Strait from the Heart: Co-designing a culturally safe food, nutrition and physical activity program

Dr Alyse Davies, University of the Sunshine Coast

First Nations CVD Grant

Years funded: 2025 - 2028

This project ‘Strait from the Heart’ aims to co-design and pilot a 12-month culturally relevant and sustainable nutrition and physical activity program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth aged 15-18 years in Townsville, Queensland. The program is led through local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community organisations and fosters capacity building by upskilling community members to deliver the nutrition components of the program.

The program resources will remain in the community for continued use. The program supports improvements in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities, while promoting a sustainable approach to long-term community health and wellbeing.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership in preventive health research

‘Strait from the Heart’ will include Indigenous research paradigms, be strengths-based in the approach and have strong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership and governance. As a pilot program, it provides an opportunity to test feasibility and community acceptability of the program.

At the centre of this work are emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers. Mr Xavier Passi, from The George Institute for Global Health is a Torres Strait Islander Research Assistant on the Strait from the Heart program. Mr Brohdie Watego is an Aboriginal dietetics student at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Master of Dietetics (Sports Nutrition) program, who will be completing his master’s research project on Strait form the Heart. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander academic co-investigators will be supporting the supervision of the programs emerging researchers.

This work will begin to address gaps by providing holistic health programs for the prevention of CVD, leading to improvements in health, social, cultural, emotional well-being for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities. The impact of Strait from the Heart will translate to better CVD outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.