Honorary Research Associate
BAppSc Grad Dip Dietetics MPH PhD
Areas of research expertise: Nutritional epidemiology, breastfeeding, knowledge translation, intervention research
Roslyn is an Honorary Research Associate at the Telethon Kids Institute where she brings her research skills in nutritional epidemiology to the FASD Research group. She has a strong interest in alcohol policy and the recommendations from her PhD thesis were included in the 2009 guidelines from the NHMRC; 'Australian Alcohol Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol'.
Most recently before joining the Institute, Roslyn was a Healthway Health Promotion Postdoctoral Research Fellow investigating the support of breastfeeding women in rural WA using an internet intervention. She has embraced the expanding area of e-technology with the development of Feed Safe, a technological app that safely supports breastfeeding mothers who choose to drink alcohol during lactation.
With a background as a dietitian and nutritionist she has a passion for breastfeeding as the panacea for optimising infant health and preventing chronic disease in adulthood. She has recently completed her NHMRC Translational Research Into Practice Fellowship where she investigated the evidence practice gap between the NHMRC alcohol and breastfeeding guideline, clinician application and maternal uptake.
Currently she is the Head of the AP&FASD team and Assistant Director of the FASD Research Australia NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence (CRE) (2017 – current)
- Projects
-
Publications
June 2021
How new and expecting fathers engage with an app-based online forum: Qualitative analysis
Breastfeeding is important for infants, and fathers are influential in supporting their partner in their decision to breastfeed and how long they breastfeed for. Fathers can feel excluded from traditional antenatal education and support opportunities but highly value social support from peers. Online health forums can be a useful source of social support, yet little is known about how fathers would use a conversation forum embedded in a breastfeeding-focused app. Milk Man is a mobile app that aimed to increase paternal support for breastfeeding using a range of strategies, including a conversation forum.
Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research Food and NutritionJuly 2019Has a national policy guideline influenced the practice of raising the topic of alcohol and breastfeeding by maternal healthcare practitioners?
Having a national policy guideline for safe alcohol consumption during lactation has not promoted awareness of this topic among maternal health practitioners
Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchApril 2019Online Video Instruction on Hand Expression of Colostrum in Pregnancy is an Effective Educational Tool
Findings suggest that the use of an online expert video is an acceptable and effective way to educate pregnant women in antenatal colostrum expression
Published research Breastfeeding Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchApril 2019The provision of alcohol and breastfeeding information by maternal health practitioners in the Australian setting
Despite the existence of a national alcohol guideline for breastfeeding women, maternal health practitioners are not incorporating this advice
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Published research Breastfeeding Human Development and Community Wellbeing Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchMarch 2019Mothers’ understanding of infant feeding guidelines and their associated practices: A qualitative analysis
The findings indicated that in spite of continued promotion of the AIFG over the past ten years achieving the around six months guideline is challenging
Published research Breastfeeding Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchJune 2018How New and Expecting Fathers Engage With an App-Based Online Forum: Qualitative Analysis
These data show that fathers are prepared to use a breastfeeding-focused online forum in a variety of ways to facilitate social support
Published research Breastfeeding Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchMarch 2018Assessing motor skills to inform a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder diagnosis focusing on persons older than 12 years: a systematic review of the literature
A systematic review of current evidence using various electronic databases was conducted. Studies were appraised using a recognised clinical appraisal tool.
Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchFebruary 2018Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and youth justice: a prevalence study among young people sentenced to detention in Western Australia
This study of young people in detention in Western Australia, has documented a high prevalence of FASD and severe neurodevelopmental impairment
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchJanuary 2018Feasibility of a commercial smartphone application for dietary assessment in epidemiological research and comparison with 24-h dietary recalls
Our study tested the relative validity of a smart phone app for uses as an epidemiological dietary assessment tool, compared with a standard assessment method.
Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research Youth Mental Health Food and NutritionNovember 2017Patterns of Alcohol Intake of Pregnant and Lactating Women in Rural Western Australia
This paper will present the first alcohol consumption data of pregnant and breastfeeding women living in rural Western Australia
Published research Breastfeeding Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchAugust 2017Breastfeeding beyond the big smoke: Who provides support for mothers in rural Western Australia?
Antenatal group education is effective in supporting breastfeeding duration for rural women and should be a key priority for rural health service providers.
Published research Breastfeeding Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchNovember 2016A partnership between researchers and breastfeeding advocates to support safe alcohol consumption during breastfeeding
Australian Breastfeeding Association partnership with a breastfeeding researcher to develop an education resource for Australian women on drinking in pregnancy
Published research Breastfeeding Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchOctober 2016Designing evaluation plans for health promotion mHealth interventions: A case study of the Milk Man mobile app
An evaluation planning approach for mHealth interventions that could be adapted for use by health promotion practitioners and researchers
Published research Breastfeeding Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchJune 2016Theory-Based Design and Development of a Socially Connected, Gamified Mobile App for Men About Breastfeeding (Milk Man)
The development of Milk Man followed a best practice approach, including the involvement of a multidisciplinary team and grounding in behavior change theory
Published research Breastfeeding Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchJune 2016Study protocol for screening and diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) among young people sentenced to detention in Western Australia
This study aims to establish FASD prevalence among sentenced young people in detention in Western Australia (WA)
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchMay 2016Feed Safe: A multidisciplinary partnership approach results in a successful mobile application for breastfeeding mothers
Multidisciplinary partnership models are important in the development of health promotion mobile applications
Published research Breastfeeding Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchAugust 2015The influence of infant feeding attitudes on breastfeeding duration: evidence from a cohort study in rural Western Australia
The Rural Infant Feeding Study aimed to describe the factors associated with breastfeeding practice from birth to 12 months of age in rural Western Australia.
Published research Breastfeeding Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchAugust 2015Predictors of breastfeeding duration for rural women in a high-income country: Evidence from a cohort study
Despite high breastfeeding initiation rates in Australia, few mothers exclusively breastfeed their infants to six months. This is particularly evident in...
Published research Breastfeeding Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchAugust 2015A study to prolong breastfeeding duration: Design and rationale of the Parent Infant Feeding Initiative (PIFI) randomised controlled trial.
This study aimed to measure the effectiveness of three interventions designed to increase the duration of breastfeeding among new parents in urban areas.
Published research Breastfeeding Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchFebruary 2015Exclusive breastfeeding increased by an internet intervention
Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months is acknowledged universally as the optimal feeding method for infants in order to provide the greatest health and...
Published research Breastfeeding Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchJanuary 2015The effect of weight management interventions that include a diet component on weight related outcomes in pregnant and postpartum women
The effects of weight management interventions that include a diet component on weight-related outcomes in pregnant and postpartum women.
Published research Nutrition Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchJanuary 2015Factors associated with early cessation of breastfeeding in women with gestational diabetes mellitus
To determine factors associated with early cessation of breastfeeding (≤3 months) in women with recent gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
Published research Breastfeeding Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research