Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #116998

Christy Brooks, MSSW, CSW, Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program, Louisville Metro Health Department, 400 East Gray Street, Room 4, Louisville, KY 40202-1754, 502-574-6616, christy.brooks@loukymetro.org, Sherry Rumbaugh, RN, Supervisor, Health Management, Passport Health Plan, 305 West Broadway, 3rd Floor, Louisville, KY 40202-2129, Jacquelynn Taylor Engle, MS, CPP, Certified Prevention Professional, Seven Counties Services, Inc., 101 West Muhammad Ali Boulevard, Louisville, KY 40202-1451, and Adewale Troutman, MD, MA, MPH, Director Louisville Metro Health Department, U of L School of Public Health, 400 East Gray Street, Louisville, KY 40202-1704.

Every woman needs to begin prenatal care within the first three months of pregnancy and have consistent care throughout pregnancy to ensure that she will have a successful pregnancy and a healthy baby. Prenatal care helps prevent infant mortality, low birth weight, birth defects, and mental retardation. Also, smoking during pregnancy accounts for up to 30% of all low birth weight babies and up to 14% of all premature babies. A woman who smokes during pregnancy is almost twice as likely to have a miscarriage as a woman who does not smoke. Smoking in the home after the birth of the baby is the single greatest predictor of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Therefore, Mother's Day Out is a program designed to emphasize the importance of early prenatal care and not smoking in pregnancy, also providing expectant mothers with information on smoking cessation programs. In addition, Mother's Day Out is a day of pampering, instruction, and sharing for expectant mothers. Sessions include presentations covering breastfeeding, family planning, proper nutrition, and parenting skills, as well as various activities including makeovers, massages, beading, a scavenger hunt, a free catered lunch for all participants, and a “baby shower” that includes gift baskets and door prizes. Every Mother's Day Out ends with participants evaluating their learning experiences, and those evaluations are analyzed to track the number of expectant mothers who smoke that are impacted by the program, to assess the overall effectiveness of the program, and to identify needed improvements for future events.

Learning Objectives: