Healthier Together: Co-design of a culturally-tailored childhood obesity community prevention program for Māori & Pacific Islander children and families.

Issue addressed Children of Māori & Pacific Islander descent living in Australia have a greater prevalence of overweight/obesity and an increased risk of adverse health outcomes. This study aimed to co-design Healthier Together, a community-based, childhood overweight/obesity prevention program tailored to the Māori & Pacific Islander cultures. Methods Co-design involved a three-phase, iterative, participatory and experience-based process, guided by the Te Ara Tika: Guidelines for Māori Research Ethics to promote respect and equity. Following traditional oratory customs of Māori & Pacific Islander cultures, 'talanoa' facilitated the collaborative program design with recruited Māori & Pacific Islander consumers, cultural advisors and health professionals. Co-design formulated program objectives, session plans, resources and evaluation tools. Results Co-design developed a 9-week community-based childhood overweight/obesity prevention program to provide culturally-tailored education across four themes: (1) nutrition (2) physical activity (3) positive parenting practices (4) culture and health. Strong community engagement developed a program highly tailored to the local Māori & Pacific Islander population. Conclusions Co-design methodology promotes equity and inclusion of all stakeholders, acknowledges and caters for diversity and creates a medium for openness, respect and shared purpose. Community-led participatory approaches are pivotal to engaging and empowering communities to successfully improve health behaviours, particularly in tackling childhood overweight/obesity. SO WHAT?: Healthier Together is culturally significant to ensure relevance, effectiveness and sustainability. It is relevant and potentially adaptable to other priority populations across Australia and globally. Ultimately, the delivery of culturally-tailored health care will contribute to a reduction in the health inequity experienced among priority populations.