# Multilevel exposure to adversity across the life-course: Quantifying biological implications in urban postpartum women

> **NIH NIH U54** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO · 2024 · $1,538,437

## Abstract

ABSTRACT – PROJECT 1.
In concert with the University of Illinois Chicago Maternal Health Research Center of Excellence (Center)
theme to Synergize Systems of Change for Maternal Health Equity, this project aims to characterize how
structural racism impacts postpartum women’s health. Black women bear a disproportionate burden of
death and are nearly three times as likely to die within one year of pregnancy as White women. Nationally and
in Illinois, almost 70% of pregnancy-associated deaths occur postpartum, making this a particularly sensitive
period. Women in Chicago have more than two times higher rates of severe maternal morbidity compared to
other geographical locations in Illinois. Postpartum women living in Chicago are disparately exposed to
structural racism and adverse social and physical conditions. Chronic exposure to structural racism, including
neighborhood living conditions such as racial residential segregation, concentrated disadvantage, and violence
play an important role in producing and maintaining health disparities and socio-economic disadvantage. Yet,
most maternal health research focuses on individual-level risk factors. This project will fill that gap in
knowledge by examining the broader contextual experiences of postpartum women. The aims of this project
are to: 1) describe the exposure to multilevel (neighborhood, family, and individual) adverse risk factors among
urban postpartum women, 2) assess the effect of multilevel (neighborhood, family, and individual) exposures
on bio-physical outcomes among urban postpartum women, and 3) understand multilevel (neighborhood,
family, and individual) context of daily experience across the life-course of postpartum women using qualitative
photovoice methods. These studies will identify molecular indicators of maternal health outcomes to pinpoint
neighborhood characteristics that trigger/exacerbate biological pathways resulting in maternal health
disparities. This project also will develop new knowledge about women's lived experiences and the impact of
structural racism that can inform the design of relevant and meaningful interventions for this population. Data
collected from this project will be managed by the Center Data Committee and uploaded to Center Research
Resource & Data Repository. This project will rely on the Community Partnership Core and Community
Advisory Board to integrate the voice of the community which is integral to maternal health equity research.
This project will be linked to Project 3, the prospective intervention study, by providing information about the
needs of postpartum women. This project also will serve as an opportunity for trainees in the Training Core to
gain valuable research experience in public health, social work, data science, and biology.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10748094
- **Project number:** 1U54HD113087-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Anne Elizabeth Glassgow
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,538,437
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-06-26 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10748094

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10748094, Multilevel exposure to adversity across the life-course: Quantifying biological implications in urban postpartum women (1U54HD113087-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10748094. Licensed CC0.

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