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IMMIGRANT HEALTH: MATERNAL-CHILD HEALTH PROMOTIONAL PROJECTS FOR CHINESE FAMILIES IN MONTREAL

Alice Chan-Yip, MDCM., FRCP(C), FAAP.

Montreal Chinese Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Health Center, McGill University, Montreal, Qc., Canada

The ethnic influences on health care delivery have been witnessed in a pediatric practice in Montreal for two decades. The initial observation of prevalent health problems among Chinese immigrant women included:

- Poor nutritional practices during pregnancy

- Lack of child birth preparation

- Low breast feeding rate

- Post partum depression from social isolation

Frequently observed in young Chinese children were:

- Iron deficiency anaemia

- Nursing caries

- Emotional distrubances

- School maladaptation

The following health promotional measures with problem-specific orientation have been effective in improving health status in this target population

- Community sensitation and education

- Development of culture-specific services and research

- Comprehensive health care at well baby visits with psychosocial screening checklist and enhancement of cross-culture adaptional skills.

On-going surveys in the same practice revealed:

- Increased breast feeding rate (8% to 40.3%)

- Decreased prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia (12.1% to 2.8%)

- Improved dental care

- Early identification of psychosocial and biomedical risk factors in these families.

The establishment of a Culture-specific Perinatal Program has also significantly improved:

- Family-centered child birth education

- Raised client awareness and participation in Hepatitis B and Thalassemia screening programs

- Enhanced post-partum support by regional visiting nurses.