Study of environment on Aboriginal resilience and child health (SEARCH)

• Reach:

  NSW

• Focus area:

  Indigenous

• Status:

  Current

• Evaluated:

  No

Overview

The Study of environment on Aboriginal resilience and child health (SEARCH) is a major research program investigating the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal children living in urban communities in New South Wales. The research is a collaboration between the Coalition for Research to Improve Aboriginal Health (CRIAH) Steering Group (comprising the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council and the Sax Institute), the NSW Department of Health, the University of Sydney and six Aboriginal Medical Services across New South Wales.

The main objective of SEARCH is to obtain detailed descriptions of the health of Aboriginal infants, children, adolescents and families in these urban settings. Families will be recruited from Aboriginal Medical Services across NSW to participate in a cross-sectional study of 800 families in urban and large regional centres, and a prospective longitudinal cohort study of the 800 families over 5-20 years.

The SEARCH program aims to:

• describe and investigate the causes of health and illness in Aboriginal children with a focus on healthy environments and selected child health problems by
  • a cross sectional study of 800 families in urban and large regional centres
  • a prospective cohort study of the 800 families over 5 years
  • a prospective cohort study of the 800 families over 20 years
• determine whether a community appointed health broker is an effective, sustainable agent for improving the environment and health of aboriginal children and their families in
  • (i) a randomised trial focussed on otitis media and
  • (ii) a feasibility trial of housing improvement.

Abstract adapted from Sax Institute and Centre for Kidney Research

Contacts

Professor Jonathon Craig
Head, Clinical Research
School of Public Health
University of Sydney
Ph: (02) 9845 3431
Email: JonC@chw.edu.au

Related publications

The SEARCH Investigators (2010)

The study of environment on Aboriginal resilience and child health (SEARCH): study protocol.

BMC Public Health; (10): 287

Retrieved from http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-2458-10-287.pdf

• Links
• View abstract: The study of environment on Aboriginal resilience and child health (SEARCH): study protocol
• View article: The study of environment on Aboriginal resilience and child health (SEARCH): study protocol (PDF - 248.0 KB)
• View website: BMC Public Health

Links

• View information: Searching for solutions
• View information: Study of environment on Aboriginal resilience and child health
• View information: Study of environment on Aboriginal resilience and child health (SEARCH)
• View website: Sax Institute - CRIAH Steering Group