 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Gopal Narayan, MS, MPH and David Johnson, MPH. Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support, 250 S 4th Street- Room 510, Minneapolis, MN 55415, 612 673-2993, gopalakrishnan.narayan@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
Ensuring children entering school are healthy and ready to learn is fundamental to achieving lifelong success. Book reading from an early age promotes language recognition, literacy development, and school readiness. This paper explores maternal characteristics associated with frequent daily reading with young children.
Data for this study were gathered from a 1999 population-based survey of the parents of infants and toddlers between the ages of six months and two years called the Child Health Assessment and Monitoring Project. The data used in this analysis is based on 3,352 interviews with families. Questions included information about family life, the neighborhood, social connections, parenting practices, health care access, and the child’s physical health.
We used descriptive statistics to analyze the association between infrequent book reading (less than daily) and maternal age, race, income, education, country of origin, and relationship status (partnered or not). We use logistic regression to predict book reading practice by maternal characteristics. In a reduced model, we found the odds of infrequent book reading to be higher among populations of color (OR=1.77), persons with low income (OR=1.62), and non-partnered mothers (OR=1.37). It is notable that education failed to significantly predict the odds of frequent book reading.
Social and cultural factors play a role in the frequency of book reading by parents to their children. This research suggests further research is necessary to learn more about attitudes and knowledge about book reading, literacy, and access to children’s books among populations of color, families of low income, and non-partnered mothers.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to
Keywords: Children's Health,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.