Injury prevention in Australian Indigenous communities

Inequalities in unintentional injuries between indigenous and non-indigenous children: a systematic review

“…Cultural alienation and dispossession,15 low socioeconomic status5 16 – 18 and geographical remoteness2 4 11 16 19 have been discussed as key factors contributing to the higher burden of injury among indigenous children. However much of the evidence on low socioeconomic status and geographical remoteness stems from population-level studies and is not specific to indigenous children.…”

Why Australia needs a Medical Research Future Fund

“…Achievement of the objectives of this Agreement will be influenced and supported by the successful implementation of other Indigenous initiatives including early childhood reforms, broader health system changes and measures to address the underlying social determinants of poor health. There is a need to base injury prevention efforts on evidence, ensure that they are culturally appropriate, that they build on resilience, and they address systemic issues that reduce people's capacity to make health-enhancing choices and the likelihood they will do so Ivers et al 2008;Berger et al 2009;Berry et al 2009). …”

Comparison of On-Reserve Road Versus Off-Reserve Road Motor Vehicle Crashes in Saskatchewan, Canada

“…3,4 There is evidence that clearly supports the fact that Aboriginal/indigenous peoples suffer from greater injury-related morbidity and mortality compared with the general population. [5][6][7][8] This is also true of the Aboriginal and First Nations communities in Canada. Injury is one of the leading causes of death among Aboriginal and First Nations communities in Canada and is responsible for approximately one quarter of all deaths and more than half of the potential years of life lost in this population.…”

“…Therefore, there is frequent travel on high-velocity freeways and highways, which can be less well maintained than city streets. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][13][14][15][16][17] Fatality rates for on-reserve road MVCs may be a consequence of the following: Access to advanced emergency medical care centers is limited and treatment delays can occur, 12 unprotected travel in open trucks is common, and the rates of seat belt use are low. [13][14][15][16][17] All of these factors contribute to the overrepresentation of the Aboriginal/indigenous population in motor vehicle-related injuries.…”

“…The available limited literature shows that in order to address the complex range of injury problems in disadvantaged Aboriginal/indigenous communities considerable work is required in capacity building with local communities to address their overall transport safety issues. 7,8 Every community has unique cultural, political, and historical factors that must be recognized and respected. Priorities for intervention need to be based on reliable data, feasibility, and the expressed concerns of the community leaders and community.…”