RESEARCHERS from the Australian National University are looking for women who were pregnant during a bushfire to help better understand the impact of disasters and emergencies on mothers and their babies.
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International evidence from storms and hurricanes shows that natural disasters can be stressful and may result in babies being born earlier or at lower birth weight.
But whether bushfires have the same effect is not well understood and there has been very little Australian research.
Because bushfires are becoming more prevalent, it’s important to understand what their effects are and what support pregnant women may need during bushfires.
I'm a PhD candidate at ANU. I'm seeking women who were pregnant during a bushfire to understand more about their experience and the support they received.
If you were pregnant during a bushfire near or at your home, you can help this research by taking a short online survey or an interview. The survey is about your experience of being exposed to a bushfire and will take around 10 minutes to complete.
The survey is confidential and non-identifying (for example, no names are required) and participation is completely voluntary.
Likewise, interviews are confidential and voluntary.
The ethical aspects of this research have been approved by the ANU Human Research Ethics Committee.
The survey is available here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/bushfires.
If you are interested in an interview, please contact me on u5037508@anu.edu.au
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