# A pragmatic, scalable e-health intervention for management of gestational weight gain in low-income mothers

> **NIH NIH R01** · LSU PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CTR · 2021 · $699,510

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic is adversely impacting the physical and mental health of non-
pregnant people, including weight gain and increased sedentary behavior, depression, anxiety, and stress. The
overarching goal of this administrative supplement to A pragmatic, scalable e-health intervention for
management of gestational weight gain in low-income mothers (R01NR017644), is to expand these
observations into pregnant and postpartum populations with the long-term objective of understanding the
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on perinatal physical and mental health outcomes among women who were
pregnant during the pandemic and to identify mediators of this impact. The central hypothesis is that exposure
to the COVID-19 pandemic during pregnancy will be associated with worsened perinatal physical and mental
health outcomes. The specific aims are: 1) examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on gestational
weight gain among pregnant women in Louisiana, 2) investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on
racial disparities on adverse pregnancy outcomes among women pregnant during the pandemic in Louisiana,
and 3) examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on perinatal mental health among women pregnant
during the pandemic in Louisiana. Louisiana is a living laboratory for the country and the world, with an
expansive spectrum of income and education levels, and high racial diversity. The specific aims will be tested
with two unique study designs. First, a retrospective chart review of deliveries at Woman's Hospital (Baton
Rouge, Louisiana) will be used to compare gestational weight gain and pregnancy outcomes from women who
were pregnant during the pandemic, compared to women who were pregnant immediately before the
pandemic (n=~23,000); as well as comparing outcomes between Black and White women. Second, using a
sequential explanatory mixed-methods design we will survey and interview two cohorts of recently postpartum
women who were pregnant during the pandemic about their mental health as well as pandemic-related
hardships: Louisiana WIC recipients and patients of Woman's Hospital. The mixed-methods design offers rigor
by integrating components of triangulation, complementarity, expansion, and development. The project survey
includes validated mental health questionnaires and common data elements of the NICHD Promoting Data
Harmonization to Accelerate COVID-19 Pregnancy Research. Potential mediators are pandemic-related
hardships, including isolation and changes to government assistance, housing, employment, or access to
medical care. At the end of the project, our expected outcome is to have quantified the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on the physical and mental health of pregnant and postpartum women and identified mediators of
that impact.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10392251
- **Project number:** 3R01NR017644-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** LSU PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Leanne Maree Redman
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $699,510
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-12-18 → 2023-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10392251

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10392251, A pragmatic, scalable e-health intervention for management of gestational weight gain in low-income mothers (3R01NR017644-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10392251. Licensed CC0.

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