The Gulibaa (Coolamon) Project: A state-wide, co-designed model of care supporting Aboriginal mothers to be smoke-free in pregnancy and beyond
The Gulibaa (Coolamon) Project (University of Newcastle) has been awarded $2.0 million MRFF funding. Led by CRE researchers A/Prof Michelle Kennedy, Dr Raglan Maddox and colleagues, this project will co-design a model of care supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers across NSW to be smoke-free in pregnancy and beyond. In partnership with the Aboriginal Health & Medical Research Council of NSW, the project will implement and evaluate a co-designed group based smoking cessation program in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in NSW.
Research Team: A/Prof Michelle Kennedy, Dr Raglan Maddox, Prof Alexandra Martiniuk, Prof Catherine Chamberlain, Dr Jamie Bryant, Prof Sandra Eades, A/Prof Luke Burchill, Dr Mary Belfrage, Ms Jessica Bennet, Dr Tameka McFadyen
Synopsis: Smoking is the most significant modifiable risk factor for adverse health outcomes- 44% of Aboriginal women smoke during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, compared to 10% of non-Aboriginal women. While most women want to change their smoking behaviour, either before, during or after pregnancy, cessation is frequently attempted without support which increases the changes of relapse. Group-based smoking cessation programs have been shown to increase quit success by 50%-130% in the general population, however, have never been implemented or evaluated in Aboriginal communities.
The Gulibaa project is an Indigenous-led and community embedded project that will co-design, implement and evaluate a group-based model of care to support Aboriginal mothers to be smoke-free. Using the RISE framework, the research team will: (1) Co-design formal governance systems inclusive of community, peak policy, and health service organisations using an Indigenous data sovereignty framework; (2) Co-design a model of care with Aboriginal women, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) and key stakeholders; (3) Co-design, implement and evaluate a training package to support Aboriginal Health Workers to deliver group-based smoking cessation support in ACCHSs; and (4) Implement and evaluate the effectiveness of the group-based smoking cessation program in NSW-based ACCHSs.
Each component of the project integrates cultural protocols with implementation science theories of experience based co-design and will be comprehensively evaluated. The project utilises Indigenist methodologies, centered on the lead researcher’s standpoint as a Wiradjuri woman, and draws on evidence of predictors for effective tobacco control with Indigenous people and an exemplar model of care. Embedding culturally safe support to quit smoking during pregnancy will result in improved outcomes for both mother and child and immediately improve intergenerational health and well-being.
Department of Health and Aged Care news: https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-mark-butler-mp/media/nearly-400-million-for-exceptional-medical-research-projects-including-projects-to-improve-first-nations-health?language=en
Artwork by Felicity Cocuzzoli (Wiradjuri).
