Black women in Georgia have the highest risk for adverse maternal outcomes, with a staggering 66.6 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to 18.1 for Hispanic women and 43.2 for white women. In rural Georgia, these statistics are more profound, with Black women experiencing 126.7 deaths per 100,000 live births compared to 78.3 deaths for White women. These disparities have existed for centuries and have also widened significantly over the last several decades.~The proposed research aims to increase the effectiveness of postpartum discharge education and improve rural Black women's compliance with postpartum care recommendations by developing and testing a culturally-informed mhealth intervention entitled Prevent Maternal Mortality using Mobile technology (PM3).
Black women who reside in a rural area are at highest risk for maternal morbidity and mortality due to a combination of social and structural causes. The postpartum period is the most critical yet most neglected phase for preventing suboptimal or fatal maternal health outcomes. The goal of this project is to use a mobile app to provide personalized support and improve the lives of women during the early postpartum period. The information the study team gathers will help educate women and all who support them about the need to seek postpartum care and the impact postpartum care can have on pregnancy-related complications. Participation in this research requires taking part in a focus group discussion which will allow participants to share or the person that supports the participant's story and experience with postpartum complications and willingness to use and desired features of a postpartum mobile app.