Larissa R Brunner Huber

• PhD
• Professor at University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Purpose of Review This scoping review aims to explore the factors associated with the access, utilization, and experiences of labor and delivery (L&D) care services among Black women in the US. Recent Findings Recent findings highlight the systemic healthcare barriers faced by Black women in the US, such as limited access to midwifery care, increa...

This study aimed to examine the associations between detailed maternal nativity (DMN) and two labor and delivery (L&D) characteristics among US-born, Latin American and Caribbean-born, and SSA-born Black women in the US. L&D characteristics included the place of delivery (i.e., hospital, birthing center, or home) and the method of delivery (i.e., v...

Introduction Nationally, cesarean birth is one of the most performed surgical procedures, yet cesarean births have been linked to an increased risk of delivery complications. Prenatal care (PNC) and education are possible strategies to reduce the number of cesarean births. However, there is scant research assessing the impact of these strategies on...

Background and objective: Despite guidelines recommending an interval of at least 18-24 months between a live birth and the conception of the next pregnancy, nearly one-third of pregnancies in the United States are conceived within 18 months of a previous live birth. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between multiple immigr...

Background: Racially and ethnically marginalized US women experience unintended pregnancy at twice the rate of White women. Understanding contraceptive attitudes can help identify women at increased risk of contraceptive non-use and unintended pregnancy. We assessed the contraceptive attitudes of US-born and foreign-born Black women and examined d...

Antenatal care (ANC) can improve maternal health. We examined associations of individual and community socioeconomic status (SES) with the quality of ANC in West and Central Africa. Data were from the 2009–2011 UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys for women in seven countries (n = 24,718). Individual SES variables included women’s education an...

Although developing countries may find it difficult to provide adequate prenatal care, it is likely that they can provide at least some. We examined associations of prenatal care with infant mortality in West Africa. We used data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (n = 57,322) and proportional hazards regression models to estimate the risk of...

Objectives Prenatal care (PNC) is a critical preventive health service for pregnant women and infants. While timely PNC has been associated with improved birth outcomes, improvements have slowed since the late 1990s. Therefore, focus has shifted to interventions prior to pregnancy. Preconception care is recommended for all women of reproductive age...

Objective To examine associations of household wealth and individual literacy with prenatal care in West Africa. Methods Data on women with recent births in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Niger, Senegal and Sierra Leone were obtained from 2006 to 2010 Demographic and Health Surveys (n = 58,512). Separate logistic regres...

Social and health care context may influence prenatal care use. We studied associations of government health expenditures, supply of health care professionals, and country literacy rates with prenatal care use in ten West African countries, controlling for individual factors. We used data from Demographic and Health Surveys (n = 58,512) and random...

Objective: To examine the association between type of birth attendant and place of delivery, and infant mortality (IM). Methods: This cross-sectional study used self-reported data from the Demographic Health Surveys for women in Ghana, Kenya, and Sierra Leone. Logistic regression estimated odds ratios (ORs) and95% confidence intervals. Results:...

Introduction: In 2003, Barbados, a developing country with universal health care, launched the Barbados Strategic Plan for Health, a national intervention to promote public health. Teachers, health educators, and clinicians worked to improve children's health, with particular focus on asthma and diabetes. We studied this intervention by using data...

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has become a common medical condition in adolescents and young children. The objective of this study was to examine the association of low dietary intake and food insecurity with EBV infection. Cross-sectional data were analyzed using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2010 sample population (n = 1550...

In 2008, members of the American College of Epidemiology's Education Committee began work on a project to facilitate discussion on identifying domains and core competencies for epidemiologic training at the master and doctoral levels. Two online surveys were created and participants (N = 183; n = 147 [established epidemiologists] and n = 36 [recent...

We evaluated access to primary health care for older women and men in Barbados, a developing country, using a widely accepted access indicator, hospitalization for ambulatory care sensitive conditions. Using 2003-2008 data, we calculated gender-specific total annual population-based rates of these hospitalizations per 1,000 older women and men and...

Purpose This study aimed to describe frequency of sexual intercourse and whether body size was associated with weekly sexual intercourse among a diverse group of women using oral contraceptives. Methods This longitudinal, prospective cohort study recruited participants (n=185) from several clinics in Charlotte, NC. Body mass index (BMI) and waist-...

Women of reproductive age are at higher risk for depression than men; and depressive behaviors and endocrine imbalances could lead to adverse birth outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether maternal depression during pregnancy affected adverse birth outcomes, specifically preterm birth and small for gestational age (SGA). This...

Background Two-thirds of reproductive-aged women in the United States are overweight or obese and at risk for numerous associated adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study examined whether the amount of weight gained during pregnancy modifies the prepregnancy body mass index (BMI)–cesarean delivery association.MethodsA total of 2,157 women aged 18–45...

Each year approximately 7 % of women experience hypertensive disorders during pregnancy which can result in adverse events for both the mother and child. Previous research suggests that contraception at the time of conception can also predispose one to hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. The objective of this study was to examine the associati...

Measurements of sexual intercourse frequency are informative for research on pregnancy, contraception, and the transmission of sexually transmitted infections; however, efficiently collecting data on this sensitive topic is complex. The purpose of this study was to determine whether retrospective recall of sexual intercourse frequency was consisten...

Recently, there has been interest in developing a predictive measure to assess pregnancy readiness/intention in clinical settings. Two such measures have been created but tested primarily in pregnant or postpartum populations. This study examined agreement between the pregnancy readiness measures in a diverse population of nonpregnant women. Women...

Objective: To examine the association between breakfast skipping and physical activity among US adolescents aged 12-19 years. Design: A cross-sectional study of nationally representative 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. Setting: Breakfast skipping was assessed by two 24 h dietary recalls. Physical activ...

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine if retrospective recall of oral contraceptive (OC) adherence provides data that are similar to data collected via daily diaries over the same time period. Factors associated with inconsistent agreement between prospective and retrospective measurements of adherence also were explored. Study d...

Purpose: Family conflict is related to numerous risky behavioral outcomes during adolescence; however, few studies have examined how family conflict is associated with risky sexual behavior during adolescence. Methods: Data from 1104 adolescents aged 15 to 21 who completed the 2008 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth were analyzed. Information...

Background: Despite the rising childhood obesity rates, few studies have examined the association between access to recreational parks and facilities and obesity. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed among 42 278 US children who participated in the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health. Access to parks and recreational facilities w...

Depression negatively affects cognitive functioning and, consequently, academic performance. Studies of this association have yielded conflicting results and have not fully considered other factors that may play a role in academic performance. This study examines the relation between depression and academic performance in students at a large urban...

The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between a vulnerable child's family composition (family size and primary caregiver) and three child well-being indicators (immunization status, access to food, educational security). Using 2006-2009 intake data from a Kenyan non-governmental aid agency, this cross-sectional study evaluated...

Although uterine fibroids are among the most common gynecologic conditions affecting women in the United States, research on uterine fibroids is sparse. This study explored the association between micronutrients and uterine fibroids. We conducted a population-based, cross-sectional analysis of 887 women aged 20-49 who participated in the 2003-2004...

Chronic disease management requires the individual to perform varying forms of self-care behaviors. Self-efficacy, a widely used psychosocial concept, is associated with the ability to manage chronic disease. In this study, we examine the association between self-efficacy to manage hypertension and six clinically prescribed hypertension self-care b...

An important, although understudied, area related to contraceptive use is perceptions of contraceptive responsibility. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate these perceptions among female college students. Web-based or mailed questionnaires were completed by 326 students from 2006-2007. Logistic regression was used to obtain odds...

Despite health warnings about the increased risk of cerebrovascular disease among women who smoke while using oral contraceptives (OCs), prior research suggests that OC use is still prevalent among women who smoke cigarettes. Our objective was to investigate the prevalence of OC use among cigarette smoking women of reproductive age in the United St...

Hypertensive complications during pregnancy occur in nearly 8 percent of pregnancies and account for 15 percent of all maternal mortalities in the United States. The purpose of this study was to investigate further the association between physical activity and hypertensive complications during pregnancy using data from a population-based surveillan...

This study examined the association between contraceptive method and satisfaction and discontinuation. Few studies have examined these issues in the university setting and how they may potentially impact unintended pregnancy rates. This study examined data from 172 college women aged 18-36 years enrolled in the Study on Contraceptive Knowledge in S...

This study's purpose was to investigate the types and quality of health information reported in Glamour and Men's Health magazines. While neither magazine was completely accurate when reporting results of medical journal articles, there were statistically significant differences with respect to accuracy between the two magazines. These findings sug...

This chapter focuses on women who have asthma, the factors that influence the onset and exacerbation of asthma in women, and the resulting health consequences of the disease and its treatments. Research on women’s health is frequently deficient because we fail to separate out the effects of sex, defined as female biology, and gender, the socially c...

To examine the relationship between food insecurity and child well-being indicators. Cross-sectional survey conducted in 2344 households with children. The main exposure measure was food insecurity status, which was categorized as food secure or food insecure based on two or more food insecurity questions answered in the affirmative. Multiple logis...

To examine the relationship between physical activity before and during the last trimester of pregnancy and postpartum depressive symptoms. Secondary analysis of data from the 2004 and 2005 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. Mailed questionnaire or telephone interview of new mothers in North Carolina. Female residents of North Carolina, a...

There is growing evidence that environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure may negatively affect birth outcomes, especially birth weight. This study evaluates the effect of residential ETS exposure on the risk of having a low birth weight (LBW) infant and investigates whether there is a dose-response relationship. This retrospective cohort study com...

The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate factors related to contraceptive use and nonuse among a group of sexually active women attending a university. From October 2006 to August 2007, 326 female students participated in a cross-sectional study at a large, public university. Women self-reported information on contraceptive behavior...

With an estimated 3.1 million unintended pregnancies in the United States each year, patterns of contraceptive use have significant public health importance. Little literature has focused on these patterns in women over age 35. Using data from the 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, we conducted a population-based analysis of 22,890 wo...

Indianapolis has a rapidly growing Latino community. Through our educational outreach activities in this community during the last several years, we have identified intimate partner violence (IPV) as a significant issue, as it is in all groups in the United States. Thus, we examined the prevalence of and demographic factors and behaviors associated...

Objectives Although nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) may assist with smoking cessation, little is known about the safety of NRT use during pregnancy. Our purpose was two-fold: to determine characteristics of women prescribed or recommended NRT during pregnancy and to investigate whether NRT prescription/recommendation was associated with advers...

Oral contraceptives are the most popular reversible method of contraception in the United States. Although most women using oral contraceptives are reliably protected against pregnancy, nearly half of the 3 million unintended pregnancies in the United States annually occur among the 90% of women who use contraception. Recent findings suggest that o...

Purpose The use of medications for mental health illnesses (MHI) has increased in prevalence, particularly for women of childbearing age. Recent investigations into the use of such medications during pregnancy have had inconsistent results. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between maternal use of medications for MHI during pr...

Purpose This study determined the prevalence of HIV testing among three sub-groups of women: those already pregnant, those intending to become pregnant in the next two years, and those not intending to become pregnant in the near future. In addition, associations between racial/ethnic groups and HIV testing were investigated in each of these subgro...

One consequence of the worldwide obesity epidemic is the rapidly increasing cohort of reproductive-age obese women who face special challenges to achieve a healthy reproductive career. Popular low-dose hormonal contraceptives may be less effective in obese than in nonobese women. Cardiovascular and metabolic side effects associated with higher dose...

Height and weight are key variables in epidemiologic research, including studies of reproductive outcomes. Optimally, this information is collected by trained study personnel. However, direct measurements are not always feasible. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of self-reported height and weight, as well as the resultant b...

Studies have suggested that obesity is associated with an increased risk for oral contraceptive (OC) failure. We conducted a case-cohort study in South Carolina to examine the association between body mass index (BMI) and OC failure by using population-based data sources. Our cohort sample from the source population consists of 205 women who report...

The purpose of this study is to provide insight on the continuing high rate of unintended pregnancy among adult women. Contracepting women were recruited while they waited for primary care appointments. A total of 369 completed the baseline questionnaire, and 145 oral contraceptive (OC) users were enrolled in a 5-week, diary-based study of adherenc...

Annually, 3 million pregnancies in the United States are classified as unintended, with many of these unintended pregnancies occurring to women who use some type of contraceptive. Obesity may be affecting the biological effectiveness of contraceptives. We investigated whether there is an association between body weight and unintended pregnancy and...

Purpose Among oral contraceptive (OC) users, adherence to the dosage regimen and frequency of sex are major determinants of unintended pregnancy. Though integral to studies of fertility and contraceptive effectiveness, information on these determinants is limited. The purpose of the Contraceptive History, Initiation, and Choice (CHIC) Study is to d...

Many unintended pregnancies occur in women who use contraception. We conducted this study to determine if increasing body weight is associated with oral contraceptive (OC) failure. This retrospective cohort study consists of the 1916 women who reported using OCs in January 1993 and provided complete covariate information on the 1993 National Health...