Healthy Mothers on the Move
Pregnancy and the period after childbirth offer unique opportunities to reduce the risk of developing gestational diabetes (GDM) and type 2 diabetes and their severe consequences for mothers and their children. The aim of Healthy Mothers on the Move (Healthy MOMs) was to demonstrate the effectiveness of healthy lifestyle intervention tailored to the needs of pregnant and postpartum African American and Latino women, and designed to reduce risk factors for obesity, gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes. This REACH Detroit Partnership project was designed using community-based participatory research approaches, and conducted by trained community resident Women's Health Advocates (WHAs) during home visits and group meetings between 2003 and 2008.
Results to-date show that, as a result of the intervention, Healthy MOMs participants had reduced fat and sugar consumption and improved vegetable and fiber consumption. They also had significantly lower risk of depression. Other results are being studied.