None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities face significant challenges. Contributing to these challenges are historical and ongoing dispossession, marginalisation, and racism, as well as the legacy of past policies of forced removal and cultural assimilation. These challenges impact negatively on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s health and social outcomes. In terms of physical health, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males are one of the most marginalised groups in Australian society. There is a 10.6 year lower life expectancy in comparison to non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading contributor to premature deaths among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (25% of all deaths), with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders dying from this condition at 1.5 times the rate of non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Modifiable risk factors for CVD are common among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males; only 13% meet national physical activity recommendations and 5% meet dietary guidelines for fruit and vegetables. Further, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults were 1.2 times as likely as non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults to be living with overweight or obesity. In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, those aged 2–14 years are twice as likely as non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peers to have a heart or circulatory condition (2.0% compared with 0.9%). In general, fathers’ beliefs, behaviours, and parenting practices can have a large impact on children’s eating and activity behaviours. However, a review of 213 family-based programs targeting children’s lifestyle behaviours, identified that fathers accounted for just 6% of participating parents. Of these studies, none targeted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander fathers. There is a need for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men to regain control and understanding of their roles as fathers, uncles, brothers and sons. This includes caring for their children and role modelling healthy behaviours in a safe family environment. To support this goal, evidence- based, culturally appropriate programs, such as Healthy Dads, Healthy Mob: biya yadha gudjagang yadha can play an important role. The aims of our proposed project are: • To determine the preliminary efficacy of the Healthy Dads, Healthy Mob: biya yadha gudjagang yadha (HDHM) program to improve the cardiovascular health of Aboriginal families living on Darkinjung Country; • To assess feasibility of this program, specifically with reference to recruitment capability, fidelity of program delivery, attendance, compliance, program satisfaction and retention. • To collect quantitative and/or qualitative data from fathers and children to inform future iterations of the program.
Interventions
The 'Healthy Dads, Healthy Mob: biya yadha gudjagang yadha' intervention duration will be one session per week, for 9 weeks, and will include:
• 1 x ‘dads-only’ information session (90 minutes: face-to-face)
• 8 x sessions that Dads and their child/ren attend together (90 minutes: face-to-face).
Each father and child program session will be broken up into 2 components:
- A 30-minute welcome and education session conducted for fathers and children together. This education session will be deli
The 'Healthy Dads, Healthy Mob: biya yadha gudjagang yadha' intervention duration will be one session per week, for 9 weeks, and will include: • 1 x ‘dads-only’ information session (90 minutes: face-to-face) • 8 x sessions that Dads and their child/ren attend together (90 minutes: face-to-face). Each father and child program session will be broken up into 2 components: - A 30-minute welcome and education session conducted for fathers and children together. This education session will be delivered verbally and with the use of a visual presentation (using powerpoint which includes interactive activities, short videos, gifs, imagery and text.). - A 60-minute practical session where fathers and children participate together. The sessions will focus on: • Positive parenting strategies. • Fundamental movement skills (e.g. throwing, kicking, striking and catching); • Rough and tumble play; • Health-related fitness; • Healthy eating for families; • Social-emotional well-being • Culture and health; • Positive Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander role models; • Pressures e.g. drugs, alcohol, risk-taking; • Fun and active household and backyard games. The sessions will be run by a lead facilitator (Mr. Jake MacDonald), whose main role will be to deliver all learning experiences, and potentially a co-facilitator (depending on participant numbers), who will provide a supporting role during all sessions (e.g., equipment organisation, management of group-based activities), administrative support prior to sessions (attendance sheets and home program compliance [which will be assessed by review of completed activity handbooks]) and following sessions (participant feedback questionnaires in the final program session). Mr MacDonald is a proud Ngarabal man, previous Physical Education teacher and PhD student at the University of Newcastle (UON). In addition to these sessions, participants will receive the following program resources: • A t-shirt each, water bottle and bag. • An activity handbook developed for this study with a range of activities for fathers and children to complete at home between sessions. The activities include fundamental movement skill practice and home activities that match each session theme (e.g. nutrition, culture, physical activity) (approx. 30-minute time commitment per week).
Sponsors
Professor Philip Morgan
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Single group
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
5 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Men can participate if they: • Identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. • Are living on Darkinjung Country. • Are a father, step-father or father-figure to a child who attends primary school in the year of the trial (aged 5-12 years). • Pass a pre-exercise health screening questionnaire and /or provide GP clearance to participate. Children can participate if they attend primary school in the year of the trial (aged 5-12 years).
Exclusion criteria
Men will require a doctor’s clearance to participate if they report any concerns on a pre-exercise screening questionnaire (e.g., history of heart pains during exercise).
Outcome results
None listed