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Poor Aboriginal health traced back to birth

20 May 2005 - Chronic health problems suffered by Australia's Aborigines can be traced to birth, a new report found on Friday, saying indigenous babies were twice as likely as others to be born underweight.

More than 1,100 indigenous babies a year were at risk of being born underweight, leading to long-term health problems such as diabetes, heart and kidney disease, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) said

"All the odds are stacked against them," AMA president Bill Glasson said in the report titled "Lifting the Weight".

Australia's 450,000 Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders make up about two percent of the population but represent the most disadvantaged group in Australia. Many live in remote communities with little access to health and education services.

Aborigines die about 20 years younger than other Australians and suffer higher rates of unemployment, imprisonment, domestic violence and alcohol and drug abuse.

Glasson said the major causes of low birth-weight babies included smoking, alcohol and substance abuse, sexually transmitted disease and malnutrition in the mother.

The AMA urged the government to spend A$20 million ($15 million) a year to target mothers and baby programmes in remote and city-based aboriginal health services.

In recent years, Australia's conservative government has taken a more aggressive approach to indigenous problems, backing plans to make community funding conditional upon social guarantees, such as making sure children wash twice a day.

He said babies with low birth weights were more likely to die in the first year of life. He said 83 children died each year because they were indigenous.

"Resources are needed to encourage and support women in their efforts to give up smoking during pregnancy and to help doctors diagnose and treat sexually transmitted disease early in pregnancy," he said.

Source:Rueters, UK

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