Maternal and Child Health Library
This and past issues of the MCH Alert are available at http://www.mchlibrary.info/alert/archives.html.
July 27, 2007
1. Data on Key Indicators of Child Well-Being Released
2. Journal Highlights Efforts to Improve Access to and
Use of Information Resources Within the Public Health Work Force
3. Journal Theme Issue Focuses on the Health of
Incarcerated Females
4. Report Examines Rates of Perinatal Group B
Streptococcal Disease Before and After Universal Screening
Recommendations
5. Article Explores Understanding of the Needs of Workers
with Children with Special Health Care Needs
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1. DATA ON KEY INDICATORS OF CHILD WELL-BEING RELEASED
America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2007,
summarizes a set of measures on important aspects of children's lives
that federal agencies collect regularly, reliably, and rigorously. The
2007 report, representing the 10th anniversary edition published by the
Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics (FIFCFS),
presents the conceptual framework, structure, and changes from previous
annual reports, along with information on race and ethnicity data,
indicators needed, and highlights. The main body of the report focuses
on seven domains of child well-being, including (1) family and social
environment, (2) economic circumstances, (3) health care, (4) physical
environment and safety, (5) behavior, (6) education, and (7) health. A
list of the FIFCFS agencies is provided. The appendix contains
tabulated data for each measure and additional detail not discussed in
the main body of the report. Descriptions of the data sources and
surveys used to generate the background measures and the indicators are
included. The report is available at
http://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/index.asp.
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2. JOURNAL HIGHLIGHTS EFFORTS TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO AND USE OF
INFORMATION RESOURCES WITHIN THE PUBLIC HEALTH WORK FORCE
The July 2007 issue of the Journal of the Medical Library Association
highlights the challenges and opportunities associated with conducting
information outreach to the public health work force and progress in
improving public health workers' access to and use of information
resources. The articles in this issue offer readers access to a growing
body of collective experience in public health information outreach and
document a wide variety of approaches to information outreach. The
first article sets the stage, with a broad review of the events and
activities related to the National Library of Medicine's (NLM's)
service to the public health sector. The review details progress in
developing a national-health-information infrastructure, data
standards, and the work done in partnership with other libraries
through the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) and with
other public health agencies and organizations. Other selected topics
include the following:
- An overview of NLM's 10-year collaborative effort in public
health, the Partners in Information Access for the Public Health
Workforce initiative, and the resulting Web site, PHPartners.org.
- The wide array of outreach to the public health sector that took
place during the 2001-2006 Regional Medical Library contract period.
- Efforts made in specific public health domains, such as
collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization to rebuild the
health information infrastructure across Central America in the
aftermath of Hurricane Mitch, analysis of an HIV/AIDS funding program
that has sponsored the work of more than 190 local organizations since
1994, and efforts to foster access to environmental health and
toxicology information at minority-serving academic institutions.
- Projects that highlight the diversity of NLM-funded outreach,
including two briefs that focus on child health.
- Statewide public health outreach, including a project to train
public health workers across New Mexico on evidence-based practice, and
efforts to foster partnerships between public health personnel and
public library staff across Arizona.
- Outreach to public health personnel in local communities,
including outreach to public health workers in Wayne County, Michigan,
to improve access to culturally relevant health information for Arab
Americans; two projects in Dutchess County, New York, to measure and
enhance the informatics competencies of public health workers; and a
study designed to assess the feasibility of using organizational
network analysis to model information use by a health department's
employees in relation to the organization's effectiveness.
The issue, intended for use by health professionals, program
administrators, educators, policymakers, and others in ongoing efforts
to improve public health workers' access to and use of information
services, is available at
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/tocrender.fcgi?iid=146158.
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3. JOURNAL THEME ISSUE FOCUSES ON THE HEALTH OF INCARCERATED WOMEN
The July-August 2007 issue of Women's Health Issues includes 10
peer-reviewed articles and editorials on a variety of topics related to
the health of female adolescents and adults who are or have been
incarcerated. The special issue, published by the Jacobs Institute of
Women's Health with support from the Health Resources and Services
Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau, documents both the
severity of health challenges faced by females who are or have been
incarcerated and the pervasiveness of unmet service needs before,
during, and after incarceration. The issue begins with a comparison of
health status and service use among females from urban and rural
settings. Other topics explored by the authors include the following:
- Baseline heart disease risks and accompanying benefits of
lifestyle interventions among females incarcerated in South Dakota.
- The influence of stress on menstruation among females newly
incarcerated in Rhode Island.
- The association between a history of violent victimization and
HIV risk among females incarcerated in Connecticut who are HIV-negative.
- Reproductive health care services and health promotion for
females residing in juvenile justice facilities.
- Short-term psychological adjustments of females in a
minimum-security unit.
- Aftercare for substance use among female offenders.
- The association between methamphetamine use and psychiatric
functioning within an Idaho sample of females who were newly
incarcerated and typically first-time, nonviolent offenders.
- Psychiatric distress among incarcerated females who recently used
cocaine and alcohol.
The special issue is intended for use by health professionals, program
administrators, educators, policymakers, and others in providing
impetus to further develop existing practice models and treat the
problems of females who are or have been incarcerated. The issue is
available at http://whijournal.com/current.
Readers: The Jacobs Institute of Women's Health is hosting a
stakeholder briefing on July 31, 2007, in Washington, DC, in
conjunction with the publication of the July-August 2007 theme issue of
Women's Health Issues. The briefing is open to the public and
registration is free; however, reservations are required. The briefing
will also be webcast in real time and archived for future viewing. Web
viewers will be able to submit questions during the question-and-answer
period. A copy of the agenda and the meeting reservation form are
available at http://www.jiwh.org/content.cfm?sectionID=171.
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4. REPORT EXAMINES RATES OF PERINATAL GROUP B STREPTOCOCCAL DISEASE
BEFORE AND AFTER UNIVERSAL SCREENING RECOMMENDATIONS
"Continued surveillance is needed to monitor the impact of the
guidelines on perinatal GBS [Group B Streptococcal] disease and trends
in racial disparities and to guide interventions to reduce
disparities," state the authors of a report published in the July 20,
2007, issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. GBS is a leading
cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality in the United States. In
2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American
College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of
Pediatrics issued revised guidelines for the prevention of perinatal
GBS disease. These guidelines recommend universal screening of pregnant
women by culture for rectovaginal GBS colonization at 35-37 weeks'
gestation and the use of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis for GBS
carriers. The report describes the results of an analysis to examine
rates of neonatal and pregnancy-associated GBS disease after the
revised guidelines were issued.
Data for the analysis were drawn from the Active Bacterial Core
surveillance (ABCs) system, a laboratory- and population-based
surveillance in selected counties of 10 states for invasive GBS
disease. In 2004, the surveillance area represented approximately
455,000 live births; 72% of the infants were white, 19% were black, and
9% were of other race. Surveillance areas used standardized case-report
forms to collect demographic, neonatal, and obstetric data from medical
records. Race and ethnicity data were determined from medical records
or birth certificates. Live-birth data from state vital records and
national vital statistics reports were used to calculate incidence.
Average incidence during 2000-2001, designated as the baseline period,
was compared with incidence during 2003-2005.
The authors found that
- Average incidence of GBS disease among infants ages 0-6 days
(early onset) during 2003-2005, after the revised guidelines were
issued, was 33% lower than during the baseline period. However,
although incidence among white infants decreased steadily during
2003-2005, incidence increased by 70% among black infants.
- Average incidence of GBS disease among infants aged 7-89 days
(late onset) was similar before and after the revised guidelines were
issued.
- During 2003-2005, the annual incidence of GBS infection among
pregnant women remained stable and was similar to the baseline
incidence.
Reingold A, Gershman K, Petit S, et al. 2007. Perinatal group b
streptococcal disease after universal screening recommendations United
States, 2003-2005. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
56(28):701-705. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5628a1.htm?s_cid=mm5628a1_e.
Additional information on GBS is available at http://www.cdc.gov/groupbstrep.
Readers: More information is available from the MCH Library's knowledge
path, Preconception and Pregnancy, at http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_pregnancy.html,
from the bibliography, Prenatal Care, at http://www.mchlibrary.info/action.lasso?-database=Biblio&-layout=Web&-response=/databases/BibLists/bib_prenatal.html&-MaxRecords=all&-DoScript=auto_search_prenatal&-search,
and from the organizations resource list, prenatal care, at http://www.mchlibrary.info/action.lasso?-database=Organizations&-layout=Web&-response=/databases/OrgLists/orgs_prenat.html&-MaxRecords=all&-DoScript=auto_search_prenat&-search.
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5. ARTICLE EXPLORES UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEEDS OF WORKERS WITH CHILDREN
WITH SPECIAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS
"Despite the relatively high prevalence of disabilities among children
of working Americans, employers in our study had little awareness of
the scope or potential impact of this population on their employees'
workplace participation," write the authors of an article published in
the July/August 2007 issue of Health Affairs. The prevalence of special
health care needs among children of working parents is approximately 9%
of a typical U.S. workforce. Parents of children with chronic health
conditions experience greater financial hardship, reduced employment,
poorer mental health, and increased stress compared to parents without
such children. The authors explored how employers and employees
understand the needs of workers with children with special health care
needs. Specifically, the authors asked (1) how do employers view the
needs of employees caring for children with special health care needs?
(2) how do current benefit structures help these employees? (3) how do
employees themselves view their needs as they strive to manage a
child's health needs while meeting job demands?, and (4) what
opportunities do employers and employees see for improving and
maximizing the usefulness of benefits for families of children with
special health care needs?
The authors conducted a qualitative study of employers as well as
parent focus groups in four U.S. urban markets: Boston, Cleveland,
Miami, and Seattle. Authors interviewed 41 employers and conducted five
focus groups between November 2003 and June 2004. Focus groups included
6-20 parents.
The authors found that
- Most companies that provide high-quality benefits do so because
they think that it is the right thing to do, and it makes good business
sense.
- In all but one company, issues related to children with chronic
conditions were addressed case by case or when specific needs arose.
Only one company had a specific program for children with special
health care needs.
- Although employers expressed little enthusiasm for considering
health-insurance-benefits enhancements, most identified other benefit
opportunities that could aid employees with children with special
health care needs: flexible spending accounts, leave policies,
employee-assistance programs, and work-life programs.
- Parents indicated that they were reticent about disclosing family
circumstances to their employers for fear of loss of their jobs, being
bypassed for promotions or career opportunities or being perceived as
"problem" employees.
- Employers repeatedly stressed the potential to increase the value
of certain benefit programs without requiring major investment of
additional company resources.
The authors conclude that "our findings indicate that an interesting
opportunity exists for the health community to interact with employers
to improve workplace conditions and supports and thereby improve family
health and well-being."
Perrin JM, Fluet CF, Honberg L, et al. 2007. Benefits for employees
with children with special needs: Findings from the Collaborative
Employee Benefit Study. Health Affairs 26(4):1096-1103. Abstract
available at http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/4/1096?etoc.
Readers: More information is available from the MCH Library's knowledge
path, Children and Adolescents with Special Health Care Needs, at http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_CSHCN.html;
bibliographies, Adolescents with Special Health Care Needs, at http://www.mchlibrary.info/action.lasso?-database=Biblio&-layout=Web&-response=/databases/BibLists/bib_adolshn.html&-MaxRecords=all&-DoScript=auto_search_adolshn&-search,
Children with Special Health Care Needs, at http://www.mchlibrary.info/action.lasso?-database=Biblio&-layout=Web&-response=/databases/BibLists/bib_cshcn.html&-MaxRecords=all&-DoScript=auto_search_cshcn&-search,
and Children with Special Health Care Needs: Managed Care, at http://www.mchlibrary.info/action.lasso?-database=Biblio&-layout=Web&-response=/databases/BibLists/bib_cshnmanagedcare.html&-MaxRecords=all&-DoScript=auto_search_cshnmanagedcare&-search;
and organizations resource list, Children with Special Health Care
Needs, at http://www.mchlibrary.info/action.lasso?-database=Organizations&-layout=Web&-response=/databases/OrgLists/orgs_cshn.html&-MaxRecords=all&-DoScript=auto_search_cshn&-search.
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MCH Alert © 1998-2007 by National Center for Education in Maternal
and
Child Health and Georgetown University. MCH Alert is produced by
Maternal and Child Health Library at the National Center for Education
in Maternal and Child Health under its cooperative agreement
(U02MC00001) with the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health
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MCH Alert
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