Over the last 40 years newborn screening has been an undoubted success and many thousands of children have been saved from mental retardation and other problems because of early diagnosis of their disorders. Now many diseases can be diagnosed early by newborn screening and many more are on the horizon. It must be a long-term goal to extend newborn screening tests to all children but, in areas of the world where healthcare delivery is insufficient, solving other health problems has to take precedence over introducing newborn screening. If it is decided to introduce newborn screening in a region where currently there is none screening for congenital hypothyroidism alone should be started before anything else at all is attempted so that proper systems can be put in place. There is an exciting future for newborn screening ahead. If new programmes are approached with proper caution maximal benefit will be achieved from newborn screening, which is one of the few clearly effective preventive strategies in healthcare.
Child ; Child Welfare ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Neonatal Screening ; standards

The Global Consensus for Feeding the Preterm Infant was published in the Journal of Pediatrics 3 supplement, 2013. The content of the consensus includes recommended nutrient intake for different gestational age preterm infants, identifying appropriate growth curves, the use of breast milk, nutritional recommendations for the late-preterm infant and the preterm infant after hospital discharge, nutritional requirements and feeding recommendations for small gestation age infants, reconsideration of the importance of vitamin A and vitamin D for immature infants, recommendations for immunonutrients, and the association of feeding of preterm infants with later metabolic and cardiovascular outcomes. The main characteristics of the consensus: (1) aimed to improve prognosis; (2) individualized nutritional strategy based on gestational ages; (3) coexistence of consensus and controversy in feeding of preterm infants.
Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena ; Infant Welfare ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Nutritional Requirements

No abstract available.
Abortion, Induced ; Child Welfare* ; Family Planning* ; Female ; Human ; Infant, Newborn ; Korea ; Male ; Maternal Age ; Maternal Mortality ; Maternal Welfare* ; Pregnancy

The health conditions under which the mothers and children of Korea live are not adequate. We realize that the needs in the field of MCH a re enormous, but that it is unrealistic and unwise to use the entire health budget of 4.9 million dollars to build maternity and pediatric hospitals. There must be an extensive program to reduce the number of births as well as the number of deaths if the living standrds in Korea are to improve. The success of Korea's health program is closely related to the general economic development. Without a reduction in the number of births it seems impossible that a successful economic development program can be planned, or executed. In the first five years of the program the group successfully reached by the family planning program was largely the receptive, motivated women in the older child bearing age group. A strategic platform for the success of the next five year plan would be to concentrate on the younger less motivated mothers; to educate them to better family spacing and child care. Inclusion of family planning in a comprehensive, total maternal and child care program seems a rational and effective approach. Therefore a successful national family planning program would seem to be a sound basic platform on which to base maternal and child health work as well as the economic development program in Korea. We need not repeat here the merits of family planning in Korea. A1ready the national program has accomplished much towards improving the health of Korea's mothers and children. It is hoped that in the coming decade the family planning program will go beyond the immediate aim of curbing the explosive population growth and adopt as its long-term objective promotion of total maternal and chi1d health. This objective can only be achieved by good organization, careful planning, competent staff and an adequate budget. A comprehensive maternal and child health program should include better care of children, responsible parenthood, marriage guidance, maternity care, and sterility correction all leading to better mental and physical health.
Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Child ; *Child Welfare ; Child, Preschool ; *Family Planning Services ; Female ; Human ; Infant ; Korea ; *Maternal Welfare ; *Public Health

This study is designed to serve as a reference for the establishment of health security systems for children’s critical diseases. Through analysis of the operation of Shanghai Children Hospital Care Aid (SCHCA), this study explored the financing model and management of a children’s critical disease healthcare system and analyzed the possibility of expanding this system to other areas. It is found that a premium as low as RMB 7 per capita per year under SCHCA can provide high-level security for children’s critical diseases. With the good experience in Shanghai and based on the current basic medical insurance system for urban residents and the new rural cooperative medical scheme (NRCMS), it is necessary and feasible to build a health security system for children’s critical diseases at the national level.
Adolescent ; Child ; Child Welfare ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Delivery of Health Care ; Health Policy ; economics ; legislation & jurisprudence ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn

PURPOSE: To investigate the attitude, knowledge, and practice of safety and related factors of teachers in child care centers. METHODS: The total sample consisted of 116 teachers from child care centers in Kyunggi Province. A questionnaire and checklist were used to collect data, which was analyzed with SPSS 11.5 Win program. RESULTS: Most of the teachers were anxious about child accidents, and thought of safety as a primary concern. The mean score for knowledge on safety was 10.23, and the rate of correct answers ranged from 34.8% to 98.3%. The mean score on practice of safety was 42.01. Teachers with higher education showed significantly higher scores in safety efficacy. Teacher's knowledge on safety was significantly different depending on the experience of safety education, but this did not apply to safety practice. Safety practice was significantly related to confidence in safety performance, health beliefs on safety, stress, and social support, but not related to knowledge of safety. CONCLUSION: Psychosocial factors were found to be important in safety practice. Related factors found in this study should be considered when providing safety programs for child care centers.
Checklist ; Child ; Child Care* ; Child* ; Education ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Welfare ; Psychology ; Child Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires

A survey for finding out rural health care was done in Ichon-Gun, Kyonggi-Do during October, 1973. Of the 29,132 inhabitants, 974 persons were interviewed for the basic household survey, maternal and child health, family planning and medical care for illness. The survey included 201 households of total of 4,121. In addition to the survey, an evaluation was done of a two-year old rural health nursing service provided by the Korean Rural Medical Service (KRMS). KRMS was organized with Korean nurses who returned from West Germany and sponsored by the Bread for the World. Following results were obtained: 1. Population structure showed that the age group between 20-30 years old represented 9.4% of all males and 8.5% of all females. 84.6% of interviewees were farmers and 43.5% of the householders were primary school graduates. 2. More than 55% of all the houses had straw-roofing and water supply was dependent upon pumpwells (42.4%). 88% of the latrines were traditional and of insanitary construction. 3. Average marriage age for female respondents was 21.2 years, and average number of pregnancies was 4.9. About 12% of the housewives experienced natural abortions, and 8% were pregnant at the time of the survey. 4. More than 90% of total deliveries were cared for at home and only 8.5% of those received prenatal and post-partum care. Of those wives having home deliveries, 85% wanted to have them at home, and 9% would have preferred hospital delivery. 5. In the month preceding the survey, 72.5% of 947 interviewees had been sick 29.9% from respiratory illness, 12.5% with indigestion, 8.5% with headache and dizziness. Mostly, these patients got treatment through drugstores (20.8%), health subcenters (12.5 %), clinks or hospitals (9.7%). The average patient spent about 1,760 won ($ 4.40) for each illness. Patients missed medical treatment because of economic reasons (6.2%), and carelessness for health and illness (15.9%). 6. Seventy eight percent of total interviewees acknowledged recognition of the activities of Korean Rural Medical Service and 20.5% of the total householders received their health service through medical care (53.5%), immunization (34.5%), and health education (24%). More than half (51.5%) of clients who received health services commented that KRMS work was satisfactory, and 1.5% complained of it being unkind or insufficient. About 10% of total households desired a more closely located health subcenter.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Education ; Female ; Human ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Korea ; Male ; Maternal Welfare ; Middle Age ; Pregnancy ; Rural Health* ; Statistics ; Vaccination

With the motto ‘Equity from the Start for a Healthy Future’, the Seoul Healthy First Step Project (SHFSP) was launched in 2013 in an attempt to support women with young children, to improve the health and development of babies, and eventually to close the gap in child development. The SHFSP contains both universal components (universal risk assessment of mothers and universal home visitation after birth) and selective components (prenatal and postnatal sustained home visits, mothers' groups, and community service linkage), thereby taking a proportionate universality approach. For sustained home visits, the SHFSP introduced the Maternal and Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting (MECSH) program from Australia, which has been proven to be effective in improving maternal and childhood outcomes. Between 2013~2017, the SHFSP has paid 58,327 visits to roughly 38 thousand families with babies. In 2017, the SHFSP covered 19.6% of families with newborn babies in Seoul. The SHFSP conducted internal satisfaction surveys of universal and sustained visitation service recipients, in which an overwhelming majority of mothers provided positive feedback. A performance assessment conducted in 2016 by an external organization showed that 93% of SHFSP service recipients were satisfied with the home visitations. Considering the popular support for the program from mothers and families in Seoul (the most affluent area in Korea) and the lack of a national home visiting program to promote early childhood health and development, this program should be expanded nationally in the near future.
Australia ; Child ; Child Development ; Female ; Home Health Nursing ; House Calls ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Korea ; Maternal-Child Health Services ; Mothers ; Risk Assessment ; Seoul ; Social Welfare

PURPOSE: Mothers' postpartum depression is a worldwide health concern that produces compromising effects on their infants. This study was conducted to compare the infants' temperament and health problems according to the presence of maternal postpartum depression. METHODS: Data were collected from May to October in 2009. The sample was 137 mothers at one month postpartum. The Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) was used to assess depressive symptoms. RESULTS: At one month postpartum, 22.6% of mothers were classified as having postpartum depression. Infants of depressed mothers were more frequently classified as difficult temperament infants. They showed lower scores on the amenability, rhythmicity and persistency and higher scores on activity in temperament. Also, infants of depressed mothers reported more infant health problems at one months. Maternal depression showed significant negative correlations with family functioning, social support and marital satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Study findings show that postpartum maternal depression is associated with infants' temperament and health, and thus screening and early interventions for postpartum depression would promote the health of both the mother and infant.
Adult ; Depression, Postpartum/diagnosis/*psychology ; Family Relations ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Behavior/*psychology ; Infant Welfare ; Male ; Maternal Behavior/psychology ; Mother-Child Relations ; Mothers/*psychology ; Postpartum Period ; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales ; Questionnaires ; Social Support ; *Temperament ; Time Factors

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a mother/infant-toddler health program developed to enhance parenting knowledge, behavior and confidence in low income mothers and home environment. METHODS: A one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was used. Sixty-nine dyads of mothers and infant-toddlers (aged 0-36 months) were provided with weekly intervention for seven session. Each session consisted of three parts; first, educating to increase integrated knowledge related to the development of the infant/toddler including nutrition, first aid and home environment; second, counseling to share parenting experience among the mothers and to increase their nurturing confidence; third, playing with the infant/toddler to facilitate attachment-based parenting behavior for the mothers. RESULTS: Following the programs, there were significant increases in parenting knowledge on nutrition and first aid. A significant improvement was found in attachment-based parenting behavior, but not in home safety practice. Nurturing confidence was not significantly increased. The program led to more positive home environment for infant/toddler's health and development. CONCLUSION: The findings provide evidence for mother-infant/toddler health program to improve parenting knowledge, attachment-based parenting behavior and better home environment in low income mothers. Study of the long term effectiveness of this program is recommended for future research.
Adult ; Behavior ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; First Aid ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Welfare ; Infant, Newborn ; Interviews as Topic ; Male ; Mothers/*psychology ; Nutrition Assessment ; Parenting/*psychology ; Poverty ; Program Development ; Program Evaluation ; Self Efficacy