Infant and Child Health

Jump to another page... Introduction Child restraints Household fire escape plan Routine checkups Child routine dental checkup Child mortality—years of potential life lost Immunizations Infant Mortality Fertility in women ages 15 to 44 Prenatal Care in first trimester Late or no prenatal care Low birth weight Fertility in females 12 to 17 years of age Prenatal care among teenage mothers Late or no prenatal care (teen) Low birth weight (teen) Prenatal care for single mothers Late or no prenatal care (single) Low birth weight (single)

The health of mothers, infants, and children is an important community health concern. The health of children is a reflection of the current health status of populations and is a predictor of the health of the next generation.¹⁹ A woman’s general health, her socioeconomic and family circumstances, and her intentions regarding pregnancy all influence the health of the children she bears. During pregnancy, maternal health, nutrition, lifestyle, and socioeconomic and physical environments have an even more immediate influence on infant health.²⁰ Critical determinants of infant health operate even before a child is conceived.

An infant’s environment will have some influence on its health, but the greater influence will be the behavior and response of its caregivers. A mother’s behavior and lifestyle will be of particular significance because of the close biological linkage through pregnancy and the traditionally dominant role of the mother in childcare. The father and other family members, as well as caregivers in settings such as daycare, can also have an impact on the health of the infant.¹⁷

Early prenatal care for pregnant mothers is a way to help ensure the health of the mother and the child. A health care professional is able to identify risks to the mother and infant early in the pregnancy and recommend a care regime that will be most protective of the health of both the mother and child.

Once the infant is born, one of the most important steps to protect a child’s health is to immunize the child. Conditions that were once commonly accepted as routine childhood diseases such as measles and whooping cough can be prevented. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends set of immunizations that should completed by the child’s third birthday. The immunizations protect the child from unnecessary risk of disability and death.

Teenage pregnancies are a public health concern. Young women who become pregnant are taken from adolescent concerns and often lose the opportunity to complete a high school education. This impacts both their future potential and in many cases puts an increased burden on the state welfare system. Young and single mothers are also at higher risk of being socially disadvantaged and without social support in times of crisis. Project Worth is a program in San Antonio that encourages teenagers to productive ways to use their skills and energy. Research shows that young men and women who are engaged in the community are less likely to become pregnant.

Children are the future of the community, and their well-being depends on a variety of factors. Protecting and improving infant health is a complex task that involves individual families plus health care, public health programs, and social programs that support families.

Child restraints

Prevention begins with taking basic actions to help ensure that health is maintained. The 2004–05 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) did not collect information about prevention for child safety but evidence for other indicators suggests that in most cases there have not been dramatic changes since the 2002 data were collected.

The Healthy People 2010 goal is that 100 percent of children under 4 years old use a child restraint system. In 2002, 93 percent of parents in Bexar County indicated that they use child restraints for their children under 5 years of age when they are in an automobile. There is some difference across the county in reported use of child restraints. The lowest reported use was in the West sector with 89 percent of parents saying they keep their children in child restraints when in an automobile. In the South, 100 percent of respondents reported using child restraint systems. Across the rest of the county, parents reported high use of child restraints varying from 91 to 95 percent.

Household fire escape plan

Another basic child safety concern is ensuring that children know what to do in the case of emergencies in the home. Household members should have a plan for escaping from the home in the case of a fire; furthermore the children in the household should understand and follow through with this plan. Data were not collected in the 2004 or 2005 BRFSS about home fire safety but this remains an important concern. Sixty-five percent of Bexar County households with children indicated in 2002 that they had discussed a fire escape plan with their children. The lowest proportion of households having discussed an escape plan was reported in the West sector. The South sector had the highest percent of households that had discussed an escape plan with their children. In the East and Northeast 59 and 60 percent had discussed plans with their children. In the Northwest and North Central sectors 69 and 74 percent, respectively, of parents had discussed fire escape plans with their children. This is a simple process that may be overlooked because fire in the home is a rare event. Groups could work together to develop a strategy to engage community members in working with neighbors to support learning about fire safety and develop social capital in the community at the same time.