An interventional study of LHMoms Intervention and No intervention in Postpartum Depression (PPD) and Cardiac Event, sponsored by Columbia University. Active, not recruiting at 4 sites in United States. Open to female participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-01-14.
Sponsored by Columbia University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
LHMoms is a novel integrated care intervention that focuses intensively on care continuity and community-to-healthcare linkages for postpartum birthing individuals. The intervention starts prior to discharge in the delivery hospitalization and extends to six months post-partum, thus covering critical windows to prevent long-term physical and mental health sequelae.
Most preventable maternal deaths occur in the intrapartum and immediate postpartum (PP) periods, as do complications from undetected/undertreated mental health (MH) conditions (e.g., suicide, overdose) and cardiovascular (CV) events. In New York City (NYC), maternal deaths are 8-12 times higher for Black than for White birthing parents. However, most community-based programs addressing the health of birthing individuals in this population have been narrowly focused on basic services (e.g., breastfeeding, social support), with limited focus on evidence-based care. Holistic interventions addressing physical, mental, and social health needs in the critical PP transition and moving from trauma- and "risk"-based to a strength- and empowerment-based approach are urgently needed. Many hospital, community, and governmental barriers preclude broad adoption and scaling of doula-delivered care, and it is not known how facilitators, assets, and resources can improve care continuity and community-hospital linkages to support birthing individuals at diverse sites across NYC. The impact of doula-led interventions at patient- and health-system levels have yet to be rigorously evaluated. In collaboration with the Caribbean Women's Health Association and the Northern Manhattan Perinatal Partnership, this study will address these gaps by implementing and evaluating Living Healthy for Moms (LHMoms) in three complementary settings and populations (Brooklyn, Queens, and Northern Manhattan). LHMoms is a novel integrated care intervention that focuses intensively on care continuity and community-to-healthcare linkages that starts prior to discharge and during the first 7 days post-discharge (PD) and extends into six months post-partum, as critical windows to prevent long-term physical and mental health sequelae, while also addressing key determinants of lifelong health risk. The investigators have developed several innovative, evidence-based interventions, including an online education empowerment program (using a Patient Activated Learning System platform we developed) to build patient self-advocacy beginning in-hospital; a doula-led health emergency detection program during the critical first 7 days PD; and a trauma-informed doula-delivered cognitive behavioral training (CBT) intervention to address PP depression and cardiovascular risks for the critical six months following delivery. This study proposes a rigorous, mixed-methods study of LHMoms to address three specific aims. In Aim 1, the study will test the effectiveness of LHMoms vs. attention control in a Hybrid Type 1 Implementation Trial with 600 randomized birthing individuals at three hospital sites in Brooklyn, Queens, and Northern Manhattan. This will include refining and tailoring the intervention to each site to maximize care quality, building capacity for doulas to deliver LHMoms, and assessing effectiveness in lowering PP depression, improving CV health. In Aim 2, the study will analyze the effects of LHMoms on PP healthcare utilization and satisfaction. In Aim 3, the study will examine the implementation process and outcomes of the LHMoms intervention at the three sites. This project will advance the overall goals of NY-CHAMP to optimize PP outcomes for historically disadvantaged birthing individuals.
569 studies on the registry are indexed under Depression, Postpartum; 134 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 21 is below the median of 104 across 454 interventional studies indexed under Depression, Postpartum.
Browse Depression, Postpartum studies →Columbia University is the lead sponsor of 1,136 studies on the registry; 195 are open to participants now.
Of its 180 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 148 (82%) have results posted.
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Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
The attention control arm (N=300) will receive standard doula care and the same number of telephone or video-delivered sessions and will last the same amount of time on general postpartum health topics not related to CV health or depression. Attention control participants will not receive doula-initiated outreach during the first 7 days.
Other: No intervention
The LHM arm (N=300) will receive a CBT+ Cardiovascular Health (CVH) Intervention to reduce CV risk. LHM employs a cognitive behavioral training (CBT) + cardiovascular health (CVH) intervention delivered by doulas and integrating a healthy lifestyle intervention to reduce CV risk. The LHM intervention integrates the following key elements: (1) doula-led emergency detection in the first 7 days post-discharge; (2) home BP monitoring (HBPM); and (3) 11-sessions of the doula-delivered intervention to prevent PPD and reduce CV risk from 1 week to 6 months post-discharge, supported by (4) education through the Patient-Activated Learning System (PALS), a novel education platform used to engage low-literacy, racially marginalized individuals. LHM is based on the Thinking Healthy Programme (THP), an intervention originally designed to treat PPD in low and middle-income countries using community health workers.
Behavioral: LHMoms Intervention
The LHM arm (N=300) will receive a CBT+ Cardiovascular Health (CVH) Intervention to reduce CV risk. LHM employs a (CBT) + cardiovascular health (CVH) intervention delivered by doulas and integrating a healthy lifestyle intervention to reduce CV risk. The LHM intervention integrates the following key elements: (1) doula-led emergency detection in the first 7 days post-discharge; (2) home BP monitoring (HBPM); and (3) 12-sessions of the doula-delivered intervention to prevent PPD and reduce CV risk from 1 week to 6 months post-discharge, supported by (4) education through the Patient-Activated Learning System (PALS), a novel education platform used to engage low-literacy, racially marginalized individuals. LHM is based on the Thinking Healthy Programme (THP), an intervention originally designed to treat PPD in low and middle-income countries using community health workers.
Also known as: LHM Arm
Standard doula care and the same number of telephone or video-delivered sessions and will last the same amount of time on general postpartum health topics not related to CV health or depression. Attention control participants will not receive doula-initiated outreach during the first 7 days.
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score
The primary outcome of PPD, operationalized as the presence or absence of postpartum depressive symptoms, is defined by EPDS score (≥9). EPDS ≥9 was chosen specifically because that is the score used as the cut-off to refer for clinical evaluation, and the rate of EPDS ≥9 ranges from about 30-40% depending on other characteristics of the clinics. Assuming 1:1 randomization, a design effect of 1.5 to account for variance among sites and doulas, a power of 0.80, a two-sided significance level of 0.05, and 20-25% attrition, to detect a PPD symptom rate reduction from 33.5% in the control arm to 23% in the intervention, a sample size of approximately 450 individuals (225 in each study arm) is needed. The EPDS scale ranges from 0 to 30, and a higher score indicates more severe depression.
Time frame: 6 months post hospital discharge
Heart Score
The "Heart Score" is a metric calculated through the American Heart Association's online calculator. It incorporates the behavioral and biological components Life's Essential 8 (LE8) (diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep health, body mass index, blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure). These components will be collected from participants during the study but are not being assessed as individual outcomes; instead, the Heart Score from 1-100 as calculated by the AHA online calculator will be used as the outcome of CV health.
Time frame: 6 months post hospital discharge
Started Jan 2025 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Jun 2030, 64 months after the start.
Of 256 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Depression, Postpartum, half reached primary completion within 23 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 11 and three quarters within 36. This study's planned 64 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 262 studies reached it within 23 months; a quarter within 11 and three quarters within 36.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is active, not recruiting, as verified in Jan 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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