Examination of the Relationships Between Birth Weight and Specific Developmental Disabilities

Snyder et al. (1993) studied the psychometric integrity of the BDI-2 to demonstrate the importance of reliability and validity. They tested 78 infants with severe disabilities living in an urban environment every year for over 5 years. The study sample included 45 males and 33 females, with 27 being white and the other 51 children labeled as non-white. The fact that the all the subjects for this study were severely handicapped was significant in that the normative sample for the BDI-2 was 2500 children without disabilities from 30 states, stratified across age, sex, ethnicity, geographic location and SES (Newborg et al., 2005). Snyder et al., (1993) found some contradictory information from that of authors of the BDI-2. The authors of the BDI-2 claim that there are five major developmental domains that can be tested and that each domain can stand alone (Newborg et al., 2005). However, Snyder et al (1993) identified only 3 developmental domains and found that the domains did not stand alone and there was a high correlation between “subdomains of social role, conceptual development, personal responsibility, self-concept,

The relationship between the determinants of health and health outcomes had been thoroughly studied. In policies or programs to reduce and prevent health disparities, factors that contribute to the rise in trends are called the determinants of social health. It is equally important to recognize that childhood is an important time in which interventions can have a significant impact on health outcomes throughout life. (Dubiel et al, 2010)

“Down’s syndrome or learning difficulties are at a lower risk of 4 in 10 infants per 1000 live infants born”.

The main ethnic/racial groups affected by the health issue are non-Hispanic African American females, Hispanic females, and Native Americans/Native Alaskans. There were key study findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that found that U.S. birth rates for adolescents vary considerably by race and Hispanic origin (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). Thus, this provides even more clear evidence on the difference of ethnic/racial groups. Additionally, in 2008, the birth rate for Hispanic adolescents was approximately five times the rate for Asian/Pacific Islander adolescents, three times the rate for non-Hispanic white adolescents, and somewhat higher than the rates for non-Hispanic African American and Native American/Native Alaskan adolescents (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011).

Young Hispanic children experience multiple disparities in health status, insurance coverage, barriers to healthcare access and the quality of health care received. There have been multiple studies that have researched racial/ethnic disparities among adults, however few studies have examined the racial/ethnic disparities in the health care of children. The United States is experiencing a demographic surge in minority children, particularly among the youngest age groups. "Estimates indicate that, by 2030, there will be more minority children than non-Hispanic white children" (Flores, Olson & Korman, 2004, p. 192). This alarming statistic has caused a national concern. This paper will discuss the

Basco, W.J., Hletko, P., West, L., & Darden, P. (2009). Determining the proportion of children too heavy for age-appropriate car seats in practice-based research network. Clinical Pediatrics, 48(1), 37-43. doi:10.1177/00009922808321676

Different disabilities may affect development in different ways. However, with support from teachers and parents, these affects can be minimalised. A learning disability such as Dyslexia (a common type of learning difficulty that can cause problems with reading, writing and spelling) could lead to a child becoming frustrated which could further lead to behavioural issues. Moreover, without assistance, Dyslexia will allow for the child to become unmotivated and prove to be a hindrance to them as they look to strive in later life. Physical disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy (a neurological condition that effects movement and coordination) will affect development as children will have difficulties communicating, eating and drinking and with their

social trends and medical advances have promoted significant changes in scientific research on the health of children in the United States. Injury remains a major contributor to childhood illness and death. However, among the causes of injuries, chronic diseases now account for the majority of days of hospitalization and death among children. Although mortality rates for all children has decreased significantly, social inequalities persist. About half the excess deaths in children of African Americans occurs in infancy, mainly due to preterm delivery, and the rest, mainly from the homicide and serious chronic diseases in. These challenges may require changes in practices and policies for the health of children today. The health of children in the United States poses a paradox that the mortality rate has decreased significantly.

The prevalence of low birth weight by different characteristics of mothers and births is shown in Table 2. The higher prevalence of low birth weight was among black women, which was (OR= 2.70%, 95% CI [2.45-2.95]) and lowest prevalence of low birth weight babies were among white women, which were (OR=1.30%, 95% CI [1.21-1.39]). The youngest age group (19

Hospital management also expressed their interest in exploring whether the birthweight of a child could be predicted through the use of a multiple-regression model. This could assist staff in predicting which infants may be at risk of being born at a low birthweight. To do this, a multiple-regression can be derived from the sample data provided, which will assume the form;

Although no national data on the prevalence of neurobehavioral outcomes in LBW infants was found, multiple cohort studies performed give insight into the epidemiology of these outcomes. A study done by Litt et al. (2012) following 181 VLBW infants (birth cohort 1992-1995) into adolescence found a prevalence of neurosensory disorders including cerebral palsy, blindness, and deafness equal to 17%, compared to 0% of the 115 NBW children followed. Similarly, Wilson-Costello et al. (2007) found a prevalence of 23% for neurosensory disorders among 749 LBW infants from a similar cohort (1990-1999). This prevalence decreased to 9% for the 2000-2002 cohort (Wilson-Costello et al., 2007). In addition, Litt et al. (2012) found that 18% of VLBW

In this study, seventy-five people were recruited from several sites in Coffee County, which included various sectors of South Georgia State College and a pediatric office in Douglas. The sample consisted of thirty-eight males and thirty-seven females. The ethnicities represented in this study consisted of twenty-eight Caucasians, nineteen African Americans, twenty Hispanics, and eight other participants who selected other as their ethnicity. The mean age was, (M=23.0133; SD=6.16769).

Birthweight is an outcome that is sensitive to the conditions in which mothers experienced pregnancy, particularly to issues of deprivation and poor diet, which are tied to lower birthweight. It is also an excellent predictor of some difficulties that infants may experience in their first weeks of life. The National Center for Health Statistics reports that although infants weighing 5 1/2 pounds (88 ounces) or less account for only 7% of births, they account for nearly 2/3 of infant

When obtaining a health assessment of diverse populations, it is important to evaluate the socioeconomic and lifestyle problems that pertain to the disease in question. Collecting a thorough history is crucial to treating the family as a unit. Familial socioeconomic resources and children’s health outcomes are strongly documented in research when kids suffer disadvantages during their rearing (Hardie & Landale, 2013). Lacking the support of the family emotionally or financially is a tremendous burden to a child. Poor health in children results in higher school drop out rates, in addition to more health problems in later life, consequently, leading to lower incomes than their healthier counterparts (Hardie & Landale, 2013). Having a parent

In 1981, Nelson and Ellenberg compared the Apgar scores at birth with the neurodevelopmental status of the children at age 7 and found almost no association. In 1986 the same authors published a landmark study in the New England Journal of Medicine on analysis of the antecendents of cerebral palsy and concluded that maternal mental retardation, birth weight below 2001 grams and fetal malformation were the main predictors while “inclusion of information about the events of birth and the neonatal period” added little to information provided by characteristics available before the labor began.10