apgar score, and perinatal mortality.
New South Wales Midwives Data Collection 1995
This report is downloadable with Adobe Acrobat (available at site). The report
notes that two per cent of confinements were to Aboriginal mothers. The proportion
of low birthweight infants born to Aboriginal mothers was 11.1 per cent - almost
twice that of non-Aboriginal mothers, and the rate of prematurity among Aboriginal
infants was 10.7 per cent.
Queensland Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Morbidity and Mortality
Maternal & Perinatal Mortality Audit : Guidelines for Queensland Hospitals (Jan 2001)
A review of Sudden Unexpected Deaths in Infants (SUDI) in Queensland, 1997 and 1998
Maternal, Perinatal and Paediatric Mortality in Queensland, 1998 Executive Summary
Maternal, Perinatal and Paediatric Mortality in Queensland, 1997
Maternal, Perinatal and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity in Queensland, 1994-1996
Queensland Health Fact File
Perinatal Statistics 1998 This report provides statistics from the Queensland Perinatal Data Collection for data collected in 1998. The collection provides a basic source of information for research into obstetric and neonatal care.
Territory Health Services
Northern Territory Midwives Collection
Trends
in the health of mothers and babies Northern Territory 1986-95
Recent reports - not available on the Internet
Chan, A., Scott, J., McCaul, K., & Keane, R. (1997).
Pregnancy outcome in South Australia 1996.
Pregnancy Outcome Unit, Epidemiology Branch, South Australian Health Commission.
Adelaide.
Conference abstracts
Reproductive Health, Taking Care of Tomorrow's World (2002)
2 July - 5 July 2002, Emmanual College, University of Queensland
View
information
Theses
Gray, A. (1983). Australian Aboriginal fertility in decline. Unpublished
Doctor of Philosophy thesis, Australian National University, Canberra.
Milns, N. (1987). Low
birthweight in the Northern Territory: relationship with neonatal and maternal
immunity and identification of major risk factors. Unpublished Bachelor
of Medical Science thesis, University of Queensland, Brisbane.
Murphy, K. (nd). Socio-economic
factors and perinatal mortality in Queensland 1987-1988. Unpublished Master
of Public Health thesis, University of Queensland, Brisbane.
Rae, C. (1989). Maternal
nutritional status among Aborigines in the Northern Territory: impact on birthweight.
Unpublished Master of Public Health thesis, University of Sydney, Sydney.
Schultz, R. (1990). The causes of preterm births to Aboriginal women
in Western Australia: the role of maternal genital and urinary tract infections.
Unpublished Bachelor of Medical Science thesis, University of Western Australia,
Perth.
Streatfield, R. (1983). Primary health care approach to maternal and
child health services for Aboriginal and Islander communities, Queensland. Unpublished
Master of Public Health thesis, University of Sydney, Sydney.
Valliappan, V. (1986). Alcohol
and pregnancy outcomes; a pilot study in Aboriginal communities. Unpublished
Master of Medicine thesis, University of Sydney, Sydney.
Walker, K. (1996). Trends
in birthweight and infant weights: relationships between early under-undernutrition,
skin lesions, streptococcal infections and renal disease in an Aboriginal community.
Unpublished Bachelor of Medical Science thesis, University of Melbourne, Melbourne.
Other resources
Birthing business in the bush
This website was prepared by Aboriginal women using a participatory action research approach. It is intended to to be used as a resource for maternity service providers working in remote communities.
View abstract: HealthBulletin
View website
This web site contains PDF documents that require the most current version of Adobe Reader to view. To download click on the icon below.
