Maternal and child health

This article is an interview with Doreen Hamilton, a public health nurse who was the Maternal and Child Health Consultant with the Toronto Public Health Department and sat as a member of the Joint Committee on High-Risk Pregnancy; The committee produced a report calling for the establishment of a regionalized perinatal network in Toronto along the lines of a programme that was operating in Cleveland, Ohio at the time. In this interview, she shares her critical experience of the health planning process.

A national survey of Canadian women’s experiences, perceptions, knowledge and practices before conception and during pregnancy, birth and the early months of parenthood. A project of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Canadian Perinatal Surveillance System, which monitors and reports on determinants and outcomes of maternal, fetal and infant health in Canada. 

Highlights the multifaceted importance of and interdisciplinary support for international family planning. Serve as a call to action for expanded discourse, broad partnerships and consensus building, and increased funding to accelerate progress toward meeting the targets of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 (maternal health), as well as the other MDGs.

A report based on a series of seven regional sessions across Canada that were organized to learn what programs and strategies are making a difference in the health of Aboriginal mothers and young children. A large proportion of participants were frontline health care workers and the commentary offers a window into the experiences and insights of people who work with and provide care to Aboriginal women and young children. The goal of the report is to create a better understanding of and support for programs and initiatives that have the potential to reduce health disparities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians.

A literature review that examines the health implications of obesity and overweight in pregnancy, starting with the physical health of women and children and moving on to a consideration of some of the social determinants of health. The review closes with a synthesis of findings and recommendations for further research.

Countdown to 2015 is a global movement of academics, governments, UN agencies, foundations, health care associations and nongovernmental organizations formed in 2005 to track progress in reducing maternal and child deaths in the 68 countries where over 95% of these deaths occur. The movement aims to raise awareness and stimulate country action to accelerate progress towards reducing child mortality and improving maternal health.

In this study, the link between a low-income mother's ability to find affordable recreation programs for her children and her health is examined. To a lesser extent, this research included an exploration of how municipal governments devise policies and programs to facilitate access to recreation and enrichment programs for low-income families.

First Nations and Inuit women and infants face challenging health issues in their communities where there are environmental risks. Literature examining these contexts and the processes through which health is affected is relatively limited. The objective of this review is to examine and consolidate the available literature on environmental threats to First Nations and Inuit maternal health in order to identify priorities for future research.

The past two decades have seen an incrementally steady development in maternal and
infant health programming targeted to Aboriginal communities. This paper reviewed
existing maternal and infant health programs and guidelines as administered under
the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch. While the aim here is help assess the extent
to which populations may be under-served or un-served by current Aboriginal
maternal and infant programming, it is by no means intended to discredit the efforts
of FNIHB, but simply to highlight where further spending could lead to better health
outcomes for a greater number of people.

Defines, in Portuguese, Mother-Friendly care, an evidence-based model of care that focuses on prevention and wellness as the alternatives to high-cost screening, diagnosis, and treatment programs.