The March of Dimes has awarded Tyan Parker Dominguez, an assistant professor at the USC School of Social Work, a $25,000 grant through its prematurity research, awareness and education campaign to fund projects aimed at helping families have healthier babies and reducing disparities in birth outcomes.

Parker Dominguez' research focuses on persistent racial/ethnic disparities in infant mortality, pre-term delivery and low birthweight, particularly the role that racism-related stressors might play in perpetuating such differences. Her work emphasizes the psychosocial and biological impact of stress on African-American pregnancy and community-based approaches for promoting healthy birth outcomes in the most vulnerable populations.

The March of Dimes grant provides seed money for a pilot project she is conducting with the USC Center for Premature Infant Health and Development to support a faith-based health education and social support intervention through the African-American church designed to reduce stress and promote healthy pregnancy among childbearing African-American women.

Based on the highly successful Body & Soul model for promoting healthy eating, the program will incorporate spiritual themes into church-wide and individual-level programming, delivered primarily through volunteers and trained laypersons, to foster a supportive church environment and empower congregants with knowledge and skills for promoting healthy pregnancy.

"The church is the traditional center of the African-American community," Parker Dominguez said. "They have substantial networks and a long-standing history of community activism, making them ideal venues for health promotion activities."

Parker Dominguez will partner with Pasadena Church of God and community agencies in Los Angeles County, where African-American infant mortality, premature birth and low birthweight rates are among the highest in the state. These community partners, including the Pasadena Black Infant Health Program and the California Black Women's Health Project, will provide technical assistance, health advocacy training and health education to the church leadership and the African-American childbearing women who are part of the congregation.

"The program capitalizes on the individual strengths and expertise of these agencies and extends their work to a critically important institution in the African-American community without duplicating existing services," she said.

The first tier of the program focuses on raising the congregation's awareness of birth outcome disparities and improving its knowledge of healthy pregnancy. Church leaders may choose to invite guest speakers, host a health fair, post healthy pregnancy messages in the church bulletin, add pregnancy resources to the church library or even start a resource fund to assist needy congregants with pregnancy-related expenses.

The second phase of the program helps women of childbearing age in the church to better understand the effects of stress on their health and pregnancies, and teaches them how to reduce stress and improve their well-being through education and support activities. The church will host a 12-week group, where women are encouraged to discuss their stressful experiences and, in turn, gain health knowledge and learn new coping and self-advocacy skills within an emotionally and spiritually supportive environment.

Parker Dominguez believes this intervention model will support real-world sustainability.

"By actively engaging and training laypersons within the congregation to coordinate and implement program activities and linking them with local maternal and child health-related agencies, churches will be empowered to sustain their efforts without having to rely on academic or professional staff," she said.

The March of Dimes awards community service grants to innovative projects that strive to improve birth outcomes and reduce disparities through services that decrease risk, improve education and support, and enhance prenatal care. The organization is a national leader in pregnancy and newborn health, dedicated to preventing birth defects, prematurity and infant mortality through research, community-based services, health education and advocacy.

Parker Dominguez was recognized in 2007 as the Maternal and Child Health Young Professional of the Year by the American Public Health Association for her contribution to the advancement of understanding about the causes of racial-ethnic disparities in adverse birth outcomes.