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‘Beyond core business’: A qualitative review of activities supporting environmental health within remote Western Australian schools

Aboriginal children and families contend with higher rates of preventable infectious diseases that can be attributed to their immediate living environment. The environments in which children spend most of their time are their homes and schools. We aimed to understand the opportunities in the school setting to support student skin health and wellbeing through environmental health activities, how these activities were completed, and the barriers to their implementation.

Child Development Interventions Among Indigenous Peoples in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States: A Scoping Review

Children's development is dependent on a range of factors influencing their life course outcomes. Protective and challenging social and cultural determinants impact how Indigenous families support their children's developmental foundations. However, there is a lack of international evidence investigating Indigenous child development interventions.

Spatial distribution of and socio-ecological risk factors for strongyloidiasis in Australia

Strongyloidiasis, caused by the soil-transmitted helminth Strongyloides stercoralis, remains a neglected public health issue in Australia, particularly among remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This study aimed to map the spatial distribution of strongyloidiasis and investigate associated socioecological factors to identify high-risk areas and guide targeted interventions in Australia.

First Nations families’ maternity care experiences in the Australian Capital Territory: Kapati Time Yarning, intergenerational trauma and the case for Birthing with Country

First Nations women often experience harmful, inequitable maternity care, shaped by intergenerational trauma and culturally unsafe care. Historical forced removal of First Nations children has created enduring trauma that influences pregnancy and birthing experiences. In the Australian Capital Territory, maternity care is provided through Western biomedical systems, where increasing child protection interventions and fear of surveillance affect women's engagement with care.

“You can't heal yourself in that setting and you wouldn't expect other people in this country to”: Yarning about housing and environmental health in remote Aboriginal communities

Remote Aboriginal communities in Australia are located on traditional lands holding deep cultural significance and meaning for residents. However, systemic inequity rooted in colonisation has driven persistent housing and health disparities, with inadequate environmental health conditions within homes and communities a prominent example. 

Koolungar (Children) Moorditj (Strong) Healthy Skin Project Part II: Skin Health in Urban-Living Australian Aboriginal Children

Although essential for overall health and wellbeing, little is known about skin health in urban-living Australian Aboriginal children. This co-designed, research-service project aimed to describe skin health and document skin disease frequency in urban-living Aboriginal children and young people in Western Australia and investigate housing associations for skin infections.

The Koolungar (Children) Moorditj (Strong) Healthy Skin Project Part I: Conducting First Nations Research in Pediatric Dermatology

Integrating First Nations knowledge systems and Western research methodologies recognizes the strength, experience, and insight of First Nations peoples in addressing health issues in their communities. In research, this includes projects being led by First Nations Elders and peoples, including First Nations researchers in the team, and collecting data in ways that reflect First Nations ways of knowing, being, and doing.

Emerging elements of paediatric post-sepsis care programs: A scoping review

Sepsis is a significant cause of mortality for children in Australia, particularly affecting young children, those with pre-existing health conditions and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. The transition from hospital to home can be challenging for survivors, often leaving long-term impacts unaddressed.

‘People don't trust those pieces of paper that are provided’: A qualitative study of cultural planning and outsourced out-of-home care services in Western Australia

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children continue to be removed at high rates from their families by child protection services, placing them at elevated risk of adverse long-term life outcomes. Cultural connection in out-of-home care is essential for mitigating the impacts of trauma from removal, emphasizing the importance of ensuring that cultural planning is rigorously undertaken. This article explores the provision of cultural plans in an era where out-of-home care services are outsourced by government, but where government holds onto the responsibility for developing cultural plans for children in care.

Exploring healthcare providers’ perspectives on the factors that facilitate primary health care access among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people aged 15-24 years of age often encounter challenges accessing and utilising primary health care (PHC). Providing health care responsive to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people requires the active involvement of healthcare providers (HCPs), who play a central role in healthcare delivery. This study explored perspectives of HCPs working in urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community-Controlled Health Organisations (ATSICCHOs) on the factors that facilitate Aboriginal and Torres Strait young people accessing and utilising PHC services.