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RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)
Contents Vol 35(2)

Mapping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander maternal and infant health programs and services in Victoria, Australia

Fiona Mitchell https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0651-4040 A B * , Rachel Laws https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4328-1116 A , Penelope Love https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1244-3947 A , Jennifer Browne https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6497-2541 B Vincent L. Versace https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8514-1763 C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Institute of Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Burwood, Vic, Australia.

B The Global Obesity Centre, Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong, Vic, Australia.

C Deakin Rural Health, Deakin University, Warrnambool, Vic, Australia.

* Correspondence to: fiona.mitchell@deakin.edu.au

Public Health Research and Practice 35, PU24025 https://doi.org/10.1071/PU24025
Submitted: 15 August 2024  Accepted: 17 April 2025  Published: 20 June 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the Sax Institute. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Background

In Victoria, Aboriginal maternal and infant health services are funded by the Victorian Government with coordination led by the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO). This research aims to compare the distribution of these services with the Aboriginal infant population across all local government areas (LGAs) of Victoria and identify gaps in service availability.

Method

Statewide mapping of Aboriginal maternal and infant health services in Victoria was undertaken in 2023, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population data for each LGA in Victoria were sourced from the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census. Data relating to the geographical location of Aboriginal-specific maternal and infant health services were collected from the websites of VACCHO and the Victorian Department of Health. These data were geocoded and overlaid onto LGAs using a geographical mapping software program. Data were analysed via SPSS, a statistical analysis program.

Results

There was considerable variation in the availability of Aboriginal-specific maternal and infant health services across both metropolitan and regional areas of Victoria. Only 21 of 79 (27%) Victorian LGAs offered Aboriginal-specific services in either pregnancy or early childhood, and 12 (15%) offered continuity of care throughout pregnancy and early childhood specifically for Aboriginal families. Twenty-seven out of 79 (34%) LGAs offered no specific Aboriginal maternal and infant services. However, the median population of Aboriginal infants in LGAs with some services was significantly higher than in LGAs offering no services (81.0 vs 19.5, P < 0.001). Seven of the 16 LGAs (43%) with >100 Aboriginal infants had no specific Aboriginal maternal and infant health service.

Conclusion

Aboriginal-specific maternal and infant health services have been addressing the healthcare needs of Aboriginal families across Victoria since their inception. There does, however, need to be further targeted investment in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations so that developing communities within Victoria can access continuity of maternal and infant healthcare across the perinatal periods to improve the overall health of future generations of Aboriginal children and families.

Keywords: ethnicity, infant, pregnancy, programs.

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