Maternal and Child Health Library
This and past issues of the MCH Alert are available at http://www.mchlibrary.info/alert/archives.html.
February 13, 2009
Special Notice: Draft standards for voluntary state, local, and
territorial health department accreditation have been released for
public comment through April 30, 2009. There are many opportunities for
providing feedback on the standards and measures and also for affirming
their quality. More information is available from the Public Health
Accreditation Board at http://www.phaboard.org/standards/vetting.
1. Web Site Provides Access to Health Work Force
Information
2. Brief Features Recommendations for Shaping School
Nutrition Policy
3. Federal Collaborative Highlights New Media Approaches
to Accessing Product Recall Information
4. Article Investigates the Burden of Respiratory
Syncytial Virus in Children Under Age 5
5. Authors Explore Using the Internet to Screen for
Postpartum
Depression
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1. WEB SITE PROVIDES ACCESS TO HEALTH WORK FORCE INFORMATION
The Health Workforce Information Center Web site provides information
on health work force solutions to help health professionals, educators,
researchers, and policymakers around the nation develop strategies to
meet future work force demands. The Web site, operated by the
University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences with
support from the Health Resources and Services Administration, features
events and training, organizations, funding, news and updates, state
resources, and topics and professions. Visitors can also receive
customized assistance, subscribe to a monthly e-newsletter, or suggest
resources to appear on the Web site. The Web site is available at http://www.healthworkforceinfo.org.
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2. BRIEF FEATURES RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SHAPING SCHOOL NUTRITION POLICY
Improving Child Nutrition: Insights from the National USDA Study of
School Food Environments provides recommendations for policymakers on
supporting healthy changes to the school food environment as a way of
improving children's diets and overall health. The policy brief,
published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is based on a
comprehensive analysis of data from the third School Nutrition Dietary
Assessment Study (SNDA-III) and other studies using SNDA-III data.
SNDA-III includes data from the 2004-2005 school year on the food and
nutrient content of meals offered to and selected by children,
children's dietary behaviors at school and outside of school, and the
availability and consumption of competitive foods. The policy brief is
available at http://www.rwjf.org/files/research/20090102sndapolicybrief.pdf.
Readers: The February 2009 supplement to the Journal of the American
Dietetic Association, titled The School Food Environment, Children’s
Diets, and Obesity: Findings from the Third School Nutrition Dietary
Assessment Study, presents a comprehensive analysis of data from
SNDA-III. The supplement was produced with funding from the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation and is available to Journal of the American Dietetic
Association subscribers at http://www.adajournal.org.
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3. FEDERAL COLLABORATIVE HIGHLIGHTS NEW MEDIA APPROACHES TO ACCESSING
PRODUCT RECALL INFORMATION
Social Media Tools for Consumers and Partners: Peanut Butter and
Peanut-Containing Product Recalls Related to Salmonella Infections
provides access to information about the ongoing peanut butter and
peanut-containing product recalls. The Web page was created by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Food and Drug
Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and
facilitated by the DHHS Center for Social Media, a collaborative body
dedicated to advancing social media adoption, research, and evaluation
among federal agencies. Contents include resources for consumers
(blogs, e-mail subscriptions, health-e-cards, mobile information,
online videos, phone and e-mail, podcasts, RSS feeds, social networks,
badges for social networks, updates on Twitter, virtual worlds, Web
sites, widgets) and resources for partners (content syndication, phone
and e-mail, Web site graphics, text messages, XML product-recall
database). Contents will be updated as new communication approaches are
employed. The Web page is available at http://www.cdc.gov/socialmedia.
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4. ARTICLE INVESTIGATES THE BURDEN OF RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS IN
CHILDREN UNDER AGE 5
"Our findings from three geographically diverse populations provide a
comprehensive view of the RSV [respiratory syncytial virus] burden
among children within the first 5 years of life," state the authors of
an article published in the February 5, 2009, issue of the New England
Journal of Medicine. The primary role of RSV in causing lower
respiratory disease among infants has made its control a worldwide
priority. However, in the United States, the total burden of RSV
infection during the first 5 years of life remains poorly defined,
particularly in the outpatient setting. The aim of the study described
in this article was to determine the population-based burden of RSV
infection among hospitalized children and outpatients in emergency
departments and primary care settings. The authors further sought to
describe the effect of potential risk factors on the severity of
illness.
The authors conducted prospective surveillance of acute respiratory
infections among children under age 5 in three U.S. counties who were
hospitalized from 2000 to 2004 and among those who presented as
outpatients in emergency departments and pediatric offices from 2002 to
2004.
The authors found that
- Of 5,067 children enrolled, 919 (18%) had confirmed RSV infection.
- RSV outbreaks at each site occurred yearly between November and
April. The median onset was December 1.
- RSV was associated with 20% of annual hospitalizations, 18% of
emergency department visits, and 15% of office visits for acute
respiratory infections from November through April.
- In 58 of the samples (6%), co-infecting viruses were identified,
including 26 samples with influenza virus, 8 with parainfluenza virus,
5 with cytomegalovirus, and 4 with other viruses.
- From 2000 to 2004, the average annual rate of RSV-associated
hospitalization was 3 per 1,000 children under age 5 and 17 per 1,000
children under age 6 months.
- One or more high-risk conditions were present in 189 of 564
RSV-infection inpatients (34%) and in 96 of 355 outpatients (26%). The
most frequent conditions were previous wheezing, which occurred in 104
inpatients (55%) and 70 outpatients (73%) and prematurity, which
occurred in 91 inpatients (48%) and 30 outpatients (31%).
The authors conclude that "by concurrently addressing these
populations, our study demonstrates a previously unrecognized size and
spectrum of burden of RSV infection among all children under 5 years of
age."
Hall CB, Weinberg GA, Iwane MK, et al. 2009. The burden of respiratory
syncytial virus infection in young children. New England Journal of
Medicine 360(6): 588-598. Abstract available at http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/360/6/588.
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5. AUTHORS EXPLORE USING THE INTERNET TO SCREEN FOR POSTPARTUM
DEPRESSION
"In general, our results suggest that it is feasible to recruit and
screen mothers for postpartum depression symptoms on the Internet,"
state the authors of an article published in the March 2009 issue of
the Maternal and Child Health Journal. Given that postpartum depression
(PPD) represents an important health problem affecting large numbers of
women and families, and that much is known about effective treatments
for PPD, examining the feasibility of using the Internet to identify
individuals who are in the early phases of a potential clinical episode
may have important public health consequences. This article presents
findings from a study to examine the feasibility of using the
Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS), a multi-dimensional
measure designed to screen depression in new mothers during the first
12 months after delivery, on the Internet.
The study compared the outcomes of Internet-based screening for
postpartum depression (N=142) to results reported in an in-person
administration of the PDSS (N=150). The analysis examined recruitment
sources, demographic characteristics, psychometric properties, and risk
for PPD.
The authors found that
- In the Internet study, participants were recruited through a
variety of sources such as Craig's List (37%), friends, (13%), and
postcards received in the mail (11%). In the in-person study, 19% of
participants were recruited through newspaper ads and 81% through
prenatal childbirth classes.
- The PDSS retained strong psychometric properties when
administered on the Internet, performing at levels comparable to those
in the in-person study.
- Compared to participants in the in-person study, participants in
the Internet study (1) had an average of more days since delivery; (2)
were more ethnically diverse, with more Hispanic and Asian
participants; (3) were more likely to have a high school education; and
(4) were more likely to be single.
- A total of 54% of the Internet sample compared to 69% of the
in-person sample reported few or no symptoms of depression, 23% of the
Internet sample vs. 19% of the in-person sample met criteria for risk
of minor/major PPD, and 23% of the Internet sample and 12% of the
in-person sample met criteria for risk of major PPD.
"Our research adds to a growing body of literature that is examining
the ability to use these tools through the Internet to increase case
finding for PPD," conclude the authors.
Le H, Perry DF, Sheng X. 2009. Using the Internet to screen for
postpartum depression. Maternal and Child Health Journal 13(2):213-221.
Abstract available at http://www.springerlink.com/content/477780u7561t4hjv.
Readers: More information is available from the following MCH Library
resource:
- Depression During and After Pregnancy: Knowledge Path at
http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_postpartum.html
- Mental Health in Primary Care: Bibliography at
http://www.mchlibrary.info/action.lasso?-database=Biblio&-layout=Web&-response=/databases/BibLists/bib_mental.html&-MaxRecords=all&-DoScript=auto_search_mental&-search
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MCH Alert © 1998-2009 by National Center for Education in Maternal
and
Child Health and Georgetown University. MCH Alert is produced by
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