Breathe for Bub

The Breathe for Bub study is focused on improving asthma care for Aboriginal women during pregnancy.

Poor asthma control can increase the risk of health problems for both mother and baby. This project works with Aboriginal communities to design a model of asthma care that is both clinically effective and culturally safe, and that can work with existing maternity services.

Our research

Australia has a strong health system, but Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers and babies still have worse pregnancy outcomes. Poorly controlled asthma is a key factor. About one in five Aboriginal women experience asthma during pregnancy, and it can be harder to manage at this time.

Asthma increases the risk of low birth weight, early birth, and health problems for both mother and baby. It also raises the chance that children will develop asthma or other lung conditions, especially if the mother’s asthma is not well controlled.

These risks are made worse by barriers to care, including limited access, lack of culturally safe services, and models of care that don’t suit community or remote settings.

Providing culturally safe and effective asthma care during pregnancy can improve outcomes for mothers and babies now and reduce asthma risk in future generations.

The project

This project uses a treatable traits approach to asthma to tailor care to each woman based on her symptoms, health needs, and risk factors.

Our team will:

• Work with Aboriginal women, families, and health workers to understand priorities for asthma care during pregnancy
• Co‑design a culturally safe pregnancy asthma care model
• Support Aboriginal Health Workers with training and resources
• Deliver asthma care during pregnancy and after birth
• Evaluate how well the model works and how it can be used more widely.

Our team

The study is led by Dr Elissa Elvidge and delivered by a multidisciplinary research team, most of whom are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. The team includes Aboriginal Health Workers, clinicians, researchers, and community leaders with strong experience in respiratory health, maternity care, and community‑led research.

Community leadership guides how care is designed, how research is carried out, and how results are shared back. Aboriginal women, Aunties, Elders, and health workers are involved throughout every aspect/phase of the project.

Get involved

We invite you to share your experience so we can find out how we can improve asthma care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women during pregnancy.

You can participate with a yarn or casual interview (less than 1 hour) with a researcher, so we can find out about your perspective and experiences of receiving care for your asthma during pregnancy.

If you are interested and want more information on how to become involved, you can have a yarn with your Aboriginal Maternal Infant Health Service or email the study team: HERCL@newcastle.edu.au

Ethics

This research has been approved by the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council and the Hunter New England Human Research Ethics Committee of Hunter New England Local Health District.

HNE Reference number: 2023/ETH02343

AH&MRC Reference number: 2497/25

Funding

This study is funded by Medical Research Futures Fund Preventive and Public Health Research Initiative - 2023 Consumer Led Research Grant Opportunity.