Health and demographic characteristics of adolescent and older mothers have been examined mostly in samples representative of urban populations often with large proportions of racial or ethnic minorities. The generalizability of data from urban, heterogeneous samples to service providers in states with large rural and semi-rural populations is…

Describes the increase in nonmarital childbearing in the United States in the past 50 years. Considers age differences in nonmarital childbearing and the disproportionate numbers of poorly educated unmarried mothers. Maintains that changes in sexual behavior of unmarried people and declines in marriages of unmarried pregnant women contributed to…

Analysis of Hispanic birth data for 22 states in 1980 showed the following: (1) The fertility rate for Hispanic women was 95.4 births per 1.000 women aged 15-44; this rate was 53 percent higher than the rate for non-Hispanic Whites and five percent higher than for non-Hispanic Blacks. (2) Age-specific birth rates indicated that the fertility of…

Reproductive factors for Hmong immigrants (mothers of 1,937 children) were compared with those of 3,776 white, non-Hispanic women. Despite a high proportion of births at high parity and advanced maternal age, Hmong women gave birth to very low birth weight babies at about the same rate as white women. (SLD)

This paper traces the history of "The Right Start," discussing differences between the 50 largest cities and the nation overall and differences among states. It highlights eight measures reflecting a healthy start: teen births, repeat teen births, births to unmarried women, births to mothers with low educational attainment, late or no pregnancy…

Examined the relation of infant attention and memory to later cognition in 45 full-term and 46 high-risk preterm infants. Findings indicated a substantial relation between infant visual recognition memory and later intelligence. (RJC)

Maintains that medical growth charts that have been created by pharmaceutical companies can be utilized to demonstrate a variety of statistical concepts in psychology. Expounds that the charts are based on data collected from 1963-1975 by the National Center for Health Statistics with a sample of over 20,000 children. Provides teaching activities.…

Used time-lapse video to record sleep/wake states of preterm infants for three 24-hour periods at 33 and 35 weeks conceptional age. Found that very-low-birthweight preterm infants showed marked stability and developmental change in the organization of sleep/wake states from a very early age, and their states were related to demographic variables…

This study of infants with low birthweight and significant or mild intraventricular hemorrhage showed that the association of mothers' interactive behaviors with infants' exploratory play responses was dependent on both the age and medical risk status of the child. The timing of mothers' attention-directing strategies and the level of structure…

This study attempted to estimate special education expenditures at kindergarten from material and infant medical and sociodemographic factors known at birth. The study consisted of all students born in Florida between September 1, 1990 and August 31, 1991 who subsequently attended kindergarten in Florida. A total of 125,430 birth records were…

This KIDS COUNT report presents statistics highlighting challenges faced by newborns and their parents in major urban areas. Data came from birth certificates. Overall, children living in central cities are far more likely to experience six risks associated with negative child outcomes, and when those six factors are used collectively to determine…

This Kids Count report presents statewide trends between 1988 and 1996 in the well-being of Massachusetts' children. The statistical portrait indicator areas and topics examined include: demographics (children as percent of population, children by race/ethnicity, students whose first language is not English); economic well-being (percent of…

This booklet presents statistics concerning the well-being of Illinois' 3.3 million children between 1980 and 1990. Statistics are compared county by county for each of the state's 102 counties, and statewide statistics are compared with those of the entire nation. A statewide analysis focuses on spending per pupil on education, the percentage of…

This KIDS COUNT data book examines statewide trends in the well-being of Connecticut's children. After listing the regional population, racial/ethnic background, poverty status, and family setting of Connecticut's children, the statistical report examines 13 indicators of well-being: (1) percentage of children receiving welfare benefits; (2) low…