Robyn Williams

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Senior Research Fellow at Curtin University

Background : Physical activity benefits adolescent health and well-being, known holistically as social and emotional well-being (SEWB) to Aboriginal people. However, little is known about the associations between physical activity and SEWB among Aboriginal adolescents. The “Next Generation: Youth Well-Being (NextGen) Study” is a cohort study of Abo...

Issue Addressed Adolescent e‐cigarette use is increasing and is associated with subsequent smoking. This study examines potential protective factors associated with not vaping among First Nations adolescents in Australia to inform community programs. Methods The ‘ Next Generation: Youth Wellbeing Study’ is a cohort study of First Nations adolescen...

Background Mainstream preference-based quality of life (QoL) measures have been traditionally based on Western principles of health. It is critical to examine whether existing preference-based QoL measures capture what is important to Indigenous people while being comprehensive and culturally acceptable. This study aims to assess the content and fa...

Objective To assess the distribution of blood pressure levels and the prevalence of hypertension and pre‐hypertension in young Indigenous people (10–24 years of age). Study design Prospective cohort survey study (Next Generation: Youth Wellbeing Study); baseline data analysis. Setting, participants Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people age...

Objective: To quantify the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STI) testing in relation to sociodemographic, behavioural, and health related factors, and patterns in sexual health service (SHS) use and non-use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (hereafter Aboriginal) youth. Methods: The analyses included N=198 sexually active 1...

Issue Addressed Little is currently known about the relationships between body composition and the social determinants of health among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth in Australia, which could help inform policy responses to address health inequities. Methods This study aimed to explore the relationship between various social factors a...

Introduction Western Australia has one of the highest rates of Aboriginal children entering out-of-home care in Australia. Kinship care is the preferred culturally safe out-of-home care option for Aboriginal children, yet all jurisdictions, including Western Australia, are far from meeting best-practice national standards. Intersectoral collaborati...

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people are highly overrepresented within the Australian justice system. Despite an increase in research and policies, it is still unclear which interventions, programs and policies are most effective. The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between the Social and Emotional Wellbei...

Indigenous research frameworks are key to enhancing cultural safety for participants, while facilitating capacity building for Indigenous researchers. Indigenous frameworks can address and balance out the potential harms of western research methods. This methodology article describes the experiences of an Indigenous research team in Western Austral...

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate cardiometabolic health markers among Aboriginal adolescents aged 10-24 years and relationships with age, gender, and body composition. Methods: Baseline data (2018-2020) from the Next Generation Youth Wellbeing Cohort Study (Western Australia, New South Wales, and Central Australia) on clini...

Children and youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) have limited access to assessment, diagnostic, and treatment resources – a distinct disadvantage in meeting their care needs in Australia. Limited knowledge exists on the intersection of FASD, Indigeneity, racism, trauma, and child welfare involvement. Notably, the lack of support for c...

The Strong Born Campaign (2022–2025) was launched by the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) in 2023. Strong Born is the first of its kind national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health promotion campaign to address Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) within Australia. Strong Born was developed to address...

We undertook a scoping review to identify the factors outside of current fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) diagnostic criteria to be considered as part of a holistic assessment process. This included physical, social, cultural, mental health and wellbeing factors to inform targeted recommendations and supports to improve outcomes for individua...

Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are often cared for in the child welfare system. Child welfare systems exist globally, and the roots of the intersection between FASD and child welfare have strong origins in North America. The role of child welfare at its core foundation is to assure the survival, security, and development of c...

Aboriginal culture intuitively embodies and interconnects the threads of life that are known to be intrinsic to human wellbeing: connection. Therefore, Aboriginal wisdom and practices are inherently strengths-based and healing-informed. Underpinned by an Indigenist research methodology, this article presents findings from a collaboration of Aborigi...

Physical activity typically decreases during teenage years and has been identified as a health priority by Aboriginal adolescents. We examined associations between physical activity levels and sociodemographic, movement and health variables in the Aboriginal led 'Next Generation: Youth Well-being (NextGen) Study' of Aboriginal people aged 10-24 yea...

Children and youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) have limited access to assessment, diagnostic, and treatment resources-a distinct disadvantage in meeting their care needs in Australia. Limited knowledge exists on the intersection of FASD, Indigeneity, racism, trauma, and child welfare involvement. Notably, the lack of support for chi...

Children and youth with FASD are overrepresented in the child welfare and justice systems in Canada and Australia. Canada has a fairly well developed system to respond to FASD in relation to screening, assessment and diagnosis. In Australia there is limited awareness and training of FASD in child welfare and justice systems and “most children in ca...

Background Being young is a period of experimentation which can lead to increased vulnerability to poor health choices and outcomes. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Aboriginal) people have a long and strong history of resilience; however, a deficit approach is often taken with messages of poor health and low socioeconomic status. This study...

This book reflects multidisciplinary and cross-jurisdictional analysis of issues surrounding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and the criminal justice system, and the impact on Aboriginal children, young people, and their families in Australia from a decolonising perspective. It is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary collaboration between res...

Cultural security is a key element of accessible services for Indigenous peoples globally, although few studies have examined this empirically. We explored the scope, reach, quality, and cultural security of health and social services available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander families in Western Australia (WA), from the point of view of...

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 perinata...

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 perinata...

Introduction On average, Aboriginal neonates in Western Australia (WA) weigh 200g less than non-Aboriginal infants and are 2-3 times more likely to be preterm, stillborn, or die neonatally. They are also more likely to be exposed in utero to maternal behaviour risks like smoking, due to factors such as intergenerational trauma. Objectives and Appr...