PHHE 295. Chapter 7. Maternal, Infant, and Child Health

PHHE 295

Chapter 7: Maternal, Infant, and Child Health

Chapter Objectives

1)      Explain the importance of maternal, infant, and child health as indicators of a society’s health.

2)      Define family planning and explain why it is important.

3)      Identify consequences of teenage pregnancies.

4)      Define legalized abortion and discuss Roe vs. Wade and the Pro-Life and Pro-Choice movements.

5)      Define maternal mortality rate.

6)      Define prenatal care and the influence this has on pregnancy outcome.

7)      List the major factors that contribute or infant health and mortality.

8)      Explain the differences among infant mortality, neonatal mortality, and post-neonatal mortality.

9)      Identify the leading causes of childhood morbidity and mortality.

10)  List the immunizations required for a 2-yr-old child to be considered fully immunized.

11)  Explain how health insurance and health care services affect childhood health.

12)  Identify important governmental programs developed to improve maternal and child health.

13)  Briefly explain what WIC programs are and who they serve.

14)  Identify the major groups that are recognized as advocates for children.

Key Terms

·         Maternal, Infant, and Child Health: The health of women of childbearing age and that of the child through adolescence.

·         Family Planning: Determining the preferred number and spacing of children and choosing the appropriate means to accomplish it.

·         Title X: A portion of the Public Health Service Act of 1970 that provides funds for family planning services for low-income people.

·         Gag Rule: Regulations that barred physicians and nurses in clinic receiving federal funds from counseling clients about abortions.

·         Roe v. Wade: A 1973 Supreme Court decision that made it unconstitutional for state laws to prohibit abortions.

·         Pro-Life: A medical/ethical position that holds that performing an abortion is an act of murder.

·         Pro-Choice: A medical/ethical position that holds that women have a right to reproductive freedom.

·         Prenatal Health Care: Medical care provided to a pregnant woman from the time of conception until the birth process occurs.

·         Low-Birth-Weight Infant: One that weighs less than 2,500 grams, or 5.5 pounds, at birth.

·         Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: A group of abnormalities that may include birth retardation, abnormal appearance of face and head, and deficits of central nervous system function, including mental retardation, in babies born to mothers who have consumed heavy amounts of alcohol during their pregnancies.

·         Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Sudden unanticipated death of an infant in whom, after examination, there is no recognized cause of death.

·         Categorical Programs: Programs available only to people who can be categorize into a group based on specific variables.

·         WIC: A special supplemental food program for women, infant, and children, sponsored by the USDA.

·         Family and Medical Leave Act: Federal law that provides up to a 12 week unpaid leave to men and women after the birth of a child, an adoption, or an event of illness in the immediate family.

Chapter Summary

·         Maternal, infant, and child health are important indicators of a community’s overall health. Maternal health encompasses the health of women of childbearing age from pre-pregnancy through pregnancy, labor, and delivery, and in the postpartum period. Infant and child health refers to individuals through 14 years of age.

·         Families are the primary unit in which infants and children are nurtured and supported regarding healthy development. Significant increases in births to unmarried women in the last two decades, especially among teenagers, are among the many changes in American society that have affected family structure and the economic security of children. Teenage childbearing represents a significant social and financial burden on both the family and the community.

·         The establishment of local Family Planning Clinics with Title X funding has resulted in an improvement in maternal and child health indicators for the communities served.

·         High quality prenatal care is one of the fundamentals of a safe motherhood program. Ensuring early initiation of prenatal care during pregnancy greatly contributes to reductions in perinatal illness, disability, and death for the mother and the infant.