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Box 5.2.2(continued)Between 1993–95 and 2002–04, the perinatal mortality 4 rate among babies born toAboriginal mothers in NSW decreased from 19.7 to 12.5 per 1000 live births. The NSWAboriginal Maternal and Infant Health Strategy may have been one of several factorsand programs contributing to the decrease in mortality over this period (NSWGovernment, unpublished).Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service, Queensland — Mums andBabies programIn February 2000, the Mums and Babies project commenced at Townsville Aboriginaland Islander Health Service (TAIHS). Under a partnership arrangement between theQueensland Health Child Health Unit and the Aboriginal and Islander Health Team, theKirwan Women's Hospital, and TAIHS, a collaborative model of antenatal andpostnatal care for women was developed. The program encompasses regularantenatal and postnatal medical examinations, pregnancy nutrition advice, birthinginformation and support, supervised childcare, and a transport service. The programhas seen a decrease in perinatal deaths by 62 per cent, pre-term births by 44 per centand the incidence of low birthweight by 26 per cent since 2000. The Mums and Babiesclinic also sees large numbers of infants and children who are regularly monitored forgrowth, development, and hearing. The program has been extended to include primaryhealth care for children up to eight years of age (TAIHS 2005; Atkinson 2001;Panaretto et al. 2005; Queensland Government (unpublished)).As well as those mentioned in box 5.2.2, a variety of programs have been developedto improve the health of Indigenous babies and young children, some of which areincluded as case studies in sections 5.1 and 5.3. Efforts to improve the health ofmothers and babies through better antenatal care, immunization and greater use ofmaternal and child health services are likely to help reduce infant mortality.At present, estimates of the infant mortality rate among Australia’s Indigenouspopulation are imprecise:The exact scale of difference between the Indigenous and total population mortality isdifficult to establish conclusively, due to data quality issues with Indigenous deathsdata and the uncertainties inherent with estimating and projecting the Indigenouspopulation over time. Caution should be exercised when undertaking precise analysisof Indigenous mortality and trends in Indigenous data. (ABS 2006)The ABS suggests that under-coverage of Indigenous infant mortality is mainly dueto under reporting. Although each jurisdiction now asks a standard question aboutthe Indigenous status of the deceased, it is sometimes left unanswered or recorded4 Perinatal mortality is the death of an infant within 28 days of birth (neonatal death) or of a fetus(unborn child) that weighs at least 400 grams or that is of a gestational age of at least 20 weeks.EARLY CHILDDEVELOPMENT ANDGROWTH5.13