Conference seeks improvements in maternal and child nutrition
Posted on 27 April 2005
Both will focus on Maternal and Child Nutrition and are part of a network of nine centres across the country, aimed at helping to eliminate a range of health inequalities.
The York centres are based in the Mother and Infant Research Unit (MIRU) in the University's Department of Health Sciences. One will review evidence on mother and child nutrition and produce guidance for practitioners, while the other will work with health professionals to develop and change practice.
The centres will help to raise the profile of maternal and child nutrition and will develop and test new approaches at a network of "sentinel sites" in deprived areas in Leeds, the West Midlands, London and the West Country.
Their work will include a systematic review of food-support programmes for low-income child-bearing women and a study of breastfeeding initiation and duration. The latter will aim to increase support for women who breastfeed among midwives, health visitors, doctors, social services staff, nurses and others.
We hope to develop more understanding of how we can all work together for better nutrition for women and children
Professor Mary Renfrew
Conference delegates will include staff from the sentinel sites, academics, consumer groups, including the Maternity Alliance, the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers and the National Childbirth Trust, and representatives of professional organisations.
Speakers will include:
- Professor Mary Renfrew, the Head of MIRU, and Director of the two York-based centres.
- Professor Louise Wallace, Professor of Psychology and Health and Director of the Health Services Research Centre at Coventry University.
- Dr Charlotte Wright, Consultant in Community Child Health, University of Glasgow.
- Gill Herbert, formerly of the Nuffield Institute for Health at the University of Leeds.
The programme will feature presentations on the current work of the centres, a debate on growth monitoring charts and workshops to allow the 80 delegates to share ideas on ways to improve maternal and child nutrition.
Professor Renfrew said: "By bringing all these people together, we hope to develop more understanding of how we can all work together for better nutrition for women and children."
Notes to editors:
- The Conference will take place at the National Centre for Early Music in York on Thursday 28 April 2005 between 9.00 am and 4.30pm.
- The other Public Health Collaborating Centres focus on the prevention of drug misuse, obesity and accidental injuries in children as well as promoting smoking cessation.
- The Evidence and Guidance Collaborating Centre at York is supported by the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York; the Nutritional Epidemiology Group at the University of Leeds and the Health Services Research Centre at Coventry University.
- The Practice Development Collaborating Centre is supported by the Health Services Research Centre at Coventry University, the Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory, the West Yorkshire Strategic Health Authority and Gill Herbert Consultancy and Development.
- The University of York's multi-disciplinary Department of Health Sciences offers a broad range of taught and research programmes in the health care field, including nursing and midwifery. It aims to develop the role of evidence in health and health care through high quality research, teaching and other forms of dissemination.