Date of Conferral

2018

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Janice M. Long

Abstract

Obesity during pregnancy has increased in prevalence over the last decade and is associated with adverse outcomes for mothers and babies, especially Black mothers. In the local setting of this project, the group-centered centering pregnancy model (CPM) was implemented to improve outcomes of pregnancy. The model had not been evaluated for its effectiveness in reducing weight in Black pregnant women; therefore, there was a need for an evaluation of the effectiveness of the CPM in decreasing excessive gestational weight gain (EGWG). The health belief model was used to guide the project, which compared mothers' weights early in the 2nd trimester, antepartum, and 6 weeks postpartum for Black patients who participated in the CPM and those who did not. Deidentified data from patient charts were provided by a local clinic on 16 patients who participated in the CPM and 29 patients who did not. Only patients who identified as Black and had no comorbid conditions and no pregnancy complications were included in the sample. A t test was conducted to determine whether changes in weight from the second trimester and the postpartum period between the 2 groups were statistically significant. No significant differences were found (p > .05), which might indicate that standard treatment and the CPM were equally effective in managing EGWG. The value of the CPM in preparing mothers for delivery has been well documented in the literature. In this project the value of the CPM in reducing EGWG was not supported; future evaluations involving larger sample sizes may be helpful. The project might promote positive social change by helping CPM providers revise their education efforts to improve strategies for managing EGWG in Black pregnant women.

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