Ek. Rousham et M. Gracey, Differences in growth among remote and town-dwelling Aboriginal children in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, AUS NZ J PU, 22(6), 1998, pp. 690-694
Citations number
18
Categorie Soggetti
Public Health & Health Care Science
Journal title
AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
This paper documents the growth of Aboriginal children in remote communitie
s and gazetted towns of the Kimberley region in the far north of Western Au
stralia over the past 20 years. The study's specific aim was to compare the
height and weight growth of children in different environments from birth
to five years of age. From 1979 to 1983, children living in towns were sign
ificantly taller and heavier than their counterparts in remote communities.
From 1984 to 1988 and thereafter, there were no significant differences in
the growth patterns of children in towns and remote communities. Overall,
weight-for-age and height-for-age of children in remote communities has imp
roved since the 1970s relative to their town-dwelling counterparts. These c
hanges in growth shed light on the quality of the social and physical envir
onment over the past 20 years and may assist with the development of future
programs for child health.