Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Maternal Characteristics And Infant Birth Weight In Dayton, Ohio, Matthew Pellerite

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Objective: To better understand and identify modifiable maternal risk factors that are driving the increased incidence of low birth weight (LBW) in Montgomery County.

Background Information: LBW has lifelong effects on growth and development. These medical and social implications are coupled with an enormous economic burden. In the US, over 5.8 billion dollars are spent annually to care for LBW babies. Despite the recognition of these medical and economic challenges and the implementation of public campaigns to decrease rates, LBW trends have continued to increase. Between 1995 and 2005 the LBW rates in the US incrementally increased from 7.3% to …

The Relationship Of Maternal Age, Trimester Of Entry Into Prenatal Care, Maternal Postpartum Depression, And Race With Birth Weight Of Infants Born In Cincinnati, Ohio, Kelli Kohake

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Healthcare, resources, and technology in the United States (U.S.) has improved, yet the U.S. ranks 29th in the world for the highest infant mortality rates – behind other less developed countries. Within the U.S., Ohio (and Hamilton County in particular) has high rates of infant mortality. Low birth weight and preterm births are a major cause of infant mortality. Data analysis was done consisting of descriptive statistics and Analysis of Variance of the prenatal patients served at the Cincinnati Health Department health centers who delivered in 2009, with dependent variables of birth weight and postpartum depression. Independent variables included maternal …