The Need for Culturally Responsive Nutritional Counselling for Pregnant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women in Australia

Lina Jalloub, Stephanie Gilbert, Clare Collins, Marc T. P. Adam, Mieka Thorogood, Tahlia Smith, Janinne Gliddon, Serena St Clair, Nicole Turner, Rhonda Marriott, Roz Walker, Kym M. Rae () and on behalf of Deadly Diets Indigenous Steering Committee
Additional contact information
Lina Jalloub: Indigenous Health Research Group, Mater Research Institute, South Brisbane 4101, Australia
Stephanie Gilbert: Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4067, Australia
Clare Collins: School of Health Sciences, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan 2308, Australia
Marc T. P. Adam: College of Engineering, Science and Environment, University of Newcastle, Callaghan 2308, Australia
Mieka Thorogood: Indigenous Health Research Group, Mater Research Institute, South Brisbane 4101, Australia
Tahlia Smith: Indigenous Health Research Group, Mater Research Institute, South Brisbane 4101, Australia
Janinne Gliddon: Ngangk Yira Institute for Change, Murdoch University, Perth 6150, Australia
Serena St Clair: Ngangk Yira Institute for Change, Murdoch University, Perth 6150, Australia
Nicole Turner: Indigenous Allied Health Association, Canberra 2600, Australia
Rhonda Marriott: Ngangk Yira Institute for Change, Murdoch University, Perth 6150, Australia
Roz Walker: Ngangk Yira Institute for Change, Murdoch University, Perth 6150, Australia
Kym M. Rae: Indigenous Health Research Group, Mater Research Institute, South Brisbane 4101, Australia
on behalf of Deadly Diets Indigenous Steering Committee: Membership of the Deadly Diets Indigenous Steering Committee is provided in the Acknowledgments.

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 7, 1-14

Abstract: Access to high-quality, culturally responsive nutrition advice during pregnancy is necessary for optimal health outcomes for mothers and babies. Evidence indicates that age, education and access to trained healthcare practitioners have a positive correlation with healthy food intake and positive outcomes. There are limited studies that discuss the importance of providing culturally responsive nutrition advice to pregnant Indigenous women. Therefore, this paper investigates the sources from which Indigenous women access nutrition information, assesses its adequacy in meeting needs, and identifies the effective ways to deliver this information. This study took place in Queensland (QLD), New South Wales (NSW), and Western Australia (WA), which were chosen to represent diverse cultural communities. A total of 103 participants were recruited, including Indigenous women and healthcare practitioners. Focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed. Participants indicated that pregnant women are highly interested in improving their nutrition knowledge during pregnancy and actively seek information from their healthcare practitioners and dietitians. Findings suggested dissatisfaction with the information received, as it failed to address their needs. Results of this paper call for an urgent increased presence of community dietitians in antenatal clinics dedicated to Indigenous pregnant women as an additional way to provide families with the information they need for healthy pregnancies.

Keywords: Indigenous Australians; Aboriginal Australians; Torres Strait Islander Australians; First Nations Australian; perinatal nutrition; dietitians; access to health services (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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