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

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.