How neighborhood conditions affect pregnancy and newborn health
Impacts of neighborhood features on perinatal health
This project looks at how neighborhood factors like pollution, housing, segregation, and access to services relate to pregnancy and newborn health for Black, Hispanic, and white mothers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baylor College of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11284073 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From your perspective, the research team will link pregnancy and birth records with neighborhood information such as air pollution levels, housing quality, local services, and measures of segregation. They will compare outcomes like preterm birth, gestational hypertension, and gestational diabetes across different neighborhoods and racial and ethnic groups. The team will use statistical methods to untangle the combined effects of multiple neighborhood features and how they interact with social stressors. Results aim to point to neighborhood-level changes or policies that could improve health for mothers and infants.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are pregnant people or recent mothers from a range of U.S. neighborhoods, with particular focus on Black and Hispanic women.
Not a fit: People who are not pregnant, who live outside the areas covered by the study, or whose health records cannot be linked to neighborhood data are unlikely to benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify neighborhood targets for policies or programs that reduce preterm birth and pregnancy complications, especially in communities of color.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies have linked some neighborhood features to worse birth outcomes but findings are mixed, and studying multiple neighborhood factors together is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
Houston, United States
- Baylor College of Medicine — Houston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Whitworth, Kristina Walker — Baylor College of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Whitworth, Kristina Walker
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.