{
  "abstract": "Introduction Australian studies investigating parental factors often lack meaningful inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, limiting our understanding of current influences on positive developmental trajectories within communities. There is growing recognition of the need for culturally safe and responsive longitudinal research that is co-designed and co-led by the community for the community. An Indigenous-led birth cohort study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in Queensland, Australia, has therefore been developed to better understand health across generations.Methods and analysis The Strong Families Study is a co-designed prospective longitudinal birth cohort study that will follow 400 Indigenous families in Queensland from pregnancy until the child reaches 5 years of age. Eligible participants include pregnant individuals (<28 weeks’ gestation) whose children may identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, along with their partners (if applicable). Data will be collected at multiple timepoints: during gestation, at delivery, postpartum, every 6 months until the child is 36 months (corrected age, CA) and annually until age 5 years. These will be collected by Aboriginal health workers using validated and culturally appropriate tools across different health themes. The study will incorporate health literacy throughout, as well as referrals to two nested family support programmes to support families and assist with the developmental outcomes of their children when and if required. Effects across health themes will be analysed with a focus on strengths, positive trajectories and holistic well-being of Indigenous families, moving beyond deficit-based narratives.Ethics and dissemination This study was approved by the Mater Misericordiae Ltd Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/MML/105191) and ratified by the University of Queensland Human Research Ethics Committee (2025/HE001924). Endorsement letters were secured from partner services at each study site. Findings will be shared with partnering hospitals and funding bodies at conferences and through reports and peer-reviewed publications.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Indigenous Health Research Group, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Salma Mohamed Ahmed"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Indigenous Health Research Group, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Emily S Dorey"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Indigenous Health Research Group, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Davina Smith"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Indigenous Health Research Group, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Loretta Weatherall"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Indigenous Health Research Group, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Rhiannon Friday"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Indigenous Health Research Group, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Luciana F Massi"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Indigenous Health Research Group, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Rebecca Rooney"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Indigenous Health Research Group, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia",
        "Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, Child Health Research Centre, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia",
        "Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Diana Hermith-Ramirez"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Indigenous Health Research Group, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Emma Kendall"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Indigenous Health Research Group, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia",
        "School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, Centre for Research on Exercise, Physical Activity and Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Kai Wheeler"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Curtin School of Nursing, Curtin University, Perth, Perth, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Anne-Marie Eades"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Maree Toombs"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, Child Health Research Centre, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia",
        "Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Roslyn N Boyd"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Ngangk Yira Centre for Change, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Rhonda Marriott"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "School of Population and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Sandra J Eades"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, Child Health Research Centre, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia",
        "Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Katherine Benfer"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Natasha Reid"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, Child Health Research Centre, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia",
        "Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Koa Whittingham"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia",
        "Wesley Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Robert S Ware"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia",
        "Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore"
      ],
      "name": "Elizabeth Martin"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Children’s Health and Environment Program, Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Paul D Robinson"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia",
        "Pregnancy and Development Group, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Vicki Clifton"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia",
        "Women’s and Newborn Services, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Metro North Health, Herston, Queensland, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Leonie Kaye Callaway"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia",
        "Maternal & Fetal Medicine, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Sailesh Kumar"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Indigenous Health Research Group, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia",
        "Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Kym M Rae"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [],
      "name": "The Strong Families Indigenous Steering Committee"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Strong Families Study: protocol for a co-designed birth cohort study with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in Queensland, Australia",
  "uid": "17abc65d-c92a-56c9-8e0f-190d2c056408"
}