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American Public Health Association
133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition
December 10-14, 2005
Philadelphia, PA
APHA 2005
 
Session: Preconception Care: The Next MCH Frontier
3294.0: Monday, December 12, 2005: 2:30 PM-4:00 PM
Oral
Preconception Care: The Next MCH Frontier
While past public health achievements have greatly improved pregnancy outcomes, perinatal problems still occur. A great opportunity for further improvement lies in prevention strategies that, if implemented prior to conception (i.e., preconception care), would result in further improvement of pregnancy outcomes. Substantial evidence exists that across all disciplines, promoting the health and wellness of women and couples prior to pregnancy translates into more favorable outcomes. Existing “Guidelines for Perinatal Care” developed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend that “All health encounters during a woman’s reproductive years, particularly those that are a part of preconceptional care should include counseling on appropriate medical care and behavior to optimize pregnancy outcomes”. CDC has convened a Work Group on Preconception Care to study the prevention opportunity of preconception care and hosted a meeting with external partners to share information, assess barriers, and identify priorities related to preconception care in November 2004. The workgroup plans to develop and publish recommendations for preconception care in collaboration with professional organizations and public and private partners; develop, and evaluate strategies for bundling health messages and services; train health care providers to implement preconception care; initiate research to support marketing, outreach, and education to physicians, other health care professionals, and the public about the importance of preconception care; and conduct studies regarding the economic impact of widespread implementation of evidence-based preconception care bundles, and the effectiveness of evidence-based preconception care bundles in managed care organizations.
Learning Objectives: 1. Identifying a set of proven components of preconception care, supported by strong evidence of effectiveness if delivered before pregnancy 2. Describing ways in which public health can assure the systematic delivery of proven interventions for women and couple who have intended births 3. Learning about the opportunities for women's health promotion through preconception care, and 4. Understanding the benefits to long term health of women that can be motivated through the anticipation of an intended birth
Organizer(s):Hani K. Atrash, MD, MPH
Karen Bell, MPH
Moderator(s):Samuel F. Posner, PhD
2:30 PMOverview of the Preconception Care Collaborative  [ Recorded presentation ]
Hani K. Atrash, MD, MPH
2:45 PMEvidenced-based practice guidelines for components of preconception care  [ Recorded presentation ]
Janis Biermann, MS
3:00 PMPreconception care - Model practices at the local level  [ Recorded presentation ]
Carol M. Brady, BS, MA
3:15 PMPolicy and Finance Strategies to Increase Access to Preconception Care  [ Recorded presentation ]
Kay Johnson, MPH, EdM, Adam Brush, MPH, Sheree Boulet, PhD, Hani K. Atrash, MD, MPH
See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement and author's information.
Organized by:Maternal and Child Health
Endorsed by:APHA-Committee on Women's Rights; Black Caucus of Health Workers; Public Health Nursing; Socialist Caucus; Women's Caucus
CE Credits:CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA