The Miriam and Bradley hospitals to study approaches to reduce postpartum diabetes risk

Updated at 2:04 p.m. on Jan. 17, 2025

PROVIDENCE – A research team from The Miriam Hospital and Bradley Hospital 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.

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“Home visiting is not just a service; it’s a lifeline. These programs provide essential support, guidance and reassurance during a highly stressful time for mothers and their families,” said Stephanie Parade, director of early childhood research at Bradley Hospital and a co-investigator for the Brown University Health study site. “Supporting mothers with gestational diabetes will help us to further demonstrate the many important ways that home visiting combats racial and ethnic disparities in health care.”

Rena Wing, director of The Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center at The Miriam Hospital and one of the study’s principal investigators, said maternal diabetes affects women from food-insecure and socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.

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“Medically tailored meals could be an effective intervention for mothers with gestational diabetes and their children that will have lasting benefits throughout their lives,” Wing said.

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo will be the lead study site. The study also will involve investigators from Northwestern University.

It is funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, which is an independent nonprofit organization authorized by Congress to fund patient-centered comparative clinical research.

The study will involve almost 1,000 perinatal adults across the U.S. Through home visiting, professionals like nurses, parent professionals or community health workers offer pregnant and postpartum families personalized health education, support and connections to resources.

Participants either will have or have previously had gestational diabetes – a condition that happens when high blood sugar levels develop during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes can lead to type 2 diabetes, which is a chronic condition and a leading cause of death and disability in the U.S. It’s linked to heart disease, kidney failure and several other complications.

But type 2 diabetes is usually preventable through healthy eating, weight management and physical activity.

“The rise in gestational diabetes is concerning for public health and increases adverse health effects both to the mother and the baby,” said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. “This funding will help examine root causes and develop solutions to improve patient outcomes and deliver more cost-effective treatment.”

Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., said he helped campaign for the funding.

“Our country is experiencing a maternal health crisis, and we need to do our part to ensure every mom gets the care and support she needs,” Magaziner said. “I am proud to have advocated for this funding, along with my colleagues in the congressional delegation, to combat health disparities and ensure mothers and their children in Rhode Island can live healthy lives.”

(UPDATE: An earlier version of this story misspelled Stephanie Parade’s name.)

Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.