@article{ac0c8931d7374ccca2f26235913acbee,
title = "Aboriginal Families Study: A population-based study keeping community and policy goals in mind right from the start",
abstract = "Background: Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are between two to five times more likely to die in childbirth than non-Aboriginal women, and two to three times more likely to have a low birthweight infant. Babies with a low birthweight are more likely to have chronic health problems in adult life. Currently, there is limited research evidence regarding effective interventions to inform new initiatives to strengthen antenatal care for Aboriginal families. Method/Design. The Aboriginal Families Study is a cross sectional population-based study investigating the views and experiences of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women having an Aboriginal baby in the state of South Australia over a 2-year period. The primary aims are to compare the experiences and views of women attending standard models of antenatal care with those accessing care via Aboriginal Family Birthing Program services which include Aboriginal Maternal Infant Care (AMIC) Workers as members of the clinical team; to assess factors associated with early and continuing engagement with antenatal care; and to use the information to inform strengthening of services for Aboriginal families. Women living in urban, regional and remote areas of South Australia have been invited to take part in the study by completing a structured interview or, if preferred, a self-administered questionnaire, when their baby is between 4-12 months old. Discussion. Having a baby is an important life event in all families and in all cultures. How supported women feel during pregnancy, how women and families are welcomed by services, how safe they feel coming in to hospitals to give birth, and what happens to families during a hospital stay and in the early months after the birth of a new baby are important social determinants of maternal, newborn and child health outcomes. The Aboriginal Families Study builds on consultation with Aboriginal communities across South Australia. The project has been implemented with guidance from an Aboriginal Advisory Group keeping community and policy goals in mind right from the start. The results of the study will provide a unique resource to inform quality improvement and strengthening of services for Aboriginal families.",
keywords = "Antenatal care, Health inequalities, Indigenous health, Maternal health, Participatory research, Perinatal health outcomes",
author = "Mary Buckskin and {Ah Kit}, Jackie and Karen Glover and Amanda Mitchell and Roxanne Miller and Donna Weetra and Jan Wiebe and Yelland, {Jane S.} and Jonathan Newbury and Jeffrey Robinson and Brown, {Stephanie J.}",
note = "Funding Information: The Aboriginal Families Study is underpinned by strong community, policy and research partnerships that have been developed over an extended period of working together to develop the project. As others have argued, this takes time, resources, flexibility and a commitment to {\textquoteleft}mutually respectful partnerships{\textquoteright} [33-35]. In the Aboriginal Families Study, research questions and study methods were defined collaboratively following extensive statewide community consultations with Aboriginal communities and discussions with policy makers. Development of the study protocol and study instruments happened over an extended period, with many opportunities for community input and feedback. The study represents a long-term investment by the AHCSA, MCRI and the University of Adelaide in partnership and collaborative development of {\textquoteleft}community-led{\textquoteright} Aboriginal health research focusing on health system reform in South Australia. Three sections of SA Health – the Women{\textquoteright}s and Children{\textquoteright}s Health Network, Country Health SA, and the South Australian Department of Health – have also made substantial contributions to the project via involvement in the Aboriginal Families Study Policy Implementation Partnership, and via seed funding awarded to the study prior to securing the NHMRC project grant. Funding Information: In December 2008, the research team, together with members of the Aboriginal Advisory Group, invited senior policy makers in the South Australian Health Department, the Women{\textquoteright}s and Children{\textquoteright}s Health Network and Country Health SA to a meeting to discuss the relevance of the Aboriginal Families Study to current policy directions in South Australia. As an outcome of this meeting, the decision was taken to establish a formal partnership between the AHCSA, SA Health and the research institutions involved in the study, initially with the aim of submitting a joint funding application to NHMRC. This application submitted in early 2009 was unsuccessful, but the organisations and individuals that were party to this application agreed to continue working together to secure funding and facilitate translation of research findings. Funding for the study was secured via an NHMRC project grant (#1004395) awarded in 2010, and grants from the Rio Tinto Aboriginal Fund and SA Health. Funding Information: The authors respectfully acknowledge the Aboriginal Custodians of the Lands and Waters of Australia. We thank the many Aboriginal families who have played a role in development of the Aboriginal Families Study through the community consultation and development of the questionnaire; the women who have taken part; their communities and the staff in the many agencies that have supported the study. The Aboriginal Families Study is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (project grant ID1004395, 2011–2013), the Rio Tinto Aboriginal Fund, and SA Health, and supported by the Victorian Government{\textquoteright}s Operational Infrastructure Support Program. SB was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Career Development Fellowship (ID491205, 2008–2011), and currently holds an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (2012–2015).",
year = "2013",
doi = "10.1186/1475-9276-12-41",
language = "English",
volume = "12",
journal = "International Journal for Equity in Health",
issn = "1475-9276",
publisher = "BioMed Central Ltd.",
number = "1",
}