Oral

Pregnancy and early childhood are key life stages for the development of healthy nutritional habits. Nutrition practices at these critical life stages can have short and long-term impacts for the health of mother and child. This session will examine the nutritional factors that affect health in these life stages. Two of the presenters will report on associations between breastfeeding and other childhood nutritional factors related to diet quality, growth, and obesity. Another speaker will demonstrate that nutritional supplementation of infants resulted in reduced instances of infectious diseases. We will also have a presentation showing how providers working with pregnant women can use electronic records for health interventions.

Session Objectives: 1. Describe how breastfeeding is associated with increased vegetable intake in childhood; 2. Describe the usage of an interactive pregnancy website among a diverse sample of young women; 3. Understand the effects of nutrient fortification on the incidence of infectious diseases in infants; and 4. Identify different trajectories of child growth and the factors that influence them.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)