Today Dr Renee White sat down with Monash University's Dr Briony to discuss her research on maternal wellbeing - in particular, encouraging healthy weight, obesity prevention, and healthy lifestyle behaviours before (preconception), during (antenatal) and after pregnancy (postpartum).
Briony also has a strong interest in health behaviour change and psychosocial wellbeing (including depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms, body image, and coping skills) and understanding the mechanisms that lead to the attainment of healthy lifestyles and weight for women during their reproductive years. She also applies an Ecological Systems Theory lens to her research to recognise the broader impacts on weight management and lifestyle health that extend through the community, society and government.
As part of this work, Briony is one of only a small handful of researchers globally, pursuing research to understand how we can minimise weight stigma at all levels to reduce the burden and blame on women across the reproductive life phase; she is the first researcher globally to begin exploring this topic in preconception women.
