CALL FOR ABSTRACTS — 139th APHA Annual Meeting (October 29 - November 2, 2011)

Theme: Healthy Communities Promote Healthy Minds & Bodies

Maternal and Child Health

Submission Deadline: Monday, February 7, 2011

• Adolescent Health and Young Adult Health
  Abstracts related to this year's conference theme might include youth as active agents of change in promoting healthy communities. Other topics of interest include: positive youth development programs and health; technology and media in adolescent health behaviors; implications of health care reform (PPACA 2010) for adolescent and young adult health; public health education and pipelines for youth (high school and college); sexual orientation and well-being; identity, culture and health; and themes related to Healthy People 2020's adolescent health objectives, including social determinants of health.
• Autism
  Abstracts for oral presentation are sought that some of the most urgent issues affecting people with Autism Spectrum Disorders and their families including research and/or evaluation to increase awareness; reduce barriers to screening and diagnosis; or analyze evidence-based interventions for children and adolescents
• Breastfeeding
  Breastfeeding Committee: abstracts and full session proposals for the 2011 APHA Annual Meeting on "Healthy Communities Promote Healthy Minds & Bodies." Abstracts are sought that report breastfeeding related research, program evaluation, policy development and advocacy activities, including community and state coalition activities and accomplishments. Abstracts that address infant feeding policy development that is congruent with current research and public health goals and that speak to ways in which breastfeeding programming and policy can support the annual meeting theme, “Healthy Communities,” are of special interest. Examples of relevant topics include, but are not limited to, community based program development or interventions which improve breastfeeding initiation or duration rates, policy development designed to educate and assist employers in supporting breastfeeding employees in the workplace; advocacy or coalition-building activities which address individual, interpersonal, organizational, and/or community-level factors that may interfere with optimal breastfeeding practices and policies.
• Child Care
  Abstracts are sought that promote the conference theme with emphasis on healthy communities developing systems for child care health consultation, obesity prevention programs for early care and education settings, child care health and early intervention services, child care health consultants in developing countries and improving the quality of child care through health and safety standards.
• Children with Special Health Care Needs
  Abstracts sought across the spectrum of issues facing children with special health care needs, their families and providers.
• Data & Epidemiology
  Areas of interest include: The use of MCH data to evaluate and inform programs and policies which promote the health and well-being of communities is essential. The Data and Epidemiology Committee is interested in abstracts describing: -examples of MCH epidemiology capacity building at the tribal, state, and community levels -the use of MCH data to inform MCH programs and policy -evidence-based evaluation of MCH programs Abstract submissions related to multilevel modeling, the integration of qualitative and quantitative methods, and data issues and interpretation in MCH are also welcomed.
• Health Reform and MCH
  Many provisions in the Health Care Reform Act on 2010 directly or indirectly affect the health of women, mothers, children and families. The MCH Section seeks abstracts (for oral presentation) for a session describing the opportunities and pitfalls of health reform implementation in the context of MCH.
• Improving Pregnancy Outcomes
  Eliminating persistent disparities in adverse birth outcomes across social groups continues to be a top public health priority. Conventional explanatory models that focus on individual-level risk factors, such as health behaviors, fail to adequately consider the larger social forces that shape health and disease risk. Communities are the context within which individuals exist, so it is imperative that their fundamental influence on pregnancy, birth outcomes, pre-/inter-conception health, and the overall well-being of mothers, children, and families is recognized. The Improving Pregnancy Outcomes Committee is interested in research, policy, interventions, and public health initiatives focused on community-based determinants, broadly defined, of pregnancy-related outcomes. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: 1) Male involvement in perinatal health 2) Social determinants of pregnancy outcomes 3) Policy advocacy, community organizing to promote healthy communities and families 4) Substandard housing, homelessness and pregnancy 5) “Food deserts” and pregnancy outcomes 6) Anti-immigrant sentiment and pregnancy 9) Psychosocial stress, intimate partner and/or community violence and pregnancy outcomes 10) Environmental toxins and pregnancy Abstracts that directly address the conference theme and the topics of interest to the Improving Pregnancy Outcomes Committee will be given highest priority. However, we also welcome abstract submissions of research that may not have a direct link to the conference theme, but may explore 21st century challenges that affect pregnancy outcomes. \
• Infant and Child Health
  In keeping with the annual meeting theme, abstracts are sought that pertain to healthy communities that promote the healthy minds and bodies of infant and children. This includes research that examines the impact of community characteristics on child health, development and well-being, as well as factors that influence community composition related to child health outcomes. The committee welcomes abstracts on central themes related to infant and child health including preconception health and health care, infant and child morbidity and mortality, fetal alcohol syndrome, birth defects research and surveillance, newborn hearing and metabolic screening, developmental screening, autism and developmental disabilities, neurobehavioral and mental health, and child development.
• Innovations in Maternity Health Services
  While the theme of the 2011 APHA Annual Meeting is Healthy Communities Promote Healthy Minds and Bodies, the everyday problems facing childbearing women and their families exceed concern with equity in access to good quality and timely Maternity Care Services. The shortages of providers caused by increasing malpractice insurance costs and the actual cost of pregnancy and delivery to individual families are a real and pressing crisis at this time. For this year’s program, we are seeking papers on these issues of concern: Maternal Mortality and Morbidity related to current childbearing practices, cesarean sections, vaginal birth after cesarean, epidural, induction, provider shortages, increasing malpractice cost, consumer insurance costs, decreasing insurance coverage, decreases in consumer options. We are looking for research descriptions of programs or legislation which encourage or limit women and childbearing families’ choices for birth options, , Holistic models that work, Innovative models of care that are effective in improving maternal outcomes- what works, what doesn’t work, insurance, support for providers, outreach clinics, creative solutions to access to care for all childbearing women and families including, midwives, out of hospital birth settings, inductions, elective cesarean sections, and doulas. Research or descriptions of programs, addressing politics, policies or ethics, which stress these issues on the local, state or nation levels, are encouraged.
• International MCH
  Submissions that address new approaches to global maternal and child health issues are always welcome. Special consideration will be given to submissions addressing the role of communities in promoting the health of women and children. One area of special interest is how communities can be involved to improve the health of mothers and newborns in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
• Joint Session on Men's Health
  Joint Session sponsored by Maternal and Child Health Section & Men’s Health Caucus. A healthy mind and body is important to every man in America. Healthy men, both young and old, are the backbone of society and an integral aspect of the workforce. However, the health of men is an often overlooked aspect of the health of our nation. Men currently have a life expectancy of five years less than women and die at higher rates in nine out of the top ten causes of death. If we intend to achieve the 2020 Healthy People objectives, it will take a drastic shift in how public health and the healthcare system deliver services to men. Preventing chronic disease can be achieved by having a nutritious diet, engaging in at least 60 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week and being tobacco-free or quitting smoking. These lifestyle behaviors also contribute to a man and his partner being healthy before starting a family, having a healthy pregnancy and improved birth outcomes. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: 1) Male involvement in family planning 2) Family planning programs for young men 3) Innovative outreach methods for delivering services to men 4) Preconception health for men 5) Fatherhood programs 6) Environmental factors and their effects on men’s sexual and reproductive health 7) Policy advocacy for paternal family/medical leave 8) Health promotion programs for homeless men 9) Chronic disease prevention programs for men
• Male Involvement
  Effectively involving fathers and men has been a longstanding concern in Maternal Child Health. The most recent report on Fragile Families (The Future of Children, Vol. 20, No. 2, Fall 2010) brings additional light to this important issue. Abstracts focusing on programs, their effectiveness and lessons learned are sought for a special session on male involvement.
• Maternal Life Course
  As we have come to understand the importance of Maternal Life Course and its relationship to perinatal outcomes, the MCH Section seeks abstracts (for oral presentation) that describe how programs have incorporated this concept including overall approach and lessons learned.
• Maternal Obesity and MCH
  Obesity is a problem at any age. Maternal obesity has a significant impact on maternal metabolism and offspring development. Abstracts describing efficacy or effectiveness studies to address maternal obesity are welcome for this special oral session.
• Perinatal & Women's Health
  All women's health and reproductive health issues are of interest, including the impact of communities on women's mental and physical health (in the US and worldwide). Other community issues of interest include conflict (e.g., warfare, natural disasters), health care services, policies, stress, genetics, behaviors, and the impact of neighborhood quality, including racism. Of particular interest are stigmatizing conditions and their effects on health. Outcomes of interest include health care access, utilization and coverage; stress; chronic and acute health conditions; STIs/HIV; abortion; contraceptive use; and unintended pregnancy. A specific interest is the mental, physical, or emotional health effects of armed conflict for women (especially US women) who are military personnel, caregivers to injured soldiers, or partners/spouses/ of soldiers.
• Policy and Finance for Maternal Child Health
  These papers address the importance of public policy and financing on the health of the community and the promotion of healthy minds and bodies. Of particular interest this year are papers with a focus on the impact of health care reform on the maternal and child health population in terms of access, cost and quality. Additional topics might include grass roots efforts, educational outreach or workplace reform based on national policies that have demonstrated an impact on outcomes.
• SIDS, Infant Mortality, and Preterm Birth
  Committee members encourage 2011 APHA submissions that relate to the following topics: · Addressing infant mortality in times of economic downturns · Innovations and creative strategies in reducing preterm births, SIDS and infant mortality · Highlighting prevention programs with proven outcomes measures · Healthy Start program evaluations The committee welcomes submissions that focus on outcome measures and evaluations rather than program reports or descriptions.
• Student Papers
  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 Greg Alexander Outstanding Student Papers session in the MCH Section on Monday morning. These top five student authors will be honored at the Martha May Eliot Award Luncheon also on Monday. Accepted papers not selected for the special session will be included in a student poster session or, as appropriate, in other sessions. 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, contingent upon availability of funds.
• Violence Prevention in Families and Communities
  This year's focus is: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Family Violence Prevention. Preventing family and community violence is essential to the Annual Meeting theme of Healthy Communities. Many disciplines contribute critical knowledge and perspectives to the use of theory, data, interventions, evaluation approaches, and policy development to family violence prevention and intervention 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 the relationships of these individual areas with each other. Submissions in any of these areas are of interest, and submissions exploring primary prevention programs are of particular interest.
• Workforce Issues in MCH
  Preparation of and access to professional, paraprofessional and leaders across the spectrum of MCH continues to be a concern. Papers discussing effective strategies to build capacity and expertise in an environment of uncertain or diminishing resources are sought.

Program Planner Contact Information:
Ann M. Dozier, RN, PhD
Community and Preventive Medicine/Social and Behavioral Medicine
University of Rochester
POBox 278969
Rochester, NY 14627
Phone: 5857587812
ann_dozier@urmc.rochester.edu