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Updated: Jul 22, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Low birthweight babies grow older, but there could be many problems
1Dental Health Services, Department of General Dentistry, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8706, USA.
Insights
More low birthweight survivors face lifelong challenges. Parent input is crucial for assessing child development and special health care needs, despite past skepticism.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Special Health Care Needs
Background:
- Increasing survival rates of low birthweight infants present long-term physical, intellectual, and behavioral challenges.
- Traditional health outcome evaluations have historically prioritized healthcare provider perspectives.
- Skepticism regarding parental data accuracy has been a barrier, yet parental input is vital for children with special health care needs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the critical role of parental input in evaluating health outcomes for children with special health care needs.
- To address the historical skepticism surrounding parental reporting of child development.
- To emphasize the necessity of integrating parental perspectives within the broader context of managing children with special health care needs.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on health outcome assessment in pediatric populations.
- Analysis of the role of parental reporting in the care of children with developmental and emotional disabilities.
- Discussion of the integration of parent-reported data into clinical practice for children with special health care needs.
Main Results:
- Parental input is indispensable for understanding the developmental trajectories of children, particularly those with disabilities.
- Healthcare providers frequently rely on parent/guardian reports for essential developmental and behavioral information.
- Parental reporting, while requiring contextual understanding, offers unique insights into a child's lived experience and health status.
Conclusions:
- Parental perspectives are essential for a comprehensive assessment of health outcomes in children with special health care needs.
- Future health outcome evaluations should actively incorporate and validate parental reporting.
- Recognizing the value of parental input can improve the quality of care for low birthweight survivors and children with complex health conditions.
Abstract:
An increasing number of low birthweight babies are surviving into their teen years and beyond, but with lifelong problems- including physical, intellectual and behavior difficulties. In the past, the indicators and measures used to evaluate health outcome have been selected from the perspective of the health care provider. There have been considerable skepticism as to the ability of parents to provide data about the development of their children. But practitioners often must rely upon the parent/guardian of children (particularly children with developmental and /or emotional disabilities) for significant input. This input is essential, but should be considered within the context of raising a child with special health care needs.
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