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Using National Vital Statistics Birth and Fetal Death Data from 1995 to 2020 linked to county-level information on wildfires, we use variation in wildfire timing to examine how effects of wildfire exposure on infant health vary by maternal education. Results indicate that wildfire exposure increases the likelihood of low birth weight and fetal death, but effects vary by both trimester and maternal education. Mediation analyses suggest the variation by maternal education reflects selective survival and unequal sensitivity, rather than differential parental response to wildfires. In addition, mediation analyses suggest that maternal behaviors explain a greater share of the relationship between wildfire exposure and infant health than air quality. Wildfires may therefore reduce infant health through stress.

Objectives: Among Aboriginal children, the year between birth and 1 year of age has the highest mortality rate compared with any other age. Prompt administration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) leads to better outcomes and a lower likelihood of ongoing sequalae. Current education on infant CPR is not provided to parents except in certain circumstances in a neonatal intensive care unit. Currently, there are no identified CPR education courses specifically available for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, meaning that current infant CPR education courses are not culturally responsive. Design: Partnering with an Aboriginal community from the Bindjareb region of the Western Australian Noongar nation, the researchers used a co-design approach and an Aboriginal Participatory Action Research (APAR) design to explore how to deliver culturally safe and responsive infant CPR community education. This resulted in the development of the Koolangka Infant Life Saving Education Framework (KILSEF), which can be used to guide future planning and delivery of culturally safe and responsive community level infant CPR education. Results: The study findings identified that members of the Aboriginal community were very interested in receiving infant CPR education, but the barriers identified from mainstream CPR course delivery need to be removed for the community to benefit from culturally responsive ways of learning. Culturally responsive community CPR education should be provided in culturally safe places and the focus of learning should be on the practical applications of CPR and less on the academic pre-reading and written requirements. Explanations should be provided in lay terms and patience is required to communicate ideas in ways that facilitate understanding, and the course may need to be delivered over several days to accommodate community participant availability. Conclusion: Addressing Aboriginal community concerns and barriers allowed for the implementation of culturally responsive infant resuscitation education which was highly valued by community members and led to increased community confidence and participation in CPR education.

Analyzing three sets of video data collected in one Maya community, we examined apprenticeship and learning of backstrap loom weaving over three generations spanning the years 1970 to 2012. Like many cultural groups, the Maya of Chiapas are experiencing rapid sociodemographic shifts. Three generations of girls (N = 134) were observed at their looms: in the 1970 subsistence economy; in the transition to a commercial economy in the 1990s; and in 2012, when the commercial economy required formal education. Multilevel models showed that intergenerational sociodemographic change -- increased time in school, greater involvement in the money economy, and decreased family size -- changed weaving apprenticeship, which, in turn, was related to changes in characteristics of learners. In 2012, weaving learners received more explanations, praise, and body instruction from their teachers. Learners, in turn, asked more questions. However, these changes came at a cost -- the gradual loss of weaving as an everyday subsistence practice and art form. Tracing intergenerational change over three generations, this study makes a unique contribution to an understanding of cultural evolution.

The authors of this article identify the status of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria and propose the use of a classic strategic planning paradigm to mitigate its spread until it may be completely arrested. Vaccines have been developed to combat the disease which current evidence suggests is spread by respiratory droplets among people who are in close contact with each other (WHO, 2020). But this presumed mode of transmission has led to concerns in the scientific and medical communities about the disastrous effects the virus may have on the African continent which has historically lagged the rest of the world in the delivery of quality health care especially for some of the most vulnerable populations like children under 5 years of age. This article provides information regarding the contemporary health care situation in Nigeria for such vulnerable populations, analyzes the current impact of COVID-19, and recommends a successful strategic planning paradigm to address similar catastrophic health experiences in the future.

In this review, we will investigate the pathways linking education and health to understand why education appears to improve health in some settings or among certain populations, and not in others, as well as to inform recommendations about how best to target investments in education to maximize the benefits to health. We will seek to answer the following key research questions, focusing specifically on the mechanisms that affect fertility, HIV, and infant and child mortality. If feasible, these answers will include meta-analyses of comparable education and mediator outcomes: (1) Do changes in education affect the primary theorized mediators (e.g., knowledge, attitudes, resources, and agency; health behaviors and harmful practices) of the relationship between education and fertility, HIV and child mortality? (2) How does the relationship between these mediators and education vary across different aspects of education (e.g., grade attainment vs. literacy/numeracy vs. attendance)?

This study aimed to assess the impact of health education on the caring practices of low-birthweight (LBW) infant mothers in Central Jakarta, Indonesia. A quasi-experiment design with a pretest--post-test control group model was conducted on 159 mothers (78 in the intervention group and 81 in the control group) of LBW infants treated in the perinatology ward of three hospitals in Central Jakarta. Provision of health education to mothers of LBW infants consisted of counselling sessions and one-on-one visits provided by primary health centre nurses. Data were collected four times consecutively over 6 weeks. A generalized estimating equation model with a linear link function was employed to examine LBW infant practice score changes due to intervention and other influential factors at four time points. Results: The LBW infant care practice scores were higher in the intervention group than in the control group at each measurement point. After controlling for maternal attitudes, LBW infant health education increased mothers' infant care practices at 2, 6 and 12 weeks by 2.179, 2.803 and 2.981 points, respectively, and reduced infant morbidity. Six weeks of health education had an effective impact on mothers' home LBW infant care practices and infant health status.

This study examines the impact of mandatory maternal education on child health in Turkey, where a non-trivial fraction of families restricted their daughters' schooling due to social and cultural barriers. The analysis employs two large data sets and exploits a quasi-experiment involving an education reform that increased compulsory schooling. Results show that an increase in mother's schooling improves child health at birth (as measured by factors such as low birth weight and premature birth) and lowers child mortality. The current study on the intergenerational benefits of compulsory schooling arguably provides the strongest evidence supporting the argument that mandatory female education has substantial nonpecuniary benefits in terms of the health of the offspring in societies where female education is stigmatized. The implications of this research extend beyond girls' schooling and suggest that compulsory human capital investments in children can correct market failures when families underinvest in their children because of social or cultural barriers.

Preterm birth consequences may lead to developmental deficits, psychiatric disorders and may also cause parental mental health problems. Our aim was to describe quality of life and internalizing-externalizing behaviours of preterm children at 2 years regarding parental mental health. 112 mothers of preterm children provided the following information: pediatric quality of life, internalizing-externalizing behaviours, maternal perceived stress, anxiety, depression and satisfaction with life. Regarding emotional and behavioural problems and low quality of life, risk factors are lower birthweight, neonatal morbidities and lower socioeconomic status. Mothers with higher stress, more anxiety and depression symptoms and lower satisfaction with life reported more internalizing-externalizing behaviours and lower quality of life about their children. Among low birthweight children, conduct and hyperactivity problems are the most common at 2 years old. We emphasize the importance of parental mental health and the need for early prevention and intervention in order to minimalize the burden of hyperactivity symptoms.

Current estimates are that more than one-third of the annual neonatal deaths worldwide occur in humanitarian and fragile settings (United Nations Population Fund 2015). In this article, we focus on the recent multistakeholder effort to produce the "Roadmap to Accelerate Progress for Every Newborn in Fragile and Humanitarian Settings 2020-2025." This effort, led by Save the Children, the UN Children's Fund, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and the World Health Organization, calls for a representation of newborn health issues and action across all phases of emergency response. It specifically emphasizes the need to "engage stakeholders from across humanitarian and development sectors to ensure that mothers and newborns survive and thrive even in the most difficult circumstances" (Save the Children et al. 2020, 5). This commentary also emphasizes basic needs that are vital to the survival and adequate development of newborns, such as avoiding separation from the mother, support for early and exclusive breastfeeding, infection prevention, basic resuscitation, and kangaroo mother care. At the same time, it is critical to establish interventions that create an environment of nurturing care to promote early childhood development.

Background: Millennium Development Goals are the 21st Century worlds' concern to improve human way of life by 2015. In Kenya the Millennium Development Goals for reduction of maternal and child mortality has been recently powered by the beyond zero initiative which started in the year 2014 with the aim of reducing mortality as well as contributing towards promotion of maternal health for new born and children. Maternal mortality ratio and neonatal mortality rate trends in Kenya have remained unacceptably high in a decade. In 2007, the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation adopted a community health strategy to reverse the poor health outcomes in order to meet Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. The study aimed at evaluating the Millennium Development Goals its effectiveness reduction of maternal and child death in Kenya. Methods: The study was done in 2015; Survey design was used in this study in Narok County. The target population comprised of mothers with children below five years of age in Narok County. Purposive random sampling was used to arrive at 150 as the accessible population. Questionnaires and interview guides were employed as data collection tools. Face validity of instruments was determined by Maasai Mara University specialist lecturers and health care workers in the clinic while reliability was tested by computing reliability coefficient. Data was analyzed with the aid of statistical package for social science (SPSS); at Maasai Mara University. Results: The study findings showed that 39% reduction of mortality rate. Statistic significant of (p<0.05) was observed. Since the start of millennium development goals there has been reduction of child mortality and also improved maternal health. In Narok the four recommended antenatal visits was realized but was still low at 50.5%. Deliveries at the hospital and clinic assisted by skilled health care workers were 44%. Testing for HIV during pregnancy 81.5%) and exclusive breastfeeding 36%). Conclusion: Increase in significance essential maternal and neonatal care practices demonstrates that, community health strategy is an appropriate platform to deliver community based interventions. The findings will be used by actors in the child survival community to improve current approaches, policies and practice in maternal and neonatal care. Study recommends that there should be a follow up protocol in projects put forward to ensure that the Millennium Development Goals are sustained in Narok County and other areas.

The term Koranic school is often used to describe schools that are not part of the formal education system and typically place a strong emphasis on memorising the Koran in Arabic, as well as on knowledge of Islamic religious education and practice. Using data from Niger as a case study, this paper provides data on trends in the share of individuals that have a Koranic education, a formal education, or no education at all, as well as a basic profile (univariate and multivariate) of children with Koranic education, formal education, or no education at all. In addition, the potential impacts of Koranic education in comparison to formal education or no education at all on outcomes such as literacy and numeracy, labour market earnings, household consumption, assets and perceptions of well-being, and infant mortality is analyzed.

This article explores the many ways in which states can and are addressing racial equity in problem solving and policymaking. The authors explore national data that make the case for addressing bias and advancing equity in state policy; share strategies and best practices for engaging families and communities; and provide examples of policies that can disrupt and dismantle institutional racism, promote equity, and ensure all babies get a strong start in life.

According to the WHO data, preeclampsia develops during late pregnancy in 2-8% of women. Preeclampsia is a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality, therefore, the study of the morphological features of placental complex, taking into account gestational complications in postpartum women with severe preeclampsia is an important factor for finding the optimal treatment during pregnancy. The study was conducted on a placental complex (placenta, umbilical cord, fetal membranes) obtained from 24 pregnant women (10 pregnancies without complications, 14 with severe preeclampsia) of the first maternity home in Aktobe city. Paraffin histological sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and by using Van Gieson's stain. In the presence of severe preeclampsia, villi walls of separate blood vessels are sclerotic; sometimes vessels are dilated and filled with blood. Areas of eosinophilic accretions on the surface of the chorionic plate increased significantly, up to 15,9 ± 0,6%, areas of Langhans fibrinoid contacting terminal villi--up to 15,3 ± 1,2%. Rohr area on the basal lamina increased up to 21,1 ± 1,1%, along with increase in the number and area of decidual cells--up to 11,3 ± 1,14%. There was an increase in the number and area of terminal villi, up to 4,6 ± 0,45%. Arterial blood vessels of the umbilical cord lost annular invagination rolls into the lumen of the vessel. The study showed consolidation and infiltration of cellular elements of the fetal membranes. In response to strengthening of the destructive processes (inflammation, apoptosis), one could observe more pronounced compensatory and adaptive processes in the form of strengthening fibrinoid barriers aimed at eliminating defects of the fetoplacental barrier and at increasing the number of terminal villi, in the development of placental insufficiency.

Child mortality has become a prominent public health issue in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The mortality rates can in part be translated to how communities meet the health needs of children and address key household and environmental risk factors. Though discussions on the trends and magnitude of child mortality continue as to strategize for a lasting solution, large gap exists specifically in family characteristics associated with child death. Moreover, household dynamics of child mortality in SSA is under researched despite the fact that mortality rates remain high. This study aimed to examine the influence of household structure on child mortality in SSA.Secondary data from birth histories in recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in 35 SSA countries were used in this study. The total sample data of children born in the 5 years prior to the surveys were 384,747 births between 2008 and 2017. Unadjusted and adjusted Cox proportional hazard regression model was fitted to model infant and under-five mortality. The measure of association was hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Statistical test was conducted at p < 0.05 level of significance.Total infant mortality rates were highest in Sierra Leone (92 deaths per 1000 live births), Chad (72 deaths per 1000 live births) and Nigeria (69 deaths per 1000 live births), respectively. Furthermore, total rates of under-five mortality across 35 SSA countries were highest in Cameroon (184 deaths per 1000 live births), Sierra Leone (156 deaths per 1000 live births) and Chad (133 deaths per 1000 live births). The risk of infant mortality was higher in households of polygyny, compared with households of monogyny (HR = 1.23; CI 1.16, 1.29). Households with large number of children (3-5 and [greater than or equal to] 6) had higher risk of infant mortality, compared with those with 1-2 number of children. Infants from mothers with history of multiple union had 16% increase in the risk of infant mortality, compared with those from mothers from only one union (HR = 1.16; CI 1.09, 1.24). Furthermore, under-five from female household headship had 10% significant reduction in the risk of mortality, compared with those from male household headship (HR = 0.90; CI 0.84, 0.96). The risk of under-five mortality was higher in households of polygyny, compared with monogyny (HR = 1.33; CI 1.28, 1.38). Households with large number of children (3-5 and [greater than or equal to] 6) had higher risk of under-five mortality, compared with those with 1-2 number of children ever born. Under-five from mothers with history of multiple union had 30% increase in the risk of mortality, compared with those from mothers from only one union (HR = 1.30; CI 1.24, 1.36). Household structure significantly influences child mortality in SSA. Knowledge of drivers of infant and child death is crucial in health policy, programmes designs and implementation. Therefore, we suggest that policies to support strong healthy families are urgently needed to improve children's survival.

There are over 3,000 sleep related infant deaths each year in the United States. Attempts to teach medical personnel and parents safe infant sleep practices in the infant sleep training literature have demonstrated mixed results. Thus, strategies to teach arrangements of safe infant sleep environments warrant further investigation. Behavioral skills training (BST) is an evidence-based teaching strategy shown to successfully teach various safety skills to children and adults. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of behavioral skills training to teach safe infant sleep practices to typically developing adults. Specifically, differential responding was assessed across multiple environmental arrangements typical of contexts parents may be exposed to when putting an infant to sleep. BST significantly improved appropriate arrangement of a safe sleep environment for infants for all 8 participants.

Annually, thousands of infant deaths are classified as sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUIDs). In an effort to reduce the risk of SUIDs, the American Academy of Pediatrics has made a number of recommendations to educate caregivers, childcare providers, and healthcare professionals on safe infant sleep practices. The purpose of the current study was to extend the literature on safe infant sleep practices by teaching caregivers to arrange safe infant sleep environments using a mannequin and common infant items. We partnered with community-based agencies to evaluate the effectiveness of behavioral skills training delivered in a single training session as part of the ongoing pre- or postnatal care these agencies provided. Following training, all participants demonstrated a substantial change in responding and returned favorable social validity ratings. We discuss these outcomes in light of previous studies, limitations, and future directions.

The past century has seen vast improvements in our children's health. The infectious diseases that once killed huge numbers of children have largely been conquered. Infant mortality has also fallen markedly, although the United States lags behind other industrialized nations in this and other measures of children's health. Accidents and injuries also kill fewer children than they once did. Today, write Sara Rosenbaum and Robert Blum, the greatest threats to U.S. children's health are social and environmental conditions, such as stress and exposure to toxic substances, which are associated with noncommunicable illnesses, such as mental health problems and asthma. Unlike the communicable diseases of the past, these are not equal-opportunity hazards. They are far more likely to affect poor children and the children of racial and ethnic minorities. And they have long-lasting effects, both for individuals and for the nation. For example, people who experience unhealthy levels of stress as children grow up to become less healthy, less productive adults. Rosenbaum and Blum also examine government spending on children's health. Though such spending has increased over time, the largest share of that increased spending has been for health care, while spending on other determinants of child health, which may be as or more important, has not kept pace. Investments in medical care alone can't overcome social and environmental threats to children's health that have their roots in historic levels of poverty and inequality. Rosenbaum and Blum argue that the best way to promote children's health today is to mitigate poverty, invest in education, and make our neighborhoods and communities healthier and safer.

This paper is a discussion of the relationship between women education and sustainable economic development in Kenya and its implications for curriculum development and implementation processes. The argument advanced in this paper is that the solution to the development problems in Kenya and other developing nations lies on women education. Indeed, women education is one of the initiatives that can propel Kenya in the achievement of Millennium Development Goals. In addition, women education can facilitate the achievement of Kenya Vision 2030 which aims at making Kenya a newly industrializing, middle income country providing high quality life for all its citizens by the year 2030. The paper provides recommendations on the way forward for women education in Kenya as well as the implications for curriculum development and implementation processes.

Objectives: To describe the development of a collaborative partnership to improve birth outcomes in Harris County, Texas. Methods: State and city-level maternal and infant health data were re-analyzed and presented to stakeholders at the zip-code level to generate a renewed response to health issues in these populations, particularly infant mortality. Public and private sector stakeholders convened to form the Impacting Maternal and Prenatal Care Together (IMPACT) Collaborative, identifying four priority areas that required collaborative action. Results: Priority area action groups are currently working on strategies to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. Collaborative strategies include: raising patient and provider awareness, campaign partnerships, advocating for legislative change, and implementing community based programs. As a collaborative, IMPACT received funding to implement an evidence-based health education intervention for women at risk of having poor birth outcomes. Conclusions: Through the leveraging of resources, expertise, and leadership, collaborative partnerships are capable of formulating innovative ideas, developing sustainable solutions, and generating change at multiple levels.

This article reviews the research base on the development of prenatal attachment and profiles four programs that foster this essential prenatal relationship: CenteringPregnancy®, the Practical Resources for Effective Postpartum Parenting program (PREPP), Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP), and Moms2B.

A considerable amount of research across the past several decades has documented the emergence of a new racial ideology of "color-blindness" as well as evidence that white college students have difficulty recognizing the racial privileges that are obscured by this color-blindness. To address this, we developed a cooperative group White Privilege Activity that used racial and class differences in infant mortality to help students recognize the existence of white privilege. Fielding this in two mass lecture sections of Introductory Sociology, we found that exposure to content on white privilege along with the utilization of cooperative learning group exercises promoted a greater understanding of white privilege for both white and nonwhite students. Furthermore, we found that the racial composition of cooperative learning groups had a significant impact on white students' racial privilege attitudes.

This paper reviews the research of the past two decades that addresses the relationship between family structure and early child health outcomes. Specifically, we focus on family structure's influence on child health during pregnancy, birth, and infancy. We briefly summarize the most pervasive changes to family structure in the US during recent decades and discuss how early child health is linked to future outcomes for children and adults. We review research that highlights the mechanisms linking family structure to early child health and identify key risk and protective factors for children from the prenatal period through infancy. We conclude with a critical assessment of current policy efforts to strengthen families and make recommendations for how best to address this issue for America's families going forward.

In this article, the author talks about the cultural bind on the American male. The process starts with conception. If the spermatozoid that fertilizes the egg contains only X chromosomes a girl will be produced. If a single Y chromosome out of the 24 produced by the father is included, the baby will be a boy. From this point on the girls have a pronounced genetic edge on the boys in many ways. Not only is the infant mortality rate higher among boy babies, but the girls will have, in the main, a longer life expectancy. Most of them will survive their husbands. The boys will be sick more frequently and they are prone to many more diseases. On psychological tests, as a group, girls always score higher in the verbal section than do boys; the boys do correspondingly better on the use of mathematical symbols. This is an invariant sex difference. And people must note that college admissions officers invariably give more weight in their indexes to the verbal score when predicting academic achievement in the college program. The author illustrates the "sex gap" on college admissions by creating a story, which could be a true one. The author believes that there is enough data to indicate the "sex-gap" as a national phenomenon. It is not restricted to any one school district or section of the country. Studies are now in progress which, to date, have maintained the same male-female achievements ratios in college as pertain to high schools.