Clinical Research Directory

Moms and Babies Health and Well-being

The goal of this clinical trial is to see how giving direct cash support affects the health of pregnant women and their babies in the U.S. Many families, especially those with low incomes, face challenges during pregnancy and after childbirth. This study will explore whether financial help during these times leads to better health. The main questions this research aims to answer are: * Does extra money during pregnancy and a baby's first months improve the baby's growth and overall health? * How does financial support affect a mother's physical and mental health before and after birth? * Does having extra money help moms get better healthcare and make healthier food choices for themselves and their babies? Participants in this study will be randomly assigned to either a high cash or low cash group. They will be enrolled in the study and asked to complete: * A baseline survey * A follow-up survey 12 months after enrollment * A final survey 18 months after enrollment In addition, participants' medical records will be reviewed, and some may be selected for a qualitative interview to share more about their experiences. This research is being done in partnership with The Bridge Project, a program that helps moms in need. The goal is to find better ways to support the health of moms and babies facing financial hardship.

Enhancing Intergenerational Health in Nigeria: Peripartum as Critical Life Stage for Cardiovascular Health

The purpose of the ENHANCE-CVH study is to promote intergenerational cardiovascular health (CVH) of women and children in Abuja and the surrounding Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria. The study team plans to achieve this through an adaptation of an existing evidence based intervention - Parents as Teachers (PAT) curriculum + Healthy Eating Active Living Taught at Home (HEALTH) - among pregnant women with obesity and their children in Nigeria. The aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of community health educator-led delivery of the PAT+HEALTH intervention via home visits to answer the following main questions: * Will the women participating in the intervention have a greater change in weight from baseline to 18-month follow up compared to the women who do not? * Will the women and children in the intervention group display better CVH promoting lifestyle behaviors compared to those in the control group? Participants in the study will complete baseline surveys and have clinical data, lab data, and body measurements captured. Participants will also have these procedures repeated at birth and every 6 months up to 24 months post-delivery. Once randomized to the intervention group, participants will complete 40 biweekly PAT+HEALTH curriculum delivery sessions, each lasting approximately 60-90 minutes.

Life vs. Digital Music Interventions Performed by Professionals Throughout Pregnancy to Increase Mental Health for Mothers and Their Offspring

This prospective study was preceded by an extensive feasibility study between 2021-2024. Thereby, pregnant women were exposed to live music and a variety of creative workshops such as vibration, modelling, creative writing, singing, dancing and active listening to concerts from 12 gestational weeks onwards up to delivery at two-week intervals. The investigators detected significant changes in affection detected by the PANAS-test, cortisol from buccal swabs, and maternal heart rate variability before and after the interventions. Similarly, the investigators could detect significant changes by validated questionnaires for maternal stress (PSS), maternal anxiety detected by STAI and the risk of depression detected by EPDS. Therefore, from January 2025 onwards, the investigators integrated "only" concerts and workshops in singing and dancing as relevant interventions. In a comparative prospective study, the investigators now want to study, whether the effects of life participation within the Philharmonic building at approximately 2-week intervals would have the same short-term and medium-term effects as in pregnant women following the same digitalized interventions from home (DIGITALIZED versus LIVE INTERVENTION = DL). This would offer the chance to reach pregnant women in regions with high needs for interventions to reduce stress during pregnancy, such as in areas involved in wars, environmental disasters or other stressful life conditions. The primary outcomes are short-term differences in affection measured immediately before and after all interventions, and differences in cortisol from buccal swabs, measured twice after concerts during pregnancy. The secondary outcomes are the medium-term changes throughout pregnancy in validated questionnaires of PSS, STAI and EPDS, the perinatal and neonatal outcomes such as development and tempoerament of the infants by validated questionnaires AGES and STAGES 6 and 12 months after birth and a follow-up of infants after two years by the Parca-R. questionnaire. In addition the gold MSI will be evaluated in both groups to test the affinity to music as well as the correlation with linguistic development by EEG of the newborns. Hypothesis: Both interventions lead to a rapid reduction in the psychological and physiological stress of pregnant women. The effects may be more pronounced with live music. A total of 128 women will be assigned to one of two groups. Taking into account a drop-out rate of 5-10% during the course of the study, the investigators expect to have complete data from 116 women (approximately 58 per group) to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. Based on our previous studies on the reduction of psychological stress and cortisol levels by concert interventions showing significant changes in mean cortisol levels, the effect sizes of the intervention on site are estimated to be moderate: Assuming a moderate effect size (f = 0.25) and a β/α ratio = 4, N = 58 women per group and using 5 repeated measures are needed to detect differences between the two groups. Due to the fact that the life concerts and workshops had to be prepared by a professional team, the investigators could not perform a randomized controlled trial as orginally intended but hat to form the groups consecutively by recruitment from outpatient units in berlin and environment.

Oral Health Promotion Vs. Standard Care in Egyptian Pregnant Women

The research question: In pregnant women, does participation in a comprehensive oral health promotion program, compared to standard care, improve maternal oral health, knowledge, attitudes, and practices? This study aims to evaluate the impact of a comprehensive oral health promotion program, compared to standard care, on improving maternal oral health, knowledge, attitudes, and practices among pregnant women. Null hypothesis: There is no significant difference in maternal oral health, knowledge, attitudes, and practices between the group of Egyptian pregnant women who receive the comprehensive oral health promotion program and those who receive standard care. The study population will be pregnant women aged 20 to 45 years. The participants will be categorized into two groups: Intervention will be offered Comprehensive Program and will Include educational workshops, Videos, pamphlets, and support sessions and group chat; and Comparator group will receive Standard care (Limited to oral health sessions only). The study will evaluate three outcomes. Primary outcome The participants will undergo a caries assessment test using The DMFT Index. Secondary outcome The Oral Hygiene Assessment will include the participants using the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S). Tertiary outcome 1. The knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) assessment for pregnant women regarding the Comprehensive Oral Health Promotion Program will be carried out through a prestructured questionnaire. The response data will be collected as frequency and percentage. 2. The nutritional assessment for all participants will be performed using a prestructured questionnaire. The response data will be recorded as frequency and percentage.