Child mortality target: analysis and recommendations

• National Indigenous Health Equality Council, Department of Health and Ageing

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15 March 2010Indigenous children aged 0-4 years die at 3 times the rate of non-Indigenous children. This analysis provides direction to achieve the Government’s commitment to halve the gap in mortality rates for Indigenous children by 2018.

The analysis includes statistics on key drivers; trends and projections; and NIHEC’s policy recommendations to inform progress towards the target.

NIHEC notes the progress being made in Indigenous child mortality rates and is encouraged by positive trends in key areas, such as antenatal care.  However, NIHEC is concerned about several key drivers where little or no improvement has been made, such as the increase in low birth weight babies born to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers.  NIHEC recommends policy attention and intervention to focus on the following key drivers to bridge the gap in Indigenous child health.

• Infant mortality
• Child mortality
• Low birth weight
• Socio-economic determinants