A research team from The Miriam Hospital and Bradley Hospital, both of which are operated by Brown University Health, announced it will conduct a $10 million study comparing approaches to reduce postpartum diabetes. The study, known as “Healthy Moms/Mamis Saludables: Partnership to Prevent Maternal Diabetes in U.S. Home Visiting Programs,” will compare approaches to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes in women who face gestational diabetes mellitus, or GDM. The study will look at using medically tailored meals as part of home visiting programs, marking a first-of-its-kind approach to addressing inequalities in maternal health.
Rena Wing, director of The Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center at The Miriam Hospital and one of the study’s principal investigators, spoke with Providence Business News about the study.
PBN: How did Brown University Health become involved in the study?
WING: Suzanne Phelan [a professor in the Kinesiology and Public Health Department of the Bailey College of Science & Mathematics at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo] and I have collaborated previously on studies of lifestyle interventions to prevent gestational diabetes mellitus. Together with Stephanie Parade [director of early childhood research at Bradley Hospital and associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University], we are currently participating in ENRICH [Early Intervention to Promote Cardiovascular Health of Mothers and Children program], a multicenter trial studying the effects of a cardiovascular health enhancement to home visiting programs.
When the PCORI [Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute] announcement came out – requesting applications for studies of maternal morbidity and mortality – it was a natural next step to apply.
PBN: What is the goal of this study?
WING: The goal of the study is to determine whether adding medically tailored meals to a behavioral lifestyle intervention for women with GDM who are already participating in home visiting programs reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes/pre-diabetes in the first year postpartum.
PBN: How does postpartum diabetes affect women from different backgrounds differently?
WING: Women from low-income backgrounds who are Black and/or Hispanic are disproportionately affected by GDM and type 2 diabetes. These women are often involved with home visiting programs, making home visiting an ideal place for this intervention.
PBN: What are the risk factors for developing postpartum diabetes?
WING: Risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes among women with GDM include the following: pre-pregnancy obesity, poor GDM management, excess gestational or postpartum weight gain, physical inactivity, and insulin resistance.
PBN: How could medically tailored meals help prevent and treat postpartum diabetes?
WING: We are testing the hypothesis that providing medically tailored meals will help women with GDM to achieve better weight management during and after pregnancy by ensuring that healthy food items are available, modelling appropriate portion sizes, and reducing the difficulties surrounding purchasing and preparing healthy meals.
Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.