Starting Healthy Families Consumer Reference Group
The project
Health problems during pregnancy and early childhood can have devastating impacts on families and lifelong health effects. The Starting Healthy Families Consumer Reference Group provides a community perspective on research at Curtin University that focuses on planning healthy families.
The research looks at how Australian families can have healthier pregnancies, babies and young children. The research explores things like:
- Finding the healthiest timing between pregnancies
- Reducing preventable diseases
- Spotting potential health risks for women earlier
- Understanding how things in our daily environment might affect a pregnancy and child growth and development
The goal is to better understand the risks that can lead to poor health for mums and children. By learning more about these risks (like the timing between pregnancies, or things that affect a child’s development), the research can help create better health advice and support for all families.
The involvement opportunity
A Consumer Reference Group for planning health pregnancies was established in 2017 at Curtin University’s School of Population Health. Given the expanding scope of the research program, the research team would now like to involve new community members to share their perspectives and experiences.
The research team are looking for five people who have children or who are planning to have children to join the group.
Activities of the Consumer Reference Group may include:
- Giving feedback on research ideas
- Reviewing research proposals and plain language summaries
- Helping to share research findings
Skills and experience
You need to have a child or children, or are planning to have children.
The research team would like to hear from both current and future parents, all genders and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Other information
The Consumer Reference Group meets 2 to 3 times per year. Meetings go for 1.5 to 2 hours.
Meetings are held online or face-to-face at the Curtin Bentley campus.
An honorarium of $37.50/hour is offered.
Applications close 15 March 2026