PROJECT SUMMARY Urbanization, migration, and the nuclearization of households are changing the family context into which children are born. Health at birth is not only determined by economic circumstances: the social support and social status of mothers in their family contexts are embodied in the health of pregnancies, with consequences for lifelong wellness. However – and despite the importance of social circumstances for public health – because prior population science has lacked the population-level biomarkers needed to understand these processes – a comprehensive understanding of family structure, stress in pregnancy, and health at birth has not previously been possible. In this mentored project, PI Diane Coffey will pursue training in the biomarkers and biological processes of stress in pregnancy. Training in population-level biomarker data and stress biology will empower her career as an independent population scientist studying healthy pregnancy as a start to lifelong wellness. The project has three specific aims. Under Aim 1, Coffey will receive mentored training in the use of biomarkers in population-level survey data on pregnant women (blood pressure, obesity, glucose, and hemoglobin), in the biomarkers (cortisol, CRP) and biology of stress in pregnancy, and in biostatistics. She will complete an extensive program of coursework and guided reading and attend workshops and conferences on biomarkers. Aim 2 is for the PI to conduct within-population studies of consequences of household structures for biomarkers of stress in pregnancy and birth outcomes. One part of Aim 2 will study the importance of three-generation households; another part will investigate the consequences of partner absence. Aim 3 is to construct comparisons and inform theory by comparing outcomes in settings with different social environments for pregnant women. Achieving these three aims will prepare the PI to apply for future R01 support as an independent population scientist. The resulting research agenda will add new biosocial root causes to existing models of early life health.