Background: In 1989 the Department of Health initiated a study of pregnancy outcomes in three Top End communities , Millingimbi, Galiwin'ku and Wadeye. This study indicated 27.7 percent of infants born in these communities were small for gestational age (SGA). Identified risk factors for SGA were malnutrition before (and after) pregnancy, and infection and substance abuse in pregnancy. As a consequence of the study results the Strong Woman Strong Babies Strong Culture Program (SWSBSC) was developed and trialled in Milingimbi, Gallwin'ku and Wadeye which led to a decrease in the rate of SGA babies. The outcome was that the SWSBSC Program was introduced in 1993 and has been running in communities across the Northern Territory since that time.

Methods:  The SWSBSC Program is a bi-cultural, community developdeleved program that employs Aboriginal women to work with other Aboriginal woman during pregnancy, birth and the early years. The program combines traditional Aboriginal women's health practises and Grandmother's Law with current western maternity and child health practises to gain the best outcomes for mothers and babies. 

Results/Discussions  The SWSBSC Program intially focussed on five key areas:  1 Nutrition, 2 Physical, emotional and social well-being, 3 Protection and prevention, 4 Caring and 5 Sharing.  Over the years this program has developed to incorporate evidence based knowledge and understanding and know focuses on the prevention of chronic conditions starting in pregnancy and pre-pregnancy, and addresses the social and environmental issues faced by remote communities.

Conclusions/implications: The SWSBSC Program has grown from strength to strength over two decades and as a result contributes significally to improved health outcomes for Aboriginal mothers and their babies in remote communities. The sucess and sustainability of this program has been largely due to the Department of health's community based Strong Woman Workers and the Strong Women Coordinators through ongoing community engagement