Newark, NJ, Promoting health equity in preventing preterm birth among African-American women through Healthy Babies Are Worth the WaitŪ Community Program

Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait Community Program reported a 12% decline in preterm birth in Kentucky 2007-2010. In 2012, March of Dimes and Johnson & Johnson applied the model to a three-year program to reduce preterm birth among African-American women. The program is tailored to maternal health needs and services specific to Newark.

Methods. We conducted focus groups to learn what women and their providers know about preterm birth and to solicit their ideas for successful outreach. We convened a Community Advisory Board and collaborated with partners to create targeted materials and conduct outreach. We implemented interventions to address the community’s most common risks:  CenteringPregnancy^®, patient navigation, a web-based community resource guide, parenting classes, cultural competency training, and policy advocacy.

Results. In the final year of the program (2014), study sites report increased access to care: for example, reduced wait time for prenatal care appointments, simplified system to enter care, addition of a phone line and texting capability for appointments. Initial analyses of birth certificate data show a modest decline in preterm birth during the first year of the program. Surveys of patients and providers assess additional intermediate outcomes such as cultural competency and utilization of services for pregnant women. We will also examine community-level outcomes to determine the reach to underserved areas.

Conclusions. The program is successfully focusing activities needs to address disparities in preterm birth while fostering collaboration among maternal health providers and the Newark community. The geographic and ethnographicapproach to HBWW is central to its success.