Public Involvement & Engagement Seminar Series 2019/2020
Yoga for bump: engaging and involving pregnant women in research
Speaker: Dr. Magdalena Skrybant, University of Birmingham
Event abstract
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) INVOLVE, the organisation which oversees public involvement in health and social care research, is due to publish its Standards for involving members of the public in research. The first Standard, Inclusive Opportunities, invites researchers to ‘offer public involvement opportunities that are accessible and that reach people and groups according to research needs’.
It can be a real challenge for pregnant women to be involved in research when they have so many different demands on their time. Opportunities to be involved in research are often inaccessible (e.g. inconvenient times and venues). Moreover, not all voices from our rich, diverse communities are heard in involvement activities.
‘Yoga for Bump’ was an initiative in Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care West Midlands (CLAHRC WM) funded through the Wellcome Trust Public Engagement Fund. The main aim of the initiative was to create more accessible opportunities for people from a range of backgrounds to be involved in research.
Find out more about our creative approach, which involved setting up free pregnancy yoga sessions combined with opportunities for women to engage with local researchers.
Magdalena Skrybant is Patient and Public Involvement Lead for NIHR CLAHRC West Midlands and co-lead for the ‘Yoga for Bump’ project.
All are welcome. For more information contact Dr. Julie Roberts
This seminar is part of a series funded by the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Bart Fund and the School of Health Sciences Public Engagement Steering Group.