Maternal and child health journal
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Matern Child Health J · Dec 2013
"You learn to go last": perceptions of prenatal care experiences among African-American women with limited incomes.
African American infants die at higher rates and are at greater risk of adverse birth outcomes than White infants in Milwaukee. Though self-reported experiences of racism have been linked to adverse health outcomes, limited research exists on the impact of racism on women's prenatal care experiences. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of racial discrimination during prenatal care from the perspectives of African American women in a low income Milwaukee neighborhood. ⋯ Women also described lifetime experiences of racial discrimination. Our findings suggest that African American women with limited incomes perceive many provider practices and personal interactions during prenatal care as discriminatory. Future studies could explore the relationship between perceptions of discrimination and utilization of prenatal care.
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Matern Child Health J · Nov 2013
Rates and predictors of postpartum depression by race and ethnicity: results from the 2004 to 2007 New York City PRAMS survey (Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System).
The objective of this study was to examine racial/ethnic disparities in the diagnosis of postpartum depression (PPD) by: (1) identifying predictors that account for prevalence rate differences across groups, and (2) comparing the strength of predictors across groups. 3,732 White, African American, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander women from the New York City area completed the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System from 2004 to 2007, a population-based survey that assessed sociodemographic risk factors, maternal stressors, psycho-education provided regarding depression, and prenatal and postpartum depression diagnoses. Sociodemographic and maternal stressors accounted for increased rates in PPD among Blacks and Hispanics compared to Whites, whereas Asian/Pacific Islander women were still 3.2 times more likely to receive a diagnosis after controlling for these variables. Asian/Pacific Islanders were more likely to receive a diagnosis after their providers talked to them about depressed mood, but were less likely than other groups to have had this conversation. ⋯ Gestational diabetes decreased the likelihood for a PPD diagnosis for African Americans; a trend was observed in the association between having given birth to a female infant and increased rates of PPD diagnosis for Asian/Pacific Islanders and Whites. The risk factors that account for prevalence rate differences in postpartum diagnoses depend on the race/ethnic groups being compared. Prenatal depression is confirmed to be a major predictor for postpartum depression diagnosis for all groups studied; however, the associations between other postpartum depression risk factors and diagnosis vary by race/ethnic group.
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Matern Child Health J · Nov 2013
The influence of maternal smoking and exposure to residential ETS on pregnancy outcomes: a retrospective national study.
In a nationwide study of Serbian births, in 2008, we estimated the influence of maternal prenatal smoking and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure on birth outcomes. Using stratified two-stage random cluster sampling, 2,721 women were interviewed in-person (response rates 98.1 %), and 2,613 singleton live births were included. Date of birth, gender, birthweight, birth height and head circumference were copied from the official hospital Birth Certificate. ⋯ Adjusted OR for LBW was almost tripled for mothers who smoked over the entire pregnancy and were non-exposed to ETS (aOR 2.85; 95 % CI 1.46-5.08), and who were exposed to ETS (aOR 2.68; 95 % CI 1.15-6.25). Our results showed strong effects of smoking throughout the pregnancy on reduced birthweight, birth length and head circumference, and increased risk for LBW. We were not able to detect an effect for ETS exposure alone.
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Matern Child Health J · Nov 2013
Factors associated with a patient-centered medical home among children with behavioral health conditions.
At some point in their lives, nearly one-half of all American children will have a behavioral health condition. Many will not receive the care they need from a fragmented health delivery system. The patient-centered medical home is a promising model to improve their care; however, little evidence exists. ⋯ Frequency of having a patient-centered medical home decreased with multiple behavioral health conditions. Higher severity of depression, anxiety, and conduct disorder were associated with a decreased likelihood of a patient-centered medical home. Results from our study can be used to target patient-centered medical home interventions toward children with one or more behavioral health conditions and consider that children with depression, anxiety, and conduct disorder are more vulnerable to these disparities.
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Matern Child Health J · Oct 2013
Women's intimate partner violence perpetration during pregnancy and postpartum.
The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine the prevalence of women's psychological, minor physical, and severe physical intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration during the first 18 weeks of pregnancy and at 6 weeks postpartum and to compare women who used each type of IPV to those who did not. Women who increased their IPV perpetration over time were also compared to women who decreased or did not change their IPV perpetration over time. A sample of 180 women participated in a larger study of the well-being of pregnant women. ⋯ Women who perpetrated IPV reported higher levels of IPV victimization, reported partner alcohol misuse, stress, depression, and lower dyadic adjustment compared to women who did not. Women's IPV perpetration was associated with several negative outcomes. Findings suggest that IPV screening during pregnancy and postpartum should include women's IPV perpetration and should be conducted at multiple time points, since women's IPV experiences may change over time.