Sharon M. Karp

Crossing community sectors: challenges faced by families of children with special health care needs.

This article identifies unmet needs and challenges of 37 families caring for children with special health care needs (CSHCN). Data were collected in focus groups. Data saturation occurred in the third group. Another group was conducted to ensure adequate inclusion of rural participants. Mean age of participants was 36 years. Most participants were women (92%), Caucasian (65%), high school graduates (89%), and employed, with 38% from rural communities. All families had health care insurance, primarily Medicaid (87%). An interdisciplinary team used NVIVO software to facilitate content analysis. Seven areas emerged: family support systems, early intervention/school systems, coordination of care, lack of knowledge, provider/family relationships, parent roles, and insurance systems. Caregivers noted the critical role of nurses but a lack of nurse presence in community care systems. This study adds to the multidimensional nature of caring for CSHCN and highlights the importance of considering how families interface with multiple community sectors.

Breastfeeding initiation in the context of a home intervention to promote better birth outcomes.

OBJECTIVE This secondary analysis examined breastfeeding initiation rates and factors related to initiation in a sample of multiparous women with a history of a prior preterm birth. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Data for a subsample of women (n=130) were derived from a randomized clinical trial testing a home visit intervention to improve birth outcomes. The subsample included women who gave birth to an infant greater than 35 weeks of gestation. All participants received standard prenatal care. Intervention participants (n=73) also received home visits by certified nurse-midwives. Visits were guided by protocols to improve factors associated with poor birth outcomes and maternal and infant health. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were used, controlling for factors previously associated with breastfeeding. RESULTS Although 85% of women reported an intention to breastfeed, only 65% reported initiating breastfeeding at 48 hours postpartum. After controlling for race, income, marital status, smoking, and age, higher maternal education and lower pregravid body mass index were associated with higher rates of initiation (odds ratio [OR]=1.30, p=0.010 and OR=0.94, p=0.007, respectively). Lower levels of depressive symptoms (OR=0.95, p=0.039) and higher levels of prenatal stress (OR=1.11, p=0.042) increased the likelihood of initiating breastfeeding. No difference between groups emerged, although women in the intervention group with more home visit time were more likely to report breastfeeding (p=0.007). CONCLUSIONS Modifiable risk factors were associated with rates of breastfeeding initiation. It may be possible to use protocols delivered via nurse-midwife home visits within a global intervention to increase breastfeeding initiation.

Facilitators of prenatal care in an exemplar urban clinic.

BACKGROUND Perinatal outcomes have complex causes that include biologic, maternal, structural, and societal components. We studied one urban nurse-led clinic serving women at risk for poor perinatal outcomes with superior pre-term birth rates (4%) when compared with the surrounding county (11.2%). AIM To explore womens perspectives of their interface with the clinic, staff, and providers to understand this exemplary model. METHODS A qualitative descriptive approach with semi-structured interviews as the primary data source. Participants (n=50) were recruited from an urban clinic in the Southeast United States designed to serve women of low socio-economic status or who are recent immigrants. FINDINGS Women greatly valued a personal connection with the nurse-midwives and staff, and felt this resulted in high-quality care. Convenient appointment times and the lack of wait for initial or subsequent appointments made care accessible. Participants reported the relaxed and helpful approach and attitudes of the office staff were essential components of their positive experience. Women valued unrushed visits to ask questions and receive information. In addition, participants felt that clinic staff were easy to reach. CONCLUSION While qualitative data cannot demonstrate causation, this study provides support that a compassionate and personalized approach to care motivates women to access needed services in pregnancy. Clinic staff are an essential component of the access process. Women overcame barriers to obtain personalized, culturally appropriate care provided by kind, competent practitioners. Clinic staff and practitioners should develop a connection with each woman by providing care that meets her physical, cultural, and personal needs.

Obesity Prevention and Treatment in School-aged Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults—Where Do We Go from Here?

The rise in the rate of obesity in school-aged children, adolescents, and young adults in the last 30 years is a clear healthcare crisis that needs to be addressed. Despite recent national reports in the United States highlighting positive downward trends in the rate of obesity in younger children, we are still faced with approximately 12.7 million children struggling with obesity. Given the immediate and long-term health consequences of obesity, much time and effort has been expended to address this epidemic. Yet, despite these efforts, we still only see limited, short-term success from most interventions. Without changes to how we address childhood obesity, we will continue to see inadequate improvements in the health of our children. Clinicians and researchers need to be lobbying for evidence-based policy changes, such as those identified by systems science, in order to improve the nation’s health.