The MAMAS Study
Novel Interventions to Reduce Stress-Induced
Non-Homeostatic Eating in Pregnant Women
What is the Purpose of this Project | Who is Conducting and Funding this Study? | MAMAS Study Frequently Asked Questions | Recruiting
What is the Purpose of this Project
Current dietary approaches to weight loss focus almost exclusively on nutrition education and individual control of food intake without attending to root causes of the strong drive to overeat. During pregnancy, which is a critical time of weight gain, the weight changes have particularly high clinical significance. Excessive weight gain affects the developing fetus, and both the mother and child’s long term weight and related health risks. Today, more than 40% of women enter pregnancy already overweight or obese, and 60% gain more than the recommended amount of weight.
In this project, we are developing two psychosocial interventions for promoting healthy weight gain during pregnancy in mid- to low-income pregnant women. In the first phase of this study, we conducted in-depth focus groups with over 60 overweight, low- to mid-income, pregnant women to learn more about what they might be looking for in such an intervention. In September (2010), we launched the second phase of the study and are currently enrolling 48-60 low- to middle-income, overweight pregnant women who will be randomly assigned to one of the interventions. The next series of intervention classes begin in late February 2011. The goal of this study is to find out whether these kinds of psychosocial interventions can help women achieve healthy weight gain during pregnancy and reduce stress. To participate in one of these classes, please contact Nina Fry at 415-600-5772 or email momshealthstudy@gmail.com
Women who participate will be asked to attend an eight-week, 2 hour class on stress reduction, eating and exercise as well as complete several different baseline and postpartum psychosocial and biomedical study measures. Women will be compensated up to $475 for completing all parts of the study.
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Who is Conducting and Funding this Study?
This project is a collaboration between the University of California, San Francisco and the California Pacific Medical Center, and is funded by the National Institutes for Health (NIH). The Principal Investigators are Barbara Lariaia, PhD, Elissa Epel, PhD, and Nancy Adler, PhD at UCSF and , and Cassandra Vieten, PhD, is a Co-Investigator at California Pacific Medical Center.
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MAMAS Study Frequently Asked Questions
The MAMAS Study Maternal Obesity, Metabolism and Stress FAQ
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Recruiting
If you are interested in helping us recruit participants or if you know someone who might be interested in the MAMAS Study, please contact Nina Fry, MA, at 415-600-5772 or email momshealthstudy@gmail.com to receive a packet of flyers and handouts. You can also print out the attached MAMAS Study Flyer to post in your clinic or center or give out to potential participants.
Please see MAMAS Study Flyer [PDF] | MAMAS Study Flyer [HTML]
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