PROspective Study of Mothers' and Infants' Social and Epidemiologic Determinants of Health (PROMISE)

The overall goal of the PROMISE study is to identify strategies to improve health outcomes for women and their children. The proposed study is important and novel as it aims to capture women before they are pregnant. Current research on maternal and child health often focuses on women who are already pregnant. This time period is likely too late to make a meaningful clinical impact on long term maternal and child health outcomes influenced by social and epidemiologic determinants of health as important epigenetic changes are or have already taken place. Examples of tools that will be used to capture social and epidemiologic data include validated surveys for nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and stress. The importance of these tools is that many of the data points captured are modifiable, and therefore if associations are noted between these data points and health outcomes, actionable interventions may be developed and implemented for women who are preconceptional.