Staying healthy in supported independent living: co-designing healthy lifestyle interventions with people with disability

About the Project

People/organisations involved:

Principal Investigator: Dr Leigh Bramwell, Senior Community Nutritionist, Metro South Health Equity and Access Team

University partner: Griffith University Health Group

University co-lead: Dr Kelsey Chapman, Disability and Rehabilitation Research Fellow, The Hopkins Centre, Griffith University

Research team: 

Simone Johnston, MSH Strategic Partnerships
Dr Maria Schwarz, MSH Centre for Functioning and Health Research

Staying Healthy in Supported Independent Living is a co-designed research project focused on improving healthy lifestyle opportunities for people with disability living in supported independent living (SIL) homes.

People with disability experience significantly higher rates of preventable chronic conditions, including those linked to poor diet and physical inactivity. Despite this, there are limited tailored and accessible health promotion programs designed specifically for SIL settings.

This project brings together residents, families, support workers, health professionals and researchers to co-design practical, real-world solutions that support healthier eating and physical activity within SIL homes across Metro South.

Aim and objectives

To co-design healthy lifestyle strategies that are practical, accessible and meaningful for people with disability living in SIL homes.

• Identify barriers and enablers to healthy eating and physical activity in SIL settings
• Engage residents, families and support workers in a structured co-design process (Discover, Design, Develop phases)
• Develop and prototype tailored healthy lifestyle interventions
• Produce an implementation plan to support future piloting and scale-up
• Strengthen capability within the disability sector to support preventative health

Expected outcomes and impact

In the short term, the project will:

• Increase health literacy among SIL residents and support workers
• Develop practical, co-designed healthy lifestyle prototypes
• Build stronger partnerships between health services and the disability sector
• Produce a clear implementation plan for future piloting
  
  

In the longer term, the project aims to:

• Improve healthy eating and physical activity practices in SIL homes
• Reduce modifiable risk factors linked to chronic disease
• Contribute to fewer preventable hospitalisations
• Inform policy and practice within the disability and supported accommodation sectors.
  
  

By centring lived experience and applying best-practice co-design methods, the project will generate sustainable, community-driven solutions that promote health equity.

Project status and timeframe

Status: Commencing 2026 (pending ethics and governance approvals)

Timeframe: 2 years

The co-design process will span approximately 18 months, followed by consolidation of findings and development of a comprehensive implementation plan. Dissemination will include community reporting, conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications.

Project funded by the 2026 Metro South Health Research Support Scheme, MSH SERTA and Griffith University Health Group