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.
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, USA.
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Gennaro
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York
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Dunphy
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