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Child care staff health: Missed opportunities for preconception health outreach
In 2002 it was estimated that there were more than 1.4 million child care providers caring for 12 million children across the nation and 97% of those child care providers were women in their childbearing years—generally considered to be 18-45 years of age inclusive. In 2014 Pima County Health Department Child Care Health Consultants (CCHCs) developed a survey which queried child care providers about simple demographics, health characteristics, health habits, and their interest in health improvement topics. Two hundred six providers from child care centers and family child care homes completed the survey. A question to be addressed by the survey was “Are women in their childbearing years (18-45 years of age) represented in significant numbers in the child care staff in Pima County?" If so, are CCHCs missing opportunities for preconception health outreach? Early results of the survey revealed that 70% of the child care staff reporting their age are in the childbearing age group. The survey included questions related to general health status, preventive health care, stress and mental health, tobacco and alcohol use, nutrition and physical activity, and occupational musculoskeletal injuries. Survey results will be used to develop health outreach to child care providers as a routine component of quality improvement in child care programs. Preconception health messages for staff including daily folic acid intake, maintaining a healthy weight, healthy foods and physical activity, healthy lifestyles, and stress reduction should be a part of child care health consultant visits.
Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related nursing
Learning Objectives:
Describe the need to incorporate staff health activities including preconception health outreach into child care health consultation.
Keyword(s): Maternal and Child Health, Caregivers
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have provided child care health consultation in child care programs for more than 25 years. I assisted in the development of a system of child care health consultants across the state of Arizona. Child care staff health has become an area of increasing interest. I developed a child care staff health survey preconception health topics as a basis for planning health interventions for child care staff by child care health consultants.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
