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Community & Business

8 July, 2019

Anaemia too prevalent in Aboriginal and Torres Strait children

A CONCERNING report by James Cook University’s Dympna Leonard recently highlighted that almost 62 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children living in Far North Queensland were found to be anaemic at age 6-23 months.

By Rhys Thomas

Anaemia too prevalent in Aboriginal and Torres Strait children - feature photo

A CONCERNING report by James Cook University’s Dympna Leonard recently highlighted that almost 62 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children living in Far North Queensland were found to be anaemic at age 6-23 months.

That is compared to the national average which sits between 8 to 13 per cent, depending on the report.

The most common cause of anaemia is iron deficiency, and its effects have the capacity to significantly impact one’s brain development, growth, educational attainment and overall health.

While the report didn’t specifically pinpoint nutritional fi ndings, poor diet was found to be the leading cause of anaemia in young children.

The report narrows in on worrying statistics that not many people are aware of, however the Tablelands are fortunate to have quality health providers in the region to help fight the prevalence of anaemia in Indigenous and children.

One such provider is the Mulungu Aboriginal Corporation Medical Centre, who has an extensive model of care that takes place over three stages.

■ The full report can be found by following the link https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1753-6405.12911

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