New study looks at making a difference in maternal and baby health
Researchers at KU School of Medicine-Wichita are looking for participants who are between weeks 24 and 30 in their pregnancy.
With maternal obesity and diabetes being major health risk factors for both moms-to-be and their unborn babies, a National Institutes of Health-funded study on whether an intervention offering professional health coaching, lifestyle changes and breastfeeding support can make a difference is underway at KU School of Medicine-Wichita.
Researchers are planning to enroll about 50 eligible women in the study over the next two to three months, according to Lisette T. Jacobson, Ph.D., MPA, M.A., the study’s principal investigator and an associate professor in the departments of Population Health and Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Eligibility criteria include women who are between weeks 24 and 30 of their pregnancy and have a pre-pregnancy body mass index rating of 25 or higher. The participants will continue in the study through three months postpartum.
Women are being recruited from two Wichita practices as well as through rural Kansas clinics and hospitals through the KU Kansas Center for Rural Health and the Sunflower Health Network, said Jacobson, who also heads up the KCRH’s Rural Health Council.
In Wichita, the clinics of maternal-fetal medicine specialists Darren Farley, M.D., with Associates in Women’s Health and clinical associate professor with KUSM-Wichita OB-GYN, and Michael Wolfe, M.D., with Ascension Medical Group and an alumnus of KU School of Medicine-Wichita and residency, are participating in the study.
As many as one in five pregnancies are affected by either pre-pregnancy or gestational diabetes, Wolfe said. Gestational diabetes refers to diabetes diagnosed for the first time during a pregnancy.
“Diabetes of any kind can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes including birth trauma, higher rates of C-section and newborn issues with hypoglycemia or low blood sugar that often lead to admission to ICU. Additionally, the risk of stillbirth is increased in pregnancies complicated by diabetes, particularly with poor glucose control,” Wolfe said.
Maternal obesity also carries risks for both moms and their babies, including stillbirth and congenital conditions such as spina bifida and cardiac issues, he said.
About three out of every 10 women who become pregnant tend to be overweight and that puts them at higher risk for developing gestational diabetes, hypertension and preeclampsia, which are associated with their babies being at higher risk for low birth weight, prematurity and infant death, Jacobson said.
Women in the study will receive an intervention offering three components: professional coaching, a lifestyle change program, and breastfeeding education and support.
The components will be delivered by a health coach using a mobile app called eMOMSTM (electronic Monitoring of Mom’s Schedule). The app provides digital information on developing healthy eating and physical activity habits, improving blood sugars and blood pressure numbers, and supporting breastfeeding.
The health coach, who is a registered dietician and certified breastfeeding specialist with study collaborator Cappa Health, will help the moms-to-be implement a six-month variation of the National Diabetes Prevention Program. Studies have shown that the structured lifestyle change program, which includes daily movement goals and healthier food choices, can help cut one’s risk for developing Type 2 diabetes by 58%, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control.
Study participants will also have access to professional lactation support and educational breastfeeding videos recorded by another study collaborator, Jolynn Dowling, the Janice M. Riordan distinguished professor of maternal child health at Wichita State University, so they can learn more about the benefits of breastfeeding.
Studies have shown that for women with gestational diabetes, longer breastfeeding times can reduce their risk of getting Type 2 diabetes later in life. Breastfeeding can also help women lose weight following a pregnancy.
While as many as 84% of new moms breastfeed immediately after delivery, only one in four is still breastfeeding six months after their baby’s delivery, according to past studies.
While the study involves women who are currently pregnant, it has implications for women who plan future pregnancies, Wolfe said.
“By improving pre-pregnancy health factors such as diabetes and obesity, we can reduce the risk of pregnancy complications,” he said. “Proper weight loss following delivery can help reduce long-term risk of diabetes in at-risk women and improve health factors prior to the next pregnancy. From my perspective that is where studies like this are helpful — in trying to develop a care plan and method of support for healthy choices during pregnancy and afterward such as breastfeeding/weight loss following delivery.”
The study is funded with grants totaling nearly $318,000 from two NIH agencies, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Above, left: Lisette Jacobson, Ph.D., MPA, M.A.; Darren Farley, M.D.; Michael Wolfe, M.D.
How to participate
If you are interested in participating in the study, call 316-293-2626 or go to the eMOMSTM website.