Multimedia Featured Resource: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sponsoring a webinar series to help State Perinatal Quality Collaboratives in California, New York, and Ohio share knowledge and experiences and to teach other states how to start, maintain, and grow their own collaboratives. The webinars will be held every 2 months and are available to participants in all states, with a focus on hospitals, physician organizations, and health agencies. The first webinar in the series will be held on October 15, 2012, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., ET. More information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/MaternalInfantHealth/PQC.htm
1. Primer Features Models of Health Care Delivery in Foster Care
Financing the Special Health Care Needs of Children and Youth in Foster Care: A Primer examines the role of state Title V programs in improving the system of coverage and care for children and adolescents with special health care needs in foster care. The primer was published by the Catalyst Center with support from the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Contents include a description of the foster care population and its special health care needs; a description of the types of out-of-home placements children may experience; a synopsis of the funding, federal legislation, and key players of the child-welfare system; a description of elements in providing comprehensive health care for children in foster care; highlights of steps that federal and state officials have taken to improve the system of health care for children in foster care; and a summary of three different programs and their models of providing health care services for children in foster care. The primer is available at http://hdwg.org/sites/default/files/Foster-Care-Primer.pdf
2. E-Journal Explores Literacy Challenges for the Twenty-First Century
The fall 2012 issue of The Future of Children explores the literacy of America's children and how to help them become more literate. Contributors to this volume, a collaboration between Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and the Brookings Institution, review questions about why literacy is important and why the concept of literacy needs to be broadened to include a set of competencies that goes beyond the ability to recognize words and decode text. The authors also consider what steps policymakers might take to respond to the needs they cite. Topics include literacy patterns among U.S. students, the role of out-of-school factors in the literacy problem, improving reading ability in the primary grades, reading and reading instruction for children from families with low incomes and from non-English-speaking households, learning and understanding content, the importance of infrastructure development to high-quality literacy instruction, and technology tools to support reading in the digital age. The full journal, executive summary, policy brief, and article summaries are available at http://futureofchildren.org/futureofchildren/publications/journals/journal_details/index.xml?journalid=78
3. Educational Resource Focuses on Diabetes and Pregnancy
Pre-Existing Diabetes and Pregnancy: Potential Effects of Uncontrolled Diabetes Before and During Pregnancy shares information and advice for women with diabetes who want to get pregnant. The chart, developed by the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, describes how blood sugar that is not well controlled in a pregnant woman with type 1 or type 2 diabetes can lead to problems for the woman and her infant. It also provides self-care tips for women with diabetes such as planning for pregnancy, taking medications, monitoring blood sugar often, controlling blood sugar and treating problems right away, and following up with the doctor regularly. Links to additional resources on diabetes and pregnancy are also included. The chart is available at http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/pregnancy_gateway/documents/DiabetesDefects_Cleared.pdf
4. Report Describes Trend in Drinking and Driving Prevalence Among U.S. High School Students
"The findings in this report indicate that substantial progress has been made during the past 2 decades to reduce drinking and driving among teens," state the authors of a report published in the October 5, 2012, issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Although every state prohibits individuals under age 21 from driving with any measurable amount of blood alcohol, in 2010, one in five drivers ages 16-19 involved in fatal crashes had a positive blood alcohol concentration. The authors of the report use data from the 1991-2011 national Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS) to describe the trend in drinking and driving among students ages 16 and older, data from the 2011 national YRBS to describe selected subgroup differences, and data from 41 state YRBSs to examine drinking and driving by state.
The authors found that
"Effective interventions that reduce drinking and driving among teens include minimum legal drinking age laws, zero tolerance laws, and GDL [graduated driver licensing]," state the authors.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2012. Vital signs: Drinking and driving among high school students aged [16 and older] -- United States, 1991-2011. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 61(39):796-800. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6139a5.htm?s_cid=mm6139a5_w
5. Article Assesses Understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Utah
"The majority of Utahns feel less than knowledgeable regarding autism, particularly among Hispanic or Latino populations," write the authors of an article published in Disability and Health Journal online on September 25, 2012. Studies suggest that the general public has numerous misconceptions about or is unaware of the prevalence, characteristics, and treatments of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of the study described in this article was to identify public awareness and knowledge of ASD in Utah, including the public’s understanding of the prevalence and characteristics of ASD and its treatments as well as sources of this information. The study also explored differences in Utah residents’ awareness and knowledge of ASD by ethnicity, education level, and income level.
This study was conducted throughout Utah to inform public-education and awareness efforts conducted by the Utah Department of Health in collaboration with Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities as part of Utah’s State Plan for Improving Outcomes for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Development Disorders. These efforts aim to educate parents about childhood development, including early warning signs of ASD, to increase awareness and encourage developmental screening and intervention. Researchers surveyed 1,001 Utah residents ages 18 and older using a 32-question statewide telephone survey. (There are an estimated 1,914,665 total Utah residents in this age group.)
The authors found that
The authors conclude that "education and awareness efforts addressing the numerous misconceptions and lack of awareness regarding the prevalence, characteristics, and treatments of autism is important for early identification, intervention, and public acceptance."
Markham Holt J, Christensen KM. 2012. Utahns’ understanding of autism spectrum disorder. Disability and Health Journal [published online on September 25, 2012]. Abstract available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2012.08.002
Readers: More information is available from the following MCH Library resource:
- Autism Spectrum Disorders: Knowledge Path at
http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_autism.html
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