Our research
Recent publications
- The FACAM study: protocol for a randomized controlled study of an early interdisciplinary intervention to support women in vulnerable positions through pregnancy and the first 5 years of motherhood
- Birth plans: A systematic, integrative review into their purpose, process, and impact
- Midwifery continuity of care and vaginal birth after caesarean section: A randomised controlled trial
- Barriers and enablers in maintaining healthy gestational weight gain: A qualitative study
- A Decision Aid for midwifery continuity of care: Development and pilot acceptability testing
- Factors influencing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women’s breastfeeding practice: A scoping narrative review.
- Infant and young child feeding during natural disasters: A systematic integrative literature review.
- Job satisfaction and sustainability of midwives working in caseload models of care: An integrative literature review.
- Parturescence: A theorisation of women’s transformation through childbirth.
- The relationality of maternity care: A diffractive analysis of maternity care experiences
- Trends and characteristics of women undergoing induction of labour in a tertiary hospital setting: A cross-sectional study
- Developing an instrument to measure satisfaction with continuity of midwifery care drawing on the Delphi technique.
- Probiotic supplementation in healthy pre-school-aged children: Prevalence and predictors
- Trends in hospitalisation for common paediatric infections: An Australian experience.
- Development of the Woman-Centred Care Scale – Self Report (WCCS-SR)
- Salutogenic qualities of midwifery care: A best-fit framework synthesis
- Identifying the priorities for midwifery education across Australia and New Zealand: A Delphi study.
- Biophysical effects, safety and efficacy of raspberry leaf use in pregnancy: a systematic integrative review
- Maternal body mass index and country of birth in relation to the adverse outcomes of large for gestational age and gestational diabetes mellitus in a retrospective cohort of Australian pregnant women.
- Evaluation of a specialist antenatal nutrition clinic for women with a body mass index≥ 40kg/m2: A qualitative study.
- The Picky Eating Questionnaire and Child-reported Food Preference Questionnaire: Pilot validation in Australian-Indian mothers and children 7-12 years old
- Postpartum management of perineal injury: a critical narrative review of level 1 evidence
Projects
| Name | Contact | Description |
|---|---|---|
Active Beginnings | Women from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities have low participation rates in regular physical activity and face barriers to social connectedness that can impact the health of both themselves and their families. A co-designed physical activity program that aims to (1) improve awareness of the benefits of physical activity in pregnancy and the childbearing years in women from CALD communities and community leaders (2) increase physical activity levels of women of childbearing age from CALD communities (3) improve social connectedness of women of childbearing age from CALD communities and (4) provide resources and build capacity of multicultural organisations to incorporate activities focusing on physical activity into their programs. | |
GDM: Holistic Healthcare Needs Scale | The development and validation of a scale to compare the degree to which holistic healthcare needs of women are met in their maternity care. | |
Bushfires, pandemics and maternal and child health | The Australian 2019/20 bushfire crisis was unprecedented in duration, severity and scale, such that the evidence currently available on its effects on maternal/child health is inadequate. This lack of evidence makes it difficult for health professionals to advise women, families and the general community about what the risks are to unborn babies and infants, as well as how to mitigate them. Covid-19 has resulted in similar issues. This study aims to address evidence gaps about the physiological impacts of bushfire and pandemic on the health and wellbeing of pregnant women, new/aspiring mothers and babies. | |
Salutary childbirth education | Assoc Prof Sally Muggleton | Pregnancy is an ideal time to focus on health promotion. Many women and their partners attend childbirth education classes to prepare themselves for pregnancy, birth and parenting. However, rather than promoting health, these classes have been criticized for preparing women and their partners for a medicalized birth, which has become the norm in many well-resourced countries. Researchers Sally Ferguson and Deborah Davis from the University of Canberra worked with midwifery staff from the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children in the ACT to re-design and evaluate their childbirth education program. The program is underpinned by the theory of salutogenesis which focuses on health and capacity building rather than disease prevention. A salutary childbirth education program: Health promoting by design. |
Re-Framing diabetes in pregnancy: A salutogenic approach | The diagnosis of diabetes in pregnancy can be a shock to many women; sometimes spoiling their pregnancy experience. Caregivers tend to focus on the diabetes leaving some women feeling like “diabetes has stolen their pregnancy”. This research develops and tests an educational program for maternity care providers focusing on a salutogenic approach and motivational interviewing. This approach is designed to give these women a good experience of pregnancy while also motivating them to manage their diabetes for the best possible outcome. | |
Developing and testing the ‘Woman Centredness Scale’ for midwives | “Woman centred care” is a foundational concept in midwifery yet little research has been conducted on the concept and less still on ways to measure it. This research led by Professor Davis, is an initiative of the TransTasman Midwifery Education Consortium involving researchers from Australia and New Zealand. | |
Healthy Eating 4 Two: A smartphone App | Optimising gestational weight gain is important for the short- and long-term health of both mother and baby. Weighing women in pregnancy is no longer routine and many maternity care providers do not raise the issue of weight with women; leaving some women confused about how much weight they should gain in pregnancy. The Healthy Eating 4 Two Smartphone app addresses this problem by providing them with guidance on gestational weight gain along with information on nutritional needs of childbearing women. Development and pilot testing of the Eating4two mobile phone app to monitor gestational weight gain. | |
The Fit4Fertiltiy study | Prof Shawn Somerset | Fertility and reproductive outcomes can be adversely affected by unhealthy lifestyle factors such as obesity, poor diet and excessive stress. Obesity is associated with reduced chance of conception, increased risk of miscarriage, metabolic syndrome in offspring or other adverse outcomes. This is a feasibility study to assess the feasibility of conducting a couple-based weight-loss intervention involving allied health professionals in a home-setting. |