Prenatal outreach: an approach to reduce infant mortality of African American infants.
Infant mortality is a pernicious and disturbing problem in the African American community. Research and public health reports clearly demonstrate the importance of early and ongoing prenatal care in reducing the incidence of low birth weight (LBW) infants, especially for indigent and racial/ethnic minority groups (American Nurses Association 1987, Hogue & Yip, 1989; McCormick, 1985, National Commission to Prevent Infant Mortality 1988, Institute of Medicine 1985, 1989; United States Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 1990). LBW is a known risk factor for perinatal morbidity and mortality in the first year of life (USDHHS, 1993). Prenatal outreach and home visiting programs have shown effectiveness in assisting African American pregnant women and other racial/ethnic minority groups to access and participate in needed prenatal care. Brooten, Gennaro, Knapp, Jovene, Brown, and York's (1991) research also confirmed the importance of early discharge and home followup of very low birthweight infants. Nurses are challenged to participate in grass-roots initiatives and community-based approaches to improve the prenatal outcomes of African American teens.
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology