Child Development and Public Health

     The public health topic I chose is nutrition/malnutrition.  This topic is meaningful to me because I have a family member whose child was affected by malnutrition.  Sound nutrition could have prevented many of her health problems.  For example, she has impaired vision, speech impairment, and she is not at the proper weight for her age.  My cousin is in the second grade.  She is receiving Special Education services because of her health problems.  Malnutrition is the primary cause of her developmental delays.  

     Research shows that nutrition plays a vital part in the development of the brain in young children.  When children do not receive adequate nutrition they often suffer malnutrition.  It is important to have healthy eating habits which will translate into healthy eating pattern as adults.  Early childhood nutrition is an excellent way to promote good life long dietary habits.

     Socially economically deprived women often do not receive the proper nutrition they need in order to deliver a healthy baby.  There are programs available for them such as the Women, Infant, and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program (WIC) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  The WIC program offers nutritional foods for the mother and the child but, many women do not continue to receive the products after the first year of their child’s life.  The reason being the mother does not complete the recertification process.

     I chose Panama as a different part of the world in which I will discuss nutrition/malnutrition.  The institute of Central America and Panama (INCAP) conducted a study of child growth and development.  They selected residents of four villages who were of mixed Spanish and American Indian decent.  The study showed that dietary supplements enriched with vegetable protein improved the children growth rates.  In many third world countries, children die in large numbers simply because they do not receive adequate nutrition. 

     In conclusion, nutrition/malnutrition will impact my future because if students do not receive the proper nutrition their brain development will be impaired.  Malnutrition will impact my students’ ability to learn.  Nutrition plays an important role in children intellectual development.            

References

Ellis-Christensen, Tricia. (2010, August). What are some important considerations for Early    
     Childhood Nutrition?  Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/    

Stein, Aryeh D., et.al. (2008, July). Nutritional Supplementation in Early Childhood, Schooling, and   
     Intellectual Functioning in Adulthood. Retrieved from http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/

Personal Birthing Experience

I personally do not have any children therefore; I plan to discuss a birth experience that I witnessed.  My friend Barbara received excellent prenatal care.  She attended all of her prenatal visits.  She did not take any over the counter drugs not even for a headache.  Her diet consisted of healthy nutritious foods.  She exercised three to four times a week.  Barbara began the labor process at 5:30 p.m. Friday evening.  Her labor pains were five minutes apart when she left her home for the hospital.  Her labor lasted for approximately sixteen hours.  She had natural child birth. Barbara gave birth to a healthy 7 pound baby boy at 9:27 a.m. Saturday morning.  I chose this experience because I witnessed the birth of her child.  Labor is a painful yet beautiful experience. Procreation is necessary in order for our survival as a people.

I selected Germany as the country for my investigation of how prenatal care happens there.  In Germany prenatal care is free.  Prenatal services are provided by an obstetrician or a general practitioner.  Women who do not receive prenatal care have poor infant outcomes.  At-risk groups are women who are non-German and under the age of eighteen these individuals often receive insufficient prenatal care.  The reason for poor infant outcomes is primarily because they refuse to seek prenatal care services. 

The difference between the United States and Germany with childbirth and prenatal care is pregnant women receive free prenatal service however; women often do not seek prenatal care. Socioeconomic status in the United States determines whether or not the woman will receive free prenatal services.  My friend received free prenatal services because of her socioeconomic status.    

 In both the United States and Germany, the probability of high infant deaths, health problems and birth deficits increase due to a lack of prenatal care.  It is imperative that all women seek prenatal care during their pregnancies.

My insights about the impact of the birthing experience that I gained from this comparison is as follows: it is importance for pregnant women to  have early prenatal care, healthy eating habits, adequate exercise and they need to follow the instructions of their obstetricians which will help to ensure that they deliver a healthy baby.  

Reference

Buekens, Pierre, Geraedts, Max, Gissler, Mika, & Hemminki, Elina. (1998). Insufficient Prenatal

     Care in Finland and Baden Wurttemberg Characteristics of women and infant outcome.

     Retrieved from Eur_J_Public_Health-1998-GISSLER-227-31(1)(1).pdf