Objective. To assess whether Indigenous Australians age prematurely compared with other Australians, as implied by Australian Government aged care policy, which uses age 50 years and over for population-based planning for Indigenous people compared with 70 years for non-indigenous people.Methods. Cross-sectional analysis of aged care assessment, hospital and health survey data comparing Indigenous and non-indigenous age-specific prevalence of health conditions. Analysis of life tables for Indigenous and non-indigenous populations comparing life expectancy at different ages.Results. At age 63 for women and age 65 for men, Indigenous people had the same life expectancy as non-indigenous people at age 70. There is no consistent pattern of a 20-year lead in age-specific prevalence of age-associated conditions for Indigenous compared with other Australians. There is high prevalence from middle-age onwards of some conditions, particularly diabetes (type unspecified), but there is little or no lead for others.Conclusion. The idea that Indigenous people age prematurely is not well supported by this study of a series of discrete conditions. The current focus and type of services provided by the aged care sector may not be the best way to respond to the excessive burden of chronic disease and disability of middle-aged Indigenous people.What is known about the topic? The empirical basis for the Australian Government's use of age 50 for Indigenous aged care planning, compared to age 70 for the non-indigenous population, is not well established. It is not clear whether Indigenous people's poorer health outcomes and lower life expectancy are associated with premature ageing. What does this paper add? This paper compares Indigenous and non-indigenous life expectancy and prevalence of health conditions. Only some conditions associated with ageing appear to affect Indigenous people earlier than other Australians. The proposition of premature ageing based on this explanatory framework is uncertain. The estimated gap between Indigenous and non-indigenous life expectancy in later life is~6 years. What are the implications for practitioners? The current rationale for using a lower Indigenous planning age is problematic; however, further research is required to assess the effectiveness of this policy measure. The much higher prevalence of preventable chronic conditions among Indigenous Australians in middle-age groups is clear. The 'early ageing' frame can imply irremediable disability and disease. The aged care sector may be filling gaps in other services.Journal compilation Ó AHHA 2012 Open Access www.publish.csiro.au/journals/ahr CSIRO PUBLISHING Australian Health Review, 2012, 36, 68-74 Research Note http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/AH11996 HEALTH POLICYThe community care services for this group require a more tailored approach than simply lowering the planning age for aged care services.

There have been substantial increases in hospital admissions involving suicidal behaviour in the NT, most markedly for Indigenous residents. Indigenous females and youth appear to be at increasing risk. The steep increase in suicidal ideation across all groups warrants further investigation.

BackgroundThe No Germs on Me (NGoM) Social Marketing Campaign to promote handwashing with soap to reduce high rates of infection among children living in remote Australian Aboriginal communities has been ongoing since 2007. Recently three new television commercials were developed as an extension of the NGoM program. This paper reports on the mass media component of this program, trialling an evaluation design informed by the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB).MethodsA survey questionnaire taking an ecological approach and based on the principals and constructs of the TPB was developed. Surveys were completed in six discrete Aboriginal communities immediately before and on completion of four weeks intensive televising of the three new commercials.ResultsAcross the six communities access in the home to a television that worked ranged from 49 to 83 % (n = 415). Seventy-seven per cent (n = 319) of participants reported having seen one or more of the new commercials. Levels of acceptability and comprehension of the content of the commercials was high (97 % n = 308). Seventy-five per cent (n = 651) of participants reported they would buy more soap, toilet paper and facial tissues if these were not so expensive in their communities. For TPB constructs demonstrated to have good internal reliability the findings were mixed and these need to be interpreted with caution due to limitations in the study design.ConclusionsCultural, social-economic and physical barriers in remote communities make it challenging to promote adults and children wash their hands with soap and maintain clean faces such that these behaviours become habit. Low levels of access to a television in the home illustrate the extreme level of disadvantage experienced in these communities. Highlighting that social marketing programs have the potential to increase disadvantage if expensive items such as television sets are needed to gain access to information. This trial of a theory informed evaluation design allowed for new and rich information to be obtained about community members’ beliefs, attitudes and intentions towards teaching and assisting children so safe hygiene behaviours become habit. Findings will support an evidence-based approach is taken to plan future NGoM program activities.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-015-2503-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This paper reports the findings from a pilot study in which the Schedule for Individual Quality of Life (SEIQoL-DW) was used to determine how 15 at-risk Indigenous Australian male youths aged between 14 and 19 conceptualised their quality of life. The youths, who were referred with problems associated with drug and alcohol misuse and criminal activity, were attending a diversionary program run by an Indigenous organisation in the Northern Territory, Australia. Quality of life was measured before and at the end of the nine-day programme in order to evaluate outcomes. Program staff found the SEIQoL-DW to be particularly useful in identifying culturally specific quality of life domains, allowing interventions to focus on improving the life areas that were of particular value to individuals as well as recognizing any deficits in their understanding the options available to them. While a control group was not used, mean SEIQoL-DW scores increased significantly over the course of the program.

despite this being a strategic priority area) highlight a dilemma for public health research in this area.Obesity intervention research, even when identified as a priority, appears to remain a poor cousin to other obesity research, although without the denominator for 'obesity-related research' this is hard to clarify. It is unclear how and if the review process differs for grants identified under strategic priority areas. For example, does the identification of strategic research areas provide an opportunity to positively discriminate nominated areas or does it merely seek to attract additional proposals in such areas?These data further highlight the need for granting bodies and researchers to develop a closer relationship so that researchers are better able to understand the processes underlying the system. By working more closely it may be possible to achieve the overall aim of both granting bodies and researchers, to promote the development of a strong evidence base to improve the health and wellbeing of the population. While young people are generally healthy, the silent progression towards chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease may have already begun in adolescence. Adolescence is often the stage of life when experimentation with health damaging activities such as smoking, alcohol and drug use begins and habits formed at this age often become entrenched.1 Despite increasing recognition of the importance of this phase of life, 2 there continues to be a paucity of information on the health of this age group.Described here is the successful engagement and recruitment of young people in a longitudinal health study. The Top End Cohort Study (n=195) was established to ascertain the current health status of a cohort of young people and to follow them through their life span. Participation was voluntary and eligibility was based on being born between 1987 and 1991 in the Darwin area and currently residing there. Darwin is home to people from many countries, allowing the recruitment of people from diverse cultural heritage. As there is a well-established study of Aboriginal people of the same age based in the Top End, the Aboriginal Birth Cohort Study, 3 inclusion was limited to people born to non-Aboriginal mothers. Recruitment commenced in November 2007 and continued till September 2009.Studies have found that young people dislike using health services because they think they will be embarrassing, lack confidentiality, and that health staff do not understand their needs and therefore the services provided are irrelevant. 4 Previous research has highlighted specific barriers to engaging young people in health services such as cost, time and confidence in service providers.5 Strategies were incorporated both in the recruitment phase and in the delivery of health check in an effort to overcome these barriers.The participants aged 16-21 years underwent a comprehensive health assessment which consisted of a wide range of procedures from anthropometrics, to ultrasounds of kidney, carotid and thyro...