Question

Discuss disparities related to ethnic and cultural groups relative to low birth weight infants and preterm births. Describe the impact of extremely low birth weight babies on the family and on the community (short-term and long-term, including economic considerations, on-going care considerations, and co-morbidities associated with prematurity). Identify at least one support service within your community for preterm infants and their family. Provide the link for your colleagues to view. Does the service adequately address needs of this population? Explain your answer.

Your individual response should have a 1. minimum of 300 words excluding your reference citation 2. need to use two peer-reviewed/scholarly resources to support your response 3. at least one in-intext citation

Answer 1

Babies weighing 3.3 pounds (1500 grams) or less at birth are considered as very low birth weight babies. According to World Health Organization, severe short- and long-term health consequences are encountered by the 30 million low-birth-weight babies born annually (23.8% of all births). The cost of caring low birth weight is estimated at over $26 billion annually nationwide and thus it contributes to the public health issue. As per The March of Dimes reports the prematurity/low birth weight is the second most expensive condition for inpatient hospital care and with an average hospital stay for the same of 26 days.

The birth weight is a major determinant of mortality, morbidity and disability in infancy and childhood and it also has a long-lasting impact on health outcomes in adult life. The financial impact of low birth weight on health sector is also significant. The burden of management of low birth weight lay on family and society too. In comparison with 1.2 % of infants born to non- Hispanic White, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander women and 1.3 % of American Indian/Alaska Native women, 3% of infants born to non-Hispanic Black women were very low birth weight in 2008. Over the past 25 years, the infant mortality rate has fallen steadily for both blacks and whites. In 1980 and 2000 the infant mortality rate was 18 and 12 respectively for blacks and that of whites were 9 and 5 respectively.

The major costs to manage the low birth weight infants are distributed as initial life-sustaining measures like incubation and the re-hospitalization in the first year. The costs are higher than outpatient costs. The main cost components after the neonatal period are distributed for re-hospitalization, outpatient visits, pharmaceuticals, medical aids and nonmedical costs for education, nutrition, travelling, accommodation, child care as well as indirect costs (mainly parental time and/or wage losses).

It is the duty of the local or federal government to provide financial assistance to the families while they are taking care of the premature infants. The Highmark Foundation provided grants to Every Child Inc. and Butler Memorial Hospital are two nonprofit organizations in western Pennsylvania contributes to tackling the problem of low birth weight. The programs focused on clients most at risk that addresses low birth weight and work to improve infant and maternal health outcomes and supported by grants. They offer opportunities for the mothers and babies, that otherwise have had no access. The aim is to provide the opportunity to every to grow and develop into a healthy individual.

The survival rate of low birth weight babies is increasing with the advancement of medical science and improvement of social systems. The prevention of low birth weight is the best methods to improve the outcome and that can be achieved by proper prenatal care. Ensuring an adequate number of prenatal visits also aid in managing such problems. Provision of proper nutrition and medical care by the government and other organization helped in improving the survival rates.

  

Reference

1. World Health Organization, 2014 Nutrition, Feto-maternal nutrition and low birth weight. Retrieved on November 25, 2014, from http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/feto_maternal/en/

2. Reichman N. 2005. Low Birth Weight and School Readiness Retrieved on November 25, 2014, from http://futureofchildren.org/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=38&articleid=118§ion id=774

3. Hodek J., Schulenburg J., Mittendorf T., 2011 Measuring economic consequences of preterm birth Methodological recommendations for the evaluation of personal burden on children and their caregivers Retrieved on November 26, 2014, from http://www.healtheconomicsreview.com/content/1/1/6

4. Joyce C, Goodman-Bryan M, Hardin A. Preterm birth and low birth weight. Urban Child Institute website. http://www.urbanchildinstitute.org/sites/all/files/2010-10-01

5. https://www.bartleby.com/essay/Disparities-between-Racial-Groups-Related-to-Low-F3JYSRFBZ6FA

6. https://www.highmarkfoundation.org/pdf/lowBirthWeightWhitePaper.pdf