Does Weekly Iron Supplementation Increase Iron Uptake In Pregnant Women And Improve Maternal And Infant Health?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$830,171.00
Summary
Anaemia and iron deficiency are common in pregnant women in developing countries and cause fatigue, prematurity, low birth weight, impaired infant groowth and development. Daily iron is recommended in pregnancy but often not taken because of unpleasant side-effects. Better strategies are needed to maintain iron and haemoglobin during pregnancy. We will compare the effect of weekly and daily iron tablets in 1200 pregnant Vietnamese women on anaemia rates, birthweight, maternal and infant health.
A Randomised Trial Of An Early Parenting Intervention To Reduce Maternal Mood Disorder And Infant Behavior Disturbance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,503.00
Summary
Over 242,000 women give birth annually in Australia and up to 20% experience significant psychological distress in the baby's first year. Severe fatigue, worrying and depression interfere with the development of maternal confidence. If a baby does not sleep well or feed easily or cries for prolonged periods, mothers can feel ineffective and helpless. Assistance early in the baby's life is important to avoid long-term emotional and behavioral problems for mother and child. Nationally, health and ....Over 242,000 women give birth annually in Australia and up to 20% experience significant psychological distress in the baby's first year. Severe fatigue, worrying and depression interfere with the development of maternal confidence. If a baby does not sleep well or feed easily or cries for prolonged periods, mothers can feel ineffective and helpless. Assistance early in the baby's life is important to avoid long-term emotional and behavioral problems for mother and child. Nationally, health and social policy focuses on assisting families including those with parental mental health and early parenting problems and children at risk of developmental difficulties. Australia's residential early parenting services are unique, offering brief treatment to mothers with difficulties and infants with unsettled behaviour. Parents are educated in infant care and provided with emotional support and assistance to adjust to the demands of parenting. In past studies by CIA and CIB women reported marked improvements in emotional distress, maternal confidence and infant manageability after completing this treatment and six months later. The education and emotional support were rated as acceptable and very effective. This project is a randomized controlled trial that will evaluate whether brief admission to a residential early parenting service has sustainable benefits for mild to moderate maternal mental health problems and for infant behaviour disturbance. Mothers with a diagnosable mental health condition and with four-month-old infants reported to have unsettled infant behaviour will be randomly assigned to a residential treatment program at an early parenting service or to routine care. Mothers and infants will be assessed with standardized psychological measures one month after treatment and when the baby is one year old. An effective and acceptable intervention will provide an important alternative to available treatments for postnatal psychological disturbance.Read moreRead less
Economic Evaluation Of PRISM: A Community Based Intervention Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$512,845.00
Summary
This project evaluates the costs and outcomes of PRISM (Program of Resources, Information and Support to Mothers). PRISM is a community based intervention designed to promote the physical and mental health of mothers. This research project seeks to evaluate the costs and outcomes of the PRISM intervention in order to help inform judgements about its value. PRISM is being introduced in 8 local communities in Victoria with a further 8 communities acting as comparators. The full costs of the interv ....This project evaluates the costs and outcomes of PRISM (Program of Resources, Information and Support to Mothers). PRISM is a community based intervention designed to promote the physical and mental health of mothers. This research project seeks to evaluate the costs and outcomes of the PRISM intervention in order to help inform judgements about its value. PRISM is being introduced in 8 local communities in Victoria with a further 8 communities acting as comparators. The full costs of the intervention will be measured as will the impact the intervention has on the physical and mental health of mothers. Estimates of the intervention's economic benefits, that is the value that community members attach to the intervention's main outcomes will also be ascertained. In this way it is possible to judge whether or not the benefits of PRISM are worth its costs. Advanced statistical techniques will be used to ascertain the extent to which improved health outcomes in mothers are determined by individual, organisational or community-level factors.Read moreRead less
A Population-based Survey Of Recent Mothers In South Australia And Victoria
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,098,661.00
Summary
This study involves a postal survey of women giving birth in SA and Victoria in 2007. The survey will be mailed to around 7,000 women by hospitals and home birth practitioners in early 2008, five months after women have given birth. All Indigenous women who give birth in SA and Victoria during 2008, approx. 900 women, will be invited to participate in the survey by completing the survey by mail or by interview. The study will investigate the childbirth and early postnatal experiences, physical a ....This study involves a postal survey of women giving birth in SA and Victoria in 2007. The survey will be mailed to around 7,000 women by hospitals and home birth practitioners in early 2008, five months after women have given birth. All Indigenous women who give birth in SA and Victoria during 2008, approx. 900 women, will be invited to participate in the survey by completing the survey by mail or by interview. The study will investigate the childbirth and early postnatal experiences, physical and emotional health of representative samples of women giving birth in each state. Women living in metropolitan, regional and remote areas, and women having first and subsequent births will be included. A major aim of the study will be to monitor the impact of maternity services strategies implemented in each State, and determine whether the expansion of midwife care and other models providing continuity of care have resulted in improvements in women's overall experiences of maternity care. The study will also investigate women's experiences of psychosocial inquiry and support, explore women's views of universal postnatal home visiting programs and monitor the impact of the continuing trend towards shorter length of postnatal hospital stay on women's health after childbirth, breastfeeding and infant readmission. The impact of organisational and policy changes in maternity care has not been subject to careful or rigorous evaluation. The conduct of population-based surveys of recent mothers in Victoria provides a unique and important source of information for monitoring the impact of policy changes on maternal health and well-being, and women's experiences of maternity care. Repeating the survey, extending the survey to include women giving birth in SA and a representative sample of Indigenous women will provide valuable evidence regarding the responsiveness of maternity services and the extent to which policy changes have led to improvements in maternity care.Read moreRead less
Impact Of An Infant Sleep Intervention On Infant Sleep And Maternal Wellbeing: A Cluster Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$205,500.00
Summary
Infant sleep problems and postnatal depression are common in the Australian community. Over a third of Australians report a problem with their infant's sleep in the second six months of life whilst 10-15% of Australian women will experience an episode of depression in the first year after their child is born. Both infant sleep problems and postnatal depression have been associated with serious outcomes including child abuse, child behaviour problems, maternal physical and emotional problems, fam ....Infant sleep problems and postnatal depression are common in the Australian community. Over a third of Australians report a problem with their infant's sleep in the second six months of life whilst 10-15% of Australian women will experience an episode of depression in the first year after their child is born. Both infant sleep problems and postnatal depression have been associated with serious outcomes including child abuse, child behaviour problems, maternal physical and emotional problems, family stress and family breakdown. This study builds on previous work conducted by researchers at the Centre for Community Child Health, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne. In this work, a brief behavioural intervention significantly decreased infant sleep problems and symptoms of maternal depression, particularly for depressed mothers. The intervention consisted of controlled crying and removal of sleep associations such as a dummy which the infant had become dependent upon to fall asleep. Mothers who received the intervention reported 20% fewer sleep problems and a 45% reduction in depression symptoms compared with mothers who did not receive the intervention. The interention also improved maternal sleep quality and quantity and reduced the need for professional sleep services. It was acceptable to mothers, of low cost and was minimally disruptive to families - in contrast to many current strategies directed primarily at postnatal depression. This trial aims to determine whther a similar intervention delivered by Victorian Maternal and Child health nurses within their usual practice settings can replicate these important benefits.Read moreRead less