1. Identify and explain why the health of infants and children are of special concern for public health. What are two or more ways in which parents’ authority over the care of their children is limited by law in the U.S.
a. Provide an example illustrating how this has affected you or someone you know.
b. Do you feel these laws are justified? Why or why not?
2. Reflecting on the workplace capability of persuasion, assess how you would communicate with a pregnant mother that is in need of prenatal care. Outline strategies you would use to persuade the woman of the benefits of caring for the health of her unborn child.
How would you try and get her to the next prenatal appointment?
Lecture
This week we will focus on maternal and child health as a social problem, and clean environment: The basis of public health.
Major take aways are:
Maternal and Child Health as a Social Problem
You will learn that maternal and child health has always been one of the highest priorities of public health; the fetal stage and infancy are the foundation for health throughout life. The infant mortality rate is seen as an indicator of the health of a society as a whole.
Although the infant mortality rate in the United States has been declining, it still ranks poorly on an international scale. One reason, but not the only one, for the poor performance is that blacks have a much higher infant mortality rate than whites.
The top specific causes of infant mortality are birth defects, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Prevention of birth defects is accomplished by screening programs for genetic defects and prevention of parents’ exposure to teratogens. Teratogens are drugs or other substances capable of interfering with the development of a fetus, causing birth defects. The risk of SIDS is reduced by putting infants to sleep on their backs.
Infant mortality has been called a social problem rather than a medical problem; the strongest risk factor for infant mortality is poverty. Poverty increases many other risks, including: poor environment, poor nutrition, unhealthy maternal behavior, lack of access to medical care, and lack of social support.
You would also learn that the most important public health measure for maternal and child health is the assurance of prenatal care for prospective mothers. In prenatal care, risk factors can be identified and corrected, and women can be educated about a healthy pregnancy and delivery.
A Clean Environment: The Basis of Public Health
Furthermore, you will also learn that groups of people living together generate wastes harmful to health if they pollute the environment. As populations grow, pollution tends to grow if the wastes are not cleaned up. Governments are responsible for ensuring the environment is safe for human life.
The federal government has the responsibility of identifying hazards in the environment and sets safety standards to protect people from those hazards. A number of federal laws were passed in the 1960s and 1970s aimed at regulating environmental hazards. For many of them, implementation of the laws has been difficult and controversial, and progress has been slow.
Readings
Please click on the link below for PDF’s of the readings
Chapter 18: Maternal and Child Health as a Social Problem Chapter 18: Maternal and Child Health as a Social Problem – Alternative Formats
Chapter 19: Public Health Includes Healthy Minds Chapter 19: Public Health Includes Healthy Minds – Alternative Formats
Supplemental Resource
Article on: Adolescent Pregnancy
Resource: Institute of Medicine, Children’s Health, the Nation’s Wealth: Assessing and Improving Child Health (Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2004) Adolescent Pregnancy: http://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/topics/maternal/adolescent_pregnancy/en/
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