Vulnerable infants: kinship care and health.
Kinship care, a type of foster care provided by relatives, has expanded rapidly in the last decade. This descriptive prospective study was part of a larger study on the costs to families caring for a preterm infant. Of the 224 families interviewed, 12 families (13 infants) participated in kinship care. Compared to infants in the larger study, kinship babies received inadequate health care follow-up, including immunizations, and had more rehospitalizations but fewer acute care visits. Children in kinship care appear to have more health problems compared to American children in general. A system is required within our health care structure for maintaining accurate health records, delivering special care to these babies, and providing supportive services to the kinship caregivers.
Gennaro
S
S
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, USA.
York
R
R
Dunphy
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P
D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005581:Foster Home Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007224:Infant Care; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires