| 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 |
| IOM Committee Updates Pregnancy Weight Gain Guidelines |
| Disparities in Health |
| CHIPRA Implementation Series: Exploring New Opportunities for Children's Coverage |
| Survey Brief: Views and Experiences with HIV Testing Among African Americans in the U.S. |
| Report Explores Differences in the Health Experiences of Women Across the Nation and by State |
| Alcohol and Suicide Among Racial/Ethnic Populations - 17 States, 2005-2006 |
| Overweight and Obesity |
| UNC Study: Gene Found to Influence Waist Circumference, Obesity |
| Weight Gain after Marriage |
| Adolescent Health |
| Survey from the National Campaign To Prevent Teen Pregnancy: Sex and Tech |
| HIV Testing Among High School Students - United States, 2007 |
| Opportunities |
| Register Today for the CityMatCH Conference Early Bird Rate! |
| Curbing HIV/AIDS Transmission among High Risk Minority Youth and Adolescents - Closing Date July 20, 2009 |
| Resources, Reports, Research |
| MCH Library Releases New Edition of Knowledge Path about Infant Mortality and Pregnancy Loss |
| Health Reform Comparison Tool Now Includes Summaries Of Key Congressional Committee Proposals |
| Consumer Choice in Health Care: How Could Reform Affect Our Choices? How Could We Make Better Choices? |
| New Resources From Child Trends |
| New Report on Promoting Oral Health in Schools |
| Report Presents Interdisciplinary Perspective on U.S. Health Care System |
| News of Interest |
| Concerns Over Bisphenol A (BPA) |
| HHS Announces Release of $6 Billion in New CHIP Funds to Insure Children |
| Foundation Coordinates New Media-led Effort Responding to AIDS Crisis in Black America |
| Women's Health |
| IOM Committee Updates Pregnancy Weight Gain Guidelines |
| Weight Gain During Pregnancy: Reexamining the Guidelines presents new recommendations for total and rate of weight gain during pregnancy. The brief, published by the National Academies Press, summarizes recommendations issued by the Committee to Reexamine IOM Pregnancy Weight Guidelines. The recommendations are based on the perspective that factors that affect pregnancy begin before conception and continue through the first year after delivery. The brief outlines ways in which the new guidelines differ from those issued in 1990 and discusses the committee's recommendations for action, including specific areas on which the National Institutes and other relevant agencies should focus to fill major gaps in research. The brief is available at: http://www.iom.edu/Object.File/Master/68/230/Report%20Brief%20-%20Weight%20Gain%20During%20Pregnancy.pdf. A resource sheet containing tables and figures designed to assist health professionals in discussing the new guidelines with pregnant women is available at: http://www.iom.edu/File.aspx?ID=68228. |
| MCH Alert: Focus on Infant Mortality - 26 June 2009 |
| Disparities in Health |
| CHIPRA Implementation Series: Exploring New Opportunities for Children's Coverage |
| This past February, Congress made a down payment on health reform when it passed the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA). The law, which took effect on April 1, 2009, will help states cover an additional 4 million uninsured children. Despite CHIP's long history of closing gaps in coverage among children, racial and ethnic health disparities still exist. The issue brief, The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA): Addressing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, looks at four key provisions in the bill that are critical to addressing these differences: investing in outreach, increasing access for legal immigrant children and pregnant women, increased funding for interpretation and translation services, and establishing new quality of care measures. It also provides advocates with the tools they need to ensure that these changes are understood and implemented in their communities. To view issue brief, go to: http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/chipra/racial-and-ethnic-disparities.pdf. For additional information on CHIPRA, take a look at the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2009 resource page. You'll find a series of issue briefs that examine the new provisions that were included in the reauthorization act and how those provisions will affect implementation in the coming months. http://www.familiesusa.org/issues/childrens-health/chipra-implementation-series.html |
| Minority Health Initiatives at Families USA - 24 June 2009 |
| Survey Brief: Views and Experiences with HIV Testing Among African Americans in the U.S. |
| Views and Experiences with HIV Testing in the U.S. takes a deeper look at the U.S. public's attitudes towards and reported experiences with HIV testing, including which groups are most likely to report being tested for HIV, reasons for being tested or not being tested, communication with doctors and partners about HIV/AIDS, information needs related to testing, and perceptions of testing-related stigma. To view, go to: http://www.kff.org/hivaids/7926.cfm |
| Kaiser Family Foundation - 24 June 2009 |
| Report Explores Differences in the Health Experiences of Women Across the Nation and by State |
| Putting Women's Health Care Disparities on the Map: Examining Racial and Ethnic Disparities at the State Level documents the health experiences of women of particular racial and ethnic groups and how these experiences differ across the nation and by state. The report, published by the Kaiser Family Foundation, examines the magnitude of the racial and ethnic differences between white women and women of color for 25 indicators of health and well being in three dimensions: health status, access and use, and social determinants. The report also examines health care payment and work force issues that help shape access at the state level. Indicators are based on criteria that included both the relevancy of the indicator as a measure of women's health and access to care and the availability of the data by state. The report is available at: http://www.kff.org/minorityhealth/upload/7886.pdf. |
| MCH Alert - 19 June 2009 |
| Alcohol and Suicide Among Racial/Ethnic Populations - 17 States, 2005-2006 |
| "The burden of suicide varies widely among racial and ethnic populations in the United States, and limited data are available to describe the role of alcohol in suicides in these populations. To examine the relationship between alcohol and suicide among racial/ethnic populations, CDC analyzed data from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) for the 2-year period 2005--2006 (the most recent data available). This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicated that the overall prevalence of alcohol intoxication (i.e., blood alcohol concentration [BAC] at or above the legal limit of 0.08 g/dL) was nearly 24% among suicide decedents tested for alcohol, with the highest percentage occurring among American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) (37%), followed by Hispanics (29%) and persons aged 20--49 years (28%). These results indicate that many populations can benefit from comprehensive and culturally appropriate suicide-prevention strategies that include efforts to reduce alcohol consumption, especially programs that focus on persons aged <50 years." -- SNIP MMWR Weekly, June 19, 2009/58(23);637-641 To view article, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5823a1.htm |
| MMWR Weekly - 19 June 2009 |
| Overweight and Obesity |
| UNC Study: Gene Found to Influence Waist Circumference, Obesity |
| People who are overweight or obese sometimes joke about their bodies, saying that the waist size of their "jeans" is influenced by the "genes" they inherited from their parents. However, new research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) suggested that this play on words has some basis in reality. Dr. Kari North, associate professor of epidemiology at UNC's Gillings School of Global Public Health, was a senior author of the study. The study is available at: www.plosgenetics.org. |
| ASPH Friday Letter #1575 - 26 June 2009 |
| Weight Gain after Marriage |
| Research has shown both men and women tend to gain weight right after marriage. Dr. Penny Gordon-Larsen, associate professor of nutrition, and Ms. Natalie The, nutrition doctoral student, both in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Gillings School of Global Public Health, found married people faced increased risk of becoming obese, compared to people in romantic relationships who are not living together. To view article, go to: http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/oby200997a.html |
| ASPH Friday Letter #1574 - 19 June 2009 |
| Adolescent Health |
| Survey from the National Campaign To Prevent Teen Pregnancy: Sex and Tech |
| Results from this new national survey show that 21% of teen girls and 18% of teen boys have sent/ posted nude or semi-nude images of themselves. Read the full survey at: http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/sextech/ |
| NFIMR Listserv - 26 June 2009 |
| HIV Testing Among High School Students - United States, 2007 |
| Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, June 26, 2009, Vol. 58/No. 24. "In the United States, an estimated 1.1 million persons were living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in 2006 of whom an estimated 232,700 were undiagnosed and unaware they were HIV infected. Adolescents and young adults aged 13-24 years represented 4.4% of the total but disproportionately comprised an estimated 9.9% of the undiagniosed cases." -- SNIP To view article, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmWR/PDF/wk/mm5824.pdf |
| MMWR - 26 June 2009 |
| Opportunities |
| Register Today for the CityMatCH Conference Early Bird Rate! |
| Don't wait to register for the 19th Annual CityMatCH Urban Maternal and Child Health Leadership Conference! Reinventing MCH Practice: Rising to the Challenge, Committing to the Future will be held at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana, August 22 - 25, 2009. Early bird registration ends July 10, 2009. For more information and to register, visit: http://www.citymatch.org/conf_index.php. |
| CityMatCH - 30 June 2009 |
| Curbing HIV/AIDS Transmission among High Risk Minority Youth and Adolescents - Closing Date July 20, 2009 |
| As the lead agency to improve and protect the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will eliminate health disparities, the Office of Minority Health, through the mechanism of the Curbing HIV/AIDS Transmission (CHAT) Program, seeks to improve the HIV/AIDS health outcomes of high risk minority youth by supporting community-based efforts to increase HIV/AIDS prevention/education efforts, testing, counseling and referrals. For more information, go to: http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=48035 |
| ASPH Friday Letter #1575 - 26 June 2009 |
| Resources, Reports, Research |
| MCH Library Releases New Edition of Knowledge Path about Infant Mortality and Pregnancy Loss |
| Infant Mortality and Pregnancy Loss: Knowledge Path is an electronic guide to resources that analyze data, report on research aimed at identifying causes and promising intervention strategies, and describe risk-reduction efforts as well as bereavement-support programs. The
new edition of the knowledge path, produced by the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Library at Georgetown University, contains information on Web sites, publications, databases, electronic newsletters, and online discussion forums. Separate sections present resources about factors that contribute to infant mortality and pregnancy loss: birth defects, injuries, low birthweight and prematurity, and safe sleep environment. The knowledge path for health professionals, policymakers,
researchers, and families will be updated periodically. The knowledge path is available at: http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_infmort.html. |
| MCH Alert: Focus on Infant Mortality - 26 June 2009 |
| Health Reform Comparison Tool Now Includes Summaries Of Key Congressional Committee Proposals |
| The [Kaiser Family] Foundation recently updated the side-by-side comparison tool on its new health reform gateway page to include detailed summaries of new comprehensive health reform legislation proposed by the three key House committees (known as the "Tri-Committee" bill) and from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. With the additions, the interactive online tool now allows comparisons of nine major congressional health reform proposals, including those from the Senate Finance Committee; Sens. Tom Coburn and Richard Burr and Reps. Paul Ryan and Devin Nunes; Rep. John Conyers; Rep. John Dingell; Sen. Bernie Sanders; Rep. Pete Stark; and Sens. Ron Wyden and Bob Bennett. It also includes a summary of President Obama's reform principles. The comparison tool is one of many key resources on the Foundation's health reform gateway page which provides a centralized source for key information, news and analysis about national health reform efforts now being considered by Congress. To view, go to: http://www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm |
| Kaiser Family Foundation - Kaiser Weekly Update - 26 June 2009 |
| Consumer Choice in Health Care: How Could Reform Affect Our Choices? How Could We Make Better Choices? |
| The Alliance for Health Reform and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation co-sponsored a recent event which brought together nationally known health policy experts for a conversation on consumer choice in health care. To access a webcast of this event, go to: http://www.kff.org/ahr062509video.cfm |
| Kaiser Family Foundation - 26 June 2009 |
| New Resources From Child Trends |
| Three new Child Trends briefs present research findings and effective strategies to implement high-quality out-of-school time programs. These briefs complete a six-part series on the drivers for implementing evidence-based practices in out-of-school time programs. To view resources, go to: http://www.childtrends.org/_portalcat.cfm?LID=C6CEDAFE-34FF-4DFD-9CD745899CE5D128. |
| Child Trends E-Newsletter - 24 June 2009 |
| New Report on Promoting Oral Health in Schools |
| The National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center has recently released a new report, Promoting Oral Health in Schools: A Resource Guide, which recognizes the value of engaging schools in promoting healthy oral practices. This resource guide provides peer-reviewed journal articles that have analyzed school-based mobile dental programs, and the financial feasibility of school models that look at the interaction between obesity and oral health, among others. This guide also provides a number of materials, including dental practices, education, injury prevention and care, school readiness, and screening programs. This resource will be particularly useful for educators, policy makers, parents, communities, and health care workers that are working to improve the oral health of children and youth. To access report, go to: http://www.mchoralhealth.org/PDFs/ResGuideSchoolOH.pdf |
| The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools Weekly Insider - 24 June 2009 |
| Report Presents Interdisciplinary Perspective on U.S. Health Care System |
| Models of Accountable, Coordinated Health Care: A Policy Paper of the National Academies of Practice presents recommendations on steps to promote and support a variety of health professionals in providing care and achieving optimal outcomes across care settings and types of
care and throughout an individual's lifespan. The report, published by the National Academies of Practice (an interdisciplinary organization of health professionals representing 10 disciplines), contains background and conclusions based on a review of the literature; information about a forum of experts held on March 28, 2009, in Arlington, VA; and committee deliberations informed by the literature review and forum proceedings. Topics include the definition of an accountable, coordinated health care system and the case for its inclusion in health care reform; models of care (chronic care, medical home, home-based primary care, community-based care, and other models); supports needed to enable and enhance models of health care delivery; prevention and health promotion; and universal coverage. An executive summary, discussions and recommendations, definitions, and a reading list are included. The report is available at: http://nap.affiniscape.com/associations/9326/files/2009%20Forum%20Paper%20with%20cover.pdf. |
| MCH Alert - 19 June 2009 |
| News of Interest |
| Concerns Over Bisphenol A (BPA) |
| From Dan Aiello at the California Progress Report "Leaked Industry Memo Prompts Warning on Chemicals" Like similar legislation in other state houses this year, California Senator Fran Pavley's (D-Agoura Hills) SB 797, the Toxin-Free Toddlers and Babies Act, will face coordinated opposition from a chemical industry fighting to preserve $6 billion dollars in annual sales of the plastic hardening agent, bisphenol A (BPA) as the bill now heads to assembly committees on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials and Health. But it is the leak of an industry memo this month outlining a BPA joint trade association's political strategy designed to incite doubt, propagate fear, seek a pregnant spokesperson willing to promote the benefits of the chemical, introduce the idea through online media that banning BPA is thinly-veiled racism, and "befriending people that are able to manipulate the legislative process" in California and Connecticut, that has shed an intriguing light upon a bill that, until now, none but environmentalists and anti-cancer advocacy groups knew. Read more about the continuing effort to ban BPA and the industry pushback at: http://www.ewg.org/node/28050 |
| NFIMR Listserv - 26 June 2009 |
| HHS Announces Release of $6 Billion in New CHIP Funds to Insure Children |
| HHS announced that $6 billion in new federal funds will be made available to states and U.S. territories for fiscal year 2009 to provide health care to millions of children across America through their Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP). The new funds for CHIP were made available by the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA), which was signed into law by President Barack Obama on February 4. CHIPRA provides additional funding that will help states and territories maintain existing CHIP enrollment and expand their programs. To read more or to download a new fact sheet on CHIP, go to: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/06/20090619a.html |
| NFIMR Listserv - 26 June 2009 |
| Foundation Coordinates New Media-led Effort Responding to AIDS Crisis in Black America |
| Leading U.S. media companies announced a new coordinated national campaign to mobilize Black Americans in response to AIDS and promote specific calls-to-action to prevent and reduce the further spread of HIV. Greater Than AIDS, a multi-faceted campaign presented under a common brand that includes targeted public service ads (PSAs) as well as integrated messages in news, entertainment and community content, seeks to strengthen a sense of community among Black Americans in response to HIV/AIDS. The Kaiser Family Foundation is coordinating media commitments and managing campaign production. The news release is available online at: http://www.kff.org/hivaids/phip062509nr.cfm |
| Kaiser Family Foundation - Kaiser Weekly Update - 26 June 2009 |