MCH Alert


Maternal and Child Health Library

This and past issues of the MCH Alert are available at http://www.mchlibrary.info/alert/archives.html.


March 13, 2009

Two Special Notices:

The Maternal and Child Health Library at Georgetown University, in partnership with Johnson Group Consulting and with support from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, has developed a technical-assistance program to help states draft effective Medicaid-Title V interagency agreements. The program is based on a 2006 review of state agreements and uses State MCH-Medicaid Coordination, a guide to designing effective agreements, as the core of the program's toolkit. More information is available at http://www.mchlibrary.info/IAA/index.html.

Training Course in Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology is a national program designed to build conceptual, technical, and analytic skills among professionals who have significant responsibility for collecting, processing, analyzing, and reporting maternal and child health data. The course will be held on May 17-21, 2009, in Tampa, Florida, and is sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of their ongoing effort to enhance the analytic capacity of state and local health agencies. The application form (due April 3, 2009) is available at http://www.positiveoutcomes.net/mchb_epi/MCHB_Epidemiology_Training_Course.doc.

1. Report Offers Solutions for Reducing Hardship Among Families Caring for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs
2. Film Relays Study Findings on Childbearing Among Latina Adolescents in California
3. MCH Leadership Training Module Focuses on Organizational Change
4. Authors Examine Associations Between Socioeconomic Status, Gender, Sports Participation, and Future Physical Activity in Adolescents
5. Article Analyzes Prevalence of Development and Behavioral Disorders in a Pediatric Hospital

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1. REPORT OFFERS SOLUTIONS FOR REDUCING HARDSHIP AMONG FAMILIES CARING FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH SPECIAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS

Breaking the Link between Special Health Care Needs and Financial Hardship discusses the prevalence and depth of financial hardship for families of children and youth with special health care needs and explores state-based financing strategies and programs aimed at reducing the financial strain on families. The report, published by the Catalyst Center, provides data on the scope of the problem, illustrates the impact that coverage and financing gaps have on the lives of real families, and describes promising practices and models. Topics include the primary ways a child's or youth’s special health care needs may bring financial hardship to families; state-to-state differences in the way programs that serve children, youth, and families are implemented; and the administrative burden on parents when traditional public and private financing sources do not meet their needs. Examples of specific state programs and financing strategies and selected resources are included. The report has been prepared as a resource for policymakers and to support conversations among advocates, families, payers, and Title V programs at both the state and national levels. The report is available at http://hdwg.org/files/resources/Catalyst_Center_Breaking_The_Link.pdf.

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2. FILM RELAYS STUDY FINDINGS ON CHILDBEARING AMONG LATINA ADOLESCENTS IN CALIFORNIA

A Question of Hope: Reducing Latina Teen Childbearing in California is a film that aims to capture the insights, choices, and opportunities of young Latina women in California. The short film (approximately 22 minutes) was produced with support from the Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Division and the Office of Family Planning of the California Department of Public Health's Center for Family Health. It is based on findings from a study conducted by the University of California, San Francisco, in which researchers interviewed pregnant Latinas who would soon deliver their first child. Half of those interviewed were adolescents and half were older, the latter having successfully delayed pregnancy until they were adults. Topics include knowledge of birth control, communicating with partners and parents about sex and life goals, the role of men in pregnancy prevention, intended and unintended pregnancy, and opportunities and education and career goals. A discussion of adolescent-pregnancy-prevention programs and concurrent strategies needed to combat Latina adolescent childbearing in California are presented. The film is intended for use by policymakers, health and social services professionals, and others concerned with helping adolescents delay childbearing until adulthood. The film is available at http://bixbycenter.ucsf.edu/videos/video-lo-1.html.

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3. MCH LEADERSHIP TRAINING MODULE FOCUSES ON ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

MCH Leadership Skills Development Series: Organizational Change explores issues related to leading and responding to change in an organization. The module is the fifth in a series produced by the Women's and Children's Health Policy Center at Johns Hopkins University with support from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau. The module comprises the following components: activities, mini lectures, interviews, self-assessment, individual leadership development planning, and general and group discussion. Topics include the roles of behavior and emotion in resistance to organizational change, strategies for assessing and influencing an organization’s readiness for change, and critical steps in creating and maintaining a successful change effort. This and other modules in the series are available at http://www.jhsph.edu/wchpc/MCHLDS.

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4. AUTHORS EXAMINE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, GENDER, SPORTS PARTICIPATION, AND FUTURE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN ADOLESCENTS

"Because the retention of MVPA [moderate-to-vigorous physical activity] behavior from high school sports participation appears minimal, especially for low SES [socioeconomic status] boys, organized sports as they are currently practiced may be an inadequate means of encouraging lifetime MVPA," state the authors of an article published in the March 2009 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health. A better understanding of associations among SES, gender, and physical activity level over time is important for determining which subgroups of youth are at particularly high risk for inadequate physical activity. Although short-term benefits of organized sports have been well researched, questions remain about the long-term benefits; specifically, whether participation in organized sports in adolescence predicts higher rates of MVPA as a young adult. The study described in the article examined (1) cross-sectional associations between SES, sports participation, and MVPA in adolescent boys and girls; (2) whether organized sports participation during adolescence is associated with MVPA 5 years later; and (3) whether these associations differ across gender and SES.

Data for the study were drawn from population-based, longitudinal studies Project EAT (Eating Among Teen)-I and Project EAT-II, which examined dietary intake, physical activity, and weight status among young people. In Project EAT-I, 3,138 high school students in Minnesota schools completed in-class surveys and anthropometric measures during the 1998-1999 academic year (Time 1). Five years later (Time 2), Project EAT-II aimed to re-survey by mail all original participants for whom contact information was available. Follow-up survey data were collected from 68% of those contacts (N=1,710). Cross-sectional analyses examined associations between SES and sports participation, between SES and MVPA, and between sports participation and MVPA. Longitudinal analyses examined change in MVPA stratified by SES and by sports participation. MVPA change over time stratified by sports participation and SES was also assessed.

The authors found that
"Supported by growing evidence about economic disparities, and questionable sustainability of physical activity after organized sports participation has ceased, increasing access to programs making physical activity an easy choice designed to last a lifetime should be a public health priority," conclude the authors.

Walters S, Barr-Anderson DJ, Wall M, et al. 2009. Does participation in organized sports predict future physical activity for adolescents from diverse economic backgrounds? Journal of Adolescent Health 44(3):268-274. Abstract available at http://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(08)00353-4/abstract.

Readers: More information is available from the following MCH Library resource:

- Physical Activity and Children and Adolescents: Knowledge Path at
http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_phys_activity.html

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5. ARTICLE ANALYZES PREVALENCE OF DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS IN A PEDIATRIC HOSPITAL

"The prevalence of DBDs [developmental and behavioral disorders] in children admitted to a pediatric hospital was higher than that expected for children in the general population, with [approximately] 10% of hospitalized children in this sample being identified as having a suspected DBD," write the authors of an article published in the March 2009 issue of Pediatrics. Individuals with developmental disabilities (DDs) have more hospitalizations than the average population. For this reason, it is expected that the prevalence of DDs among children who are admitted to pediatric hospitals would be higher, compared with their counterparts in the general population. Information about the prevalence of DDs in children admitted to pediatric hospitals is limited. In the cross-sectional, prospective study described in this article, the authors sought to determine the prevalence of DBDs among children in an acute care, pediatric hospital setting.

The study was conducted at a 225-bed pediatric hospital that serves a 6-state region in the southern United States. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 325 caregivers of hospitalized infants, children, and adolescents ages 6 months through 17 years. Caregivers completed a questionnaire about their child. Screening tests included the Child Development Inventory, the Pediatric Symptom Checklist, and the Vanderbilt Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Parent Rating Scale. Infants, children, and adolescents were classified into one of three categories: known DBD, suspected DBD, or no DBD.

The authors found that
The authors conclude that "hospital admission should be considered another opportunity for developmental surveillance, and strategies for implementing systematic developmental and behavioral screening of hospitalized children should be examined."

Petersen MC, Kube DA, Whitaker TM, et al. 2009. Prevalence of developmental and behavioral disorders in a pediatric hospital. Pediatrics 123(3):e490-e495. Abstract available at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/123/3/e490.

Readers: More information is available from the following MCH Library resources:

- Social and Emotional Development in Children: Knowledge Path at
http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_Mental_Healthy.html

- Emotional, Behavioral, and Mental Health Challenges in Children and Adolescents: Knowledge Path at
http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_Mental_Conditions.html

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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 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 Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Maternal and Child Health Bureau reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable right to use the work for federal purposes and to authorize others to use the work for federal purposes.
 
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The editors welcome your submissions, suggestions, and questions. Please contact us at the address below.

MANAGING EDITOR: Jolene Bertness
CO-EDITOR: Tracy Lopez
COPYEDITOR/WRITER: Ruth Barzel
LIST ADMINISTRATOR: Beth DeFrancis Sun

MCH Alert
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