Cohort profile: Understanding the influence of early life environments and health and social service system contacts over time and across generations through the Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey (WAACHS) Linked Data Study
Alex Brown,
Sarah E Johnson,
Peter Richmond,
Peter Azzopardi,
Stephen R Zubrick,
Melissa O'Donnell,
Juli Coffin,
Asha C Bowen,
Jenny Downs,
Elizabeth A Davis,
Hayley M Passmore,
Heather A D'Antoine,
Helen Milroy,
Glenn Pearson,
Francis Mitrou,
Sharynne L Hamilton,
Christopher G Brennan-Jones,
Stefanie Schurer,
Katherine M Conigrave,
Matthew M Cooper,
Kathryn A Ramsey,
Anna Ferrante,
Leah Cave,
Philip Vlaskovsky,
Katrina D Hopkins,
Ted Wilkes
Affiliations
Alex Brown
Indigenous Genomics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Sarah E Johnson
Population Health, The Kids Research Institute Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Peter Richmond
Medical School, Paediatrics, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Peter Azzopardi
Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children`s Research Institute, Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Stephen R Zubrick
Population Health, The Kids Research Institute Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Melissa O'Donnell
Australian Centre for Child Protection, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
Juli Coffin
Ngangk Yira Institute for Change, Yawardani Jan-ga Research Centre, Murdoch University, Broome, WA, Australia
Asha C Bowen
Medical School, Paediatrics, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Jenny Downs
Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Elizabeth A Davis
Diabetes and Obesity Research Team, The Kids Research Institute Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Hayley M Passmore
Law School, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
Heather A D'Antoine
Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, NT, Australia
Helen Milroy
Medical School, Psychiatry, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Glenn Pearson
Indigenous Health, The Kids Research Institute Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Francis Mitrou
Population Health, The Kids Research Institute Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Sharynne L Hamilton
University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Christopher G Brennan-Jones
Ear Health Team, The Kids Research Institute Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Stefanie Schurer
School of Economics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Katherine M Conigrave
Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Indigenous Health and Alcohol, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Matthew M Cooper
Biometrics, The Kids Research Institute Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Kathryn A Ramsey
Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Anna Ferrante
Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
Leah Cave
Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
Philip Vlaskovsky
Centre for Applied Statistics, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Katrina D Hopkins
Population Health, The Kids Research Institute Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Ted Wilkes
School of Indigenous Studies, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Purpose Despite the volume of accumulating knowledge from prospective Aboriginal cohort studies, longitudinal data describing developmental trajectories in health and well-being is limited. The linkage of child and carer cohorts from a historical cross-sectional survey with longitudinal health-service and social-service administrative data has created a unique and powerful data resource that underpins the Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey (WAACHS) linked data study. This study aims to provide evidence-based information to Aboriginal communities across Western Australia, governments and non-government agencies on the heterogeneous life trajectories of Aboriginal children and families.Participants This study comprises data from a historical cross-sectional household study of 5289 Aboriginal children from the WAACHS (2000–2002) alongside their primary (N=2113) and other (N=1040) carers, and other householders. WAACHS data were linked with Western Australia (WA) government administrative datasets up to 2020 including health, education, child protection, police and justice system contacts. The study also includes two non-Aboriginal cohorts from WA, linked with the same administrative data sources allowing comparisons of outcomes across cohorts in addition to between-group comparisons within the Aboriginal population.Findings to date Linked data coverage rates are presented for all WAACHS participants. Child health outcomes for the WAACHS children (Cohort 1) are described from birth into adulthood along with other outcomes including child protection and juvenile justice involvement.Future plans Analysis of data from both the child and carer cohorts will seek to understand the contribution of individual, family (intergenerational) and community-level influences on Aboriginal children’s developmental and health pathways, identify key developmental transitions or turning points where interventions may be most effective in improving outcomes, and compare service pathways for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children. All research is guided by Aboriginal governance processes and study outputs will be produced with Aboriginal leadership to guide culturally appropriate policy and practice for improving health, education and social outcomes.
