Reduce stress: a stress reduction project for pregnant black women.

Approximately 12% of pregnant Black women deliver prematurely regardless of their age, education, income, or marital status. Stress has been indicated as a cause of preterm labor. This article reports on a project that evaluated the effectiveness of a community-based project designed to decrease stress among pregnant Black women. The program evaluation revealed that 86 pregnant Black women of various ages as well as educational and income levels had significant (p = .003) reduction in perceived stress, and their mean post-intervention salivary cortisol (a biological indicator of stress) did not show the expected 50% increase. Lessons learned from this community-based project suggest that three one-on-one educational sessions can reduce stress in this population.