Maternal and Child Health Library
This and past issues of the MCH Alert are available at http://www.mchlibrary.info/alert/archives.html.
December 8, 2006
1. 2006 Edition of Women's Health Data Book Released
2. New Chartbook Highlights Findings on the Health and
Well-Being of Infants, Children, and Adolescents Residing in Rural Areas
3. Article Reviews Literature on Acculturation and Sexual
and Reproductive Health Among Latino Youth in the United States
4. Survey Assesses Primary Care Pediatric Health
Professionals' Research Interests
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1. 2006 EDITION OF WOMEN'S HEALTH DATA BOOK RELEASED
Women's Health USA 2006, the fifth edition of the data book, presents a
profile of women's health at the national level from a variety of data
sources. The data book, developed by the Health Resources and Services
Administration's Office of Women's Health, includes information and
data on population characteristics, health status, and health services
utilization. New topics in the 2006 edition include life expectancy,
postpartum depression, food security, and smoking during pregnancy.
Racial and ethnic disparities and gender differences in women's health
are also highlighted. The data book is intended to be a concise
reference for policymakers and program managers at the federal, state,
and local levels to identify and clarify issues affecting the health of
women. It is available at http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/whusa_06/index.htm.
For information on indicators in previous editions that are not
included in this year's edition, refer to Women's Health USA at http://www.hrsa.gov/womenshealth
or http://mchb.hrsa.gov/data.
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2. NEW CHARTBOOK HIGHLIGHTS FINDINGS ON THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF
INFANTS, CHILDREN, AND ADOLESCENTS RESIDING IN RURAL AREAS
The Health and Well-Being of Children in Rural Areas: A Portrait of the
Nation 2005 presents national- and state-level data on the health
status, health care use, and risk factors experienced by infants,
children, and adolescents (from birth to age 17) who reside in rural
areas in the United States. The chartbook draws from an analysis of
parent reports from the National Survey of Children's Health, which is
supported by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). Measures
included oral, physical, and mental health; health care utilization and
insurance status; and social well-being. Aspects of the environment
(family structure, poverty level, parental health and habits, and
community surroundings) were also assessed. The chartbook contains
information about infants', children's, and adolescents' health and
health care by location and by major demographic characteristics (age,
sex, race and ethnicity, and family income). The technical appendix of
the chartbook provides information about the survey sample and
methodology. The report is available at http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/ruralhealth/pdf/01rh.pdf.
More detailed analyses of the survey results are available from the
Data Resource Center on Child and Adolescent Health Web site at http://www.nschdata.org.
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3. ARTICLE REVIEWS LITERATURE ON ACCULTURATION AND SEXUAL AND
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AMONG LATINO YOUTH IN THE UNITED STATES
"In the future, priority should be given to empirical studies [on the
relationship between acculturation and sexual and reproductive health
among Latino youth] that explicitly investigate links between time
measures of acculturation, changing beliefs and norms, and sexual and
reproductive behaviors, particularly contraceptive use and fertility
desires," state the authors of an article published in the December
2006 issue of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. While the
national teenage birthrate has declined 67% in the last decade, the
birthrate among Latina teenagers has declined only 21% and remains the
highest among all ethnicities. This article presents a systematic
review of the existing research on how acculturation influences the
sexual and reproductive health of Latina teenagers, and it seeks to
answer the following questions: (1) what is the relationship between
acculturation and the sexual and reproductive health of Latino youth in
the United States?, (2) what acculturation theories have been employed
to explain the relationship?, and (3) what measures of acculturation
have been used, and which best explain variations in sexual and
reproductive health outcomes?
The authors searched PUBMED, POPLINE, and ERIC for relevant articles
published between 1985 and 2006. They then reviewed each abstract to
determine each article's eligibility. Acceptance criteria included use
of a cross-sectional or longitudinal design and explicit investigation
of the relationship between acculturation and sexual or reproductive
health, or use of acculturation as a covariate in the analysis.
The authors found that
- Seventeen studies met acceptance criteria.
- All studies except one commented on theories that might explain
how acculturation influences sexual and reproductive health.
- A total of 23 measures of acculturation were used in the studies,
classified into four primary dimensions of acculturation: (1) time, (2)
language, (3) culture, and (4) residence. A fifth classification
included measures that capture multiple dimensions.
- The broad categories of outcomes studied were sexual activity,
norms and beliefs, contraceptive use, and fertility.
- Almost all the studies found a positive association between
acculturation and sexual activity. The evidence for a positive
association between acculturation and sexual activity was strongest for
sexual initiation.
- Two of the three studies that investigated norms and beliefs
found an association with acculturation.
- Evidence on whether acculturation was associated with fertility
and whether acculturation had a protective association with sexual and
reproductive health was inconclusive.
The authors conclude that "[future] research can build on existing
theories that elucidate the role of beliefs and norms pertaining to
gender expectations, family formation, contraceptive use, and sexual
behavior that are unique to Latino culture."
Afable-Munsuz A, Brindis CD. 2006. Acculturation and the sexual and
reproductive health of Latino youth in the United States: A literature
review. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 38(4):208-219.
Abstract available at http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3820806.html.
Readers: More information about racial and ethnic disparities in health
is available from the MCH Library's knowledge path at http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_race.html
and from the bibliography at http://www.mchlibrary.info/action.lasso?-database=Biblio&-layout=Web&-response=/databases/BibLists/bib_racedispar.html&-MaxRecords=all&-DoScript=auto_search_racedispar&-search.
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4. SURVEY ASSESSES PRIMARY CARE PEDIATRIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS'
RESEARCH INTERESTS
"This study is one of the first to explore the research interests of
pediatric primary care providers," state the authors of an article
published in the November-December 2006 issue of Ambulatory Pediatrics.
The study described in the article asked health professionals involved
in the American Academy of Pediatrics' Pediatric Research in Office
Settings (PROS) network what primary care pediatric health
professionals think are important areas for future pediatric research.
In 2003, a written survey was mailed in two waves to 1,785 PROS members
(full-time health professionals who participate in practice-based
research). The survey questions primarily addressed the network's
function and avenues for improvement. One question was aimed at
assessing members' views on inadequately addressed primary care issues.
Analysis included both qualitative and quantitative components.
Codebook development and coding, category identification, and theme
analysis comprised the qualitative component. Demographic and practice
characteristics obtained from the PROS registry (age, race, sex, type
of medical training, practice type and setting, and percentage of time
devoted to general pediatrics) were used to compare those who completed
the question to the entire survey group.
The authors found that
- Two of the six top research concerns identified by respondents
were about specific illnesses or conditions:
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and childhood obesity.
- The remaining four top categories were as follows: research
concerning effective counseling techniques in anticipatory guidance;
the evolving role of the primary care health professional in mental
health services; the value of the routine, everyday tasks of well-child
care; and strategies for efficient office practices.
The authors conclude that these are questions "not easily answered by
traditional biomedical and clinical research efforts. Instead, these
questions, and others pertaining to primary care pediatrics may be best
addressed by research done in community settings."
Chien A, Coker T, Choi L, et al. 2006. What do pediatric primary care
providers think are important research questions: A perspective from
PROS providers. Ambulatory Pediatrics 6(6):352-355. Abstract available
at http://www.ambulatorypediatrics.org/article/PIIS1530156706001602/abstract.
Readers: More information about mental health in primary care is
available from the MCH Library's bibliography at http://www.mchlibrary.info/action.lasso?-database=Biblio&-layout=Web&-response=/databases/BibLists/bib_mental.html&-MaxRecords=all&-DoScript=auto_search_mental&-search.
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and
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