Maternal and Child Health Library

This and past issues of the MCH Alert are available at http://www.mchlibrary.info/alert/archives.html.

March 30, 2007

1. ISSUE BRIEF HIGHLIGHTS SPECIAL ISSUES FACING ADOLESCENT PARENT FAMILIES ENROLLED IN EARLY HEAD START

Early Head Start and Teen Parent Families: Partnership for Success focuses on the special needs of adolescent parents and their children and on how the unique set of services available through Early Head Start (EHS) programs can support them. The issue brief, published by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, draws from a working meeting held in 2005 involving EHS providers and experts from a number of fields. In particular, the authors examine the benefits of EHS participation when either the child or a parent has a disability, or when the family is involved with the child welfare system. Topics include an overview of EHS, what is known about adolescent parents and their children in EHS (child development, access to support services, parenting behavior, economic self-sufficiency); adolescent parent families, child abuse and neglect, and disabilities; partnering with early intervention and disability services; and next steps for EHS to better serve adolescents. A conclusion, a description of the working session program participants and contact list, and references are also provided. The brief is available at http://www.clasp.org/publications/ehs_teens.pdf.

• Measuring Youth Program Quality: A Guide to Assessment Tools examines nine program-observation and quality-improvement tools and explains their purpose, history, structure, methodology, and technical properties. The report is available at http://www.forumfyi.org/Files//Measuring_Youth_Program_Quality.pdf.
• Building Quality Improvement Systems: Lessons from Three Emerging Efforts in the Youth-Serving Sector looks at assessment and improvement efforts under way in three networks and provides a preliminary framework for thinking about key questions when planning any work designed to improve program quality. The report is available at http://www.forumfyi.org/Files//Building_Quality_Improvement_Systems.pdf.

• Among female adolescents, dieting at Time 1 strongly predicted binge eating and breakfast skipping at Time 2.
• Among male adolescents, dieting at Time 1 strongly predicted binge eating and lower levels of physical activity at Time 2.
• The behaviors most strongly associated with weight gain over time in female adolescents (i.e., higher levels of binge eating, lower levels of breakfast consumption, and lower levels of fruit and vegetable intake) were, in general, the same behaviors most strongly predicted by dieting in female adolescents.
• The behaviors most strongly associated with weight gain over time in male adolescents (i.e., higher levels of binge eating and decreased MVPA) were the same behaviors most strongly predicted by dieting in male adolescents.
• In both female and male adolescents, the association between dieting and BMI change was weakened, but remained statistically significant, after the eating and activity behaviors were included in the model. This finding suggests that there may be other factors contributing to the association between dieting and weight gain over time.

• Research is lacking on the quality of medical care among Filipino children.
• The literature review suggests that disparities in Filipino children and adolescents exist and are notable with regard to gestational diabetes, neonatal mortality and low birthweight, malnutrition, overweight, physical inactivity, tuberculosis, dental caries, and substance abuse.
• There is a high prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome among Filipino adults, which is significant because of growing evidence that these diseases are affected by events during gestation and early childhood and by health-related behavior that is established in childhood and adolescence.
• There are inadequate data to allow for any firm conclusions regarding disparities experienced by Filipino children and adolescents in the areas of health care access, use, and quality; injury and violence prevention; chronic conditions such as asthma; and mental illness.
• Social and cultural factors appear to play an important role in the health of Filipino children.