Assessing the Impact of a Culturally Congruent Perinatal Home-Visiting Program on Gestational Age at Delivery for Black Women.

Abstract

Purpose: There is a Black maternal health crisis in America, with significant racial disparities in birth outcomes for Black women in Washington, DC. Programs designed to reduce these inequities must intentionally address the role of systemic racism and the ongoing legacy of oppression that is endemic to traditional perinatal care services. This article describes the findings from the quantitative analysis of an innovative perinatal program (Mothers Rising) designed by and for Black women in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area that was part of a larger mixed methods study.

Methods: Using data provided by a Medicaid managed care organization that insured program participants and women who did not receive Mothers Rising, program participants (n = 102) were matched with a group of Black women who did not receive the program (n = 102) using propensity scores matching. Perinatal outcomes were extracted from electronic health records from the managed care dataset, including birth weight and gestational age.

Results: Statistical analyses of the differences in birth outcomes between program participants and their matched peers demonstrated small but statistically significant differences in gestational age, favoring the Mothers Rising group.

Conclusions: This study adds to the evidence base for the effectiveness of culturally tailored interventions to successfully address persistent racial disparities in Black women's perinatal health outcomes that result from persistent racism. Hyperlocal, community-developed home-visiting programs, such as Mothers Rising, should be funded to sustain impact and optimize maternal health outcomes.