Maternal and Child Health Library

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January 9, 2009

Special Notice: In recognition of National Birth Defects Prevention Month (January 2009), the National Birth Defects Prevention Network’s Education and Outreach Committee has compiled an educational packet containing materials with a special focus on obesity prevention and weight management before, during, and after pregnancy. The materials in the packet are from a variety of sources; they provide information about obesity and how excessive weight gain can affect pregnant women and their fetuses, and they identify opportunities for prevention. Contents include pamphlets, posters, fact sheets, sample proclamations, news releases, letters, and lists of other resources. Many of the materials are available in English and Spanish. The packet is available at http://www.nbdpn.org/current/resources/bdpm2009.html.

1. RAND'S PROMISING PRACTICES NETWORK FEATURES PARENT-EDUCATION PROGRAM

The Parents as Teachers (PAT) program provides parents with child development information and parenting support. RAND's Promising Practice Network (PPN) on Children, Families and Communities recently recognized it as a "program that works." PAT is a four-part intervention model in which trained and certified parent educators offer support to children and their families from pregnancy until the child is 5 years old. Program services include home visits; child health, hearing, vision, and developmental screenings; parent group meetings; and a resource network that links families with needed community resources. Studies have shown that PAT has proven effects on the number of infants born weighing 5.5 lbs or more as well as on young children's cognitive and physical development. The PPN Web site contains a program overview as well as information on program participants, evaluation methods, key evaluation findings, probable implementers, funding, implementation detail, and issues to consider. Example sites, contact information, a list of resources, and a bibliography are also available at http://www.promisingpractices.net/program.asp?programid=88&ref=ppntext.

• Overall, 41% of YSHCN met the transition core outcome.
• Forty-two percent of parents of YSHCN discussed shifting care to an adult health professional, 62% discussed their child’s adult health care needs with a health professional, and 34% discussed upcoming changes in health insurance. The majority (78%) of respondents reported that their child’s physician or other health professional usually or always encouraged their child to take responsibility for his or her health.
• Male gender, older age, non-Hispanic black or Hispanic race and ethnicity, not speaking English in the home, and not having a medical home were independently associated with increased odds of not meeting the core outcome.
• Overall, the rates of meeting the transition core outcome did not significantly differ between YSHCN and the referent sample.