title: Retrospective audit of postnatal attendance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women attending a community-controlled health service in north Queensland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Low uptake of postnatal care among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women is a concern. The aim of this study was to ex-amine any associations with postnatal attendance by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective cohort study was conducted of 198 women who attended Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service (TAIHS) for antenatal care between 1 January 2009 and 1 January 2011. Postnatal attendance and its relationship to demographic, behavioural, antenatal and intrapartum factors was assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the women included in the study, 48.0% (95/198) returned to TAIHS for postnatal care. A statistically significant positive association between antenatal and postnatal attendance was found using multivariate analysis (P DISCUSSION: Strategies are needed to improve postnatal attendance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, and strengthening attendance during the antenatal period may be an indirect way of facilitating this. Better postnatal follow-up will enhance the capacity for health services to deliver preventive care to this population.
authors.affiliation: MBBS, FRACGP, General Practitioner, Primary Health Services, Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service, Townsville, QLD.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Ciaran
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Frawley
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Almond
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Larkins
mesh_terms: D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006303:Health Services, Indigenous / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008485:Medical Audit; D011181:Postnatal Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011793:Queensland; D012189:Retrospective Studies