Pamper me well: Utilizing midnight spas as a venue for health education and screenings

Pamper Me Well (PMW) is a program that aims to address the health of women in the preconception period by providing skills and knowledge needed to make behavioral which can increase their chances of having a positive birth outcome in the future. PMW has several key components: Tailored Health and wellness education, fellowship with other women, and the opportunity to learn about and partake in self preservation. The project targets AA women with at least some college education.

The premise of this program is to create an innovative way to deliver health education couched in a popular venue for the target population; Spa parties. Spa parties are events catering to groups of 10-20 women which are held in a participant's home.

The program works as follows: Host women are identified each month. The host invites 10-14 of her friends, and colleagues, to a 2-3 hour event held in her home. The event consists of pampering, health/wellness education and woman to woman fellowship. Services provided include hand massages, facials; foot soaks, as well as skin and hair care information.

Each woman completes a preconception health assessment and a pretest. While enjoying spa services, the women receive education on preconception health, based on needs identified on the assessment and pretest. An exit survey, commitment card, and post test are completed, and an incentive item awarded

100% of the women have admitted to increasing their knowledge as well as vowing to change a health behavior to improve their potential future birth outcomes