Healthy start, healthy life

• Reach:

  National

• Focus area:

  Indigenous

• Status:

  Current

• Evaluated:

  No

Overview

The Healthy start, healthy life program focuses on the improvement of health care delivery to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The aim of the program is to develop a knowledge base and evaluate tools and resources which will assist in the reduction of risk factors, promote health and support clinical best practice in the prevention, detection and management of chronic diseases.

Priorities include:

• reducing the number of people affected by chronic disease by promoting better nutrition and physical activity

• reducing the risks associated with tobacco use

• improving the practices for the detection and management of chronic diseases

• improving the outcomes for maternal and child health through better service delivery.

Research activities include (see information link below for further details):

• One21seventy workforce development

• quality of care - National research partnership

• support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cancer Centre for Research Excellence

• chronic conditions management strategies in Aboriginal communities

• Australian integrated mental health initiative resource publications

• implementation of innovations in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health

• national appraisal of continuous quality improvement initiatives in Indigenous primary health care

• Victorian Aboriginal child mortality study

• clinical trial of a vaccine for group A streptococcus bacteria

• standardisation of diagnostic protocols for early detection of rheumatic heart disease

• Continuous quality improvement conference

• health promotion tools

• child and maternal health initiatives.

Research involves partnerships between The Lowitja Institute and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled health care providers and mainstream health organisations.

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract

Contacts

The Lowitja Institute
179 Grattan Street
Carlton Vic 3053
PO Box 650
South Carlton Vic 3053
Ph: (03) 8341 5555
Fax: (03) 8341 5599
Email: admin@lowitja.org.au

Links

• View resource: Healthy start, healthy life program poster (PDF - 348.4 KB)
• View information: Cancer roundtable
• View information: Healthy start, healthy life
• View information: Phase 1 clinical trial of a vaccine for group A streptococus bacteria
• View information: Standardisation of diagnostic protocols for early detection of rheumatic heart disease
• View information: Support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cancer Centre for Research Excellence
• View website: Continuous quality improvement: One21seventy
• View website: The Lowitja Institute