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

Abstract #120154

Julia S. Holmes, PhD, National Center for Health Statistics, 3311 Toledo Road, Room 3314, Hyattsville, MD 20782, 301-458-4698, JSHolmes@cdc.gov

This presentation documents progress over the past twenty years in reducing disparities in maternal and child health in the United States. The 1985 Heckler Report documented widespread differences among minority groups in infant mortality, low-birth weight and access to pre-natal care, outlining a detailed list of “opportunities for progress” that included lowering financial barriers to prenatal and hospital care for minority women and newborns, expanding access to comprehensive health education services and increased research on health related behaviors other than prenatal care that influence pregnancy outcomes. Additional recommendations included improvements in data collection on childbearing behavior and birth outcomes within major ethnic groups such as Hispanic and Asian. Using data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS), we compare measures of use of prenatal care in the first trimester among minority groups over the twenty year time period, finding that access to prenatal care improved for all women during the 1990s, and in particular among minority women, effectively reducing disparities in use of prenatal care in the first trimester. Infant mortality also fell during the 1990s but differences by race with respect to infant mortality remained the same or slightly increased during this time period. Infant mortality per 1,000 live births continues to be highest for African Americans and American Indian/Alaskan Native births. In this panel we examine additional measures of maternal and child health addressed in the 1985 Heckler Report to assess progress made in reducing racial differences in infant mortality and low birthweight over the past twenty years.

Learning Objectives:

• After hearing this talk, learners will be able to discuss 20 year trends in disparities in maternal and child health.

Keywords: Health Disparities, Maternal and Child Health

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.

Recorded presentation