Understanding pregnancy risks linked to stress and sleep in African American women
Official title: RISK FACTORS FOR RACIAL DISPARITIES IN ADVERSE PERINATAL OUTCOMES AFFECTING AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN
Funded at Meharry Medical College · NIH-11367934 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether stress and poor sleep during pregnancy are linked to complications for African American women.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Meharry Medical College NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nashville, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 1997 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $418,533 |
| NIH project number | 5U54MD007586-39 |
| Project ID | NIH-11367934 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Pregnant African American women ages 18–40 with a singleton pregnancy who can enroll around 12–14 weeks gestation are the intended participants.
✕Less likely to help
People with multiple pregnancies, outside the specified age range, non–African American women, or those unable to attend local study visits may not be eligible or likely to benefit.
What this research studies
If you join, you'll be enrolled early in pregnancy and followed through delivery. Researchers will collect sleep data, questionnaires about socioeconomic and psychosocial stress, and blood and saliva samples to measure hormones and metabolic markers. The team will compare sleep and biological measures to pregnancy outcomes like gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, hemorrhage, and stillbirth. The goal is to find patterns that explain higher rates of these problems in African American women so future prevention can be targeted.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Findings could help identify warning signs and targets for preventing pregnancy complications that disproportionately affect African American women.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have linked stress and poor sleep to pregnancy problems, but combining detailed sleep measures, stress assessment, and metabolic hormones specifically in African American women is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Meharry Medical College
Nashville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chirwa, Sanika Samuel — Meharry Medical College
- Study coordinator: Chirwa, Sanika Samuel
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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.