Suicide in Later Years
The frequency of women completing suicide generally declines after the age of 60.1 However, older adults have the highest frequency of completed suicides in the United States …
Women, Incarceration and Serious Mental Illness in Utah State Prison System
In the United States, there are two distinct groups that constitute the fastest growing element of the incarcerated population: women and persons with mental illness …
Race and Low Birth Weight in Utah
Compiled by Jane M. Dyer, CNM, FNP, MS, MBA Background The relationship between race and low birth weight (LBW) is complex and a growing perinatal concern throughout the U.S. and in Utah for parents, health care professionals, health care systems, educators, and legislators. LBW disproportionately affects certain races/ethnicities, especially non-Hispanic blacks and Asian/Pacific Islanders. Barriers …
Preterm Birth
Complied by Sara Ellis Simonsen, RN, MSPH, and Michael Varner, MD Preterm birth, defined as the birth of an infant at less than 37 completed weeks of gestation, is a serious public health problem in Utah and the United States. Infants born prematurely are at increased risk for morbidity and mortality when compared to infants …
Prenatal Care in the First Trimester
Compiled by Karen Zinner, MPH Background Women who receive early and consistent prenatal care (PNC) enhance their likelihood of giving birth to a healthy child. Health care providers recommend that women begin prenatal care in the first trimester of their pregnancy. Healthy People 2010 Objective 16.6a: Prenatal care beginning in first trimester U.S. Target for …
Obesity and Pregnancy
Background Studies show that obese pregnant women are at increased risk for gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, eclampsia, cesarean section, macrosomia, instrumental delivery, fetal distress, antepartum stillbirth, and early neonatal death [1, 2]. Obese women have been found to have longer labor, are more likely to have inadequate contraction patterns during labor, and are more likely to …
Fetal Deaths
Compiled by Shaheen Hossain, PhD Background Fetal death is a major public health problem. It accounts for more than half of all perinatal deaths. The World Health Organization defines fetal death as “death prior to the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of human conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy.” …
Maternal Mortality
Compiled by Lois Bloebaum, BSN, MPA Background Maternal mortality is an important health indicator reflecting a nation’s health status. Though maternal mortality has decreased by 99% since the 1900s, maternal deaths currently remain significant events. Maternal deaths in Utah are classified as either pregnancy-associated (PA) or pregnancy-related (PR). A pregnancy-associated death is the death of …
Unintended Pregnancy
Background Unintended pregnancy is a major public health problem. Women who experience an unintended pregnancy are less likely to seek timely and adequate prenatal care or to breastfeed their infant and are more likely to smoke or drink during their pregnancy (Committee on Unintended Pregnancy, 1995). Utah Data Healthy People 2010 goal 9-1 is to …
Adolescent Births
Research indicates that bearing a child during adolescence is associated with long-term difficulties for the mother, her child, and society. These consequences are often attributable to the poverty and other adverse socioeconomic circumstances that frequently accompany early childbearing …
