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Biomedical subjects

D C Geddis

Publications and source records attributed to D C Geddis.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Alcohol consumption by New Zealand women during pregnancy.

AIMS: Despite the known negative effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, there is little basic epidemiological information on this group of women. The present study aims to provide such information. METHODS: The Plunket National Child Health Study is a longitudinal study of 4286 New Zealand children, based on an ethnically stratified and geographically representative random sample of children born between 2 July 1990 and 30 June 1991. The drinking habits of the mothers of these children are examined. RESULTS: During pregnancy 41.6% of women consumed alcohol. Compared with abstainers, they tended to be older, have higher educational qualifications, lower parity, higher socioeconomic status and be European or Maori. Of those women who consumed alcohol, the frequency of consumption was rare (between one and three times in pregnancy) in 13.6% of cases, occasional (more than three times in pregnancy but less than weekly) in 67.7% of cases, and frequent (more than once a week) in 18.7% of cases. Those who frequently consumed were more likely to have higher socioeconomic status. For pregnant women in New Zealand, the sociodemography of those having high rates of alcohol consumption does not coincide with the sociodemography of those who have high rates of smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Programmes aimed at reducing alcohol consumption during pregnancy should take account of the at-risk groups of women as identified above. In particular they should include women of higher socioeconomic status in their target groups.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

The Plunket National Child Health Study: birth defects and sociodemographic factors.

AIMS: The Plunket National Child Health Study was set up to examine the health experience of a representative sample of New Zealand children. This paper examines the association of birth defects with the sociodemographic variables of maternal age and education, parity, socioeconomic group, region of domicile and marital status; infant's ethnic group and sex. The effect of maternal smoking on the prevalence of birth defects was also examined. The paper compares the prevalence of birth defects in infants alive at 6 weeks with the reported prevalence at birth as described in various other publications. METHODS: A cohort of 4286 children born in New Zealand during 1990-1 were enrolled in the study. The presence of birth defects in the study population was determined by clinical examination and review of hospital or midwife referrals. All described defects were reviewed and coded according to the ICD-9. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of birth defects in the study was 4.3%. There was a significant association between socioeconomic status and the incidence of birth defect but no other significant sociodemographic variations. Cigarette smoking had no statistically significant effect on the rate of birth defects. There was a marked difference between the rates for certain defects in the Plunket study when compared to Health Department notifications. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the differences between the current study and official Health Department notifications we suggest that criteria for congenital anomaly notification are clarified, and that a second notification takes place at six weeks of age.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Parental perceptions of information about medication prescribed for their children.

AIMS: The study aimed to examine parents' perceptions of the information provided to them on prescribed medication; how it might be improved and; parental level of knowledge of medication administration. METHODS: 245 parents completed a questionnaire at a preschool health day. The questionnaire covered parental opinion on whether the doctor provided enough information about illness and medication, recall of pharmacist's instructions on medication, parental general knowledge of medication and what parents wanted to know about medication for their children. RESULTS: The findings indicated there was an overall lack of information from the doctor on side effects and what to do if problems occurred with medication. Furthermore, half (49%) of the parents did not recall receiving any information from the pharmacist. Parents appeared to understand the basics of medication administration. CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that improvements should be made regarding the information given to parents on prescribed medication. This may improve satisfaction with the service received from health professionals, such as doctors and pharmacists, and increase patient compliance with treatment regimes.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Planned early discharge from New Zealand maternity hospitals.

AIMS: The purpose of the Plunket National Child Health Study was to establish a database on health indicators of New Zealand children and families. This paper examines the issue of early discharge in New Zealand maternity hospitals. METHODS: As part of the study, 4286 parents were interviewed when the child was around six weeks post partum regarding their planned choice for length of post natal hospital stay and their actual length of stay. RESULTS: Most New Zealand mothers choose to stay in hospital for 4-7 days following childbirth. Those mothers choosing early discharge (within 48 hours of delivery), tended to be multiparous, nonEuropean, less educated and of lower socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS: The characteristics of those choosing early discharge demonstrate the vulnerability of this group and also have implications for the provision of health care services which are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

First report from the Plunket National Child Health Study: smoking during pregnancy in New Zealand.

The Plunket National Child Health Study is a 5-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 4285 children born in New Zealand during 1990-1991. This paper describes the major lines of epidemiological research, the methods and study design, and reports on the demographic data of New Zealand children. During this first report from the Plunket Child Health Study, we examine on the smoking rates of New Zealand mothers during pregnancy. Overall 33% of mothers smoked during pregnancy. Particularly high rates were found amongst teenage mothers,. Maori women, single women and women with lower educational levels. Over 60% of women in these categories smoked during pregnancy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Immunization status and demographic characteristics of New Zealand infants in the first 6 months of life.

In the Royal New Zealand Plunket Society's 1990-91 cohort study, of 3902 children, 985 (25.2%) had fallen behind the immunization schedule by 6 months of age. These children were more likely to be from lower socio-economic groups or to have mothers who were older, with high or low education, or of higher parity. The infants were also more likely to be from non-European families, or to have unemployed fathers. Eight hundred and ten (82.2%) of the incompletely immunized children at that age could be brought up-to-date with their immunizations by a single visit to the doctor. The most common reason for delaying immunization was that the baby was sick. This was a false contraindication in 69.2, 79.0 and 78.4% of these children at the 6 week, 3 month and 5 month immunization, respectively.

Cohort Studies↗
PubMed1993

Sociodemographic factors associated with sleeping position and location.

Recent research has implicated infant sleeping body position and bed sharing as risk factors in the sudden infant death syndrome. The sociodemographic associations of infant sleeping body position and location were examined in this study. This showed that the majority (86.4%) of New Zealand parents now place their infants to sleep on their sides. The remainder place their infants supine (1.3%), prone (4.8%), or no particular way (7.5%). In the waking position, 57.9% were usually found on their sides, 18.2% supine, and 6.1% prone. Infant sleeping position showed marked sociodemographic variability. These findings are a marked contrast to previous New Zealand studies which showed a reversed pattern, with most infants put to sleep prone. There were also highly significant sociodemographic differences in the place of sleeping. Overall 12.2% of infants shared a bed, with infants of younger less well educated mothers who were of non-European origin, with a parity of five or more, or unmarried significantly more likely to do so. Infants of unemployed and lower socioeconomic group (Elley-Irving groups 5 and 6) fathers were also more likely to share a parental bed.

Beds↗
PubMed1992

The demographic characteristics of early and late attenders for antenatal care.

In the Royal New Zealand Plunket Society's 1990-91 Cohort study, 581 of 4,286 women questioned (13.7%) had not initiated antenatal care until after the first trimester. These late attenders were more likely to be non-European or of high parity; 42.9% of Pacific Islander mothers and 28.9% of Maori mothers did not initiate antenatal care until after the first trimester. Late attenders were also more likely to be unmarried, of lower socioeconomic status, young or with lower educational attainment. The reason for delayed antenatal care needs to be investigated and mothers who are high parity and non-European need to be particularly targeted to encourage them to attend for antenatal care early.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

The normal growth patterns of New Zealand preschool children.

This study was designed to update New Zealand Growth Charts for preschool children. The heights, weights and head circumferences of 12,311 children aged one month to five years were recorded. From this data growth charts were constructed. Since significant differences were found between the measurements for boys and girls, separate graphs were constructed. We strongly advise that these graphs be used by all health professionals involved with child health surveillance of the 0-5 age group.

Body Height↗
PubMed1991

Evaluation of the routine examination of nine month old infants.

During the month of March 1988, 880 (85.6%) of the 1027 babies born in New Zealand during the first week of June 1987 were examined by either a Plunket nurse or a paediatrician. Sixty-nine percent of the babies were European, 16.9% Maori, 6.8% from the Pacific Islands and 4.4% other nationalities. Previously unknown conditions or abnormalities that required further assessment or treatment were discovered in 8.3% of babies. Abnormalities were found in: 7.3% of European infants; 10.1% of the Maori infants; 18.3% of the Pacific Island infants and 2.6% of the others. Other topics considered of significance to the examiner but not directly associated with the nine month examination (eg, maternal health problem), were recorded in 24% of cases. There was no significant difference across the three main ethnic groups. Similar results were recorded irrespective of whether the examination was undertaken by a doctor or a nurse. We believe the nine month examination should be continued but the present policy of recommending that preferably general practitioners carry out the examination should be reassessed.

Congenital Abnormalities↗
PubMed1990

Factors influencing the use of infant car restraints.

Over a six-week period 100 mothers in Dunedin, New Zealand obtained General Motors infant car seats from a rental scheme. In interviews conducted in the maternity hospital, before the seats had been used, the mother's perceptions of the comfort and ease of use of the seat were recorded. All mothers rated the seats as very safe. From details of 2,830 car trips undertaken by these mothers while their infants were 0-3 months old and from a further 687 journeys by 85 of those mothers when their infants were 4-6 months old we found that an infant car seat was used for only 72% of journeys with the younger infant compared to 91% of journeys with the older infant. Those mothers who had rated the seat--before ever using it--as appearing uncomfortable or difficult to use were less likely to make use of it. The seat was least likely to be used when the mother was going out for more than two hours in the evening for some purpose that involved only a short car journey.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1990

Sleep patterns of New Zealand infants during the first 12 months of life.

The sleeping patterns of 874 infants aged 1-12 months were recorded by parents over a 6 day period. The most striking feature of the results was the wide range in total hours slept by infants of the same age, for example, the average total sleeping time per 24 h period for 4 month old infants was 14.8 h with a range of 11.0-19.3 h. Furthermore, over the 6 day period, individual infants showed wide variations in their sleeping times with a range as great as 12 h. Despite these wide variations, several clear trends emerged: from 1 to 8 months, a decrease with age of the average number of hours slept per 24 h period; and from 8 to 12 months, and a continuing shift towards a dominance of night over day sleep. The frequency of night wakings was, on average, 77%, a finding that contrasted sharply with parental perception of frequency of night waking; the transition from bassinet/carrycot to cot was most common between 3 and 4 months of age; 25% of babies slept with the light on, 9% used a dummy, and 37% sucked their fingers; first-born infants woke significantly less often at night than those with one or more sibling. These results provide an important comparative data set on the sleep patterns of infants.

Birth Order↗
PubMed1986

Establishment and evaluation of a pilot child car seat rental scheme in New Zealand.

The method of operation of a pilot car seat rental scheme is described. It is unique in that there are sufficient seats to accommodate every newborn infant in the city. Both infant and child seats are available. The pattern of use since the establishment of the scheme in December 1981 is reported. Currently 60% to 70% of parents rent infant seats and 35% to 40% rent child seats. Yearly roadside observations have shown a steady increase in the number of restrained children. In 1981 no infants traveled in approved restraints. In 1984 66% did so. The 1984 results for other age groups were: 6 to 18 months of age, 88%; 18 months to 21/2 years of age, 82%; 21/2 to 31/2 years of age, 66%; 31/2 to 41/2 years of age, 62%. At this time no legislation applied to children less than 8 years of age. The success of this pilot scheme suggests it should be expanded on a national scale.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1985

Evaluation of Dunedin Plunket family units.

The 249 new cases who presented to Dunedin's two family units during an eight month period in 1983 are described. Data including demographic details, the nature of the presenting problems, the types and frequency of interventions used, and the outcome as perceived by unit staff, referring agency and the child's mother, were collected. Commonly the presenting problem was but one of several identified by unit staff. The number and duration of family unit contacts did not differ greatly for different types of presenting problems. Outcome ratings by the involved health care workers agreed closely with those who made the referral (usually Plunket nurses) and suggested a definite improvement in the majority of cases. There was a high level of consumer satisfaction. Family units are still evolving and adapting to suit local needs, and it seems that they are providing an efficient and effective service which is unique in New Zealand.

Child Care↗