Oral Presentation Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society Annual Scientific Conference 2024

Integrating health literacy and cultural considerations into a web-based program promoting healthy behaviours in infants (#35)

Danielle Jawad 1 2 3 , Li Ming Wen 1 2 3 , Louise Baur 1 3 4 , Chris Rissel 1 5 , Seema Mihrshahi 6 , Sarah Taki 1 2 3
  1. Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
  2. Health Promotion Unit, Population Health Research & Evaluation Hub, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney , NSW, Australia
  3. 3Centre of Research Excellence in Translating Early Prevention of Obesity in Childhood (EPOCH-Translate CRE), Sydney, NSW, Australia
  4. Specialty of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  5. College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Rural and Remote Health SA and NT, Darwin, Australia
  6. Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Introduction

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities worldwide frequently encounter disparities in health outcomes compared to the general population. These disparities are often attributed to various barriers that impede their access to healthcare services and resources, compelling them to seek information from unreliable sources.

 

Objective

This study aims to collaboratively develop and design an interactive web-based platform “Healthy Beginnings” with Arabic and Mongolian-speaking migrant families. The platform places a strong emphasis on enhancing health literacy and ensuring cultural responsiveness.

 

Methods and analysis

The research employs a comprehensive mixed-method approach that encompasses several key elements. These include a systematic evaluation of existing web-based platforms related to infant health, qualitative telephone interviews, consumer surveys, and co-design workshops. To address low literacy levels and enhance cultural responsiveness, validated tools such as the Sydney Health Literacy Lab SHeLL Editor and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services guide to creating user-friendly health websites are incorporated. Additionally, interactive features are integrated into the platform, which are thoroughly tested with parents for optimal usability.

 

To assess the feasibility of the program, a subsample of 300 pregnant women in their third trimester will be enrolled and followed up until 12 months postnatal. The primary outcomes of this study encompass various aspects of infant health and parenting practices, including infant feeding, screen time, active play, sleep patterns at 6 and 12 months of age, child length and weight, and an assessment of the barriers and facilitators these families encounter when navigating the website. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests will be used to investigate differences between participants, and logistic regression models will be constructed to explore the behavioural outcomes of both mothers and infants at various time points. Additionally, engagement with the program will be closely monitored through data analytics captured by the website software.

  

Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests will be used to investigate the differences. Logistic regression models will be built to investigate behavioural outcomes of the mother and infant at different time points. engagement with the program will be measured through the data analytics captured through the web-based program software. The development and implementation of this program will be guided by the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) framework.

 

Ethics

This project was approved by the Ethics Review Committee (RPAH Zone) of the Sydney Local Health District (X21-0351). Parents will provide an informed signed consent form prior to participating.

 

Conflict of interest
None Disclosed

 

Funding:
This study was funded by the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF#1200789, 2020–2023).