Healthy Lifestyle Intervention for High-Risk Minority Pregnant Women

The overall purpose of this application is to evaluate the efficacy of an intervention designed to decrease health disparities in pregnant, emotionally distressed, minority women. This randomized controlled trial will test a six session (spaced over 18 weeks) cognitive behavioral skills building (CBSB) prenatal care intervention (specifically designed and based on prior research for pregnant minority women experiencing emotional distress) at three sites (Jacobi Medical Center, New York City and The Ohio State University Total Health and Wellness Clinic, and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center OB/GYN Columbus, Ohio.

A randomized controlled trial will test a cognitive behavioral skills building intervention (COPE-P) in Black and Hispanic women experiencing emotional distress in two sites (New York and Ohio) to determine if the intervention leads to better health behaviors, better psychosocial health (anxiety, stress, and depressive symptoms), and improved birth and post-natal outcomes in women experiencing emotional distress. Developing scalable prenatal interventions designed to improve birth outcomes as well as maternal physical and psychosocial health is essential to decrease health disparities in pregnant minority women.