Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 18, Issue 5, 2016, Pages 1228-1231

Health Literacy in Unauthorized Mexican Immigrant Mothers and Risk of Developmental Delay in their Children (Article)

Hernandez-Mekonnen R.* , Duggan E.K. , Oliveros-Rosen L. , Gerdes M. , Wortham S. , Ludmir J. , Bennett I.M.
  • a School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Stockton University, 101 Vera King Farris Dr., Galloway, NJ 08205, United States
  • b Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
  • c Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
  • d Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
  • e Graduate School of Education of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
  • f Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States, Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, United States
  • g Department of Family Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States

Abstract

The incidence of developmental delay and early intervention (EI) service utilization is not well documented among unauthorized Mexican immigrants, a vulnerable population. Individual interviews were conducted in Spanish with Mexican born women receiving maternal health care. Children 12–60 months of age were screened for developmental delay using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. 12 % (n = 8) of children assessed (n = 65) were at risk for developmental delay. Of those at risk 38 % (n = 3) participated in EI. An additional 26 % of the children (n = 17) qualified for further monitoring, and of those 59 % (n = 10) received EI. Women with low health literacy had more than four times the odds of having a child with risk of developmental delay (aOR 4.4; 95 % CI 1.3–15.4). Developmental delay was associated with low maternal health literacy in unauthorized Mexican immigrants; however, rates of self-reported EI use in this population are higher than those seen nationally. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Author Keywords

Health literacy Child development immigrants Urban

Index Keywords

human statistics and numerical data ethnology Undocumented Immigrants Humans undocumented immigrant developmental disorder psychology male Developmental Disabilities female preschool child Infant Child, Preschool Mothers Early Intervention (Education) adult mother utilization maternal health service Maternal Health Services Mexican Americans health literacy early childhood intervention Mexican American
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84946115040&doi=10.1007%2fs10903-015-0284-z&partnerID=40&md5=5cd4fc4b631bd0d10db5eccb7aa6c2d7
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-015-0284-z
ISSN: 15571912
Cited by: 3
Original Language: English