To assess the impact of COVID-19 on prenatal education and pregnancy outcomes in mothers and children in remote First Nations communities in Manitoba

COVID-19 pandemic seriously affected the prenatal education for pregnant women and potentially has long lasting adverse effects on the pregnancy outcome and health of mothers and their children. First Nations (FN) pregnant women and children particularly those living in remote communities, may be more severely affected. We propose to determine the impact of COVID-19 on the interruption of prenatal education and resultant consequences including GDM, cesarean section, infant growth and breastfeeding initiation in FN women and their offspring in Manitoba via a database study, and on prenatal education, food intake, physical activities, spousal support, breastfeeding initiation and duration to pregnant FN women in remote Island Lake communities compared to those in rural FN communities in Manitoba, and FN and non-FN pregnant women and children living in Winnipeg via online or hardcopy survey with the support from regional health authority, communities, health workers and community Elders. The results of the proposed study will demonstrate the negative consequences of COVID-19 on prenatal education, lifestyle, family support, child growth and pregnancy outcomes in FN and non-FN mothers and their children in urban, rural and remote communities. The findings from the project may help to understand and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the health of FN pregnant women and their children to identify the areas in pregnancy and postpartum programs, which are required to be improved in remote and rural FN communities and to protect the health and wellness of Indigenous women, children and their families.