Maternal and Child Health |
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Maternal and Child Health Section in interested in receiving papers pertaining to research, programs, and policies in the following areas: • Adolescent Health: behavioral issues (smoking, substance abuse, interpersonal and family violence, eating disorders and behaviors, physical activity, sexual health); injury (intentional and unintentional); outreach programs; access to care; school health; comprehensive sexual health education; abstinence education; teen parenting; mental health (family issues, stigma, access, and awareness); issues of identity; peer relations; health disparities; advocacy (adolescent rights and parental consent); and policy (impact on and implications for adolescent health). • Breastfeeding and Infant Nutrition: Paper and poster abstracts are sought that report breastfeeding related research, program evaluation, coalition activities and accomplishments, policy development and advocacy activities. Abstracts addressing infant feeding policy development that is congruent with the evidence-base and public health goals, the policies that support fully informed decisions about infant feeding and protect women’s right to breastfeed, and the politics of promoting breastfeeding as the biological norm will be viewed as particularly consistent with the 2007 annual meeting theme as will abstracts that focus on factors that affect policy. Examples of relevant topics include, but are not limited to: policy development about infant feeding based on accurate understanding of the benefits of breastfeeding and the risks of formula feeding; overcoming individual, family, provider organization, community and cultural politics that might interfering with appropriate breastfeeding policies; and protecting the maternal-infant right to breastfeed in a market-driven, capitalistic society. • Child Care Committee: is soliciting papers addressing Building partnerships in support of healthy early childhood environments, eliminating racial disparities and promoting social justice. • Children with Special Health Care Needs: In keeping with the theme of the 2007 Annual Meeting this committee welcomes abstracts which address either the impact of public policy on services for children with special health care needs or the impact of youth and family advocacy on policy that shapes services for children with special health care needs. Topics of particular interest include: Efforts to assure coverage for children with special health care needs through policy change at state or federal levels, Efforts to improve coverage and benefits through state implementation of the Family Opportunity Act, Policy-based efforts to promote the financing or spread of the medical home model of care, Strategies to assure a voice for youth and families in national and state policy efforts. • Enhancing Interactions In A Home Visiting Environment: Lessons From Evidence-Based Practice" Abstracts that address the following key themes are sought: (1) evidence-based best practices demonstrating ongoing integration of staff development in home visiting programs, (2) strategies for enhancing interactions between home visiting staff and targeted program populations, (3) innovative strategies for linking staff, families, and the community in home visiting programs, and (4) practice guidelines for addressing the challenges of implementing and sustaining home visiting programs. • Epidemiology and Data: Areas of interest include: using MCH data to inform or analyze policy; models of data usage in MCH, MCH data issues and interpretation; multilevel modeling and analysis in MCH; integration of qualitative and quantitative methods in MCH, participatory methods in MCH, evidence-based evaluation of MCH programs, case studies of evidence-based decision-making in MCH, • Genetics and Bioethics: Areas of interest include issues regarding the ethical, legal, financial and social impact of evidence–based policy concerns for the delivery of genetic services and bringing new genetics tests to market. This section is also interested in abstracts that focus on issues associated with screening for heritable disorders from a family/consumer perspective and models for determining and evaluating long term health outcomes for infants identified through newborn screening. • Graduate Education: The preparation of the new MCH workforce, including the range of knowledge, training, program content, and sensitivities needed for the range of occupations in the MCH workforce of the future, including paraprofessionals, multi-disciplinary professionals, administrators, and community partners. • Improving Pregnancy Outcomes: 1) The role of politics and public policy in shaping pregnancy outcomes. Local and national policies and political processes play a critical role in shaping the contextual factors that affect the health and well-being of pregnant women, such as access to medical care and other social services and the quality of neighborhood environments. We invite abstract submissions that document the ways in which politics and public policy either promote positive pregnancy outcomes or undermine them. 2) Disparities in pregnancy outcomes: The role of politics and public policy. The incidence of low birthweight and preterm delivery varies considerably across different racial/ethnic and socioeconomic subgroups of the population. We invite abstract submissions that discuss the role of politics and public policy in maintaining such disparities or in mitigating them. 3) Improving pregnancy outcomes: Innovations in research and practice. We also welcome submissions of cutting-edge research which address factors that may not be directly related to politics or policy, but which influence pregnancy outcomes, nevertheless. • Infant and child health: preconception care, chronic disease prevention, infant and child morbidity, fetal alcohol syndrome, birth defects research and surveillance, newborn hearing and metabolic screening, developmental screening, autism and developmental disabilities and child development. • Innovations in Maternity Health Services: In 2007 we are facing increasing problems in access to Maternity Care, shortages of providers, increasing mal practice insurance costs and consumer insurance costs, decreasing insurance coverage, with decreases in consumer options.We are looking for research descriptions of programs or legislation which encourage or limit women’s and childbearing families choices for birth options, insurance, malpractice, support for providers, out reach clinics, creative solutions to access to care for all childbearing women and families including, midwives VBAC, breech, out of hospital settings for birth, inductions, elective cesarean sections, electro-fetal monitoring, out of hospital settings, delivery positions, water birth, how birth is portrayed in the media, doulas We are looking for research or descriptions of programs, addressing politics, policies or ethics, which stress these issues on the local, state or nation levels. • MCH International Health: Abstracts that examine (or examining) the influence of global and national politics and policies on maternal and child health. (One example is the limitations on funding for family planning and the resulting increase in unsafe abortions). • Policy and Financing of Women and Children's Health: Application of the right to health to current US or state public policy, law, and financing. History of the ‘health as a human right’ movement for mothers and children in the U.S. Measurements and indicators of government’s performance in assuring the right to health. What current market mechanisms facilitate or pose a barrier to implementing a full right to health for mothers and children? What would rights-based programming look like in the context of current frameworks used for MCH program planning? Paper topics may focus on policy and financing areas such as :insurance including Medicaid and SHIP, health information systems such as vaccine or screening registries, prenatal care, family planning, areas of significant disparities such as poverty and anti-poverty programs, health behaviors, nutrition, oral health, adolescent health, mental and behavioral health, genetic and chronic disease, as examples. • SIDS, Infant Mortality and Preterm Birth: etiology, risk factors, reducing disparities, effective prevention programs. Role of medical intervention in preterm birth. • Student Session: The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Section, in collaboration with the Association of Teachers of Maternal and Child Health, seeks student papers on a variety of topics related to MCH research, policy, and programs. The top five papers will be presented in the 6th Annual Outstanding Student Papers in MCH session. These top five student authors will be honored at the Martha May Eliot Award Luncheon. Accepted papers not selected for the special session will be included in other sessions. A 250-word abstract and a two-page summary are required. Submissions should conform to the required APHA structure. First authors must be student members of APHA who are working towards a degree at the time of submission. Advisors may be listed as coauthors; however, the student is expected to do the writing, analysis, and presentation. A partial stipend may be available. • Technology Theater Sessions: These sessions enable presenters to access the Internet for their presentations and makes available to them special equipment (e.g. CD Rom players, special computer software, special computer attachments, telephone line, etc). • Violence Prevention in Families and Communities: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Family Violence Prevention: Many disciplines contribute critical knowledge and perspectives to the use of theory, data, interventions, evaluation approaches, and policy development to family violence prevention efforts; by exploring these various efforts we can better prevent all forms of family violence, including child maltreatment, partner abuse, elder mistreatment, sibling abuse, and their relationships. • Women's Health: politics, policy and public health. A broad variety of themes is encouraged, including how politics can affect reproductive health policy and access to care for women; how women's health may be influenced by policies and programs that restrict access to information and care; the role of public health in advocating for evidence-based policies to improve women's health; and putting the M back in MCH.
Abstracts are judged on clarity of presentation, importance/originality, understanding and presentation of implications of findings, quality and description of subject matter including problem statement or hypothesis, quality and completeness of supporting data/philosophy, clarity and interest of presentation, methodology and contribution to the field of MCH. The highest rated abstracts, based on blinded peer review, are generally selected and placed in sessions according to the overall program plan for that year. Abstracts that include data based on completion of the study or project will have priority. A two-page (2000 words or less) summary providing more details on the research or program described in the abstract is required. After typing in your abstract on the electronic submission website, press ENTER and then proceed to type in your two-page detailed summary. Abstracts must be received by deadline stated in the APHA guidelines at the beginning of this call for abstracts (February 15, 2007). Late submissions or FAX submissions will not be accepted. The MCH Section generally sponsors scientific sessions and poster sessions. Please indicate willingness to participate in each type of format, especially note if you are unable or unwilling to participate in a poster session. Please also note if you are a current student as MCH sponsors special student programs. For the 2007 conference, the MCH section is soliciting abstracts for two special categories: 1. A special student session. Topics must be related to the field of MCH but may cover a variety of discipline topics including all those listed above. Papers will be reviewed by leaders in the field of MCH and the top 5 scoring abstracts will be presented at a special oral session at the annual convention to recognize students entering the field of MCH. An award will be given to the student with the highest scoring abstract. Papers not selected for the special student session will be forwarded to other MCH Section committees for consideration in other scientific sessions at the annual meeting. 2. Technology Theater Sessions. These sessions enable presenters to access the Internet for their presentations and makes available to them special equipment (e.g. CD Rom players, special computer software, special computer attachments, telephone line, etc). If your presentation is "technology dependent" please submit your abstract to this session (please note this DOES NOT include a need for a PowerPoint projector). |
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