The SMILE Program: Does Timing and Dosing of Nurse Home Visits Matter in Reducing Adverse Birth Outcomes for African American Women

Abstract

Statement of Problem. Program evaluation is vital to examining the effectiveness of existing public health programs in the area of infant mortality. Despite considerable progress in reducing infant mortality in the United States, African Americans experience nearly twice the rate of infant mortality than their Caucasian counterparts for the past decade. Low birth weight(LBW) and preterm delivery are the two leading causes of infant mortality and this disparity. Methods. Participants were 384 African American/Black women with singleton pregnancies enrolled in the Start More Infants Living Equally Healthy (SMILE) program, a program targeting high-risk African American/Black women in Montgomery County, MD. Health outcomes at birth (i.e., LBW, prematurity, and birth anomalies) were examined in relation to the week of entry, trimester of enrollment, and frequency of nurse home visits.Statement of Problem. Program evaluation is vital to examining the effectiveness of existing public health programs in the area of infant mortality. Despite considerable progress in reducing infant mortality in the United States, African Americans experience nearly twice the rate of infant mortality than their Caucasian counterparts for the past decade. Low birth weight(LBW) and preterm delivery are the two leading causes of infant mortality and this disparity. Methods. Participants were 384 African American/Black women with singleton pregnancies enrolled in the Start More Infants Living Equally Healthy (SMILE) program, a program targeting high-risk African American/Black women in Montgomery County, MD. Health outcomes at birth (i.e., LBW, prematurity, and birth anomalies) were examined in relation to the week of entry, trimester of enrollment, and frequency of nurse home visits.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 13, 2013
Accession Number
AD1012983

Entities

People

  • Jennifer L. Henderson

Organizations

  • Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • African Americans
  • Chi Square Test
  • Death
  • Demography
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Medical Personnel
  • Minority Groups
  • Pregnancy Complications
  • Public Health
  • Theses
  • United States
  • Vital Statistics

Readers

  • Women's Health and Cancer Risk Research: African American Women and Pregnancy Outcomes.