Aboriginal Maternal Health and Outcomes - Essay Example

Aboriginal Maternal Health and Outcomes Introduction This paper is about proposed strategies that can be used to improve antenatal and postnatal care among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and babies. The strategies are based on evidence from research on the causes of poor health outcomes from this group of people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have high rates of maternal health problems compared to the non-indigenous groups in NSW. They have higher rates of teenage birth, high numbers of women not attending clinic, high rates of perinatal mortality, and high rate of low birth weight. All these are attributed to different factors that have been discussed, and appropriate strategy suggested. Comparison of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers and babies with non-Aboriginal mothers and babies from 2006 to 2010 Issue Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers and babies The Rest of the population in NSW (non-Aboriginal mothers) Reported Births Increased (2,649 to 3,138) Increased (12,311 to 13,795) Births to teenage mothers Decreased from 20.5% to 18.6% Decreased from 3.8% to 3.4% Mothers giving birth at the age of 35 and above Remained stable at 9% Increased from 21.6% to 24.2% mothers starting antenatal care at Read More