Central Pennsylvania Women's Health Study

CePAWHS is a two-phase research project designed to reduce the incidence of preterm birth (birth occurring before 37 weeks of gestation) and low birthweight babies (babies that weigh less than 5 1/2 pounds at birth) by improving the health of high-risk women before they become pregnant. Preterm birth and low birthweight babies are important public health problems because they are associated with infant mortality and with health problems in infants and children that can have lifelong consequences. The rates of preterm birth and low birthweight babies in Pennsylvania and elsewhere are too high, and the rates are higher among low-income, minority, and medically underserved women. Although many people believe that preterm birth and low birthweight babies can be prevented during prenatal care, increased access to prenatal care over the last decade has not solved the problem. CePAWHS is a unique project because it focuses on women's health before and between pregnancies, rather than only during pregnancy.

The first phase of CePAWHS (CePAWHS-1) is a survey of 2,300 women ages 18-45 who reside in a 28-county region in Central Pennsylvania (see map below) and of 300 16-17-year-olds seeking services in family planning clinics. The purpose of this survey is to gather information on the health status, health habits, pregnancy history, and patterns of health care use of women in our target population and to identify the key risk factors for preterm birth and low birthweight in the population. This is the first comprehensive survey ever conducted on the health of Central Pennsylvania women. The survey is being conducted by telephone, household interviews, and clinic-based interviews. The information obtained in the survey will help the investigators design a program that will be tested in phase 2 of the research. We also hope to follow up with the women interviewed in CePAWHS-1 in future interviews.

The second phase of CePAWHS (CePAWHS-2) is a special program designed to help women who are considering a future pregnancy to improve their health status and health habits. Using the findings about key risk factors from phase 1, the researchers will develop a 6-session group program to improve women's health literacy, teach behavior change skills, and provide information about accessing needed health and social services. The program will be tested in a randomized trial that will include baseline and followup risk assessments on women receiving the program and women not receiving the program.

The results of both CePAWHS-1 and CePAWHS-2 will be published in research journals and posted on the project website.