Indigenous child health: Urgent need for improved data to underpin better health outcomes

• Accurate data about Indigenous child health is vital to enable us to understand its current state, to acknowledge achievements, and to determine how to reduce inequalities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. 

• We have identified a paucity of national, or nationally representative, data relating to Indigenous child health outcomes, and significant deficiencies in available data. 

• A coordinated national approach will help address current data limitations, including lack of identification of Indigenous status, lack of currency, and lack of information about specific health disorders affecting Indigenous children. 

• To ensure that health data collected are relevant and useful, Indigenous communities must have a role in data collection and management.