Making healthy families

Sign on side of house advertising 'Bile Beans'

Principal Investigator:

Penny Curtis (Nursing and Midwifery)

Co-applicants:

Jenny Owen (ScHARR); Graham Smith (ScHARR); Paul Ward (ScHARR)

Researcher:

Pamela Fisher

Aims and objectives:

The project aims to identify and explore: (1) assumptions about family forms and practices that underlie and inform the activities of health practitioners and para-professionals; and (2) how these are received and experienced by family members. Focusing on `food and health´ issues, the project looks at a variety of interventions provided by health professionals and para-professionals, to and through, different forms of families, in a range of settings.

Research questions:

What are professionals’ and para-professionals’ conceptualisations of ‘family’ and ‘healthy family’? How are these located within broader social contexts including family form and social class?
How do professionals and par-professionals perceive family processes and dynamics as they relate to the development and maintenance of the ‘healthy family’, across a range of disciplines and settings?
How do such conceptualisations and perceptions inform professionals’ and par-professionals’ interactions with families and their practice in relation to food and dietary advice?
What are family members’ views and experiences, concerning interactions with practitioners (in professional or support roles) who offer food and dietary-related interventions and advice?
How do family members view the inter-relationships between their understanding and experiences of family processes, relationships and dynamics and issues concerning food, diet and health?

Research design:

We propose a mixed-method study, combining in-depth, individual interviews with observation of multidisciplinary team meetings and of community-based initiatives on diet and health. Interviews will be conducted with professionals, para-professionals and adult members of client families. Periods of observation will focus particularly on the interaction between different professionals/para–professionals, and between these and family.