Our Research
The studies that ENRICH has carried out over the past 5 years can be organized under four different themes:
Understanding Weight Changes in Pregnancy and Postpartum
ENRICH has completed three studies that focus on understanding the many personal factors that may affect weight and body composition changes in pregnancy and postpartum (for example: dietary intake, physical activity, breastfeeding, and sedentary behaviours).
Promoting Healthy Pregnancy Weight Gain to all Pregnant Women
ENRICH has conducted three studies which are aimed at understanding the supports that women and health care providers need to help women achieve healthy pregnancies. ENRICH has partnered closely with colleagues at Alberta Health Services in three projects under this theme.
Working with Community-Based Organizations
Work done under this theme is mainly aimed towards women who experience significant barriers to accessing services due to particular challenges that they face. Examples of these barriers include: living with poverty; language barriers; recent immigrant or refugee status; limited access to health, housing, or other resources; and food insecurity. These realities can leave women and their families with unmet care needs resulting in poor pregnancy outcomes.1,2
Working with a First Nations Community
Strategies aimed at First Nations women need to consider the unique needs that these women and communities face due to cultural destruction, historical trauma, socio-economic inequalities, and other related factors. An important theme of our studies is understanding the kinds of support that First Nations women and families need during pregnancy and postpartum; the barriers faced when accessing health care; how family, community, and culture influence this process; and how we can leverage the strengths of the their community to support these women.
