Transcript Low Income Pregnant Women

Health Care of at Risk Aggregate:
Low Income Pregnant Women
Kelley Deaton
College of Nursing
University of Central Florida
At Risk Aggregate
Across the board all women no matter the
race, ethnicity, or cultural background can
fall in to this category. Low income
pregnancies are common all over the
United States, but with proper guidance all
women have a chance to receive
adequate healthcare during pregnancy.
Demographics
Age: From Menarche to Menopause
Sex: Female
Ethnicity: Of all live births in the United
States during 2003-2005 (average), 23.0%
were Hispanic, 55.9% were white, 14.1%
were black, 1.0% were Native American
and 5.3% were Asian.
(March of Dimes, 2008)
Health Status
“The uninsured pregnant woman is less
likely to have had a Pap smear, less likely
to know if she has undiagnosed diabetes
or high blood pressure.” (Maternity Care
Coalition, 2005)
Sexually Transmitted Diseases are very
common, and without proper testing they
may never be treated.
Prevalent Health Problems Related to
Low Income Pregnant women
Depression
Domestic Violence
Inadequate maternal weight gain
Inadequate Nutrition
Unsanitary Living Conditions
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Statistics
 47 million pregnant women gave
birth without skilled Healthcare in
2006. (WHO, 2008)
 There are approximately 13% of
pregnant women each year who
are not insured, which often
results in inadequate prenatal
care. (American Pregnancy
Association, 2008)
 “Babies born to mothers who
received no prenatal care are
three times more likely to be born
at low birth weight, and five times
more likely to die, than those
whose mothers received prenatal
care.” (United States Department
of Health and Human Services,
2008)
Problems Associated with Low Income
Pregnant Women
 Poor nutrition is often a factor associated with
women of low income. According to the March of
Dimes, “Women who don’t gain enough weight
during pregnancy increase their risk of having a
low-birth weight baby.” (March of Dimes, 2008)
 Lack of education is a very important factor in
this population. This factor can play a major role
in the reason they are considered low income.
Risk Factors
No prenatal care
Smoking During Pregnancy
Inadequate weight gain
Alcohol consumption
Taking over the counter drugs that may be
contraindicated during pregnancy.
Infections
Social Factors
 Women with an education are more likely to receive health care. According
to the National Center for Education Statistics, “Teenagers who have
children are less likely to complete high school than their peers who do not
have children…The birth rate for Hispanic (83), Black (63), and American
Indian/Alaska Native (53) teenage females was higher than that of the
general population of teenage females.”
•(NCES, 2007)
Healthy People 2010

 Access to Quality Health Services
 Educational and Community-Based Programs
 Immunization and Infectious Diseases
 HIV
 Sexually Transmitted Diseases
 Maternal, Infant, and Child Health
 Mental Health and Mental Disorders
 Nutrition and Overweight
(Healthy People 2010, 2005)
Prioritize Health Problem:
Outcome
 1. Begin with assessing the situation and assessing the need to
educate. Then make the patient aware of the benefits that are
available for them.
 2. Perform testing to see exactly how far along the patient is in terms
of gestation, and make sure the baby is measuring appropriately.
Also, test for any infections that the patient may be unaware of.
 3. Finally, ongoing education and monitoring could ensure these
patients a healthy lifestyle for them and their child.
Plan of Care: Primary
 Education is Essential
-
Diet: Eating a balanced diet on a regular
basis is a great way to improve your overall
health. So I would begin by educating about
a balanced meal.
Pre-natal Vitamins: Educating women on the
importance of getting all of the nutrients that
are needed during this crucial time for the
baby.
Activity: Educating on the importance of
regular non-vigorous activity while pregnant.
Smoking Cessation: Explain the effects of
smoke on the fetus while pregnant, if she is
a smoker.
Government Funded Programs: Make
women aware of the programs offered to
them.
Plan of Care: Primary
Government Funded Programs
 Medicaid – “is the state and Federal partnership that provides health coverage for
selected categories of people in Florida with low incomes. Its purpose is to improve
the health of people who might otherwise go without medical care for themselves and
their children.”
 WIC – “this program provides supplemental foods, nutrition education and referrals
to health care, at no cost, to low-income pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum
women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are determined to be at nutritional risk.”
 Food Stamp Program – “helps ensure that eligible low-income families and
individuals are able to obtain a nutritious diet. Food stamp benefits are intended to
supplement other household income and may only be used to purchase food.”
(GovBenefits.gov, 2008)
Plan of Care: Secondary
 An ultrasound would be the first test
performed to make sure that everything
appears normal, and so we have a baseline
for future tests.
 Then we would make sure patient was caught
up on education.
 Next we would make sure that the patient is
free of infections, including Sexually
Transmitted Diseases.
Plan of Care: Tertiary
As a Public Health Nurse I Would:
 Encourage nutrition and regular
activity.
 Assure that patients are familiar with
all programs that are provide for them.
 Encourage ongoing check ups for
them and their new baby.
 Encourage annual visits to an
obstetrician.
References

American Pregnancy Association (2008) Health insurance for pregnant women, retrieved on October 15, 2008
from:
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/planningandpreparing/affordablehealthcare.html

GovBenefits.gov (2008) Benefits, retrieved on October 15, 2008 from:
http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits_en.portal;jsessionid=pVPML9jZQrb5FYJLcnXlgGbsj1km0ZR4sj9S9qlkQ0
Qh9bhDv0VQ!561605500?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=gbcc_page_benefits&_nfls=false

Healthy People 2010 (2005) What Is Healthy People 2010?, retrieved on October 17, 2008 from:
http://www.healthypeople.gov/About/hpfact.htm

March of dimes ( 2008 ) low Birth Weight Babies, retrieved on October 15, 2008 from:
http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1153.asp#head1

Maternity Care Coalition (2005) Pregnant and Uninsured, retrieved on October 15, 2008 from:
http://www.momobile.org/news/PregnantandUninsured.html

National Center for Education Statistics, (2007) retrieved on October 15, 2008 from:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2007/minoritytrends/ind_5_21.asp

United States Department of Health and Human Services (2008) A Healthy Start: Begin Before Baby's Born,
retrieved on October 15, 2008 from: http://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs/womeninfants/prenatal.htm
World health organization (2008) World Health Statistics
http://www.who.int/whosis/whostat/en/