POWERMOM

The United States is the only developed country whose maternal mortality rate has been steadily rising over recent decades. This grim trend is a veritable health crisis that demands enhanced understanding and intervention.

At Scripps Research, scientists are applying a digital approach to address the many knowledge gaps that exist for pregnancy. POWERMOM is a smartphone app-based research study that enables expectant mothers-to-be to share data about their pregnancies with scientists. This growing database of pregnancy-related health information powers research into the unique factors that impact maternal health outcomes.

Through POWERMOM, scientists also seek to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in pregnancy-related mortality. According to a recent report from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, black, American Indian and Alaska Native women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. By enabling remote collection of health data via surveys and connected wearables, such as Fitbits and Apple Watches, scientists hope to eliminate factors that have hindered participation in traditional clinic-based studies and contributed to a lack of participant diversity.   

Thousands of women have already contributed their health data through POWERMOM’s free smartphone app or web-application. By supporting this community of citizen scientists, you can help fuel research and improve maternal health in the United States and beyond.

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