January NUI Galway Seeks Mums, Dads and Grandparents for Irish Infant Feeding Study

Researchers from NUI Galway are seeking members of the public, particularly dads, to get involved in the ‘CHErIsH’ (Choosing Healthy Eating for Infant Health) Project. CHErIsH is a nationally funded study that aims to gain a better understanding of parents’ and primary caregivers’ experiences of feeding their children, and how best to support them to do this.

The NUI Galway researchers would like to form a group to inform and help shape the direction of this research and are seeking people who are interested in infant feeding related research. The group will discuss aspects of infant feeding practices and behaviours such as; patterns of breastfeeding, formula feeding, solid food intake, and other complimentary foods and liquids. The study is particularly interested in the voice of dads and grandparents in terms of how they support their children’s/grandchildren’s infant feeding practices.

Health Economist, Dr Michelle Queally from the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics at NUI Galway, said: “To date the CHErIsH Project has recruited a large number of mums and caregivers to participate in the study but we are also keen for dads to get involved. Together with my colleagues Dr Elaine Toomey at the School of Psychology in NUI Galway,  and Dr Karen Matvienko-Sikar, School of Public Health in UCC, we are examining various aspects of infant feeding practices in Ireland.

“At the moment we are hoping to assemble a panel who are interested in various aspects of infant feeding and who will in turn guide our research and research materials. We would like to include representatives from all groups on this panel; mums, dads, aunts, uncles and grandparents, and would especially like to hear from a lot more dads, and hear their opinions about infant feeding practices.”

People interested in participating in the study are required to attend four meetings throughout 2018 in the Galway city region. Meetings are informal, lasting one to two hours, and all travel expenses will be covered. Participants will be provided with a One4All voucher as a thank you for their participation.

The CHErIsH Project is supported by the Health Research Board Interdisciplinary Capacity Enhancement Award 2015.

For more details about the study contact Dr Michelle Queally, J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, NUI Galway at michelle.queally@nuigalway.ie or 091 492934 and 085 1614345.

For more information about the CHErIsH study, visit: www.cherishstudy.com or follow on Twitter @cherishstudy or CHErIsH on Facebook.

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