Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #119050

Holly Gilmore, MSPH, University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health, 3012 1/2 Rosewood Drive, Columbia, SC 29205, 803-806-8867, ccrimmins@asph.org

Background: Many communities across the nation have become involved in enhancing school readiness. South Carolina has low rankings regarding educational achievement and has made minimal progress in the past decade. Many predictors of school readiness relate to conditions following birth, including a child's birth weight. Shortened birth intervals are related to a variety of health and social consequences that affect child development, yet no formal research has examined the association between birth intervals and school readiness. Methods: This study was a secondary data analysis of de-identified pregnancy-related vital record information, matched to selected items from the Department of Social Services Medicaid records on mothers and children and to the Cognitive Skills Assessment Battery (CSAB) score in South Carolina for the year 2000 for the child of interest (N=6,915). Analysis of covariance and logistic regression were used to determine if there was a statistically significant relationship between birth interval and school readiness. Results: Results showed that birth interval is a significant predictor of school readiness with a p-value < 0.001 even after controlling for various socio-demographic factors. Children born with inadequate birth intervals (less than 24 months) are more likely to fail the CSAB compared to those with adequate birth intervals. Conclusions: This research is significant in the realms of public health and education by focusing on one contributing factor to a child's readiness for school. Potential implications of this research include promoting optimal birth spacing to improve the likelihood that future first graders will come to school ready to learn.

Learning Objectives:

• Short Birth Intervals and the Risk of School Unreadiness Among a Medicaid Population in South Carolina

Keywords: Education, Birth Outcomes

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.