The Impact of Household Infrastructure Improvements on Child Health in Remote Aboriginal Communities

生活环境对健康的影响在过去150年中得到了很好的记录，人们普遍承认，工业国家生活、工作和社会条件的改善导致了健康状况的显著改善。在澳大利亚，人们清楚地认识到不健康的环境与土著人口健康状况不佳之间的密切关系。1993-1994年，联邦政府建立了基础设施项目，作为执行国家土著健康战略的一个组成部分。资助社区的选择是基于需求，北领地吸引的资金支持与其总人口不成比例，但符合需求水平。虽然人们广泛接受家庭环境与健康状况之间的关系以及支持这一一般关系的证据，但在国际和地方一级需要进行研究，为具体的社会政策决策提供信息。拟议研究的目的是确定改善家庭基础设施对生活在偏远土著社区的儿童的健康的影响，以期为基础设施项目的发展提供信息。该项目的成果将是在理解家庭环境与健康状况之间的关系以及通过改善家庭基础设施可实现的健康改善方面的重大进展。据我们所知，家庭基础设施的具体组成部分与进行各种健康生活实践的能力之间的关系将首次得到界定。在北领地有一个在这一领域进行世界级研究的独特机会。这些新信息将对澳大利亚各地偏远土著社区以及国际上类似环境下的基础设施项目的规划有价值

The impact of the living environment on health has been well documented in the last 150 years and it is widely acknowledged that improvements in the living, working and social conditions of industrial countries have resulted in dramatic improvements in health. In Australia the close correlation between an unhealthy environment and the poor health of the Indigenous population has been clearly recognised. In 1993-94 the Federal Government established infrastructure projects as a component in the implementation of the National Aboriginal Health Strategy. The selection of communities for funding has been based on need, and the Northern Territory has attracted funding support disproportionate to its total population, but consistent with the level of need. While there is wide acceptance of the relationship between the household environment and health status, and evidence to support this general relationship, there is a need at an international and local level for research that informs specific social policy decisions. The aim of the proposed study is to determine the impact of improvements in household infrastructure on the health of children living in remote Aboriginal communities with a view to informing the development of infrastructure projects. The outcomes of this project will be a significant advance in the understanding of the relationship between the household environment and health status, and of the improvements in health that can be achieved through improvement in household infrastructure. The relationship between specific components of household infrastructure and the ability to conduct each of a number of healthy living practices will be defined, to our knowledge, for the first time. There is a unique opportunity in the Northern Territory to conduct world class research in this area. The new information will be of value in the planning of infrastructure projects in remote Indigenous communities across Australia and in similar settings internationally