Birthweights and growth of infants in five Aboriginal communities.
Aust N Z J Public Health
; 24(2): 124-35, 2000 Apr.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-10790931
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
To improve, by culturally appropriate means, birthweights and growth of children up to three years of age over 14 months in five Aboriginal communities in north-western Australia.METHODS:
Frequent individual nutritional assessment of infants and children with counselling of mothers and carers and of pregnant women and the introduction of the Aboriginal-controlled Strong Women, Strong Babies, Strong Culture maternal support program. Outcomes compared with those in the same communities for the five years preceding intervention.RESULTS:
By international standards, pre-intervention birthweights of full-term infants (37-42 weeks) were only moderately depressed and recovered to exceed standard weight-for-age within two weeks of birth. Growth of full-term infants slowed abruptly after six months. Prevalence and duration of breastfeeding were very high. Prevailing low average birthweight was chiefly attributable to a prevalence of pre-term birth approaching 20%. Intervention was not accompanied by any change in full-term birth weight but was associated with increased weight gain after six months. From 12 to 36 months growth rose by 30 g per month (p = 0.001). Average birthweights of pre-term infants were < 2,500 g and average weight-for-age did not improve during intervention.CONCLUSIONS:
Both low birthweight and a disproportionate part of intransigent failure to grow by Aboriginal infants were associated with pre-term birth. Depressed average growth of full-term infants appeared to respond to nutritional counselling accompanied by a community support program. IMPLICATIONS Investigation of the causes of the exceptionally high rate of Aboriginal pre-term birth in the region is urgently required.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Peso ao Nascer
/
Transtornos da Nutrição Infantil
/
Avaliação Nutricional
/
Serviços de Saúde da Criança
/
Serviços de Saúde Comunitária
/
Participação da Comunidade
/
Havaiano Nativo ou Outro Ilhéu do Pacífico
/
Ciências da Nutrição Infantil
/
Retardo do Crescimento Fetal
/
Transtornos do Crescimento
Tipo de estudo:
Clinical_trials
/
Diagnostic_studies
/
Evaluation_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Child, preschool
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Infant
/
Male
/
Newborn
/
Pregnancy
País/Região como assunto:
Oceania
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Aust N Z J Public Health
Assunto da revista:
SAUDE PUBLICA
Ano de publicação:
2000
Tipo de documento:
Article