| CityMatCH NewsBriefs highlights recent articles and information from MCH-related organizations, publications, and listservs. Please circulate this NewsBrief within your agency, and to others interested in these issues. |
| Women's Health |
| HHS Decision on Contraception as Preventive Care |
| Study Investigates Postpartum Depression's Association with Prenatal Behaviors |
| Disparities in Health |
| Study Looks at State-Level Income Inequality and Family Burden for Health Care and Related Expenditures |
| Overweight and Obesity |
| Minnesota Finds Youth's Diet Control Behaviors Lead to Weight Gain |
| Adolescent Health |
| Report Looks at Contraceptive Use Among Teens with Unintended Pregnancies |
| Preventing or Reducing Socio-emotional Problems in Adolescents |
| Opportunities |
| New Series: Designing Healthy Communities |
| Last Chance to Apply for the MCH Public Health Leadership Institute - Deadline February 1st |
| Reach the Decision Makers 2012 Nationwide Training Program |
| Call for Papers: Addressing Social Determinants of Health Across Public Health Activities -- Due May 1 |
| AMCHP 2012 Annual Conference -- February 11-14, 2012 |
| Resources, Reports, Research |
| New Data from the 2009/10 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs |
| Authors Assess Effects of Postnatal Secondhand Smoke Exposure in the Home on SIDS Rates |
| Initiative Releases Standards for Sexuality Education in Public Schools |
| Emory Study Re-Evaluates Potassium Levels after Heart Attacks |
| Establishing Health Insurance Exchanges: A National Overview of State Efforts |
| Latest Data on Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility and Enrollment Policies in the 50 States and D.C. |
| New Charts from the CDC on Prevention and Public Health Funding |
| New: Preconception and Pregnancy Resource Guides |
| Long-Term Worldwide Decline in Abortions has Stalled |
| News of Interest |
| Kaiser-Washington Post Survey of Black Women in America |
| Red Meat Linked to Higher Stroke Risk |
| Harvard Study Links PFCs to Lowered Immune Response to Childhood Vaccinations |
| Women's Health |
| HHS Decision on Contraception as Preventive Care |
| The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) recently announced that it was finalizing a rule on women's preventive health care that it had first issued in August 2011, when it adopted in full the recommendations of an expert panel at the Institute of Medicine. Under the rule, a range of services--including contraceptive counseling and provision of all contraceptive methods approved by the Food and Drug Administration--will be covered without out-of-pocket costs to patients by new private health plans written on or after August 1, 2012. To view Clinical Preventive Services for Women: Closing the Gaps, go to: http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Clinical-Preventive-Services-for-Women-Closing-the-Gaps.aspx |
| Guttmacher Media Update - 24 January 2012 |
| Study Investigates Postpartum Depression's Association with Prenatal Behaviors |
| Dagher RK, Shenassa ED. 2012. "Prenatal health behaviors and postpartum depression: Is there an association?" Archives of Women's Mental Health [published online on January 4, 2012]. "In this study, we found an association between prenatal smoking and worse depressive symptoms eight weeks after delivery," state the authors of an article published in the Archives of Women's Mental Health online on January 4, 2012. Postpartum depression (a nonpsychotic depressive episode that occurs in the period after childbirth) has been described as a significant public health problem. Research has shown that postpartum depression can negatively affect a mother's quality of life, her intimate relationships, and her infant's emotional and cognitive development. Noting scarce research on the associations between prenatal health behaviors and postpartum depression, the authors of the article investigated associations between cigarette smoking, caffeine intake, and vitamin intake during pregnancy and postpartum depression at 8 weeks after childbirth. The abstract is available at: http://www.springerlink.com/content/01274412w71g8755 |
| MCH Alert - 20 January 2012 |
| Disparities in Health |
| Study Looks at State-Level Income Inequality and Family Burden for Health Care and Related Expenditures |
| Parish SL, Dababnah S, Yoo J, et al. 2011. "State-level income inequality and family burden of US families raising children with special health care needs." Social Science and Medicine [published online on December 7, 2011]. "This research presents the first evidence of an association between state income inequality and the extent of financial burden reported by vulnerable families raising these high needs children," write the authors of an article published in Social Science and Medicine online on December 7, 2011. Families raising children with special health care needs (CSHCN) often experience financial burden due to the medical expenditures associated with health care and other related services. Financial burden associated with CSHCN's health care needs is typically reported in the literature along three different dimensions: absolute burden, or total cost incurred; relative burden, which is cost incurred as a proportion of family income; and subjective financial burden, or parental perception of the toll that burden takes. Less research has been conducted about the role of state of residence and variability in health care access and family burden. And despite the fact that a great deal of research has examined the impact of income inequality on health outcomes for the general population, little attention has been paid to U.S. state income inequality and CSHCN. The article examines the relationship between state income inequality and the financial and caregiving burdens families with low incomes incur as a result of their CSHCN's health care needs. -- SNIP The abstract is available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953611006794. |
| MCH Alert - 13 January 2012 |
| Overweight and Obesity |
| Minnesota Finds Youth's Diet Control Behaviors Lead to Weight Gain |
| A new study from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health was published online in advance of publication in the Journal of Adolescent Health reveals that persistent use of dieting and unhealthy weight control behaviors, such as skipping meals and taking diet pills, can lead to a greater increase in body mass from adolescence into young adulthood. The study utilized data collected during the University's Project EAT Study, and examined the dieting, eating and physical activity habits of more than 1,900 middle school and high school adolescents surveyed over a 10-year period. For more information, go to: http://www.health.umn.edu/media/releases/youth-dieting-can-lead-to-weight-gain/index.htm |
| ASPH Friday Letter #1710 - 27 January 2012 |
| Adolescent Health |
| Report Looks at Contraceptive Use Among Teens with Unintended Pregnancies |
| Prepregnancy Contraceptive Use Among Teens with Unintended Pregnancies Resulting in Live Births--Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), 2004-2008 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) January 20, 2012 / 61(02);25-29 "Approximately 400,000 teens aged 15-19 years give birth every year in the United States (1), and the teen birth rate remains the highest in the developed world (2). Teen childbearing is a public health concern because teen mothers are more likely to experience negative social outcomes, including school dropout (3). In addition, infants of teen mothers are more likely to be low birth weight and have lower academic achievement, and daughters of teen mothers are more likely to become teen mothers themselves (4-6). To learn why teens wishing to avoid pregnancy become pregnant, CDC analyzed data from the 2004-2008 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). This report describes estimated rates of self-reported prepregnancy contraceptive use among white, black, and Hispanic teen females aged 15-19 years with unintended pregnancies resulting in live births. Approximately one half (50.1%) of these teens were not using any method of birth control when they got pregnant, and of these, nearly one third (31.4%) believed they could not get pregnant at the time; 21.0% used a highly effective contraceptive method (although less than 1% used one of the most effective methods, such as an intrauterine device [IUD]); 24.2% used the moderately effective method of condoms; and 5.1% used the least effective methods, such as rhythm and withdrawal. To decrease teen birth rates, efforts are needed to reduce or delay the onset of sexual activity, provide factual information about the conditions under which pregnancy can occur, increase teens' motivation and negotiation skills for pregnancy prevention, improve access to contraceptives, and encourage use of more effective contraceptive methods." -- SNIP To access the full article, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6102a1.htm?s_cid=mm6102a1_e |
| Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) - 20 January 2012 |
| Preventing or Reducing Socio-emotional Problems in Adolescents |
| Adolescence is often characterized as a tumultuous time in youth development, marked by occasional mood swings and intense emotions. For some young people, however, more serious, internalizing problems such as depressive or anxious moods, negative self-perceptions and emotional distress, compromise healthy development. Child Trends' latest brief, What Works to Prevent or Reduce Internalizing Problems or Socio-Emotional Difficulties in Adolescents, synthesized findings from 37 random-assignment social intervention programs designed to prevent or treat internalizing problems for adolescents. Left untreated, internalizing problems can undermine one's ability to succeed in school and work, form and maintain close relationships with others, and live a healthy, fulfilling life. To access the brief, go to: http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_%20Trends-2011_12_01_FS_%20WWInternalizing.pdf |
| Child Trends - 18 January 2012 |
| Opportunities |
| New Series: Designing Healthy Communities |
| Coming soon to public television: A new 4-hour series, Designing Healthy Communities in which host/narrator Richard Jackson, MD, MPH, looks at the impact our built environment has on key public health indices--obesity, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, cancer and depression. Dr. Jackson connects bad community design with burgeoning health costs, then analyzes and illustrates what citizens are doing about this urgent crisis by looking upstream for innovative solutions. For more information, go to: http://designinghealthycommunities.org/ |
| Designing Healthy Communities - 30 January 2012 |
| Last Chance to Apply for the MCH Public Health Leadership Institute - Deadline February 1st |
| The Maternal and Child Health-Public Health Leadership Institute (MCH PHLI) applications are currently being accepted through February 1st, 2012. This year-long leadership development program is designed to significantly expand self-awareness and quickly build practical skills for effectively leading, managing people, and building partnerships, to advocate for and create the MCH systems of tomorrow. This unique program improves leadership capacity, teaching the tools for creating the kind of culture that engages and motivates others. The program consists of 3 residential executive-style retreats (10 days of experiential-based training) coupled with a robust and customizable distance-based program. Each Fellow completes an MCH-related personal leadership project targeted at a critical local or national need while receiving ongoing individual executive coaching. The program targets the MCH Leadership Competencies 3.0 and the distance-component can be completed in as little as 2 hours a week. Limited travel scholarships are available. All tuition and lodging charges for this program are grant-supported. In addition to no onsite charges, partial travel scholarships will be available for Cohort III. Applications can be completed at the MCH PHLI website: www.mchphli.org. |
| Maternal and Child Health-Public Health Leadership Institute - 30 January 2012 |
| Reach the Decision Makers 2012 Nationwide Training Program |
| Are you a scientist, community-based leader, public health or health care professional with experience in environmental or reproductive health? Join Reach the Decision Makers! Through Reach the Decision Makers you will:
Reach the Decision Makers (Reach), a project of the UCSF Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, is an innovative science and policy training program that works to increase the number of scientists, community-based leaders, and public health and health care professionals who are actively involved in informing the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) of current and relevant scientific findings impacting their decisions in setting policy. Reach is designed based on the very successful "Women's Policy Institute" of the Women's Foundation of California. Reach helps to ensure that science is translated into meaningful public policy that can protect reproductive health. This training program is made possible through a three year grant from the Kresge Foundation. Costs associated with the program (travel, housing, food, teleconference costs) will be covered by the program and each fellow will receive a $500 stipend for participating. Out-of-pocket costs to participants are expected to be minimal beyond the time commitment required for participation. Informational conference calls will be held on the following dates and times:
Please register for one of these calls by sending an email to: reach@obgyn.ucsf.edu. If you are interested in applying for the Reach the Decision Makers class of 2012, please complete the application at: http://prhe.ucsf.edu/prhe/reachdecisionmakers.html and submit it to reach@obgyn.ucsf.edu. |
| CBPR Mailing List - 30 January 2012 |
| Call for Papers: Addressing Social Determinants of Health Across Public Health Activities -- Due May 1 |
| Public Health Reports (PHR) is inviting papers for a Supplement on Applying Social Determinants of Health (SDH) to Public Health Practice. The editors seek manuscripts that advance scientific knowledge and illustrate how public health professionals can address SDH across a range
of public health activities that promote health equity among populations most disproportionately impacted by infectious and/or chronic diseases. Manuscripts may be analytic or descriptive in format and should report on SDH approaches in public health research, surveillance, communication, policy, program, capacity building, or partnership activities. The goal for the Supplement is to highlight best practices in addressing SDH across a broad range of public health activities. -- SNIP For more information on the journal, including author guidelines, go to: http://bit.ly/xafIUY |
| Community-Campus Partnerships for Health - 17 January 2012 |
| AMCHP 2012 Annual Conference -- February 11-14, 2012 |
| The 2012 Annual Conference of the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) will take place February 11-14, 2012, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. The conference theme is Improving Maternal and Child Health Across the Life Span: Acting Today for Healthy Tomorrows. For more information and to register, go to: http://www.amchp.org/Calendar/Conferences/amchp-conference/Pages/default.aspx |
| Association of Materna and Child Health Programs - 17 January 2012 |
| Resources, Reports, Research |
| New Data from the 2009/10 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs |
| New data from the 2009/10 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN) are now accessible on the Data Resource Center (DRC) website. To access this information, go to: http://www.childhealthdata.org/browse/survey?utm_source=New+2009%2F10+NS-CSHCN+Data+Announcement&utm_campaign=New2009data&utm_medium=email |
| Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health - 30 January 2012 |
| Authors Assess Effects of Postnatal Secondhand Smoke Exposure in the Home on SIDS Rates |
| Behm I, Kabir Z, Connolly GN, et al. 2012. "Increasing prevalence of smoke-free homes and decreasing rates of sudden infant death syndrome in the United States: An ecological association study. Tobacco Control" 21(1):6-11. "The findings of this ecological study indicate a statistical association between the increasing prevalence of smoke-free home rules among homes with infants and decreasing cases of SIDS [sudden infant death syndrome]," state the authors of an article published in the January 2012 issue of Tobacco Control. Several modifiable factors have been associated with SIDS, including postnatal exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) and infant sleep position. Published data show that the percentage of infants sleeping in the supine position has increased and that declines in SIDS rates have in part been attributed to improved infant sleep position practices. Improvements have also been made since the early 1990s in reducing childhood exposure to SHS, but temporal trends in state-specific prevalence of smoke-free homes with infants have yet to be reported. The article examines the association between changing infantile SHS exposure levels at home with the occurrence of SIDS while controlling for changing patterns in infant sleep position. The abstract is available at: http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/21/1/6.abstract. |
| MCH Alert: Focus on Infant Mortality - 27 January 2012 |
| Initiative Releases Standards for Sexuality Education in Public Schools |
| National Sexuality Education Standards: Core Content and Skills, K-12, provides guidance on the essential minimum core content for sexuality education that is developmentally and age appropriate for students in kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12). The National Sexuality Education
Standards (NSES) were developed by the Future of Sex Education Initiative in partnership with the American School Health Association (ASHA), the National Education Association's Health Information
Network, the American Association for Health Education, and the Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education and were published in January 2012 as a special publication of the Journal of School Health. The report contains the rationale for sexuality education in public schools; the role of education standards; the goal and theoretical framework of the NSES; and the seven topics chosen as the minimum, essential content and skills for K-12 sexuality education, including anatomy and physiology, puberty and adolescent development, identity, pregnancy and reproduction, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV, healthy relationships, and personal safety. Performance indicators (what students should know and be able to do by the end of grades 2, 5, 8, and 12, based on the eight National Health Education Standards) are presented by grade level and by topic area. National resources for teachers, school administrators, parents, and middle and high school students are also included. The report is available from the ASHA website at: http://www.ashaweb.org/files/public/Sexuality%20Education/JOSH-FoSE-Standards.pdf. |
| MCH Alert - 20 January 2012 |
| Emory Study Re-Evaluates Potassium Levels after Heart Attacks |
| A study at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health assessed blood potassium levels after heart attack and in-hospital mortality rates, and it suggests current clinical guidelines may need to be updated. The observational study, published in the January 11 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association, included 38,689 patients with biomarker-confirmed acute myocardial infarction (AMI), or heart attack, admitted to 67 U.S. hospitals between January 2000 and December 2008. To read more about the study, go to: http://shared.web.emory.edu/whsc/news/releases/2012/01/guidelines-for-potassium-levels-after-heart-attack-re-evaluated-in-emory-study.html |
| ASPH Friday Letter #1709 - 20 January 2012 |
| Establishing Health Insurance Exchanges: A National Overview of State Efforts |
| A new fact sheet from the Foundation reviews states' progress to date in establishing health insurance exchanges, which are required to be fully operational by January 1, 2014. Some states have taken major steps toward establishing their exchanges, while others have struggled to pass legislation or have already opted for a federally-operated exchange. The exchanges, a key component of the law, are expected to enable consumers to compare a selection of qualified health insurance options in order to find the plan that best meets their needs and budget. The fact sheet is available online at: http://www.kff.org/healthreform/8213.cfm |
| Kaiser Weekly Update - 20 January 2012 |
| Latest Data on Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility and Enrollment Policies in the 50 States and D.C. |
| A new 50-state survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured finds stability in Medicaid and CHIP eligibility and enrollment policies in 2011, with 29 States making improvements despite fiscal challenges, often using technology to boost program efficiency. Related reports examine successful efforts to cover children in four states and identify potential performance measures for states' eligibility and enrollment systems under health reform. An archived webcast of a briefing about the findings and state perspectives is available online at: http://www.kff.org/medicaid/Briefing-2012-Data-50-State-Survey-Medicaid.cfm |
| Kaiser Weekly Update - 20 January 2012 |
| New Charts from the CDC on Prevention and Public Health Funding |
| Just out from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some colorful, user-friendly charts that help capture the scope of FY2011 Prevention and Public Health Fund funding in all 50 states. To access, FY11 PPHF Cooperative Agreement / Grant Awards by State (By Award Amount), go to: http://healthyamericans.org/health-issues/implementation-of-the-affordable-care-act/prevention-funding-charts/fy11-pphf-cooperative-agreement-grant-awards-by-state-by-award-amount To access, FY11 PPHF Cooperative Agreement / Grant Awards by State (By Number of Programs), go to: http://healthyamericans.org/health-issues/implementation-of-the-affordable-care-act/prevention-funding-charts/fy11-pphf-cooperative-agreement-grant-awards-by-state-by-number-of-programs |
| Centers from Disease Control and Prevention - 20 January 2012 |
| New: Preconception and Pregnancy Resource Guides |
| The MCH Library at Georgetown University presents a new knowledge path, Preconception and Pregnancy. The knowledge path points to a selection of resources that analyze data, describe effective programs, and report on policy and research aimed at improving access to and quality of preconception and prenatal care to improve perinatal health outcomes. To view the knowledge path online, go to: http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_pregnancy.html. |
| MCH Library at Georgetown University - 20 January 2012 |
| Long-Term Worldwide Decline in Abortions has Stalled |
| Plateau Coincides with Slowdown in What Had Been a Steady Increase in Contraceptive Use After a period of substantial decline, the global abortion rate has stalled, according to new research from the Guttmacher Institute and the World Health Organization (WHO). Between 1995 and 2003, the overall number of abortions per 1,000 women of childbearing age (15-44 years) dropped from 35 to 29; according to the new study, the global abortion rate in 2008 was virtually unchanged, at 28 per 1,000. This plateau coincides with a slowdown, documented by the United Nations, in contraceptive uptake, which has been especially marked in developing countries. The researchers also found that nearly half of all abortions worldwide are unsafe, and almost all unsafe abortions occur in the developing world. The study, Induced Abortion: Incidence and Trends Worldwide from 1995 to 2008, by Gilda Sedgh et al., was recently published online by The Lancet. To access the study, go to: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/Sedgh-Lancet-2012-01.pdf |
| Guttmacher Media Update - 19 January 2012 |
| News of Interest |
| Kaiser-Washington Post Survey of Black Women in America |
| The Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation joint survey Black Women in America, the 23nd in this partnership series, examining the lives and attitudes of this population was released this week with the first of a series of stories published in The Washington Post. The survey was conducted by telephone from October 6 to November 2, 2011 among a representative random sample of 1,936 adults ages 18 and older. Representatives of The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation worked together to develop the survey questionnaire and analyze the results. Stories, survey data and related material are available on The Washington Post website and more stories are expected in the coming weeks. To read the joint survey online, go to: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/survey-paints-portrait-of-black-women-in-america/2011/12/22/gIQAvxFcJQ_story.html |
| Kaiser Weekly Update - 27 January 2012 |
| Red Meat Linked to Higher Stroke Risk |
| According to a new study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Cleveland Clinic, frequently consuming red meat appears to increase the risk of stroke significantly, while choosing to eat poultry and other proteins, such as fish or nuts, lowers the risk. "The main message from this paper is that the type of protein or the protein package is really important for the risk of stroke," said co-author Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard. The study was published in Stroke online December 29, 2011. Other Harvard researchers included Dr. An Pan, Dr. Meir Stampfer, Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, and Dr. Walter Willett. For more information, go to: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/coverage-in-the-media/healthy-eating-red-meat-stroke-hu/index.html |
| ASPH Friday Letter #1710 - 27 January 2012 |
| Harvard Study Links PFCs to Lowered Immune Response to Childhood Vaccinations |
| A new study from the Harvard School of Public Health finds that perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), widely used in manufactured products such as non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, and fast-food packaging, were associated with lowered immune response to vaccinations in children. It is the first study to document how PFCs, which can be transferred to children prenatally (via the mother) and postnatally from exposure in the environment, can adversely affect vaccine response. "Routine childhood immunizations are a mainstay of modern disease prevention. The negative impact on childhood vaccinations from PFCs should be viewed as a potential threat to public health," said study lead author Dr. Philippe Grandjean, adjunct professor of environmental health at Harvard School of Public Health. The study appears in the January 25, 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. For more information, go to: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2012-releases/pfcs-childhood-vaccinations.html |
| ASPH Friday Letter #1710 - 27 January 2012 |