The general health of a cohort of Aboriginal children (0–7 years) in Sydney

Including minority populations in research: we must do better

“…Two articles in this issue of the MJA discuss the inclusion of minority populations in research. Stanaway and colleagues found that one in five recent clinical trials in Australia excluded participants with low English proficiency, 1 while Comino and her co‐authors describe the responses of urban Aboriginal mothers to illness in their infants 2 …”

The health of Indigenous Australians

“…Some of the articles in this issue are formal scientific investigations, such as the investigation by Lucaszyk and her co‐authors of the different patterns of hospitalisations for falls among Indigenous and non‐Indigenous people 11 . In a different type of investigation, Comino and colleagues present an important report on the general health of a cohort of urban Aboriginal children (from birth to 7 years) in Sydney, one of the few longer term follow‐up studies undertaken with best practice methods for research in an Aboriginal community 12 …”

“…11 In a different type of investigation, Comino and colleagues present an important report on the general health of a cohort of urban Aboriginal children (from birth to 7 years) in Sydney, one of the few longer term follow-up studies undertaken with best practice methods for research in an Aboriginal community. 12 There is a dilemma in Indigenous health research: the resources, expertise and personnel needed for a study of strong cultural Tackling the clinical, social, cultural, communication, and research determinants of health together acceptability are not readily compatible with one that satisfies the usual criteria for scientific rigour and quality of evidence. Metaanalyses of interventional studies that could inform best practice in health care for Indigenous Australians are wanting, and the MJA looks forward to a time when sufficient published studies are available for the Journal to be able to receive such submissions.…”