CHIRP

About

Cardiometabolic Health Implementation Research for Postpartum individuals (CHIRP) consists of a team of international researchers interested in improving the health and wellbeing of mothers with young children.

Our overarching goal is to prevent long-term lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and heart disease in women with a focus on health equity. However, our previous engagement with mothers with young children tells us that health to them is not just about avoiding disease, but also about achieving a balance in physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being. We would like to develop health programs or interventions that meet the needs of mothers with young children, in a way that would be helpful for them.

To achieve this, we established a CHIRP consumer group, now with over 60 consumers born in >20 countries. This group consists of mums with children under five who share experiences and help to develop programs and research. It’s free to join this great group of mums, and participants could be reimbursed for their time and experience. See below for a list of FAQs.

If you are interested in joining the consumer group, please contact Siew Lim or Maureen Makama on CHIRP-enquiry@monash.edu or complete this survey to get started.

Latest news

In 2022, CHIRP engaged 100 clinicians and women from all five continents with a history of gestational diabetes. We asked these women to rank their priorities and principles for diabetes prevention after pregnancy. The values and principles are to be cross-cutting themes underpinning all research in this area. The ranked research priorities are to guide future research efforts to improve diabetes prevention in women with a history of gestational diabetes. Here are the results:

The top-ranked principles and values underlying research for diabetes prevention after gestational diabetes

Principles and Values

Universal access
Evidence-based
Equity driven
Country-led solutions
Sustainability

Research Priorities

Stress and mental wellbeing
Information on exercise and diet for postpartum individuals to prevent cardiometabolic diseases
Lactation and breastfeeding
Exercise and childbirth
The physical environment for healthy eating (eg: food policy, food labelling laws)
Mother's sleep
Sedentary behaviour after childbirth
Infant's sleep
Planning and organisational skills
Peer support or support from other mothers

FAQs

What does being part of the consumer group involve?
You will receive email invitations to participate in surveys or meetings where you will have the opportunity to share your experiences. Your experiences may be used to help develop some of our projects that aim to improve the lives of mothers with babies and young children. Although we will invite you to the meetings, you are not obliged to attend any or all of the meetings.

Will I be paid for my time?
Depending on the nature of the activity, you may be reimbursed for your time and expertise. Each time you participate in an activity you could receive around $35-40 per hour, or as specified in the invitation for each of the activities.

Tell me more about the group?
The group is very social and supportive. We are simply a group of mums who are trying to get together to help each other, and to help other mums. We would like to hear more from you on how we could add value to your personal lives, work and volunteer ventures.

What’s new?
The current focus of this group is health equity and diabetes prevention for mothers who have had gestational diabetes. We are currently recruiting mothers who have had gestational diabetes around the world to participate in a priority-setting activity, which involves two short surveys (~10 mins) and a workshop (1.5-2 hrs on Zoom).

Is this an ongoing commitment?
We would like you to be part of the group for one year. You are not obliged to attend any or all of the meetings or activities. You are also able to unsubscribe to the emails at any time.

How do I get started?
If you would like to join the CHIRP Consumer Group for Postpartum Mothers, please complete this survey.