Tuesday, November 3, 2009: 1:35 PM
Learning Objective 1: list causative factors of preterm birth, infant morbidity and mortality in African American adolescents.
Learning Objective 2: demonstrate an increased awareness of culturally appropriate interventions to decrease the incidence of preterm birth, infant morbidity and mortality in African American adolescents.
African American women had a threefold higher rate of birth at 20 to 34 weeks of gestation than Caucasian women (relative risk, 2.99; 95% CI, 2.89 to 3.08), and a nearly fourfold higher risk for extreme preterm birth, defined as 20-28 weeks of gestation. Compared with Caucasian women, the relative risk that an African American woman would give birth to an extremely premature infant was 3.71 (95% CI, 3.43 to 4.00) (Kistka, 2008). The risk of poor birth outcomes is greatest among the youngest mothers (aged 15 years and under). Continued work is needed to educate women, especially the young women, about the need to initiate prenatal care early in pregnancy. The goal of US Healthy People 2010 (HP2010)(CDC, 2008) Objective 16 is to decrease preterm birth to 7.6% Evaluation criteria will include the decrease of preterm births with early identification by health care providers of high risk patients and increased access to quality and comprehensive prenatal care. Measurement of outcome criteria will continue to be monitored by (PRAMS) Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System which will document statistics regarding prenatal care, preterm birth, etc. which all states require on birth certificate applications. Babies born to mothers who received inadequate prenatal care are three times more likely to be born at low birth weight, premature, and five times more likely to die, than those whose mothers received prenatal care (CDC, 2008). This paper will discuss culturally-specific and evidenced-based practice which must be provided to African American adolescents in order to meet the HP 2010 (CDC, 2008) goals.
![[ Visit Client Website ]](images/banner.gif)