What influences the timing of the introduction of solid food to infants?

The aim of the present study was to assess the factors which may influence the timing of the introduction of solid food to infants. The design was a prospective cohort study by interview and postal questionnaire. Primiparous women (n 541) aged between 16 and 40 years were approached in the Forth Park Maternity Hospital, Fife, Scotland.

UK study of intrapartum care for low risk primigravidas: a survey of interventions.

Study Objective: To determine the extent of intrapartum intervention received by primigravidas.

Design: Cross sectional survey of NHS hospitals in the UK.

Setting: One hundred and one randomly selected hospital maternity units.

Birth weight, childhood lower respiratory tract infection, and adult lung function.

Background: Historical cohort studies in England have found that impaired fetal growth and lower respiratory tract infections in early childhood are associated with lower levels of lung function in late adult life. These relations are investigated in a similar study in Scotland.

Methods: In 1985-86 a follow up study was carried out of 1070 children who had been born in St Andrew's from 1921 to 1935 and followed from birth to 14 years of age by the Mackenzie Institute for Medical Research.

Variations in cotinine levels in smokers during and after pregnancy.

Objective: To compare the antenatal and postnatal cotinine levels in smoking women after controlling for the differences in smoking practices.

Study Design: A paired comparison of two measurements of cotinine concentration was conducted in 40 smoking women voluntarily recruited in a prenatal education program held in La Fe Hospital, Valencia, Spain, during 1990 and 1991. Cotinine concentration was assayed by gas chromatography in samples of saliva obtained during and after pregnancy.

Should obstetricians see women with normal pregnancies? A multicentre randomised controlled trial of routine antenatal care by general practitioners and midwives compared with shared care led by obstetricians.

Objective: To compare routine antenatal care provided by general practitioners and midwives with obstetrician led shared care.

Design: Multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Setting: 51 general practices linked to nine Scottish maternity hospitals.

Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in nonsmoking pregnant women in relation to birth weight.

The objective of this study was to determine whether birth weight is related to maternal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. A cohort study was conducted in a sample of 710 nonsmoking women attending a prenatal education program in the third trimester of pregnancy in La Fe Hospital, Valencia, Spain. The duration of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in the home, at work, and in vehicles and public places was collected by structured questionnaire.

Assessment of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in nonsmoking pregnant women in different environments of daily living.

The relation between duration of recent exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and salivary cotinine concentration was assessed in a cross-sectional study conducted during the third trimester of pregnancy of 710 nonsmoking women attending a prenatal clinic in La Fe Hospital, Valencia, Spain, between September 1, 1989, and September 30, 1991. A structured interview questionnaire was used to obtain information on duration of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in the last 3 days to four sources: 1) partner's smoking at home, 2) others' smoking at home, 3) others' smoking at work, and 4) others' smoking in vehicles and in indoor public places. Cotinine levels were determined in saliva samples obtained during interviews.

Infant feeding and mental and motor development at 18 months of age in first born singletons.

Objective: To determine the relationship between type of infant feeding and mental and psychomotor development at age 18 months.

Method: A follow-up study of children born to primigravidae living in Dundee and booked into antenatal clinics in the City of Dundee (Local Authority District) from 1 May 1985 to 30 April 1986. The study population was 846 first born singletons, of whom 592 attended for developmental assessment at age 18 months.

A randomized trial of immediate discharge of surgical patients to general practice.

Background: This study compares, in clinical and economic terms, out-patient follow-up with immediate discharge to general practice of patients undergoing any one of 29 defined surgical procedures.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial was undertaken in which patients recruited from two general surgery wards in Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, were randomized to follow-up care in the out-patient clinic or in general practice. Outcome was measured as clinical effectiveness in terms of morbidity and mortality; economic costs to the hospital compared with general practice; patient benefits and satisfaction; and General Practitioners' (GPs') opinions of the system.

Is antenatal care apportioned according to obstetric risk? The Scottish antenatal care study.

A retrospective cohort study of case records of antenatal care was carried out to describe and compare antenatal services in Scotland according to type of hospital and risk category of women. The study took place at 15 randomly selected maternity hospitals which were divided into teaching hospitals (n = 5), rural catchment hospitals (n = 2), and district general hospitals divided by size as those with 1000-1699 deliveries per year (n = 4), and those with > or = 1700 deliveries per year (n = 4). The subjects were 3574 (87.

Smoking and drinking habits before and during pregnancy in Spanish women.

Study Objective: To investigate possible changes in smoking and drinking habits during pregnancy and to elucidate the sociodemographic factors associated with these changes in Spanish women.

Design: A cross-sectional survey.

Participants And Setting: A total of 1004 pregnant women of between 12 and 18 weeks of gestation who were attending the antenatal clinic of the main regional hospital of Valencia (Spain) during 1989 were studied.

The relation between antenatal care and birth weight.

The relation between gestational age at first antenatal visit and infant's birth weight was investigated in a cohort study of 846 primiparas living in the City of Dundee, Scotland, whose first antenatal visit was between 1 May 1985 and 30 April 1986. The earlier in pregnancy the first antenatal visit the greater the infants' birth weights tended to be (p < 0.01).

Relation between early introduction of solid food to infants and their weight and illnesses during the first two years of life.

Objective: To assess the relations between early introduction of solid food and infant weight, gastrointestinal illness, and allergic illnesses during the first two years of life.

Design: Prospective observational study of infants followed up for 24 months after birth.

Setting: Community setting in Dundee.

Sample size for beginners.

The common failure to include an estimation of sample size in grant proposals imposes a major handicap on applicants, particularly for those proposing work in any aspect of research in the health services. Members of research committees need evidence that a study is of adequate size for there to be a reasonable chance of a clear answer at the end. A simple illustrated explanation of the concepts in determining sample size should encourage the faint hearted to pay more attention to this increasingly important aspect of grantsmanship.

The effect of moderate maternal alcohol consumption on birth weight and gestational age in a low risk population.

We analyzed the relationship between moderate maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and both birth weight corrected for gestational age and preterm delivery in 3447 women. Information on alcohol consumption in the first and second trimester was obtained during mid pregnancy and information about third trimester drinking was obtained a few days after delivery. After adjustment for possible confounders we found that for most women alcohol consumption was unrelated to birth weight corrected for gestational age and preterm delivery.

Perinatal mortality in Jeddah, Saudia Arabia.

The objective of the study was to estimate the perinatal mortality rate and to determine the antenatal and intrapartum risk factors associated with perinatal mortality in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A hospital-based, case-control study was carried out in a 40-week period in 1987-1988 in Jeddah at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital (MCH). The subjects comprised 323 perinatal deaths and 486 controls.

Maternal alcohol consumption and child development.

Studies of development and behaviour from shortly after birth up to the age of 7 years are reviewed. Maternal alcohol consumption above 150-200 g/week is related to behaviour in many studies, but below this level there is little epidemiological evidence of association. There is no evidence that the levels of consumption associated with adverse behaviour are lower than those associated with adverse pregnancy outcome.

Reported social alcohol consumption during pregnancy and infants' development at 18 months.

Objective: To determine the relation between mothers' self reported drinking habits before, during, and after pregnancy and infants' mental and motor development at 18 months of age.

Design: Follow up study of all singleton live births born to primigravidas living in Dundee and booked into antenatal clinics from 1 May 1985 to 30 April 1986.

Setting: District of Dundee.

Effect of vitamin and mineral supplementation on verbal and non-verbal reasoning of schoolchildren.

In a randomised controlled trial the effect of vitamin and mineral supplementation for seven months on performance in tests of reasoning was studied in 86 schoolchildren aged 11-13. A small, non-significant difference between the control and supplementation groups was found in a non-verbal test. The net difference in change in scores between the active and placebo groups was 2.

Protective effect of breast feeding against infection.

Objective: To assess the relations between breast feeding and infant illness in the first two years of life with particular reference to gastrointestinal disease.

Design: Prospective observational study of mothers and babies followed up for 24 months after birth.

Setting: Community setting in Dundee.