Traditionally, mothers provide banana to their neonates as well as discharge their colostrum prior to breastfeeding, increasing the risk of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Health education modules, based on ethnographic study, to discourage these detrimental practices were developed for use by community leaders. Two thousand six hundred and…

Researchers in many fields agree. The physical, social, and economic health and well-being of adults and society as a whole are strongly influenced by the early experiences of children, when the foundation for effective cognitive and social skills and abilities are developed. Children who have developmental delays or disabilities require and often…

This second section of the Guidelines for Establishing Hospital-Based Immunization Education Programs for Mothers of Newborns discusses program implementation in the hospital setting. Brief discussions center on the following topics: (a) Gaining Administrative Approval and Support, (b) Utilizing Hospital Staff and Volunteer Resources (includes the…

In this study, 104 primarily indigent primiparous mothers from urban and rural areas and their healthy, full-term neonates were placed in one of four conditions during the normal postpartum lying-in period. Conditions were control, initial contact, rooming-in, and initial contact plus rooming-in. Dependent variables consisted of scores on the…

This report examines the determinants of the high level of infant mortality in Washington, D.C. Data were analyzed for 36,872 black resident single-delivery births occurring in the years 1980 through 1984, and 762 infant deaths occurring to these birth cohorts from 1980 to 1985. Findings were the following: (1) poor birthweight distribution among…

The present investigation studied early intervention service provision for young children. A total of 377 early intervention programs in Ohio provided data on the number of young handicapped and "at risk" children served, the types of services provided for children and their parents, and financial support. Although a large number of…

Text, illustrations, and exercises are utilized in these four learning modules to instruct parents and nursing students in topics related to child care and development. The first module, "Growth and Development: Let's Test Your Baby's Reflexes" by Bonnie Wojcik, describes the behavioral signs that are indicative of eight normal primitive…

Reviews research concerning fathers' birth attendance, early contact, and extended contact with newborn infants. Discusses relationships between fathers' early history with infants and subsequent patterns of involvement. Considers methodological challenges of studying these relationships and finds that no conclusive statements can be made about…

Presented are a literature review and new data on correlates of newborn auditory brainstem evoked responses (ABRs). Concludes that disorders of the central components of the ABR may be more of prenatal than of postnatal origin. The I-V interval had low but reliable correlations with four of 11 Brazelton scale variables. (RH)

Visual fixations were recorded in newborn, 4-, and 8-week-old human infants as they scanned displays that varied in contour length, size, number, and a new metric, CVAL (based on Contour Variability, Amount and Location). One of the findings was that both contour length and CVAL separately accounted for approximatel1 95 of looking-duration…

Irritability levels and activity reactivity to aversive tactile stimuli were compared for 144 full-term neonates and 191 preterm infants. Irritability ratings increased across the five trials both during and post stimulation for full-term females and males and for preterm females, but not for preterm males. Activity ratings decreased across trials…

Findings of four recent survey studies of physicians' attitudes toward discretionary medical treatment of infants with Down's syndrome are evaluated in terms of three major themes. It is apparent that most physicians in the specialities sampled prefer that life-sustaining treatment be withheld in certain instances. (Author)

Deficiencies observed in health education and infant bonding in the postpartum service at the University of California-Irvine Medical Center prompted the creation of a nurse clinician position to coordinate health education for the largely indigent patient population, to expand in-service training, facilitate delivery of services, and to serve as…

Argues that using the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale outside the standard hospital setting introduces variations in the physical and social context that influence scores on some of the behavioral items. (Author/BH)

This article reviews early intervention resources for supporting infants and toddlers in intensive care units (ICUs) and their families. The resources cost $50 or less and include a video, three books, two Web sites, and a publication listing assessment tools, guidelines for family-centered practice, participatory exercises, and a bibliography.…