Week 7

Maternal and Child Health Care

The United States has one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates among other high-income industrialized nations. This week will focus on understanding how we measure infant and child health and learning about the different interventions in place to prevent maternal mortality. 

Reading 1: Barr Chapter 7 (168-195)

Reading 2: “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Reproductive Health Services and Outcomes  Download Reading 2: “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Reproductive Health Services and Outcomes ”  Download ”

Video 1: Indigenous ‘Helpers’ Combat High Maternal Mortality Rates. PBS

https://www.pbs.org/video/high-risk-1607116455/Links to an external site.

Video 2: The Fight to End Texas’ High Maternal Mortality Rate

https://www.pbs.org/video/the-fight-to-end-texas-high-maternal-mortality-rate-1558807754/Links to an external site.  

Guiding Questions:

What does infant and child health tell us about population health?

How does early childhood adversity impact health in later life?

What role does neighborhood and social environment play in child health?

What factors contribute to infant and maternal death rates?

What different policy initiatives are in place to improve maternal and infant health care?