Cohort profile: The Aboriginal Families Study – a prospective cohort of Aboriginal children and their mothers and caregivers in South Australia

Abstract

PurposeThe Aboriginal Families Study is a prospective, intergenerational cohort study with well-established Aboriginal governance arrangements and community partnerships to support all research processes including data collection, interpretation and knowledge translation.Participants344 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children born in South Australia between July 2011 and June 2013 and their mothers and other primary caregivers. Two waves of survey data collection have been undertaken: early in the first year postpartum and when the study children were aged 5–8 years. Children participated in direct developmental assessments of their cognitive, speech and language development at 5–8 years of age. Social and cultural determinants of health and well-being have been assessed at each wave of data collection.Findings to datePublications and policy briefs to date focus on social determinants of women’s and children’s physical and mental health; identifying gaps in access to pregnancy, postnatal, primary, specialist and allied healthcare; and evidence that Aboriginal-led services in South Australia have improved women’s experiences and access to antenatal care.Future plansWave 3 follow-up is planned as the study children reach 14–16 years of age. Longitudinal follow-up of women and children in the cohort will generate new knowledge about factors promoting children and young people’s social and emotional well-being. Our goal is to build a stronger understanding of the potential for key domains of social and emotional well-being (eg, connection to community, family and kin, country and spirituality) to buffer the impacts of social determinants of health, including intergenerational trauma and social inequity.