Maternal and Child Health Commons^™

From Infanticide To Activism: The Transformation Of Emotions And Identity In Self-Help Movements, Verta Taylor, Lisa A. Leitz

Peace Studies Faculty Books and Book Chapters

Taylor and Leitz trace processes of collective identity construction and politicization among women suffering from postpartum psychiatric illness who have been convicted of infanticide. Joining a growing body of research suggesting that self‐help and consumer health movements can be a significant force for change in both the cultural and political arenas, Taylor and Lietz examine one such movement, a pen‐pal network of women incarcerated for committing infanticide. Taylor and Leitz show how a sense of collective identity fostered by the pen‐pal network triggered a profound emotional transformation in participants, allowing them to convert shame and loneliness into pride and solidarity, …

Prenatal Beta-Endorphin As An Early Predictor Of Postpartum Depressive Symptoms In Euthymic Women, Ilona S. Yim, Laura M. Glynn, Christine Dunkel Schetter, Calvin J. Hobel, Aleksandra Chicz-Demet, Curt A. Sandman

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

After delivery, many women experience symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD), and early identification of women at risk is therefore important. The opioid peptide [beta]-endorphin has been implicated in non-puerperal depression but its role in the development of PPD is unknown.

Communalism Predicts Prenatal Affect, Stress, And Physiology Better Than Ethnicity And Socioeconomic Status, Cleopatra M. Abdou, Christine Dunkel Schetter, Belinda Campos, Clayton J. Hilmert, Tyan Parker Dominguez, Calvin J. Hobel, Laura M. Glynn, Curt A. Sandman

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The authors examined the relevance of communalism, operationalized as a cultural orientation emphasizing interdependence, to maternal prenatal emotional health and physiology and distinguished its effects from those of ethnicity and childhood and adult socioeconomic status (SES). African American and European American women (N = 297) were recruited early in pregnancy and followed through 32 weeks gestation using interviews and medical chart review. Overall, African American women and women of lower socioeconomic backgrounds had higher levels of negative affect, stress, and blood pressure, but these ethnic and socioeconomic disparities were not observed among women higher in communalism. Hierarchical multivariate regression analyses …

Increasing Access To Prenatal Care: The Impact Of Access Barriers And Proposed Strategies To Overcome Them, Courtney Thomas

XULAneXUS

For a country with such a technologically advanced health care system, the United States has an alarming infant mortality rate. The disparities in birth outcomes for low-income black women compared to white women of the same socioeconomic status are even more disturbing. Prenatal care is considered to be an effective method of reducing poor birth outcomes like preterm birth and low birth weight, but access to prenatal care continues to be an issue. There are several known barriers to care, including demographic, financial, structural, and personal barriers, that pregnant women must overcome to receive adequate prenatal care. With increased access …

State Medicaid Coverage Of Perinatal Services: Summary Of State Survey Findings, Usha Ranji, Alina Salganicoff, Alexandra M. Stewart, Marisa A Cox, Lauren Doamekpor

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Early Childhood Summit On Comprehensive Services For Homeless Children And Their Families, Nevada Institute For Children’S Research And Policy, Nevada Head Start State Collaboration Office, Head Start State Training And Technical Assistance Office For Nevada, Nevada Public Health Foundation

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

On October 23, 2009 the Nevada Head Start State Collaboration Office in partnership with the Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy, Head Start State Training and Technical Assistance Office for Nevada and the Nevada Public Health Foundation sponsored the Early Childhood Summit on Comprehensive Services for Homeless Children and Their Families. The Summit brought together 142 professionals working with homeless children and families in Nevada from a variety of different organizations and backgrounds. The goal of the summit was to discuss the problem of families experiencing homelessness and offer solutions to professionals in how to better serve these populations.

Implications For Child Welfare Teaching And Human Services Personnel Perspectives Experiences Of Children With Special Needs, Sarah Huesmann

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Revisiting The Regulation Debate: The Effect Of Food Marketing On Childhood Obesity, Nicole E. Hunter

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] “Despite the widespread concern regarding childhood obesity, there is broad divergence of opinion regarding responsibility for the crisis. Whether the government, food industry, or parents are accountable has become the focus of much debate. Public health groups have attempted various strategies to confront childhood obesity, such as litigation, legislation, and government regulation. While many researchers and advocates agree that government should play an affirmative role with respect to childhood obesity, they are very much divided over what that role should be. For example, although none of these acts has become law, eighty-six bills have been proposed regarding obesity since …

Children's Health Insurance Program: The Dynamics Of Federalism And Health Care Policy, Erik White

Political Science Theses and Capstones

On February 4^th, 2009, President Obama signed into law the reauthorization of the Children Health Insurance Program. The federal government will now spend 30 billion dollars towards the goal of ensuring that more children in the United States are insured. I investigate this particular health care policy and look at the different dynamics that affect the ultimate goal of universal health insurance for children. Because this program allows for state flexibility under broad federal guidelines, one is able to look at individual states, and their particular actions and characteristics, to determine the best approach to insuring the most …

Nevada Medicaid And Check Up Programs: Barriers To Enrollment And Utilization, The Nevada Institute For Children’S Research And Policy, Denise Tanata Ashby, Jennifer Waddoups, Tara Phebus

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

This study offers only a brief look at some of the barriers Nevada children and families face with Medicaid and Nevada Check Up. Strengthening the Medicaid and Nevada Check Up programs is vital to improving children’s health care access and utilization in Nevada. By developing and implementing legislation to improve public health insurance coverage, access, and utilization in Nevada, policymakers can ensure a brighter, happier, and healthier future for Nevada’s children and families.

Evaluation Of Hiv Counseling And Testing In Anc Settings And Adherence To Short Course Antiretroviral Prophylaxis For Pmtct In Francistown, Botswana, Carolyn Baek, Tracy Creek, Lee Ann Jones, Louis Apicella, Jennifer Redner, Naomi Rutenberg

HIV and AIDS

The vast majority of children infected with HIV are the result of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of the virus during pregnancy, labor, or breastfeeding. Botswana is one of the first countries in the developing world with a national prevention program (PMTCT) to reduce vertical transmission. The Horizons Program of the Population Council, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Premiere Personnel in Botswana, conducted an evaluation to describe the adherence of pregnant women to the current PMTCT regimen. The report recommends standardizing post-test counseling content through the use of job aids and adapting existing WHO materials, …

Adolescent Girls In Urban Ethiopia: Vulnerability And Opportunity, Abebaw Ferede, Annabel Erulkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In 2008, the Population Council undertook a survey of out-of-school, adolescent girls (aged 10 to 19) in slum areas of urban Ethiopia—a population that is highly vulnerable to HIV infection. The survey serves as a baseline for HIV prevention programs designed and implemented jointly by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Regional Bureaus of Youth and Sports, and the Population Council. This study provided valuable direction for programmers interested in supporting adolescent girls, particularly early adolescent (10 to 14 years old) and out-of-school girls who are highly vulnerable and in need of dedicated attention. Special efforts are needed to support …

Itinéraires Thérapeutiques Des Adolescentes Pendant La Grossesse, L'Accouchement Et La Période Post-Partum Dans La Zone D'Intervention Du Projet, Gisele Kaboré, Aicha Tamboura/Diawara, Assita Nacanabo Diallo, Abdoulaye Karama

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Le Population Council a réalisé une étude sur « les itinéraires thérapeutiques des adolescentes pendant la grossesse, l’accouchement et la période post-partum » dans cinq régions du Burkina Faso. Il s’agissait d’une étude qualitative, exploratoire qui a permis d’identifier et de décrire les itinéraires thérapeutiques des adolescentes en grossesse et post-partum en vue de déceler les obstacles liés à la fréquentation des centres de santé dans le suivi de la grossesse, de l’accouchement assisté et des soins aux nouveau-nés. Les résultats de l’étude montrent que, d’une manière générale, les adolescentes mariées ou non ont recours aux soins traditionnels à domicile …

2009 Legislative Briefing Book, Nevada Institute For Children’S Research And Policy, Unlv, School Of Public Health, The Children’S Advocacy Alliance, Southern Nevada Area Health Education Center, Denise Tanata Ashby, Amanda Haboush, Tara Phebus, Jennifer Waddoups

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

The purpose of the Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy (NICRP) Legislative Briefing Book is to provide a quick snapshot of some of the most pressing issues facing Nevada’s children in order to provide advocates and policymakers with a stepping stone in creating positive changes to improve the lives of Nevada’s children. While this book will not cover every issue facing our children, it is intended to highlight those of greatest concern, covering issues in education, health, safety and security, and the juvenile justice system. Diligent efforts need to be made during the 2009 Legislative Session to improve policies, …

Hazards And Gender In Children's Work: An Egyptian Perspective, Nadia Zibani

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Girls and boys can and do work. They work for a variety of reasons related to poverty or failures in educational systems, and they work to support themselves and their families or to learn skills for future careers. The types of work carried out by children often differ according to the gender of the child. Additionally, the hazards they face in their work can also be differentiated on the basis of gender. The present study attempts to develop a better understanding of the gender aspects of children’s work with a particular focus on the gender-differentiated hazards that exist therein. This …

Understanding Pregnancy-Related Morbidity And Mortality Among Young Women In Rajasthan, K.G. Santhya

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Pregnancy and childbearing continue to occur in adolescence for considerable proportions of women in India. The dangers of childbearing for adolescent girls, whose bodies have not physically matured, are widely acknowledged. Yet, little is known about whether morbidity and mortality experiences vary within the subgroup of adolescent girls, whether such experiences differ between adolescent and adult women of similar parity, and whether treatment-seeking behaviors and the delays experienced in seeking treatment differ between adolescent and adult mothers. To begin to fill this gap, the Population Council undertook an exploratory study of the pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality experiences of women who …

Making Pregnancy Safe For Women In Rajasthan: Targeting The Most Vulnerable, K.G. Santhya

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

As recently as 2005–06, almost two out of three women in Rajasthan, India were married before age 18 years (of those aged 20–24). Moreover, half of currently married girls aged 15–19 years in the state had already begun childbearing. The dangers of childbearing among adolescent girls, whose bodies have not physically matured, are widely acknowledged, as are the links between poverty and unsafe pregnancy. Yet, less is known about whether morbidity and mortality experiences vary within the subgroup of adolescent girls, whether such experiences differ between adolescent and adult women of similar parity, and whether treatment-seeking behaviors and the delays …

Female-Initiated Prevention: Integrating Female Condoms Into Hiv Risk-Reduction Activities In Kenya, Population Council, Liverpool Vct Care & Treatment

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Female Condom (FC) is the only female-initiated prevention product on the market today that provides simultaneous protection against STIs, including HIV, and unintended pregnancy. However, the FC remains limited in supply, not widely available, and underutilized in many settings. Improvements in FC programming are essential to achieve increased uptake and public health impact, and to pave the way for future women’s HIV prevention products. The Population Council’s Female-Initiated Prevention Methods project aimed to stimulate action and generate evidence around FC access through innovative program experimentation. The study was conducted to understand the challenges and opportunities these different access models …

Youth Reproductive Health: Investing In The Future, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

Youth—young people aged 10–24—constitute about a quarter of the world's population. Nearly three-quarters of these young people live in the developing world, and they suffer a disproportionate share of unplanned pregnancies, STIs including HIV, and other reproductive health (RH) problems. Research undertaken by FRONTIERS has shed light on numerous aspects of youth RH, including the information needs of young people, married adolescents, and parents and guardians. Findings from over 20 studies on youth RH provide important lessons about which interventions are effective, what kind of impact is possible, and what approaches have limited impact. This paper focuses on engaging all …

Implementation Of Maternal Health Financial Scheme In Rural Bangladesh, Md. Moshiur Rahman, Ubaidur Rob, Tasnima Kibria

Reproductive Health

The maternal mortality ratio in Bangladesh has declined from more than 600 per 100,000 live births in 1980 to 322 in 2004, yet it is still unacceptably high. Economic barriers are an important factor in deterring pregnant women from seeking services at health facilities. To achieve the country’s Millennium Development Goal of reducing the maternal mortality ratio to 143 by 2015, the Population Council conducted an operations research study to test the feasibility and effectiveness of introducing an innovative model of health care financing to increase utilization of maternal health services by poor, rural women. As this report notes, “Voucher …

Manual For Designing Community Based Interventions For Preventing Postpartum Hemorrhage (Pph) Using Misoprostol: Standardized Pilot-Test Training Manual, Saumya Ramarao, Tekle-Ab Mekbib, Sarah Raifman

Reproductive Health

This manual is a comprehensive, standardized, step-by-step guide for Population Council staff to use when designing and implementing community-based pilot interventions for the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage using misoprostol. The introduction and background section provide basic information about maternal mortality, normal and abnormal pregnancy, and postpartum hemorrhage. This section also describes prevailing methods of prevention and treatment for postpartum hemorrhage, active management of the third stage of labor, and use of misoprostol for the prevention and control of postpartum hemorrhage. The second half of the manual focuses on how to develop a protocol for an intervention study on misoprostol. It …

Being (Becoming Empowered In Nursing Growth): Training Guide For Nursing Students On Sexuality And Gender, Maryann Washington

Reproductive Health

This training guide was produced as part of a Health and Population Innovation Fellowship administered by the Population Council, India, and aims to help the faculty of nursing students to deliver comprehensive sexuality education effectively and efficiently, to help trainee nurses see the whole picture of sexuality in its matrix of safety, pleasure, reproduction, illness, and health. The package is called ‘BEING’ (acronym for Becoming Empowered in Nursing Growth) as it is assumed that, if delivered well, it could empower nurses’ growth to address these issues.

Translating Medical Evidence Into Practice: Working With Communities And Providers To Promote Active Management Of The Third Stage Of Labour, B. Subha Sri

Reproductive Health

Although postpartum hemorrhage is a leading cause of death in India, and despite the fact that active management of the third stage of labor (AMTSL) has been established as a best practice, efforts to promote it have been limited. This paper documents the experiences of a project that aimed to enable the translation of available evidence regarding AMTSL into practice through two strategies, at community and provider levels respectively. Community-level activities included efforts to build awareness regarding safe delivery practices, sensitize individuals regarding the rights perspective and their entitlement to safe services, and facilitate the translation of this awareness into …

Nevada Institute For Children's Research And Policy Bill Draft Requests - 2009 Nv Legislative Session, Nevada Institute For Children's Research And Policy Reports

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Bill Draft Requests - 2009 NV Legislative Session

Elevated Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone In Human Pregnancy Increases The Risk Of Postpartum Depressive Symptoms, Ilona S. Yim, Laura M. Glynn, Christine Dunkel Schetter, Calvin J. Hobel, Aleksandra Chicz-Demet, Curt A. Sandman

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Postpartum depression (PPD) is common and has serious implications for the mother and her newborn. A possible link between placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (pCRH) and PPD incidence has been discussed, but there is a lack of empirical evidence.

Smarter Mothers, Healthy Children, Smaller Families: A Look At The Impact Of Women’S Education On Family Planning Decisions In The Sultanate Of Oman, Kerala Hise

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Is there a single, perfect, cure-all policy that a government can enact to achieve sustained development? This is a question international organizations and individual leaders ask themselves every day. There will always be ‘less-developed’ nations, this is a reality of having ‘developed’ nations, but there is no reason that humanity should allow there to be ‘under-developed’ nations, not when we have at hand the tools and knowledge to enact immediate, sweeping changes now. However, because different people, different groups feel that their idea or proposal is of the utmost importance, that change is often never realized. Often, too much value …

The Mercury Connection: Autism And Childhood Vaccines, Sarah Rossi

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

A literature survey of government and private studies have found that Thimerosal not to be a cause of auism. The reliance on limited, flawed and outdated studies on the effect of ethyl-mercury suggest that more research is needed to understand the effects of ethyl-mercury and particularly Thimerosal. In the meantime efforts should be increased to remove Thimerosal from vaccines world-wide.

Give Life Without Losing Life: The Casa Materna Of Matagalpa And The Struggle To Prevent Maternal Death, Lily Emiko Friedman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Maternal mortality has a face. It is the health indicator with the greatest disparity between the developed and developing worlds, disproportionately affecting poor women with low levels of education, high levels of fertility, and inadequate access to health services. It is the health inequality that most clearly shows how poor health outcomes continue to be directly linked to poverty and socioeconomic disadvantage, while the right to safe pregnancy and motherhood comes with economic privilege. As it occupies such a critical position in community health, maternal mortality has been widely studied and the target of countless health interventions aimed at its …

Infant Feeding Decisions Among Pregnant Black Wic Participants And The Role Of Peer Support, Astrid D. Mickens

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to identify the important factors that impact infant feeding decisions among Black women, and to determine whether peer support influences the relationship among theoretical constructs of the social learning theory. A convenience sample of 110 Black pregnant women, ages 18-45, attending Women, Infant and Children (WIC) clinics throughout Riverside and San Bernardino Counties were recruited to participate in the study through the Nutrition Services Department. Eligible participants included pregnant Black WIC clients in any stage of pregnancy.

The survey questions contained information about perceived support, cognitive knowledge, abilities and beliefs regarding breastfeeding. The goal …

Listening To The Stars: The Constellation Model Of Collaborative Social Change, Tonya Surman, Mark Surman

Social Space

There has been much talk about social sector partnerships and networks. Tonya Surman and Mark Surman explain how the ‘constellation model’, developed for the Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health and the Environment, offers an innovative approach to organising such collaborative efforts.