In a group of 154 U.S.-born and 127 Mexico-born Hispanic teens delivering at a county hospital in Houston, only 50 returned for their scheduled postpartum visit. Returning teens across groups were more likely to have no prenatal care, have a preterm or expired infant, report no educational plan, and have a support system. (KS)

Asthma will be a significant public health problem until economic and social progress catches up with medical progress. The article explains asthma and discusses how to handle childhood asthma. Parents, politicians, and health care professionals must unite to assure adequate medical care and healthful living conditions for all children. (SM)

The comprehensive management of epilepsy in people with mental retardation requires consideration of four aspects of care: diagnosis and classification, anticonvulsant drug treatment, safety and protection from injury, and psychosocial functioning. This paper outlines what is known and unknown in these four areas and introduces articles in this…

Records covering a five-year period of adults with mental retardation in a residential program were reviewed to determine differences in antipsychotic dosages over time. Findings suggest that individuals with mental retardation who do not have psychoses are a suitable group for dosage reduction and that use of alternative medications facilitates…

Five papers on outcomes assessment and management in health care services are presented. The papers illustrate the different stages of outcomes assessment, including identification and selection of indicators, monitoring and pooling of data, description of variations and identification of problems, analysis of variations, and feedback and results.…

The nursing faculty at Mercy College (New York) affiliated with several prison facilities to provide clinical experiences for senior nursing students. An ideal setting for the clinical group leadership course, the prison affiliations also helped students develop social awareness and advocacy strategies for this at-risk population. (SK)

Discusses ramifications of the genetics revolution for child welfare and gives an overview of genetic disorders and genetic services. Presents findings of an exploratory study of the proportion of children in out-of-home care in two cities who were diagnosed as having genetic disorders and who met referral criteria. Discusses implications for…

This article describes the major components of rehabilitation services in Japan for people who are visually impaired from diabetes. These components include diabetes education and medical care, social welfare and rehabilitation services, nutrition and exercise, medication, monitoring of blood glucose, glycemic control, and the prevention of…

This literature review points out that the three major respiratory disorders prevalent in school children are asthma, cystic fibrosis, and tuberculosis. The review notes the incidence and medical management of these disorders, briefly describes related disorders, and outlines the implications for educators. (Author/JDD)

Discusses the diagnosis and management of "non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome," a form of cyclic insomnia to which people who are totally blind are prone. Covered are incidence and clinical features, formal diagnostic criteria, the biological basis of circadian sleep disorders, circadian rhythms in blind people, pharmacological entrainment,…

Examines some medical classification systems with a long history--notably the "International Classification of Diseases (ICD)." States that this classification scheme retains many traces of its own administrative and organizational past in its current form. Suggests that ICD, like other large-scale classification systems, performs so…

Presents the perspectives of a parent and a pediatrician on managed health care for children. The parent's experience in obtaining care for her disabled child demonstrates many pitfalls in the system. The pediatrician stresses that advocacy for child health should promote child health through managed care, rather than protect children from managed…

Analysis of documents from 19 college home economics/family and consumer sciences programs demonstrated the evolution of health core curriculum from emphasis on sanitation, nutrition, and food preparation to hospital-related health care. Today's emphasis on health care costs and wellness has shifted emphasis to home health care and prevention. (SK)

Updates a 10-year medical overview on HIV/AIDS written for a Child Welfare League of America publication. Covers HIV transmission, diagnosis and treatment of HIV in infants, maternal treatment and testing, and advances and challenges, including new drug therapies. Concludes with recommendations on systems of care for affected families. (EV)

Investigates the determinants of delay behavior in health care seeking in a sample of 292 adolescent patients with STD symptoms. Early health care seeking was determined by perceived seriousness of STDs, an absence of self treatment prior to seeking care, and positive attitudes regarding personal autonomy in condom use behavior. (Contains 17…