Child Public Health Resources
Reading archive
Hot Reads for Child Public Health June 2006
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Randomized Trial of the Early Start Program of Home Visitation: Parent and Family Outcomes. PEDIATRICS Vol. 117 No. 3 March 2006, pp. 781-786
The aim was to examine the benefits of the Early Start program of home visitation on maternal health, family functioning, family economic circumstances, and exposure to stress and adversity. The study was a randomised control study with follow up at several points for 2 years. The researcher found no significant differences in regards to maternal and family outcomes between the Early Start and control series. They concluded this absence of benefit for parent/family outcomes is contrasted with the benefits found previously for child-related outcomes, including child health, preschool education, child abuse and neglect, parenting, and behavioral adjustment. This comparison suggests that home visitation programs may provide benefits for child-related outcomes in the absence of parent- or family-related outcomes -
Early Intervention in Low Birth Weight Premature Infants: Results at 18 Years of Age for the Infant Health and Development Program. PEDIATRICS Vol. 117 No. 3 March 2006, pp. 771-780
This was a prospective follow-up of the Infant Health and Development Program at 8 sites heterogeneous for sociodemographic characteristics. Children with low birth weight were randomised to receive a preschool educational program or follow up only. The researchers present the results at 18 year follow up. They found an improvement in cognitive and behavioural development in the heavier low birth weight infants. -
Birth Characteristics and Risk of Low Intellectual Performance in Early Adulthood: Are the Associations Confounded by Socioeconomic Factors in Adolescence or Familial Effects? PEDIATRICS Vol. 117 No. 3 March 2006, pp. 714-721.
This study we investigated whether the association between measures of fetal growth restriction and intellectual performance was mediated by socioeconomic or familial factors. A large cohort of Swedish males born as singletons without congenital malformations between 1973 and 1981 had their intellectual performance measured at military conscription. The researchers found that all of the studied dimensions of restricted fetal growth were independently associated with increased risks of low intellectual performance and that these associations were only partly mediated by socioeconomic or familial factors. -
Prevalence, Stability, and Outcomes of Cry-Fuss and Sleep Problems in the First 2 Years of Life: Prospective Community-Based Study. PEDIATRICS Vol. 117 No. 3 March 2006, pp. 836-842 (doi:10.1542/peds.2005-0775)
In a prospective cohort study in Melbourne, the researchers reported the prevalence and stability of cry-fuss problems during the first 4 months of life and sleep problems from 2 to 24 months, and relationships between the persistence of cry-fuss and sleep problems and outcomes at 24 months.
The prevalence of cry-fuss problems decreased from 19.1% at 2 months to 12.8% at 4 months, with 5.6% of mothers reporting cry-fuss problems at both ages. Prevalence rates of sleep problems were 21.2%, 16.2%, 10.0%, and 12.1% at 8, 12, 18, and 24 months, respectively; 6.4% had a problem at ≥3 of these ages. In multivariate analyses, cry-fuss/sleep problems at ≥3 previous time points (but not 1 or 2 time points) contributed significantly to depression (2.8% of variance), total behavior (1.4% of variance), and total stress (4.6% of variance) scores. Repeated problems had a greater impact than a concurrent sleep problem on depression and stress scores, whereas the reverse was true for behavior scores. The researchers concluded most cry-fuss and sleep problems in the first 2 years of life are transient. Persistent, rather than transient, problems contribute to maternal depression, parenting stress, and subsequent child behavior problems. -
Elimination of Rubella From the United States: A Milestone on the Road to Global Elimination. PEDIATRICS Vol. 117 No. 3 March 2006, pp. 933-935
Routine rubella vaccination was begun in the United States in 1969 with the goal of preventing congenital rubella infection. In October 2004, 35 years after initiation of the program, an independent panel of international experts was convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assess progress toward elimination of rubella and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). Based on available data, panel members concluded unanimously that rubella is no longer endemic in the United States. The national objective of elimination of rubella and CRS by 2010 from the United States has been attained. -
Patterns of global tobacco use in young people and implications for future chronic disease burden in adults. The Lancet 2006; 367:749-753
As part of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS), the authors assed the effect of tobacco use by young people on global mortality.
The school-based survey of students aged 13–15 years was undertaken at 395 sites in 131 countries and the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Information on current tobacco use, susceptibility to smoking among non-smokers, and exposure to secondhand smoke at home and in public places was collected.
The survey found the difference in current cigarette smoking between boys and girls was narrower than expected in many regions of the world. Use of tobacco products other than cigarettes by students is as high as cigarette smoking in many regions. Almost one in five never-smokers reported they were susceptible to smoking in the next year. Student exposure to secondhand smoke was high both at home (more than four in ten) and in public places (more than five in ten). Never-smokers were significantly less likely than current smokers to be exposed to secondhand smoke at home.