Injuries are the leading cause of death and the third leading cause of disease for children in Australia, with Indigenous children disproportionately impacted, facing higher rates, poorer health outcomes, and increased levels of disability.
“Over the past decade, the situation has worsened, injury rates are on the rise for Indigenous children with higher rates of mortality at a younger age,” says grant recipient Associate Professor Courtney Ryder, from FHMRI Trauma and Injury.
“In order to address the growing injury impacts facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, we need to understand what makes injuries more likely to occur, how these injuries impact children and their families, and how they can be prevented.
“We want to transform prevention, trauma and rehabilitation initiatives for injuries, and promote long lasting health and wellbeing outcomes, with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and their communities.”
The ‘Transforming HEalth and Wellbeing Outcomes from Injury for Aboriginal and Torres Strait IsLander Children – The HEAL Cohort Study’ was awarded $4,998,544.50 to address critical knowledge gaps in current injury data, particularly risk and protective factors, as well as social and cultural determinants.
“If we can fill in these knowledge gaps, including how family, community, culture, and social conditions impact Indigenous children’s health and recovery after injury, we can create better ways to prevent injuries and improve supports on offer,” she says.
The HEAL Cohort study — the first of its kind – will generate novel epidemiological insights into the depth and breadth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child injury.
The project will create a comprehensive dataset of around 180,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, leveraging two of Australia’s richest data sources: South Australia’s Better Evidence Better Outcomes Linked Data (BEBOLD) and the New South Wales Child E-Cohort.
“By using these novel platforms, we will be able to paint a clearer picture of injury incidence, the circumstances surrounding injuries, and responses from health, social, and education systems,” says Associate Professor Ryder.
“Importantly, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collaboration is at the core of HEAL, with it being the first study to implement Indigenous Data Frameworks, ensuring Indigenous Data Governance and Sovereignty take centre stage.
“In partnership with industry stakeholders, communities, and consumers, this initiative will empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices and perspectives throughout the research process, which has been depicted by Talia in our artwork Wruwalun Mi:wi (Hoping/Believing Inner Spirit/Soul), ” she says.
The data generated through the HEAL study will guide policymakers in identifying evidence-based solutions to reduce injury rates and improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families.
Artwork: Wruwalun Mi:wi “Hoping/Believing Inner Spirit/Soul” Artist: Talia Scriven (Nee RIGNEY), artwork story.
At Flinders University, we are dedicated to finding solutions to complex challenges with research that matters. In a groundbreaking initiative, we asked 30,000 Australians from across the nation to voice the problems that matter to them the most in their local communities, resulting in The Flinders Wicked Problems Report. Read more here.
