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. 2025 Oct;36(4):e70078.
doi: 10.1002/hpja.70078.

Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of the Biya Yadha Gudjagang Yadha: Healthy Dads Healthy Mob Program

Jake C MacDonald  1 , Nathan Towney  1 , Kathleen J Butler  2 , Myles D Young  3 , Lee M Ashton  4 , Briana L Barclay  4 , Philip J Morgan  4
Affiliations

Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of the Biya Yadha Gudjagang Yadha: Healthy Dads Healthy Mob Program

Jake C MacDonald et al. Health Promot J Austr. 2025 Oct.

Abstract

Issue addressed: The important link between culture, health, and wellbeing is often overlooked when providing parenting support for Aboriginal fathers. This Aboriginal-led, community co-designed study was the first programme aimed to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal fathers and their children living on Darkinjung Country (Central Coast NSW, Australia).

Methods: Single arm, pre-post feasibility trial including qualitative (yarning) and quantitative (survey & anthropometry) measures assessing a 9-week health and wellbeing programme tailored for Aboriginal fathers and their primary school aged (5-12 years) children living on Darkinjung Country.

Results: Feasibility was achieved with nearly all a priori benchmarks met; fidelity 93% (benchmark ≥ 80%), attendance 79% (benchmark ≥ 70%), home-activity compliance 93% (benchmark ≥ 60%), retention 86% (benchmark ≥ 70%), satisfaction 5/5 (benchmark = 4/5). Recruitment capability (7 families, 15 participants) was not achieved (benchmark: 20 families). Regarding preliminary efficacy, large effect sizes (d ≥ 0.8) were evident for most assessed outcomes in both fathers and children. Qualitative findings indicate that Aboriginal fathers living on Darkinjung Country find the programme to be acceptable.

Conclusions: Program feasibility was confirmed with high levels of program attendance, retention, and participant satisfaction. Large effect sizes were supported by very positive qualitative feedback from participants. Future research involving Aboriginal fathers should consider these findings in the development of culturally responsive parenting support.

So what: This new health and wellbeing programme designed for Aboriginal fathers and their children achieved programme feasibility outcomes and reports promising qualitative and quantitative findings. This research could be used to inform future development of parenting programmes involving Aboriginal fathers and their children.

Trial registration: Clinical Trials registry: ACTRN12623000901606.

Keywords: child health; codesign; indigenous health; men's health; parenting; yarning.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flow of study participants.
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