Professor Philip Morgan

Improving heart health of Indigenous Australian families – ‘Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids – Indigenous’

Professor Philip Morgan, The University of Newcastle

2021 Vanguard Grant

The University of Newcastle

To address the growing burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Indigenous Australians, Professor Philip Morgan's project will:

1. Culturally adapt the effective ‘Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids’ family-based lifestyle program for Indigenous Australian families;
2. Test the feasibility of the adapted program with a sample of Indigenous Australian children and their fathers.

This project builds on Professor Philip Morgan's pioneering ‘Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids’ program, which has demonstrated clinically meaningful effects on CVD risk factors (e.g., weight, diet, activity) in fathers and children. In this context, Professor Philip Morgan's team expect that a culturally adapted version of ‘Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids’ have similar meaningful effects for Indigenous Australian families. Additionally, expected long-term outcomes include:

i) To formalise partnerships with Awabakal Aboriginal Medical Services to facilitate translation into the future;

ii) Inform program refinements in advance of a major grant application to extend to rural and isolated Indigenous Australian communities to achieve widespread, lasting improvements in indigenous cardiovascular health.