TO DEVELOP A COALITION OF COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

To Develop a Coalition of Community Programs to form a Support Group for Young Mothers

To Develop a Coalition of Community Programs to form a Support Group for Young Mothers

Introduction

Low birth-weight (LBW) is the single most important cause of infant mortality (Shah, 1998). There are many health problems that can occur with LBW babies including higher rates of physical, developmental, and intellectual problems; learning disorders, visual problems, respiratory illnesses and cerebral palsy. These infants may be at higher risk for diabetes type II in later life. Delayed bonding may occur for the mother and child, and emotional stress for parents, grandparents and siblings. Description of the Problem-young mothers with no support system

The purpose of this paper is to assess the problem of LBW babies from the point of view of mothers with low socio-economic status. There are a number of risk factors associated with low income. These include education and resulting poor life style choices impacting nutrition and behaviors that jeopardize both the health of the mother and the health of the unborn child. An examination of these factors demonstrates that that this problem is not an easy one to fix. Breaking the cycle of poverty and low education from one generation to the next is difficult because it requires behavioral change. Nonetheless there have been some successes for some of the community programs working with poor pregnant women and the incidence of LBW babies has been somewhat reduced.

The problem - some key definitions

What is LBW? Medically, low-birth-weight is defined in the following ways:

Small for gestational age (SGA) less than 2500?g (5.5?lbs). A very low birth-weight baby (VLBW) weights less than 1.5?kg (1,500?g or 3.3?lb).

Pre-term: early labor, less than 35 weeks gestation.

Multiple gestation is known for causing LBW, and while often genetic, can occur when taking fertility drugs.

Low socio-economic status. This is measured by income, education and to some degree, occupation. “Low-income mothers” may be those on social assistance (welfare) or the working poor. Many young single mothers may still be students, in high school and college and living in the parental home with “The impact of varying degrees of support, financially and emotionally. socio-economic status on birth-weight overrides all other associated factors, including physiological ones.” This is the view of Best Start, an organization that supports service providers in Ontario working on health promotion initiatives to enhance the expectant and new parents, new-borns and young children

Many young pregnant women are still in school and have no personal income. Many women are only employed part-time, with no benefits provided. “Almost 70 percent of young women worry a lot about finances” (BestStart, 1992). Poverty is often a problem before conception, and leaves this group with the fewest resources. Prescription drugs, vitamins and travel to appointments are not covered by national health insurance.

Aboriginal, isolated, and northern communities have many of the socio-economic problems associated with low income. Poor lifestyle choices are often made, even when those choices and habits are costly ...