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Families taking part in the Gudaga Study will benefit from home visits from nurses carrying out child assessments thanks to a generous donation of a new van from Macarthur Automotive.Dealer Principal Daniel Waterfield presenting keys to Professor Elizabeth Comino. Picture:Jeff de Pasquale
A STUDY into the health and learning patterns of Aboriginal children who live in the Campbelltown area just got a whole lot more mobile.
Nurses can now carry out child assessments at participant's homes as part of the Gudaga Study after Macarthur Automotive donated a van to the cause.
Researchers from The Centre for Health Equity Training Research and Evaluation recruited Aboriginal infants born in the region between 2005 and 2007 and have tracked their development since.
More than 130 families are involved and children are assessed every six months to monitor their health, early learning skills and service use.
Early childhood research Nurse Sheryl Scharkie said the new van would make it easier to assess seven-year-old children for the study.
"We will be able to drive to families homes and provide a quality testing area in the van with minimal distraction for the child," Ms Scharkie said.
Associate Professor Elizabeth Comino said the study would provide invaluable information about young Aboriginal children and inform service delivery across the region.