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A HEALTHY PREGNANCY CURRICULUM FOR ADOLESCENT MOTHERS: PARTICIPANTS' PERCEPTIONS AND EFFECTS ON INFANTS' BIRTH WEIGHT
Title
A HEALTHY PREGNANCY CURRICULUM FOR ADOLESCENT MOTHERS: PARTICIPANTS' PERCEPTIONS AND EFFECTS ON INFANTS' BIRTH WEIGHT.
Creator
Konjoian, Rae, Allen, Kay, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The purpose of this study was to determine if there are differences in birth weight of infants, tobacco use during pregnancy, and Apgar scores of infants between pregnant adolescents who successfully complete a healthy pregnancy curriculum and those who do not and to further examine the adolescent mothers' perceptions of the major concepts included in a healthy pregnancy curriculum. The study involved the collection and analysis of retrospective data to determine differences in birth weight...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to determine if there are differences in birth weight of infants, tobacco use during pregnancy, and Apgar scores of infants between pregnant adolescents who successfully complete a healthy pregnancy curriculum and those who do not and to further examine the adolescent mothers' perceptions of the major concepts included in a healthy pregnancy curriculum. The study involved the collection and analysis of retrospective data to determine differences in birth weight of infants, tobacco use during pregnancy, and Apgar scores of infants. Additionally, a questionnaire, focus group discussions, and follow-up interviews were conducted with former students of the healthy pregnancy curriculum to examine the adolescent mothers' perceptions of the major concepts in the healthy pregnancy curriculum. The participants answered questions regarding how important they thought each major concept is for inclusion in the healthy pregnancy curriculum, how much they learned about each major concept, and how helpful that information was in their own experiences. Analyses of the data did not show statistical differences between adolescents who successfully completed a healthy pregnancy curriculum and those who did not complete a healthy pregnancy curriculum regarding differences in birth weight of infants, tobacco use during pregnancy, and Apgar scores of infants. These findings of non-significance may be due to the small number of participants (n=50), non-participants (n=149), and the limited duration of the study data (1999 to 2003). A larger population over a longer period of time might yield different results. The findings from the qualitative data provided by the seven former students suggest that pregnant adolescents who successfully complete the class perceive the components of the healthy pregnancy curriculum as valuable and important. Topics that were indicated as particularly important were The Birth Process, Nutrition, Decision Making, and Family Planning. Participants further indicated changes in their attitudes for all ten topics and changes in behaviors in the areas of Human Reproduction, Nutrition, Health-Care Practices, Environmental Effects on the Unborn Baby, and Decision Making.
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Date Issued
2005
Identifier
CFE0000470, ucf:46356
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000470
SOCIAL CAPITAL INFLUENCES IN WOMEN AT RISK FOR POOR PREGNANCY OUTCOMES
Title
SOCIAL CAPITAL INFLUENCES IN WOMEN AT RISK FOR POOR PREGNANCY OUTCOMES.
Creator
James-Mesloh, Jennifer, Wan, Thomas, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Poor pregnancy outcomes such as prematurity, low birth weight and infant mortality are societal indicators of a nationÃÂÂ...
Show morePoor pregnancy outcomes such as prematurity, low birth weight and infant mortality are societal indicators of a nationÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ's health status. These indicators have remained at exceptionally high rates in the United States despite the levels of resources and technology. In the quest to understand that discrepancy, among the ranges of theories and models for explaining poor pregnancy outcomes an emerging concept is coming to attention: social capital. In order to test whether maternal social capital has an impact on pregnancy outcome, women in a Healthy Start program were surveyed over a 13-month period to assess their social capital levels and then their pregnancy outcomes. What emerged was that maternal social capital can predict up to 47% of the variance in pregnancy outcome. That is a powerful research result considering that previously there has been no literature tracing a link between maternal social capital and pregnancy outcome. In this study, maternal risk factors adversely affect up to 30% of the variance in pregnancy outcomes. Previous research has focused on maternal risk factors as the primary reason for high rates of preterm delivery, low birth weight, and infant mortality in the United States. However, this research found that in the sample of women at risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, maternal risk factors had a very strong influence on maternal social capital (R-square=65%) while their effects on pregnancy outcomes were about half of their effects on social capital. This result suggests that social capital mediates the effects of maternal risk factors on pregnancy outcomes. It appears that one of the reasons that the high rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes in the United States have remained a mystery is that maternal social capital has not been taken into account.
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Date Issued
2010
Identifier
CFE0003123, ucf:48639
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003123