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Background: The stillbirth rate for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants remains higher than non‐Indigenous rates. Risks for stillbirth include maternal factors such as ethnicity, age, geographic location, and physical health. Fetal risk factors include gestational age, birthweight and congenital anomalies. The total stillbirth rate for all babies born at the Townsville University Hospital during the study period was 11 per 1000 births. Aims: To identify Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stillbirth rates, risk factors and causes in North Queensland. Materials and Methods: A retrospective chart audit was conducted to identify Indigenous women who had experienced stillbirth in the Townsville University Hospital between January 2005 and December 2014. Results: Thirty‐two charts were available for audit. The stillbirth rate for non‐Indigenous infants was 10.3 per 1000 births. The stillbirth rate for Indigenous infants was 11.7 per 1000 births. Almost half of the women lived in rural, remote or very remote areas. Maternal risk factors included poorer physical health, such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and smoking, fertility issues and lack of antenatal care. Fetal risk factors included congenital anomalies, including cardiac and skeletal abnormalities, placental disorders, and preterm birth. Conclusions: Stillbirth risk remains higher for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and their babies. Supporting women to enhance their health is paramount, particularly during pregnancy. Further, increasing awareness of stillbirth risk factors through education for both women and healthcare professionals will support culturally responsive care for women and their families to mitigate stillbirth risk and enhance pregnancy outcomes in non‐urban Queensland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The stillbirth rate for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants is twice that for non‐Indigenous infants. Autopsy is the gold standard for fetal investigation; however, parental consent is often not given. There is little research investigating the drivers of parents' decision‐making for autopsy after stillbirth. Aims: The current study explored the reasons why Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women did or did not give permission to autopsy after stillbirth. Materials and Methods: Five Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander women participated in semi‐structured interviews. Thematic analysis was conducted within a phenomenological framework. Results: Five themes were identified as reasons for giving permission – to find out why the baby died; to confirm diagnosis; to understand future risk; to help others; and doubt about maternal causes. Four themes were identified as reasons for declining permission – not asked in a sensitive manner; not enough time to think; distress about the autopsy procedure; and unwilling to agree. There was a lack of acceptability of the lengthy timeframe for the availability of autopsy results as families usually wait between three and nine months. This lengthy waiting period negatively impacted upon families' health and wellbeing. Conclusions: It is important for health professionals to understand the factors that parents consider when giving permission for autopsy after stillbirth. It is hoped that an increase in autopsy rate will enhance the understanding of the causes of stillbirth and ultimately decrease the stillbirth rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community sustainability is particularly important for communities near mining operations as they can experience significant boom and downturn periods. The sustainability of a community is determined by its environmental, human, social, cultural, public structural, and commercial resources, its community capital. Research has been conducted on each of the elements of community capital; however, little is known regarding the overall impact of mining operations on community capital. Therefore, a review of peer-reviewed literature was conducted to gain insight into existing knowledge on each of the impact of mining operations on community capital. The quality of the chosen papers was appraised using a standardised critical assessment tool. Due to the varied methodology of the papers, the findings were thematically analysed. The results of this review identified that mining activities have negative impacts on the community through environmental degradation and consequent health problems, disruption to social networks, increased burden on public infrastructure, and economic dependence on a sometimes volatile mining industry. Minimising these impacts can increase the sustainability of mining communities after mining operations have reduced or ceased. Additionally, minimising these impacts can enhance community functioning while mining operation levels are at their peak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]