Trauma-Informed Nutrition Education for Black/African American Perinatal Women with Substance Use Disorder: A Pilot Study

Authors

  • Norma Rodriguez de Lisenko Innovative Health Solutions
  • Heewon Gray University of South Florida
  • Joe Bohn University of South Florida

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70434/j-tich.v2i2.24

Keywords:

Black Women, Pregnant and Postpartum Women, Trauma-Informed, Nutrition Education, Substance Use Disorder

Abstract

Background: Trauma-informed nutrition practices can enhance the physical and mental health of perinatal women of color with substance use disorder (SUD). This pilot study explored the organization's and participants' readiness for a trauma-informed intervention and its effectiveness in improving food resilience among perinatal Black and African American women (BAAW) in a multidisciplinary SUD treatment program. The goal was to establish preliminary research and expand existing literature on trauma-informed nutrition education interventions.

Methods: The study was conducted in three phases: assessing organizational readiness, evaluating participant readiness, and measuring the effectiveness of the intervention. Members of the organization’s leadership and fifteen individuals enrolled in a SUD outpatient program participated. The study used questionnaires to assess the organization's and participants' readiness and six human-food interfaces: family food habits, food-related feelings and thoughts, nourishment, individual food habits, food skills, and personal nutrition. Both qualitative and quantitative data were gathered, and a paired t-test was used to evaluate improvements in these interfaces.

Results: Findings showed that the organization was prepared to adopt the innovative trauma-informed intervention. Participants showed readiness to engage, indicating a positive sign for adapting to change. There was significant improvement in food skills (p < .04), while other food interaction behaviors showed positive trends that were not statistically significant.

Conclusion: This pilot study provided baseline data on the significance of organizational support in adopting an innovative trauma-informed intervention and its effectiveness in promoting behavioral changes in BAAW with SUD. Future research should address the identified limitations and challenges related to implementation.

Author Biographies

Heewon Gray, University of South Florida

Dr. Gray is an associate professor and the Community and Family Health PhD concentration lead. She is a registered dietitian in training (Credential ID No. 959398) and received her PhD in Behavioral Nutrition from Columbia University. Dr. Gray’s research focuses on developing and evaluating obesity prevention and nutrition education intervention programs, especially for children and adolescents. Since she joined USF in 2017, she has conducted several studies as a principal investigator (PI) including a preliminary study to assess dietary intakes, mealtime behaviors, and parental views on eating behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and a community food assessment project to examine food access and environment in low-income neighborhoods in East Tampa. Her current research projects include nutrition education interventions for children with ASD, Hispanic children with obesity and their parents, and pediatric cancer survivors. Dr. Gray is the PI of a R21 grant (R21HD106182) funded by NIH/NICHD that aims to refine and test the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a nutrition intervention for children with ASD and their parents through the Early Intervention Services. She was awarded a grant from the HRSA through UCLA in 2023 to expand the nutrition intervention for the preschooler age group, pilot-testing its implementation feasibility (PI: Gray). She serves as a Co-I for a multi-site NIH/NCI R01 nutrition intervention clinical trial (PI: Stern, R01CA240319) overseeing the study’s dietary intake data collection and management. She was a Co-I for a NIH/NICCIH R34 pilot mindful eating intervention clinical trial (PI: Stern, R34AT010661) and a supplementary project (MPI: Redwine & Stern, R34AT010661-01S1) to assess COVID-19 testing and vaccine uptake attitudes and behaviors among rural Latino migrants in Southwest Florida. She is actively involved in local, national, and international nutrition professional societies. She serves as the Chair of the Division of Nutrition Education for Children at the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior (SNEB) and the Chair of the Journal Committee of SNEB. She received a Professional Achievement Award in Community Nutrition from SNEB in 2019 and a Best Article Award from the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior where she serves as a member of the Editorial Board. She served as the Chair of the Research Division at SNEB and the Nominating Committee of the Florida Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2023-2024.

Joe Bohn, University of South Florida

Dr. Bohn has a diversified background including public health education, behavioral health advocacy, healthcare, logistics, and military sector (US Navy scenario planning and congressional affairs) experience. This has created a practice and academic background to coordinate and lead interdisciplinary teams and projects while teaching, supporting academic administration and filling community engagement leadership role. Past principal investigator (PI) and co-PI responsibilities on county government projects have included program planning, graduate research assistant supervision, and evaluation. Served as PI on an 18-month county community needs assessment for county social services department identifying most critically needed services for the underserved population and gaps in service delivery (2018-19). Key community public health leadership efforts have included partnering on community-driven educational and outreach programs focused on the opioid crisis and suicide prevention for veterans, youth, seniors, LGBTQ+, BIPOC at-risk populations. These efforts have involved working with behavioral health and substance abuse prevention professionals, faith leaders, and government, non-profit, and for-profit executives since 2017 to increase education on these high-priority health issues. Teaching responsibilities since 2018 have been at the doctoral, master's, and undergraduate levels. At the doctoral level, teaching systems, social and complexity science topics in the Doctor of Public Health Practice program has been a focus; at the master's level, pedagogy has focused on community health intervention planning, implementation, and evaluation; and at the undergraduate level, teaching objective thinking about critical social issues has been the main focus

In This Issue Volume 2, Number 2 | November 2024 : California Public Education Situational Analysis: Opportunities to Expand Nutrition Education. Asset Framing and Ethical Storytelling as Tools to Empower Communities and Reduce Stigma: An Examination of Virginia SNAP-Ed Reporting Practices. Trauma-Informed Nutrition Education for Black/African American Perinatal Women with Substance Use Disorder: A Pilot Study. An Outcome Evaluation of a Medically Tailored Meal Intervention for Older Adults with Diabetes. Community-Driven Publishing Leads to Community-Oriented Solutions. The Value of J-TICH for CalFresh Healthy Living.

Downloads

Published

2024-11-19

How to Cite

Rodriguez de Lisenko, N., Gray, H. L., & Bohn, J. (2024). Trauma-Informed Nutrition Education for Black/African American Perinatal Women with Substance Use Disorder: A Pilot Study. Journal of Trauma-Informed Community Health, Nutrition, and Physical Activity: An Open Access Publication, 2(2), 62–92. https://doi.org/10.70434/j-tich.v2i2.24

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 2 (2024)

Section

Research Articles