No abstract

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creat ive Commo ns Attri bution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

The unacceptable discrepancies in health outcomes between First Nations and non‐Indigenous Australians begin at birth. Preterm birth (birth before 37 completed weeks of gestation) is a major contributor to adverse short‐ and long‐term health outcomes and mortality. Australian First Nations infants are more commonly born too early. No tangible reductions in preterm births have been made in First Nations communities. Factors contributing to high preterm birth rates in Australian First Nations infants are reviewed and interventions to reduce preterm birth in Australian First Nations women are discussed. More must be done to ensure Australian First Nations infants get a better start to life. This can only be achieved with ongoing and improved research in partnership with Australian First Nations peoples.