UAMS Researchers Seeking Participants for Summer Pregnancy Study
| LITTLE ROCK — Researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) are seeking to learn more about heat risks and factors associated with pregnancy.
As part of the UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation’s Maternal and Reproductive Community Health (MaRCH) Center, researchers are looking for women living in Arkansas who are pregnant between now and October to participate in the study. Participants will complete a 60-minute virtual interview via Zoom about their experiences with heat, staying cool, and daily challenges they face related to summer weather.
“Arkansas summers are hot and getting hotter,” said Rachel Hale, Ph.D., an assistant professor with the UAMS Department of Environmental Health Sciences in the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health. “For pregnant women, extreme heat isn’t just uncomfortable, it can be dangerous, raising the risk of things like early labor, dehydration, and heat exhaustion. “There isn’t a lot of research on how pregnant women in Arkansas deal with our heat day to day, how they stay cool, what challenges they run into, and what kind of support would help.”
Select participants will be invited to join Phase 2 of the study, which involves wearing a small temperature and humidity sensor for two weeks and completing short daily surveys. The sensor does not track location and only measures environmental conditions.
“By talking directly with pregnant Arkansans and, for some participants, tracking real heat and humidity conditions where they live, we hope to get a clearer picture of what pregnant women in our state are really facing during the hottest months,” Hale said. “The goal is simple: use what’s learned to shape better guidance and support for moms-to-be across Arkansas, especially as summers continue to get hotter. This is a chance for Arkansas women to have their voices and experiences directly inform research that could help future moms in their own communities.”
To be eligible for the study, women must be 18 years or older, live in Arkansas, have access to a smartphone, and be pregnant between now and October. Participants who complete the virtual interview will receive a $50 gift card. If participants join and complete Phase 2 of the study, they can receive up to an additional $175 in gift card compensation. To express interest to participate in the study, visit redcap.link/heatandpregnancystudy or email Hale at RBHale@uams.edu.
Awarded by the National Institutes of Health’s Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE), the MaRCH Center supports researchers in developing innovative, practical solutions to improve maternal health across Arkansas. The Center focuses on building strong research programs, expanding access to effective interventions, and supporting early-stage investigators as they develop the skills and experience needed for their research careers.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,553 students and 1,030 medical residents and fellows, and two dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with about 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###