Dissertation Team
Meghan Garland, Principal Investigator, Rush University College of Nursing
JoEllen Wilbur, Advisor, Rush University College of Nursing
Shannon Halloway, Committee member, Rush University College of Nursing
Monique Reed, Committee member, Rush University College of Nursing
Pam Semanik, Committee member, Rush University College of Nursing
Thaddeus Waters, Committee member, Rush University College of Nursing
Louis Fogg, Committee member, Rush University College of Nursing
Award Period
3/1/21 - 2/28/22
Funding Source
Rush College of Nursing Dissertation Grant
Abstract
Black women experience more hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and complications of gestational diabetes mellitus than White women. Physical activity (PA) is associated with lower rates of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and gestational diabetes mellitus. Black women, however, have the lowest rates of meeting the recommended 150 minutes weekly of moderate-intensity PA. An understanding of the determinants of PA in pregnant Black women is needed to develop culturally appropriate lifestyle PA interventions. The purpose of this study is to examine relationships among theoretical determinants (self-efficacy, social support) and non-theoretical (demographic, pregnancy characteristics, experiences of discrimination, pre-pregnancy PA, neighborhood characteristics determinants of PA and lifestyle PA (leisure time, occupational, household) among pregnant Black women during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters.
The specific aims are to: (I) describe changes in the theoretical determinants of PA and lifestyle PA from the 2nd to the 3rd trimester; and (2) examine the effect of theoretical determinants of PA at the 2nd trimester on change in PA (self-report, device) from the 2nd to the 3rd trimester controlling for non-theoretical determinants of PA.
A longitudinal cohort design will be used. Black women (N =45) in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy and without complications of pregnancy will be recruited from an obstetrical clinic in an urban medical center. Demographic, discrimination, pregnancy characteristics, pre-pregnancy PA, and neighborhood questionnaires will be completed the 2nd trimester (weeks 18-24). Self-efficacy, social support, self-report PA questionnaires will be completed the 2nd trimester and during the 3rd trimester (weeks 28-34). A device (Actigraph) will be worn for 1 week during each trimester.
Analyses includes test-retest correlations to assess stability, paired t-tests to measure change over time, and hierarchical regression to assess the moderator effects of theoretical determinants of PA. Findings will inform development of an intervention for pregnant Black women to increase lifestyle PA.