Health promotion graduate develops oral health app
A health promotion graduate is working with Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington informatics students on a new oral health app designed to meet the needs of Māori, Pasifika and disabled people.
Dayna Lindsay is graduating this May with a postgraduate certificate in Health Promotion, after previously completing a Bachelor of Health. While in her role as an oral health promotor at Bee Healthy Regional Dental Service, a community-based dental service for the Wellington region, Dayna has been working with Te Herenga Waka—Victoria Wellington of University informatics students on an oral health app.
During the pandemic, her employer had asked if people had projects they wanted to work on, as many of their face-to-face community -based work could not happen during the lockdown.
“I had a think and thought an app could be a great way to connect our priority communities (Māori, Pasifika and Disabled People) with oral health from the comfort of their homes. There was nothing culturally appropriate available, so off I went to do background research and engage with community organisations to get their input. From there, I worked with Victoria University of Wellington’s informatics students to develop a prototype of the app, with my next job being to get feedback from the target population of tamariki and whānau in the Wellington region.”
The app includes a toothbrushing timer, with a waiata in Te Reo Māori, a brushing reward chart relating to the matariki stars, and a nutrition-based game where tamariki choose healthy kai for their kete and distinguish between every day, sometimes, and treat foods.
For adults and whānau, there are a series of short educational videos on topics such as baby teeth and teething, lunchbox ideas, a supermarket tour with tips, common oral health challenges, and explanations of different treatments, as well as a map of Bee Healthy’s 13 dental hubs, other resources, and a video to show tamariki what it’s like to visit the dentist.
Based on Te Ao Māori and Pasifika Ao’ga, the app is made to be accessible for all, using pictures, videos and narration throughout. Videos are in multiple languages including Samoan, Māori, Tokelauan, and sign language, and are presented by a range of community health professionals throughout the Wellington region, she says.
Dr Allan Sylvester, Associate Dean Students in the School of Information Management, says Dayna’s journey is a great example of how a student can move seamlessly from knowledge consumer to knowledge creator and onto producing impactful results for her employer and community.
“Dayna has shown how it is possible to span and combine the two complex knowledge domains of health and information technologies in interesting and creative ways. The skills and approaches she has mastered along the way are eminently transferable and will set her up for an enjoyable and lasting career no matter what direction she ultimately chooses.”
Dr Terry Fleming, Associate Professor in the School of Health and co-leader of the Digital Mental Health Catalyst, says it is great to see graduates connecting with students and staff to help solve real world problems. “This is one of the exciting things about digital health; students and staff are able to work with those in the health sector to help develop and test real world solutions.”
She says students have opportunities to make a powerful difference with collaborations like this. “This is a strength of Te Herenga Waka, which really values ‘civic engagement’ and is supportive of students, including after they have finished their studies.”
Dayna’s pathway to health
Dayna, who is currently also undertaking a postgraduate diploma in health and planning to then do a Master of Health, was always interested in nutrition and health, studying health throughout high school. After finishing her schooling in year 12, she began a holiday job in a family and criminal law firm which continued into a permanent role.
“It was through this work that I began to see how all the determinants impacting these clients related back to health. My boss really encouraged me to go to university, and I came across the Bachelor of Health.”
This was after telling herself she would never do further study, given she had not enjoyed her final years at high school and had not completed year 13.
“I definitely thought I wasn’t cut out for university life. However, the Bachelor of Health was a new degree which I liked the look of, so I told myself I’d give it a go.”
She says she “really, really enjoyed” the degree, and how early papers covered broad topics such as policy, psychology, biology, and health promotion. The papers she did in later years, such as those focused on health promotion in communities and the challenges of the current health climate, became especially relevant when the COVID-19 pandemic hit during her second year, shifting her studies online.
“At this time I was actually doing a paper which focused on communities in New Zealand, and digital health, so my assignment was all about how university students coped with studying online and how that impacted their health.”
She completed the degree full time while continuing to work part time as a legal secretary.
“My study and job actually tied in really well together, with my job giving me good writing and people skills, and an in-depth understanding of communities and the challenges they face which relate to the social determinants of health.”
Once she completed her degree in November 2021, Dayna found employment at Bee Healthy Regional Dental Service, a role she loves for its diversity and connection with people in the community.
“It is so satisfying when you can help to educate someone on something small that can make a huge difference in their life.
“My job involves working with high-risk Māori and Pasifika tamariki and their whānau to improve their oral health. This includes providing free dental checkups in Kōhanga Reo and Early Learning Centres, as well as running programmes such as the supervised toothbrushing programme. We also offer education to Plunket and Tamariki Ora nurses, and present to Refugee Orientation groups. My favourite part is getting involved in community events and talking one on one with whānau.”
She soon found herself attracted to more study.
“I had settled in and again told myself ‘no more study’. However, there was a paper on advanced health promotion which I liked the look of, so I decided to do this and another paper part-time over the year of 2022 which led me to complete the Postgraduate Certificate in Health Promotion. From there, I thought ‘well I may as well keep going’, so now I’m doing the postgraduate diploma and will go on to do a Master in Health.”
Dayna says she enjoyed getting to learn more about her classmates’ areas of interest.
“Some classmates [in the postgraduate certificate] were researching LGBTQIA+ health, whilst another was working in the area of Pasifika health.”
The small class of ten people also enabled plenty of one-on-one time with the lecturer, which was a real benefit, she says.
She loves being able to use what she is learning about how to engage with communities in her work at Bee Healthy, as well as the variety of courses which the postgraduate certificate and diploma offer.
“For example, I am currently doing a paper on diverse communities and I have chosen to research the tamariki takiwātanga (children with autism) population’s oral health. I have been able to talk to parents within our service to get their insight which can be used to improve the services we offer to the takiwātanga population.”
For anyone considering this path of study, she encourages them to jump in – and make the most of the broad array of courses on offer. Studying while working is doable given the block courses and the high level of support from the School of Health, and it is worthwhile seeing if your employer will fund some of your study, she says.
“Just give it a go! There is so much freedom to study the topics which interest you, and the lecturers are amazing. It is only six months fulltime, or a year part-time, and it was really useful to study alongside working.
“Financially it was also better for me to study while working as I couldn’t bear being a ‘poor student’ for any longer.”
She recommends students keep their options open if they are not clear on a particular major.
“Although I majored in health promotion for the certificate, I’m not specialising in anything for the diploma, which means I can take whichever papers interest me.”