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The link between hearing impairment and child maltreatment among Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory of Australia: is there an opportunity for a public health approach in child protection?

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:International studies provide evidence of an association between child disabilities, including hearing impairment (HI), and child maltreatment. There are high prevalences of ear disease with associated HI, and child maltreatment among Australian Aboriginal children, but the link between HI and child maltreatment is unknown. This study investigates the association between HI and child maltreatment for Aboriginal children living in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. METHODS:This was a retrospective cohort study of 3895 Aboriginal school-aged children (born between 1999 and 2008) living in remote NT communities. The study used linked individual-level information from health, education and child protection services. The outcome variables were child maltreatment notifications and substantiations. The key explanatory variable, HI, was based on audiometric assessment. The Kaplan-Meier estimator method was used in univariate analysis; Cox proportional hazards regression was used in multivariable analysis. RESULTS:A majority of the study cohort lived in very remote (94.5%) and most disadvantaged (93.1%) regions. Among all children in the study cohort, 56.1% had a record of either HI or unilateral hearing loss (UHL), and for those with a history of contact with child protection services (n = 2757), 56.7% had a record of HI/UHL (n = 1564). In the 1999-2003 birth cohort, by age 12 years, 53.5% of children with a record of moderate or worse HI had at least one maltreatment notification, compared to 47.3% of children with normal hearing. In the 2004-2008 cohort, the corresponding results were 83.4 and 71.7% respectively. In multivariable analysis, using the full cohort, children with moderate or worse HI had higher risk of any child maltreatment notification (adjusted Hazard Ratios (adjHR): 1.16, 95% CI:1.04-1.30), notification for neglect (adjHR:1.17, 95% CI:1.04-1.31) and substantiation (adjHR:1.20, 95% CI:1.04-1.40), than children with normal hearing. In the 2004-2008 birth cohort, children with moderate or worse HI had higher risk of a substantiated episode of physical abuse (adjHR:1.47, 95% CI:1.07-2.03) than children with normal hearing. CONCLUSION:Our findings demonstrate the urgent need for HI and child maltreatment prevention strategies through raised community awareness and inter-agency collaboration. Effective information-sharing between service providers is a critical first step to a public health approach in child protection.

SUBMITTER: He VY

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7132974 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundAustralian surveillance data document higher rates of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) among young Aboriginal people (15-29 years) in remote settings than non-Aboriginal young people. Epidemiological data indicate a substantial number of young Aboriginal people do not test for STIs. Rigorous qualitative research can enhance understanding of these findings. This paper documents socio-ecological factors influencing young Aboriginal people's engagement with clinic-based STI testing in two remote settings in the Northern Territory, Australia.MethodsIn-depth interviews with 35 young Aboriginal men and women aged 16-21 years; thematic analysis examining their perceptions and personal experiences of access to clinic-based STI testing.ResultsFindings reveal individual, social and health service level influences on willingness to undertake clinic-based STI testing. Individual level barriers included limited knowledge about asymptomatic STIs, attitudinal barriers against testing for symptomatic STIs, and lack of skills to communicate about STIs with health service staff. Social influences both promoted and inhibited STI testing. In setting 1, local social networks enabled intergenerational learning about sexual health and facilitated accompanied visits to health clinics for young women. In setting 2, however, social connectedness inhibited access to STI testing services. Being seen at clinics was perceived to lead to stigmatisation among peers and fear of reputational damage due to STI-related rumours. Modalities of health service provision both enhanced and inhibited STI testing. In setting 1, outreach strategies by male health workers provided young Aboriginal men with opportunities to learn about sexual health, initiate trusting relationships with clinic staff, and gain access to clinics. In setting 2, barriers were created by the location and visibility of the clinic, appointment procedures, waiting rooms and waiting times. Where inhibitive factors at the individual, social and health service levels exist, young Aboriginal people reported more limited access to STI testing.ConclusionsThis is the first socio-ecological analysis of factors influencing young Aboriginal people's willingness to undertake testing for STIs within clinics in Australia. Strategies to improve uptake of STI testing must tackle the overlapping social and health service factors that discourage young people from seeking sexual health support. Much can be learned from young people's lived sexual health experiences and family- and community-based health promotion practices.

Project description:OBJECTIVE:To assess cost-effectiveness of stroke care for Aboriginal compared with non-Aboriginal patients in the Northern Territory (NT), Australia. DESIGN:Cost-effectiveness analysis using data from a cohort-based follow-up study of stroke incidents. SETTING:Public hospitals in the NT from 1992 to 2013. PARTICIPANTS:Individual patient data were extracted and linked from the hospital inpatient and primary care information systems. OUTCOME MEASURES:Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were calculated and assessed graphically. Survival time was used to measure effectiveness of stroke care, in comparison with the net costs per life-year gained, from a healthcare perspective, by applying multivariable models to account for time-dependent confounding. RESULTS:2158 patients with incident stroke were included (1171 males, 1178 aged <65 years and 966 from remote areas). 992 patients were of Aboriginal origin (46.0%, disproportionately higher than the population proportion of 27%). Of all cases, 42.6% were ischaemic and 29.8% haemorrhagic stroke. Average age of stroke onset was 51 years in Aboriginal, compared with 65 years in non-Aboriginal patients (p<0.001). Aboriginal patients had 71.4% more hospital bed-days, and 7.4% fewer procedures than non-Aboriginal patients. Observed health costs averaged $A50 400 per Aboriginal compared with $A33 700 per non-Aboriginal patient (p<0.001). The differential costs and effects for each population were distributed evenly across the incremental cost-effectiveness plane threshold line, indicating no difference in cost-effectiveness between populations. After further adjustment for confounding and censoring, cost-effectiveness appeared greater for Aboriginal than non-Aboriginal patients, but this was not statistically significant (p=0.25). CONCLUSIONS:Stroke care for the NT Aboriginal population is at least as cost-effective as the non-Aboriginal population. Stroke care presents worthwhile and equitable survival benefits for Aboriginal patients in remote communities, notwithstanding their higher level burden of disease. These findings are relevant for healthcare planning and policy development regarding equal access to stroke care for Aboriginal patients.

Project description:BackgroundLinked to extreme rates of chronic heart and kidney disease, pyoderma is endemic amongst Aboriginal children in Australia's Northern Territory (NT). Many of those with pyoderma will also have scabies. We report the results of a community-based collaboration within the East Arnhem Region, which aimed to reduce the prevalence of both skin infections in Aboriginal children.Methodology/principal findingsCommencing September 2004, we conducted an ecological study that included active surveillance for skin infections amongst children aged <15 years in five remote East Arnhem communities over a three year period. Screening was undertaken by trained local community workers, usually accompanied by another project team member, using a standard data collection form. Skin infections were diagnosed clinically with the aid of a pictorial flip chart developed for the purpose. Topical 5% permethrin was provided for age-eligible children and all household contacts whenever scabies was diagnosed, whilst those with pyoderma were referred to the clinic for treatment in accordance with current guidelines. In addition, annual mass scabies treatment (5% permethrin cream) was offered to all community residents in accordance with current guidelines but was not directly observed. Pyoderma and scabies prevalence per month was determined from 6038 skin assessments conducted on 2329 children. Pyoderma prevalence dropped from 46.7% at baseline to a median of 32.4% (IQR 28.9%-41.0%) during the follow-up period - an absolute reduction of 14.7% (IQR 4.7%-16.8%). Compared to the first 18 months of observation, there was an absolute reduction in pyoderma prevalence of 18 cases per 100 children (95%CI -21.0, -16.1, p</=0.001) over the last 18 months. Treatment uptake increased over the same period (absolute difference 13.4%, 95%CI 3.3, 23.6). While scabies prevalence was unchanged, the prevalence of infected scabies (that is with superimposed pyoderma) decreased from 3.7% (95%CI 2.4, 4.9) to 1.5% (95%CI 0.7, 2.2), a relative reduction of 59%.ConclusionAlthough pyoderma prevalence remained unacceptably high, there was a substantial reduction overall with improvements in treatment uptake a critical factor. More acceptable alternatives, such as cotrimoxazole for pyoderma and ivermectin as a community-wide scabicide, warrant further investigation in these settings. We are encouraged by progress made through this work, where local action was led by local community members and primary health care providers with external training and support.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT00884728.

Project description:Most estimates for End Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD) prevalence and incidence are based on renal replacement therapy (RRT) registers. However, not all people with ESKD will commence RRT and estimates based only on RRT registry data will underestimate the true burden of ESKD in the community. This study estimates the total number of Northern Territory (NT) residents with ESKD including: those receiving RRT, those diagnosed but not receiving RRT and an estimate of "undiagnosed" cases.Four data sources were used to identify NT residents with a diagnosis of ESKD: public hospital admissions, Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry registrations, death registrations and, for the Aboriginal population only, electronic primary care records. Three data sources contained information recorded between 1 July 2008 and 31 December 2013, death registration data extended to 31 December 2014 to capture 2013 prevalent cases. A capture-recapture method was used to estimate both diagnosed and undiagnosed cases by making use of probability patterns of overlapping multiple data sources.In 2013, the estimated ESKD prevalence in the NT Aboriginal population was 11.01 (95% confidence interval (CI) 10.24-11.78) per 1000, and 0.90 (95% CI 0.76-1.05) per 1000 in the NT non-Aboriginal population. The age-adjusted rates were 17.97 (95% CI 17.82-18.11) and 1.07 (95% CI 1.05-1.09) per 1000 in the NT Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations respectively. The proportion of individuals receiving RRT was 71.4% of Aboriginal and 75.5% of non-Aboriginal prevalent ESKD cases. The age-adjusted ESKD incidence was also greater for the Aboriginal (5.26 (95% CI 4.44-6.08) per 1000 population) than non-Aboriginal population (0.36 (95% CI 0.25-0.47) per 1000).This study provides comprehensive estimates of the burden of ESKD including those cases that are not identified in relevant health data sources. The results are important for informing strategies to reduce the total burden of ESKD and to manage the potential unmet demand, particularly from comparatively young Aboriginal patients who may be suitable for RRT but do not currently access the services for social, geographic or cultural reasons.

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The link between hearing impairment and child maltreatment among Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory of Australia: is there an opportunity for a public health approach in child protection?

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