About The PeerPlate Project.
About The PeerPlate Project
The PeerPlate Project is a PhD research project at Curtin University. It is developing food and nutrition education for the professional mental health peer workforce in Western Australia.
The project is built around a simple idea: nutrition education for peer work should be developed with peer workers, for peer workers.
PeerPlate is not a train-the-trainer program, and it does not position peer workers as dietitians or nutrition experts. It is being developed to build practical nutrition knowledge, food literacy, and confidence in ways that fit within peer work values and boundaries.
Why PeerPlate is needed
Peer workers can find themselves alongside people during everyday parts of life, including shopping, cooking, eating, budgeting, routines, health appointments, and conversations about wellbeing.
Food and nutrition can come up in these spaces, even when it is not the main focus of the work. PeerPlate is being developed so peer workers have access to food and nutrition education that is useful, respectful, and appropriate for peer work.
This is why the program is being designed with peer workers. In PeerPlate, co-design means peer workers are not just giving feedback after decisions have been made. Peer workers will help shape what the program includes, how it is delivered, what language is used, and what needs to be handled carefully.
The project also includes a review of existing research. This means the program will be built from both peer worker knowledge and the best available evidence.
How the project works
Phase One
First, PeerPlate Focus Groups will identify what the program needs to understand about food, nutrition, and peer work.
Phase Two
The focus group findings will be combined with a review of the existing research, then used in the PeerPlate Design Workshops, where peer workers and researchers will design the PeerPlate Program.
Phase Three
The program will then be offered to WA peer workers as an opportunity to build nutrition knowledge and skills while contributing to research that supports the peer workforce..
Privacy note
This website provides project information only. No participant information is collected here. Links will take you to a secure external project form.
Research and funding
This research is conducted by Kristine Peter as part of a Doctor of Philosophy at Curtin University.
The project is funded by Healthway.