Feature
Commission to Build a Healthier America Public Meeting
Join the Commission on June 19, 2013 for a public meeting to raise awareness of how non-medical factors influence health and move public- an...
Read more
Doulas Try to Improve Pregnancy Outcomes for Addicted Women
Lay worker services for pregnant addicted women
The Northern New Jersey Maternal/Child Health Consortium collaborated with five northern New Jersey agencies to design and develop a project to improve pregnancy outcomes for drug-addicted women in Paterson, N.J.
Some 14 trained lay personnel, called doulas, assisted these women during and after pregnancy. Through home visits, the doulas sought to build trust, provide emotional support, and reduce barriers to proper prenatal and postpartum care.
The project was part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's (RWJF) New Jersey Health Initiatives program (for more information see Program Results).
Key Results:
- Some 111 pregnant women were enrolled in the program, 50 in the doula intervention and 60 women in a control group.
- Women in the doula intervention group did not have better pregnancy outcomes than the comparison group. This was thought to be caused in part by client mistrust, reluctance of clients to make a commitment, and inability to make the doula appointment a priority.
New Jersey Health Initiatives Project Results
Individual project results from the RWJF statewide program, New Jersey Health Initiatives
Read the Program Results for New Jersey Health Initiatives View all