Postnatal support for mothers living in disadvantaged inner city areas This study of 731 mothers from culturally diverse backgrounds evaluated two forms of postnatal social support: a year of monthly home visits by a support health visitor (SHV), or a year of support from community groups providing drop-in sessions, home visiting and/or telephone support (CGS).
Each was compared with a control group that received standard health visitor services. At 12 and 18 months SHV women had different patterns of health service use (with fewer taking their children to the GP) and had less anxious experiences of motherhood than control women. User satisfaction with the SHV intervention was high. Uptake of the CGS intervention was low: 19 per cent, compared with 94 per cent for the SHV intervention.
Wiggins, M and others. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 59(4): 288-295, April 2005. Abstract: www.bmjjournals.com
Peer influences on body dissatisfaction and dieting awareness in young girls This Australian study had a sample of 81 girls aged five to eight, interviewed individually. Year 2 girls had greater body dissatisfaction than younger girls. All girls preferred a similar thin ideal figure. Girls'
perception of their peers' body dissatisfaction emerged as the strongest predictor of their own level of body dissatisfaction.
Dohnt, H K and Tiggemann, M. British Journal of Developmental Psychology 23(1): 103-116, March 2005. Abstract: www.bps.org.uk (select publications/journals) Early cognitive stimulation, emotional support, and television watching as predictors of subsequent bullying among grade-school children This study used data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (USA), to determine whether various influences at age four are associated with the child being a bully at ages six to 11. Cognitive stimulation and emotional support by parents for children at age four were found to protect against later bullying. But each hour of television viewed per day was associated with a significant likelihood of subsequent bullying by the child.
Zimmerman, F and others. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 159(4): 384-388, April 2005. Abstract: http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/ The nutrient intakes of mothers of low birthweight babies: a comparison of ethnic groups in east London, UK A total of 165 participants completed a seven-day diet diary using household measures, between eight and 12 weeks post-partum. The data show a high prevalence of inadequate nutrition among women who deliver low birthweight babies, with differences in nutrient intake between ethnic groups.
Rees, G. A., and others. Maternal and Child Nutrition 1(2): 91-99, April 2005. Abstract: www.blackwell-synergy.com
