Lisa Chasan-Taber is awarded grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and from the Centers for Disease Control/American Schools of Public Health.

1.  A $90,000 supplement under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
of 2009 to Dr. Chasan-Taber's existing NIH award "Epidemiology of Stress
and GDM among Latina Women" .

2. A $200,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control/American
Schools of Public Health entitled, "A Pilot Lifestyle Intervention for
Gestational Diabetes among Hispanic Women."

"A Pilot Lifestyle Intervention for
Gestational Diabetes among Hispanic Women."

Diabetes and obesity have reached epidemic proportions in the US with rates consistently higher among  Hispanic as compared to non-Hispanic whites.  Among Hispanic women diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), 50% will go on to develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years after the pregnancy, while in non-Hispanic white women the rate of progression is slower, 20-40% within 20 years.  Epidemiologic studies suggest that diet and exercise are promising approaches in the prevention of GDM but, to date, primary prevention studies have not interviewed to test whether making a change in physical activity and diet reduces risk of developing GDM among women at high risk of this disorder.  Therefore, we propose to develop and evaluate a pilot lifestyle intervention to prevent the occurrence of GDM among pregnant, overweight/obese Hispanic women.  This project will build upon the expertise of the investigative team in conducting randomized controlled trials of exercise designed to prevent GDM among high risk pregnant women and trials of lifestyle interventions with low-income Hispanic individuals with type 2 diabetes.

The primary goals of this pilot study are to investigate the effects of a motivationally-tailored, individually targeted exercise and dietary intervention on 1) process measures related to the administration of the intervention, 2) the adoption and maintenance of physical activity, recommended diet, and recommended maternal weight gain, and 3) biomarkers associated with insulin resistance, lipid profile and HgbA1c.  Exploratory aims will explore the impact of the lifestyle intervention on risk of GDM and on birth outcomes.  A total of 66 Hispanic women who are overweight/obese will be randomized in early pregnancy (10 wks gestation) to either a lifestyle intervention or standard of care group.  The intervention draws from the theory of Stages of Motivational Readiness for Change and Social Cognitive Theory constructs and will take into account the specific social, cultural, economic, and physical environmental challenges faced by Hispanic women.  The proposed project will be innovative in combining our 3 established interventions and applying them to prevent GDM among overweight Hispanic women.