Aboriginal Health
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Aboriginal Health |
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P35 - Iron Status in Aboriginal Petrol Sniffers Dorothy Mackerras , Chris Burns, Bart Currie. Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, AustraliaLead exposure interferes with iron metabolism. Most studies to date have focused on those with environmental exposure. Recreational petrol (gasoline) sniffing is common in some Aboriginal communities. We report the baseline data collected as part a community-requested evaluation of the introduction of unleaded petrol. Blood was obtained from 46 current, 35 ex- and 36 never sniffers identified by local Aboriginal health staff in two isolated communities in Arnhem Land. All were men aged 13-32 years. The mean haemoglobin (Hb) level of the group was 14.4 g/dL. Compared to never sniffers, age-adjusted Hb levels were 0.9 mg/dL lower (p<0.005) and lead and erythrocyte protoporphryin levels were significantly higher in current sniffers (p<0.001). Other measures of iron status did not differ significantly. Using the 1985 Working Group definitions, the overall prevalence of anaemia was 12%. This varied significantly by sniffing status (p<0.005) and there was a 25% prevalence of anaemia in current sniffers. Among the 11 anaemic current sniffers, 7 had no other iron status abnormalities, 2 had low percent transferrin saturation percents and only 2 had low levels of both ferritin and percent transferrin saturation. Nutritionists working with populations in whom this habit is common should be aware of the interaction between lead and haemopoesis. P36 - Growth Assessment and Action Program: an innovative approach to growth monitoring in Central Australian Aboriginal communities Marion Swift, Frances Turner, Andrew White, Carmel Hatch, Heather Grieve. Alice Springs Remote Health Services, Alice Springs, Australia The Growth Assessment and Action program (GAA) commenced in Central Australia in 1996 in an attempt to address key issues raised in the NT Growth Assessment Guidelines and Strategic Plan (1995). The program focuses on four main areas. These include training all health staff and community workers in standard growth monitoring procedures, supporting children requiring nutritional rehabilitation, providing information to communities about the growth of their children and supporting community based child health/nutrition programs. Since the program commenced over 400 people have been trained. This includes Aboriginal Health Workers, Remote Area Nurses, District Medical Officers, Health Trainers and community based workers. A three-day GAA Specialist workshop is run twice a year to train community based workers and Aboriginal Health workers. A Territory wide nutrition information system has been developed designed to provide community level feedback. The October 2000 data represents 89 % (n= 829) of children under 5 years of age living in remote Alice Springs communities. Of the children measured, eleven percent (11%) were stunted (-2HAZ), three percent (3%) were underweight (-2 WAZ), one (1%) percent were wasted (-2WHZ) and twelve percent (12%) were malnourished (wasted and or stunted and or underweight). Thirty eight percent (38%) had iron deficiency anaemia. Since the implementation of the GAA program there have been some positive changes in the overall growth of children on a community level and across the region. Since 1998 there has been a 50 % fall in the number of children with malnutrition. In some communities the prevalence of malnutrition has fallen by over 80 %. P37 - Feeding Practices On The Paediatric Ward At Alice Springs Hospital Carmel Hatch, Jenni Thurley, Sarah Wilmot. Alices Springs Hospital, Alice Springs, Australia Alice Springs Hospital is located in the Centre of Australia, servicing an area of 1.5million square miles and an urban population of 27,000 and a Central Australian population of 45,000. The Alice Springs Hospital has an amalgamated paediatric unit of 33 beds whilst the current re-development is being completed. The new paediatric unit at the Alice Springs Hospital is to be 45 beds and is expected to be ready to be used by August 2001. In 1999 and 2000 there was an average of 348 Paediatric admissions with the principal diagnosis of gastroenteritis, 84% of these admissions were Aboriginal. Thirty percent of the patients admitted with gastroenteritis had an additional diagnosis of failure to thrive. Ninety five percent of patients with the additional diagnosis were Aboriginal. The Clinical Nurse Consultants, Paediatric Liaison Nurses and the Dietitian identified the need for appropriate educational material for the nursing staff in regards to the appropriate feeding practices for these children. Due to the isolated location of the Hospital, staff turnover is high. Many of the nursing staff are not paediatric trained and have little experience at the feeding requirements of infants. As a result a series of informative posters were developed along with an inservice program. These posters aimed to describe a daily timetable of eating nutritionally appropriate foods with an emphasis placed on ensuring that the foods were also available in the communities. |
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