Centre for Cardiovascular and Chronic Care, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia.
Int J Equity Health. 2013 Jan 18;12:7. doi: 10.1186/1475-9276-12-7.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have higher rates of disability than non-Indigenous children and are considered doubly disadvantaged, yet there is very little data reflecting prevalence and service access to inform design and delivery of services. Failing to address physical, social, and psychological factors can have life-long consequences and perpetuate longstanding health disparities.
A narrative literature review was undertaken to identify peer reviewed literature describing factors impacting on the prevention, recognition, and access to support and management of disability in Indigenous Australian children.
Twenty-seven peer-reviewed journal articles met inclusion criteria. The majority of articles focused on the hearing loss and learning disabilities consequent of otitis media. Few articles reported data on urban or metropolitan Indigenous populations or described interventions. Individual/community-, provider-, and systems level factors were identified as impacting on recognition and management of disability in young Indigenous children.
Given the burden of childhood disability, the limited literature retrieved is concerning as this is a barometer of activity and investment. Solutions addressing childhood disability will require collaboration between health, social and educational disciplines as well as an increased investment in prevention, identification and promotion of access.
澳大利亚原住民和托雷斯海峡岛民儿童的残疾率高于非原住民儿童，他们被认为处于双重劣势地位，但几乎没有数据反映残疾的流行程度和服务获取情况，无法为服务的设计和提供提供信息。未能解决身体、社会和心理因素可能会产生终身影响，并使长期存在的健康差距永久化。
进行了叙述性文献综述，以确定描述影响澳大利亚原住民儿童残疾预防、识别以及获得支持和管理的因素的同行评审文献。
符合纳入标准的有 27 篇同行评审期刊文章。大多数文章都集中在中耳炎导致的听力损失和学习障碍上。很少有文章报告有关城市或都会区原住民人口的数据，也没有描述干预措施。个人/社区、提供者和系统层面的因素被确定为影响对年轻原住民儿童残疾的识别和管理。
鉴于儿童残疾的负担，检索到的有限文献令人担忧，因为这是活动和投资的晴雨表。解决儿童残疾问题需要卫生、社会和教育学科之间的合作，以及增加对预防、识别和促进获取的投资。
