Comparison of the Range of Lumbar Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure in Adults With Normal Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure and in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension.

Background/methods: Lumbar puncture CSF pressure measurements in a large group of adults (116) having lumbar puncture (LP) for diagnostic reasons with no clinical indication of raised intracranial pressure were used to establish the normal range of CSF pressure. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure was also measured in a smaller unselected series of patients (35) with the syndrome of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). All the lumbar punctures were performed by the same highly skilled operator, a consultant nurse, to ensure accuracy of measurement.

African American and Latino patient versus provider perceptions of determinants of prenatal care initiation.

Few studies have compared provider and patient perceptions of barriers, motivators and facilitators of prenatal care (PNC) initiation. The current study compared these perceptions in providers and patients in Washington, DC, a city characterized by infant mortality and low birth weight rates that are among the highest in the nation, and poor utilization of PNC, particularly among minority groups. The results reported here were part of a larger study of barriers, motivators and facilitators influencing PNC utilization in Washington, DC.

Adapting evidence-based strategies to increase physical activity among African Americans, Hispanics, Hmong, and Native Hawaiians: a social marketing approach.

Introduction: Using a social marketing approach, we studied how best to adapt proven, evidence-based strategies to increase physical activity for use with underserved racial or ethnic groups.

Methods: We conducted focus groups with low-income Hispanic women in Texas, Hmong parents and their children in California, low-income African American women and men in the Mississippi Delta, and Native Hawaiian college students in Hawaii. We also interviewed key leaders of these communities.

Determinants of inadequate prenatal care utilization by African American women.

A convenience sample of city-dwelling African American women (n=246) was interviewed during each woman's postpartum stay at one of five hospitals in Washington, D.C. to determine their perceptions of factors influencing their prenatal care utilization.

Determinants of late prenatal care initiation by African American women in Washington, DC.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to identify the determinants of late prenatal care (PNC) initiation among minority women in Washington, DC.

Methods: DC-resident, African American women (n = 303) were recruited at 14 PNC facilities, representing the various types of PNC facilities located in DC: 4 hospital-based clinics, 5 community-based clinics, and 5 private practices. The women were interviewed at their first prenatal care visits to determine their perceptions of 63 barriers, motivators and facilitators influencing PNC initiation; substance use; and sociodemographic background.

The effect of a parenting education program on the use of preventive pediatric health care services among low-income, minority mothers: a randomized, controlled study.

Objective: To determine if a community-based intervention program focusing on parenting education will have an impact on preventive health care utilization behaviors among low-income, minority mothers in Washington, DC.

Design: The experimental design was a randomized, controlled study in which 286 mother-infant dyads were assigned to either the standard social services (control) group or to the intervention group. Women and their newborn infants were recruited during the immediate postpartum period in 4 Washington, DC, hospital sites from April 1995 to April 1997.

Perceptions about prenatal care: views of urban vulnerable groups.

Background: In the United States, infant mortality rates remain more than twice as high for African Americans as compared to other racial groups. Lack of adherence to prenatal care schedules in vulnerable, hard to reach, urban, poor women is associated with high infant mortality, particularly for women who abuse substances, are homeless, or live in communities having high poverty and high infant mortality. This issue is of concern to the women, their partners, and members of their communities.