Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc. has been awarded a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to complete the development and to test the effectiveness of a multiple behavior computer tailored intervention for pregnant women, Healthy Pregnancy: Step by Step. This intervention offers tailored guidance based on stage of readiness for smoking cessation and maintenance, stress management, and healthy eating. Intervention content focuses on the importance of adopting and sustaining those behaviors during pregnancy and into the postpartum for the health of both the mother and baby. A printed feedback report and multiple behavior change manual will serve as adjuncts to the intervention. Spanish versions of the intervention, report, and manual will also be created.
As part of this two-year grant, 368 pregnant women will be recruited from the community health center locations to participate in three intervention sessions and two follow-up assessments to determine the effectiveness of Healthy Pregnancy at initiating behavior change for all three critical health behaviors. Dr. Margaret Flinter, Vice President and Clinical Director of the Community Health Center, Inc., expresses her enthusiasm and support for this research and program development. “It pleases me to continue our strong collaboration with Pro-Change toward developing an evidence-based behavior change intervention for pregnant women. This program will serve as an asset toward delivering comprehensive prenatal care at our centers throughout Connecticut.”
During 2007-2008, Pro-Change, with funding from the CDC, developed a prototype of Healthy Pregnancy which was pilot tested with 87 pregnant women at various locations of the Community Health Center, Inc. The overwhelming majority of women (90%) rated the program exceptionally high on all fourteen evaluation items including that the program could help them be healthier, that they learned new information about having a healthy pregnancy, and that they would recommend the program to a friend. In addition, after the one session pilot program women reported recognizing increased benefits to changing their health behaviors and intentions to make behavioral changes. Participants reported planning to smoke fewer cigarettes, to increase effective stress management, and to eat more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. “Healthy Pregnancy will enable providers, in a feasible and cost-effective format, to offer women science-based, expert advice on health behaviors critical to a healthy pregnancy, mother, and baby. This intervention will serve as an important complement to prenatal care,” says Dr. Leanne Mauriello, Principal Investigator of the project.
Two publications based on the Phase I research and pilot test have been accepted for publication in the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health in Public Health Nursing.