Healthy food for expectant mothers Hernandez receives $2M HRSA grant
Improving pregnant women’s nutrition and access to produce is the goal of a new four-year, $2 million grant that researcher Daphne Hernandez has received from the Heath Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Hernandez, a professor in the Department of Research at Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston, is principal investigator of the study “Houston Strong Start: Maternal Produce Prescription and Nutrition Education.” The project supports HRSA’s Maternal Produce Prescription Program.
“Food can be seen as medicine, and improved diets can reduce chronic conditions,” said Hernandez, PhD, MSEd. “Supporting a healthy diet for pregnant women can have long-term benefits for moms and their babies.”
The study involves recruiting 150 women within the first 16 weeks of their pregnancy who are served by two Federally Qualified Health Centers with multiple locations in the Houston area—Avenue 360 Health and Wellness and HOPE Clinic. Participants will be referred to Umoja Health, a hunger relief and logistics company that works with food banks, healthcare providers, and government agencies.
Umoja Health’s team will enroll participants and provide comprehensive services including home delivery of produce, nutrition education, and counseling sessions with a registered dietician. Care coordinators will work with moms-to-be to support postpartum care by facilitating referrals, connecting them with community resources, and coordinating transportation as needed.
The research team will follow participants for 12 months postpartum. They will evaluate healthcare outcomes and the program’s effectiveness by reviewing records, surveying participants, and conducting qualitative interviews with healthcare staff and expectant moms.
“We believe that Houston Strong Start could provide a template for successful maternal nutrition programs nationwide,” Hernandez said.
Co-investigators on the study are Cizik School of Nursing faculty Nikil S. Padhye, PhD, a professor of biostatistics in the Department of Research, and Annalynn Galvin, PhD, RN, an assistant professor in the Department of Research and a fellow of the Dorothy T. Nicholson Distinguished Professorship.
Hernandez is Cizik School of Nursing’s assistant dean for research and the Lee and Joseph Jamail Distinguished Professor.
