The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that pediatricians screen mothers for postpartum depression (PPD) at the infant’s 1, 2, 4, and 6-month well child (WC) visits. Despite these recommendations, less than 50% of mothers are screened nationally. We evaluated the impact of a statewide quality improvement initiative that implemented routine screening for PPD utilizing the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) at AAP recommended WC visits. A total of 224 patients were included. Screening rates increased significantly at all four WC visits ( P < .01). A higher prevalence of positive EPDS screens was detected in mothers with a history of a mental health condition ( P = .009) and in mothers who reported recent food or housing insecurity ( P = .02). EPDS screening was successfully implemented through a statewide initiative in a busy hospital-based pediatric clinic. Pediatricians play an important role in identifying mothers with PPD and referring them to adequate treatment.
Objective Assess caregivers’ knowledge about juice and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and identify factors that contribute to their early introduction. Methods One hundred forty-four parents of young infants completed a 45-item questionnaire focused on infant nutrition. Results Seventy-two percent of parents plan to give juice to their babies starting in the first year of life; only 16% plan to introduce SSBs. Parents with some college education or more were significantly less likely to report an intention to introduce juice ( P < .0001) and SSBs ( P < .001) in their children’s diets. Education level was significantly associated with knowledge about juice and SSBs ( P < .001). Parents with higher knowledge were significantly less likely to plan on introducing juice ( P < .001) and SSBs ( P < .001). Conclusion Parents of young infants lack enough knowledge about the detrimental effects of juice and sugary drinks. These knowledge gaps give pediatric providers a unique opportunity to provide anticipatory guidance starting in early infancy on the adverse health effects of juice and SSBs.
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