Promoting Healthy Lifestyles Among Women
Edith Kieffer, Principal Investigator
9/30/00-9/29/02

This community-based participatory research project was conducted to plan interventions aimed at reducing the prevalence of excessive weight gain during pregnancy and weight retention postpartum, with the ultimate goal of reducing risk factors for type 2 diabetes and other chronic, lifestyle related diseases among for low-income, urban Latino and African American women. The project, which was guided by a community-based Steering Committee included a literature review; in-depth individual interviews with 23 pregnant and postpartum women and people they identified as influencing their weight, eating and physical activity-related beliefs and practices; focus groups with pregnant and postpartum women to confirm and extend these results and suggest promising intervention strategies to promote healthy weight, eating, and physical activity during and after pregnancy; and focus groups with policy, program and organization leaders to address identified needs and issues, recommend intervention strategies and identify potential resources and collaborations needed to support proposed interventions. This study resulted in two multi-year interventions, Healthy Mothers on the Move (Healthy MOMs) and Promoting Healthy Eating in Detroit (PHED), both of which received 1 year pilot funding from the Michigan Department of Community Health and subsequently 5-year funding from the National Institutes of Health/NIDDK (Healthy MOMs) and 3-year funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PHED).

A lengthy final report, and a formal presentation were presented to the CDC Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity in January-February 2003. We are publishing or preparing for publication numerous manuscripts based on the process, methods and outcomes of the study.

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