PEDIATRICS Vol. 76 No. 5 November 1985, pp. 781-786
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Adam, H. M.
Right arrow Articles by Jones-Parker, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Adam, H. M.
Right arrow Articles by Jones-Parker, M.

Anticipatory Guidance: A Modest Intervention in the Nursery

Henry M. Adam MD1, Elizabeth K. Stern MD1, Ruth E. K. Stein MD1, Patricia Donovan CPNP1, Jacquelyn Kopet CPNP1, Doris Lovejoy CPNP1, and Mimi Jones-Parker CPNP1

1 From the Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Ambulatory Care Division, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx Municipal Hospital Center, Bronx, New York

Although the importance of anticipatory guidance in the care of children is well recognized, pediatricians devote only about 10% of the average well child visit to parent education. The reluctance to engage more extensively in preventive interventions may relate to the paucity of evidence that such efforts are effective. This study was designed to test whether a modest anticipatory intervention, easily adaptable to other settings, could favorably influence maternal behavior. Mothers of newborn infants in a municipal hospital were assigned in alternate 2-week periods to an intervention program (n = 49) or a control group (n = 54). The intervention in the nursery consisted of a short group meeting, reinforced by a handout, advocating delayed introduction of solid foods and juices, and the use only of safe pacifiers. The mothers were interviewed at all visits to the general pediatric clinic using a standard format questionnaire. The two groups of mothers were demographically comparable but differed significantly in both the foods they introduced and the pacifiers they used for their babies. As an unexpected benefit, intervention mothers tended to view their babies as healthier than did control mothers. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Key Words: anticipatory guidance • parent education • preventive pediatric care • infant feeding • safety

Submitted on February 4, 1985
Accepted on March 21, 1985




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 PediatricsHome page
P. F. Belamarich, R. Gandica, R. E. K. Stein, and A. D. Racine
Drowning in a Sea of Advice: Pediatricians and American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statements
Pediatrics, October 1, 2006; 118(4): e964 - e978.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
R. E.K. Stein, L. E. Zitner, and P. S. Jensen
Interventions for Adolescent Depression in Primary Care
Pediatrics, August 1, 2006; 118(2): 669 - 682.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
E. M. Taveras, R. Li, L. Grummer-Strawn, M. Richardson, R. Marshall, V. H. Rego, I. Miroshnik, and T. A. Lieu
Mothers' and Clinicians' Perspectives on Breastfeeding Counseling During Routine Preventive Visits
Pediatrics, May 1, 2004; 113(5): e405 - e411.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
C. Bethell, C. Peck, and E. Schor
Assessing Health System Provision of Well-Child Care: The Promoting Healthy Development Survey
Pediatrics, May 1, 2001; 107(5): 1084 - 1094.
[Abstract] [Full Text]

Home page
 CLIN PEDIATRHome page
L. H. Margolis
A Critical Review of Studies of Newborn Discharge Timing
Clinical Pediatrics, December 1, 1995; 34(12): 626 - 634.
[Abstract] [PDF]