Aboriginal Maternal and Child Health

Ann Larson, chairperson Vicki O’Donnell and Anne-Marie McHugh at the AHCWA launch of the Strength and Needs Analysis

Aboriginal Australia is a young population and its mothers and children carry an unfairly large burden of disease and social disadvantage.  Fortunately there are many excellent services, many of them in Aboriginal community controlled organisations, which are working to make every pregnancy and childhood healthy and happy.

Ann Larson has been involved in several evaluations of maternal and child health services.

• A Strength and Needs Analysis of Aboriginal health services’ maternal and child health programs
• A qualitative study of Aboriginal women’s experiences of antenatal care
• A microsimulation of the clinical and financial benefits of a holistic antenatal care program run by Aboriginal health services in Western Australia

Ann has conducted this work in partnership with Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Service, Combined Universities Centre for Rural Health, Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia and the Women’s and Infants Research Foundation.