In connection to yesterday’s blog for increased visibility of child abuse in the U.S., newly published research in the Maternal and Child Health Journal assessing the relationship between birth spacing and child maltreatment may broaden our understanding of how to combat the problem. Rationale: An objective of Health People 2020 states that births should be […]
Category: Women's Health
Ad Council takes on Unintended Pregnancies
Today CNN covered an opinion piece from Laura Sessions Stepp, a Pulitzer Prize journalist and former Washington Post reporter, on young adults and contraception. The Ad Council has accepted a proposal from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy to run a series of ads targeting adults in their 20’s to use birth […]
Women, HIV/AIDS and Art
The HIV/AIDS Resource Center for Women developed by the website The Body is committed to providing resources on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in women. They have created a special report entitled HIV & Me: A Woman’s Guide to Living with HIV, as well as news, roundtables, and information on pregnancy, complications and relationships. The site also […]
New Issue of Healthy Generations: MCH in the New Era of HIV
Hot off the presses! The Center for Leadership Education in Maternal and Child Public Health at the University of Minnesota is very pleased to announce the release of the Fall 2011 issue of Healthy Generations on MCH in the New Era of HIV. Print copies will arrive in your mailbox in the next couple of […]
Reflections on an MCH Field Experience
My experience at the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) Division of Research, Training and Education (DRTE) this summer was a period of valuable growth. As a Maternal and Child Health Masters in Public Health (MPH) trainee, I am interested in policy and macro level work, in for example, advocating for increased funding in preventative […]
Affordable Access to the HPV Vaccine for All Adolescent Females
Guest Blogger: Amanda Eastwood While suggested or even mandatory Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccines for young girls in the United States has been a highly controversial topic over the past few years, the risk of HPV among females in developing countries is a topic of equally important value but receives little publicity within the United […]
Our prenatal prospects: some thoughts
The “new” science of fetal orgins, as a New York Times column by Nicholas Kristof describes, draws substantial correlations between many diseases (autism, schizophrenia, even obesity) and an infant’s uterine environment. Although research remains mixed, much of it indicates that life before birth has a substantial impact on later life course. (FYI: Barker and colleagues were […]
World AIDS Day 2010
Today is World AIDS Day 2010 and the U.S. is joining more than 200 countries around the globe to call attention to the worldwide epidemic. Roughly 33 million people are estimated to be living with HIV or AIDS around the globe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 56,300 new HIV cases […]
Greetings from the other side: a recent grad discusses the future
After five years of taking classes part-time, I recently completed my MPH in Maternal and Child Health. What began as the profound personal experience of giving birth to my eldest son ten years ago became a career path. I became involved in the local birth community, becoming a volunteer doula and certified breastfeeding educator. I […]
Public health in Alaska: some thoughts
Greetings, MCH readers! Laura Andersen here, a master’s student at the University of Minnesota’s Maternal and Child Health program. I’m writing you from Alaska, where I am currently about halfway through one of the most interesting internships I’ve ever held – at the State of Alaska’s Section of Women’s, Children’s, and Family Health. Alaska is […]
New Publication: Health of Military Families
Hot off the presses! The Center for Leadership Education in Maternal and Child Public Health at the University of Minnesota is very pleased to announce the release of the summer 2010 issue of Healthy Generations on the Health of Military Families. Electronic of this (high resolution) issue and past issues are available to download at: […]
Maternal deaths on the decline?
New research published in the Lancet (April 2010) shows a sharp decrease in maternal deaths for the first time in decades: from 525,300 maternal deaths in 1980, to 342,900 in 2008. As the New York Times reported last week, the news came as a surprise to many maternal health advocates—who assumed data would be similar […]
Drive-Thru Diet?
With obesity rates in this country at an all time high, the food industry has responded. Many eating establishments have added healthier options to their menus, including smaller portions and a selection of lower calorie foods. However, one fast food chain has gone as far as promoting their menu items as “diet food.” Taco Bell’s […]
EC in Minnesota: some facts for minors
A recent comment from a visitor prompted this blogger to wonder–how accessible is emergency contraception in Minnesota, anyway? The short (and uninformative) answer is, it depends. For women and their partners who are 17 and older, emergency contraceptive (commonly known as “the morning after pill,” branded as “Plan B” or “Next Choice”) is available over-the-counter. […]
Good news for servicewomen
Today’s Airforce Times describes a new bill sponsored by Senators Al Franken and Olympia Snowe that would make emergency contraceptives available to women serving overseas. The Compassionate Care for Servicewomen Act also mandates that patients “not be required to get prior approval” before recieving care. It is similar, the article notes, to legislation sponsored by […]