Momma’s Kit is here to cut maternal mortality rates among Black women

Design firm Leadoff Studio and Spora Health introduce Momma’s Kit – a health monitoring system aiming to reduce Black maternal mortality rates with the help of attention-grabbing graphics and packaging.

Did you know that Black women have a maternal mortality rate of 37.3 deaths per 100,000 live births compared to 14.9 for white women and 11.8 for hispanic women?

This kit is the product of Spora Health – a subscription-based radically inclusive primary care provider for people of color in the USA. Their goal is to improve health outcomes and redress experiences of alienation that patients might have experienced in the country’s mainstream healthcare system.

Creating innovative designs with a user-centric approach – Leadoff Studio, on the other hand, was founded in 2016 by husband and wife team Jordan and Jessica Diatlo in New York City.

With Momma’s Kit, they’re targeting maternal mortality rates, which in the USA are three times higher for Black women than for white women. Spora Health found that huge inroads could be made if mothers monitored vital signs daily with a blood pressure cuff and pulse oximeter.

As much as 80% of the most common conditions that contribute to maternal mortality for Black people could be caught in this way – in response, the company created a dedicated health monitoring system, which ultimately became the Momma’s Kit and brought in Leadoff Studio to develop the design.

The vision for the kit was one where the graphic design and packaging would create positive feelings, a memorable unboxing experience as well as be intuitive and easy to use at the same time.

“I think empathy is one of the most critical tools a designer needs and that has never been more apparent to me than on this project.

The inherent biases that Black people go through when they’re just trying to get healthcare is an experience and feeling that I think is borderline impossible to understand unless you’ve gone through it yourself!” shares Jordan Diatlo, CEO and Creative Director Leadoff.

Users need to keep up the monitoring routine for a total of six months – the three months of the third trimester and the three months after birth, sometimes called the fourth trimester.

“We further developed a strategy of not communicating through text that needed to be read but rather making all information easily absorbable – this meant large photography showcasing the products in use and important text expressed in bold colors with as few words as possible.

Even the directions for how to use the products were paired down to brief phrases, with as few steps as possible!” he adds. 

As the photos feature Black women, they also serve the dual purpose of creating a feeling of inclusion that is often missing from their experiences of healthcare, promoting trust and adherence.

“Showing Black pregnant bodies throughout the kit was critical because they don’t see themselves represented in the media, it quickly shows to our intended audience that this is for them!” explains Diatlo.

Additionally, Momma’s Kit comes in a tall, lavender-coloured metal tin that is designed to stand out reminding users to test daily. At the end of the monitoring period – the tin can be reused or recycled in the curbside collection.

Lastly, the cuff and oximeter can be further returned to Spora for refurbishing and reuse while all the other parts – including a phone stand for telehealth appointments – are paper-based and recyclable.