# Sustaining Women's Engagement and Enabling Transitions after Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (SWEET)

> **NIH NIH R34** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $239,500

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) poses a substantial long-term health burden to women due to the 7-fold
increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and other cardiovascular disorders. Yet, there are
many gaps in the transition period after GDM, which is a particularly critical time due to enhanced motivation and
access. Nevertheless, a minority of women receive postpartum screening for dysglycemia or have successful
transition to primary care. Although T2DM prevention interventions can be successful, they cannot be deployed
without retention and engagement in care. Addressing the unique barriers experienced by postpartum
women requires innovative models of health care delivery to promote prevention of T2DM after GDM.
One potential intervention with demonstrated successes in other arenas is patient navigation, a barrier-focused,
longitudinal, patient-centered intervention that offers support for a defined set of health services.
This R34 proposal is a 2-year research plan for a pilot assessment of Sustaining Women's Engagement and
Enabling Transitions after GDM (SWEET), a GDM-focused intervention that will apply barrier-reduction patient
navigation strategies to improve health after a pregnancy with GDM. We aim to determine, via a randomized
controlled trial of 40 women who have had GDM, whether those who receive the SWEET navigation intervention
have improved diabetes-related health at 1 year after birth compared to those who receive usual care. In order
to promote self-efficacy, enhance access, and sustain long-term engagement, the SWEET intervention will
provide GDM-specific, individualized navigation services that leverage existing clinical infrastructure, including
logistical support, psychosocial support, and health education, through 1-year postpartum. Aim 1 will evaluate
whether clinical (weight, glycemic control, abdominal circumference, and blood pressure), health services
(postpartum and primary care visit attendance), and patient-reported (diabetes self-efficacy, activation, and
T2DM risk perception) outcomes differ in women exposed to SWEET versus usual care. Aim 2 will evaluate
feasibility and acceptability. SWEET is designed to be a pragmatic and clinically-integrated intervention. This
proposal will generate key data for the conduct of a full-scale trial of a GDM-specific postpartum patient
navigation program that will address critical questions about long-term maternal health and T2DM prevention.
SWEET bridges the chasm between care during pregnancy – focused on improving the health of the
pregnant woman and her offspring – and long-term women’s health care – focused on chronic disease
management and preventive health. We are dedicated to identifying how we can improve early identification
of T2DM, lifestyle modification, retention in care, and transitions to primary care after GDM. Achieving these
goals will enhance women’s long-term and subsequent pregnancy health, both of which are consistent...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10187565
- **Project number:** 5R34DK125958-02
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Lynn M Yee
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $239,500
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2024-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10187565

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10187565, Sustaining Women's Engagement and Enabling Transitions after Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (SWEET) (5R34DK125958-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10187565. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*