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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Angela Ellison, MEd, Closing the Gap Project, Illinois Maternal & Child Health Coalition, 1256 W Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622, 312-491-8161, aellison@ilmaternal.org, Kathy O'Connell, MPA, March of Dimes Illinois Chapter, 111 West Jackson Blvd., Suite 2200, Chicago, IL 60604, and Nancy Maruyama, RN, NCBF, Sudden Infant Death Services of Illinois, 710 East Ogden Avenue, Suite 550, Naperville, IL 60563.

Closing the Gap is a three-year pilot project funded by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to reduce infant mortality in African American communities. Illinois was one of four states to receive funding in 2004 to address persistent racial/ethnic disparities in birth outcomes. The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) identified four community areas of Chicago for intensive outreach and education efforts following a comprehensive needs assessment based on high rates of preterm births and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), two leading causes of infant death. The target communities, which have significantly higher rates of preterm birth, low birth weight infants and infant mortality, are located on the city's south and west side and have predominantly African American populations. This project draws on the collaboration of key state and local partners, including IDHS, Illinois Maternal & Child Health Coalition, March of Dimes Illinois Chapter and SIDS of Illinois. Illinois' community-based approach delivers risk reduction messages about premature birth and SIDS through lay health educators using a curriculum designed for the target audience. Evaluation of LHE curriculum is supported through cooperative agreement between the March of Dimes and the CDC's Division of Reproductive Health. Session topics to include the strengths and challenges of using peer education for health promotion, development of educational materials designed for African American audiences, and testing the efficacy of risk reduction strategies in achieving desired outcomes. Though this project focuses on maternal/child health, strategies will relate across disciplines of the public health spectrum.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to

• Identify strengths and challenges of the peer education model as a strategy for improving birth outcomes in minority communities;
• Understand key components in the development of a risk reduction curriculum for an African American audience

Keywords: Community-Based Health Promotion, Infant Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered