We, the (Center for Rural Health and Health Disparities) co-sponsored this event with the Georgia Rural Health Innovations Center — in partnership with Georgia Public Broadcasting.  Thanks to all that attended!  

Study results suggest that receiving support from both a spouse and family members can improve postpartum maternal functioning in a study of 564 Iranian Women. Read more here

” The Cronbach’s alpha for the BIMF in this sample of Black women is 0.84, reflecting high reliability.” “these significant correlations also provide further evidence of construct validity for the BIMF. Specifically, one would expect maternal functioning to increase in relation to a decrease in depressive symptomology and this occurred as expected. Likewise, the positive,…

Climate anxiety has attracted interest in the mainstream media. However, the impacts of climate change on maternal mental health have not been on the national radar. Mothers are the “CEOs of family health” – we are often the ones pushing vegetables and managing pediatric appointments. Heatwaves, air pollution (which is exacerbated by heat), storms, and…

The BIMF received the highest level of endorsement for use based on its performance/psychometric properties in this systematic review, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology-Maternal Fetal Medicine (Impact Factor=8.679).  Read more here.

Check out this new study on maternal functioning and psychological distress during COVID-19. “Higher COVID-19 Impact was associated with lower functioning and greater distress. Higher income and education were associated with better maternal self-care, but not maternal competency.” I will add that socioeconomic status also impacts the range of self-care activities possible.  Unfortunately, not everyone…

Check out our featured article on the Interaction Effects of Maternal Sexually Transmitted Infections with Prenatal Care Utilization Status.  The full text of this article can be found here.  

This editorial provides a brief summary of the state of Postpartum Functional Assessment via the BIMF.

…and we have an incredible slate of speakers including Dr. Lindsay Standeven (Johns Hopkins University), Dr. Dara Mendez (University of Pittsburgh), Kim Harris (Postpartum Support International, GA Chapter) and Dr. Misti Patel (and more!) Maternal Health Speakers Series | Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center

Check out our article, recently published in the Journal of Rural Health: “Sociodemographic disparities in preterm birth and low birthweight in the State of Georgia: Results from the 2017-2018 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System” Read more here.