Improving perinatal health: a novel approach to improve community and adult health.
Recent trends of increasing infant morbidity and mortality are inconsistent with this nation's vision of advances in adult quality of life and longevity. Infant mortality and weight at birth are important predictors of the health of a society, making these findings all the more disturbing. Infant morbidity could be a reflection or alternatively, a harbinger of increasing national rates of obesity, diabetes mellitus, community violence and widening economic disparities. This paper presents the linkage between perinatal health and adult health using infant morbidities (infant mortality, low birthweight, prematurity) as examples. Infant morbidities/mortalities are social problems with health-care consequences. All social classes suffer the results of poor infant health. Improving perinatal health can improve the health of a community in a cyclic fashion. We propose that improving the health of reproductive age women and infants; will result in a reduction in the incidence of severe/chronic and costly adult health outcomes.
Gaylord
M
M
OB/GYN-Regional Perinatal Program, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, TN, USA. mgaylord@mc.utmck.edu
Greer
M
M
Botti
J
J
D002423:Cause of Death; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007229:Infant Welfare; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D016387:Women's Health