The association of infant feeding with parent-reported infections and hospitalisations in the West Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey.

Objective: To examine infant feeding associations with parent-reported infections and hospitalisations in Western Australian Aboriginal infants and children.

Method: Families in Western Australia with children under 18 years of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent were included. A stratified multi-stage sample using an area-based sampling frame was compiled.

Developmental and environmental factors supporting the health and well-being of Aboriginal adolescents.

Little progress has been made in the past 30 years in closing the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians in terms of their educational outcomes, rates of incarceration, risks for chronic illnesses and reduced life-expectancy. The Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey is the first population based survey of its kind developed specifically to inform policy and planning to improve the developmental health of Aboriginal children and youth. A random representative sample of 5,289 Aboriginal children aged 0-17 years, including 1,480 adolescents aged 12-17 years was surveyed through household based interviews with carers and adolescents, questionnaire data from schools and consensual record linkage to health service and education system data.