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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women comprise the fastest growing subgroup among the prisoner population and are severely over-represented in Australian prisons. Despite the striking over-representation, research into their health and other needs has, to date, been limited. This paper describes the consultation process undertaken in Western Australia for the Social and Cultural Resilience and Emotional Wellbeing of Aboriginal Mothers in Prison project (hereafter, the Aboriginal Mothers in Prison project). The project aims to better understand the health, treatment and other needs of Aboriginal mothers in prison in Western Australia and New South Wales, and was conducted over two phases, the consultation phase and the applied research phase. This paper focuses on the results of the first phase of the research. It outlines the history of the development of ethics in this field and reviews the formal documents available to guide researchers working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, tenets of which were infused throughout the research process. The paper then discusses how key stakeholders were identified in the area and provides an overview of the central findings from the consultation phase. In addition, the paper illustrates how being true to the consultation process and actively incorporating the feedback of diverse (and sometimes competing) stakeholders ensures the project acknowledges, respects and actions (where possible) the needs and concerns of the various agencies and individuals with investment in the issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aboriginal infants have poorer birth outcomes than non-Aboriginal infants. Harmful use of tobacco, alcohol, and other substances is higher among Aboriginal women, as is violence, due to factors such as intergenerational trauma and poverty. We estimated the proportion of small for gestational age (SGA) births, preterm births, and perinatal deaths that could be attributed to these risks.Methods: Birth, hospital, mental health, and death records for Aboriginal singleton infants born in Western Australia from 1998 to 2010 and their parents were linked. Using logistic regression with a generalized estimating equation approach, associations with birth outcomes and population attributable fractions were estimated after adjusting for demographic factors and maternal health during pregnancy.Results: Of 28,119 births, 16% of infants were SGA, 13% were preterm, and 2% died perinatally. 51% of infants were exposed in utero to at least one of the risk factors and the fractions attributable to them were 37% (SGA), 16% (preterm) and 20% (perinatal death).Conclusions: A large proportion of adverse outcomes were attributable to the modifiable risk factors of substance use and assault. Significant improvements in Aboriginal perinatal health are likely to follow reductions in these risk factors. These results highlight the importance of identifying and implementing risk reduction measures which are effective in, and supported by, Aboriginal women, families, and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]