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Current Issue – Advances in Maternal and Child Health

Maternal and infant mortality are high in the United States due to various intersecting public health issues like widespread chronic disease, systemic racism leading to disparities (especially for Black women and babies), inconsistent healthcare access, lack of paid maternity leave, and fragmented postpartum care.

In this issue of the Delaware Journal of Public Health, we welcome guest editor Audrey Merriam, MD, MS, a physician with the Delaware Center for Maternal and Fetal Medicine and ChristianaCare, and program director for the OB/GYN Residency. Dr. Merriam has curated a comprehensive and informative issue highlighting maternal and child health in Delaware, and we thank her for her hard work.

Table of Contents

3 | In This Issue: Advances in Maternal and Child Health
Omar A. Khan, M.D., M.H.S. & Katherine Smith, M.D., M.P.H.

4 | From the Guest Editor
Audrey A. Merriam, M.D.

5 | Highlights from the Nation’s Health

6 | A Ten-Year Retrospective Look at Maternal Deaths in Delaware Through Maternal Mortality Review
Meena Ramakrishnan, M.D., M.P.H. & Elisabeth Z. Klein, D.N.P., M.S.N., B.S.N., R.N.C.-O.B., R.N.C.-L.R.N.

16 | Historical Claims Literature Review Paper: Black Maternal Health
Jasmine R. Hilliard, L.S.C.W.

22 | Obstetric Triage as a Gateway to Social Care: Social Needs, Disparities, and Implications for Advancing Equity
Alicia L. Salvatore, Dr.P.H., M.P.H., Michelle Axe, M.S., C.H.E.S., Matthew K. Hoffman, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.O.G.

32 | Rethinking Prenatal and Postpartum Exercise
Julia Olsen, Ph.D.

38 | Bridging the Gaps between Aspirin Guidelines and Pregnancy Outcomes
Matthew K. Hoffman, M.D., M.P.H.

42 | The Role of Health Education in Maternal and Infant Health
Adrienne Palmer, M.S., C.L.S.

44 | Global Mapping of Evidence on Vaccination Related Education Through School Based Curriculum: A Systematic Scoping Review
Bhupender Singh Khanuja, Palak Badhwar, Kapil Singh, Shipra Verma, Anjori Agrawal, Ashwani Verma

54 | Hepatitis B Birth Dose
Stephen C. Eppes, M.D. & Katherine Smith, M.D., M.P.H.

56 | Progress Made, But the Work Isn’t Done: Delaware’s Path on Maternal and Infant Health
Melissa C. Minor-Brown, M.A. & Marie Pinkney, L.C.S.W.

58 | Children’s Health: 2025 and Beyond
Stephen C. Eppes, M.D.