Maternal and Child Health Library

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

Special Notice: The 80th annual observance of Child Health Day (October 6, 2008) focuses on the fundamental necessity of a year-round program of healthy eating and physical activity to secure a healthier future for children. The observance Web site contains information about the history of Child Health Day, a sample proclamation, a promotion guide, resources for parents and children, and statistics and studies. Content from the U.S. Surgeon General's Childhood Overweight and Obesity Prevention Initiative includes checklists for parents and other caregivers, schools and teachers, and communities to help children stay active, encourage healthy eating habits, and promote healthy choices. More information is available at http://mchb.hrsa.gov/childhealthday.

Additional resources, including an archive of Child Health Day materials, are available from the MCH Library at http://www.mchlibrary.info/childhealthday.html.

October 3, 2008

1. MCH LIBRARY RELEASES NEW EDITION OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE KNOWLEDGE PATH

Domestic Violence: Knowledge Path is an electronic guide to recent resources about identifying and responding to domestic violence within the home and the community. The knowledge path, produced by the MCH Library, contains information on Web sites, publications, databases, and newsletters and online discussion lists. Separate sections identify resources for families and resources about children exposed to domestic violence; dating violence among adolescents; and violence between gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender partners. The knowledge path is available at http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_domviolence.html.

MCH Library knowledge paths on other maternal and child health topics are available at http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/index.html. The MCH Library welcomes feedback on the usefulness and value of these knowledge paths. A feedback form is available at http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/feedback.html.

• There was wide variation among the states, in terms of both ever breastfeeding and breastfeeding for at least 6 months. Generally, states in the West and Northwest had higher breastfeeding initiation estimates than did states in other parts of the country.
• Adjustment for all the covariates reduced the disparities in breastfeeding initiation between the lowest and highest state estimates by about 25-30%.
• The adjusted odds of not being breastfed were 2.5 to 5.15 times greater for children in most southern states than for children in the reference state of Oregon.
• Multilevel analysis, including all the covariates except state of residence, indicated that children who lived in states without breastfeeding-promotion legislation had 63% higher odds of not being breastfed after birth and 45% higher odds of not being breastfed for at least 6 months.

• Significant differences in obesity prevalence were observed across all covariates except recreational computer use. About 15% of children and adolescents were reported to be obese, with the prevalence being significantly higher for boys than for girls (18.1% vs. 11.5%).
• Prevalence was highest among American Indian/Alaska native children and adolescents (26%), followed by non-Hispanic blacks (23%), Hispanics and Native Hawaiians/ Pacific Islanders (19%), Asians (16%), and non-Hispanic whites (12%).
• Prevalence tended to be significantly higher among children and adolescents from single-parent and non-English-speaking households as well as among those from non-metropolitan areas and from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Prevalence increased significantly in relation to decreased levels of neighborhood social capital; decreased perceived neighborhood and school safety, physical activity (PA), and sports participation; and increased television viewing.
• In adjusted analyses, Hispanic and black children and adolescents were 1.8 and 2.3 times more likely, respectively, to be obese, compared with their non-Hispanic white counterparts. The odds of obesity were 2.2 times greater for children and adolescents with parents without high school diplomas compared to those with college-educated parents. Compared to children and adolescents with family incomes exceeding 400% of the poverty threshold, those with incomes below the poverty threshold had 2.8 times higher odds of being obese.
• There was a significantly stronger association between household education, income, social capital, perceived neighborhood safety, television viewing, and sports participation and obesity in females compared with males.
• Compared with affluent non-Hispanic white children and adolescents, the covariate-adjusted odds of obesity were 2.7, 1.9, and 3.2 times larger for poor Hispanic, white, and black children, respectively.