Free ‘Babies at Risk' conference addresses how to prevent
heart attacks or strokes in offspring
GALVESTON, Texas - Did you know that low birth weight babies - those below 5.5 pounds - as a group die sooner than those born heavier? Or that they tend disproportionately to develop chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes - maladies once assumed to be entirely influenced by "lifestyle" choices people make later in life?
If this is news to you, don't be embarrassed. These startling facts were unknown even to physicians as recently as the early 1980s.
Since then, this once-controversial hypothesis has become a widely accepted idea. That's due largely to the pioneering research of a persistent British epidemiologist.
This researcher, Dr. David J.P. Barker, will be the keynote speaker at "Babies at Risk" to be held Tuesday, Nov. 27, from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., at the Galveston Island Convention Center, 5600 Seawall Blvd.
The event is free and open to the public. The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston encourages residents to attend this rare chance for the public to interact with the experts in a relaxed setting and get information that is vital to prospective parents.
Barker will discuss his research, which provides compelling evidence that better nutrition during pregnancy may prevent heart disease and obesity when one-time fetuses become adults. Barker's work was featured in the Nov. 19 issue of the New Yorker magazine.
"Preemies" are particularly at risk for future adult diseases. Several presentations will address the challenges these babies present. Dr. Donald Mattison of the U.S. Public Health Service will discuss the ramifications of premature birth.
Dr. Susan Keeney, a specialist in newborn infants at UTMB, will discuss problems premature babies face, and UTMB obstetrician George Saade will discuss practical issues associated with their care. UTMB psychologist Karen Smith will address behavioral problems associated with premature birth. Mahmoud Ahmed, a UTMB obstetrician, will discuss risks and benefits of pregnancy. Dr. Jon Tyson of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston will address the ethical issues associated with the care of extremely premature infants.
All talks will take place in the morning, followed by a luncheon. Please call (409) 772-9300 to reserve and pay for the prepared lunch.
Afterwards, speakers and community members are urged to join round-table discussions, specifically of behavioral development, care, counseling and ethical issues.
Newborn babies - especially those born prematurely - are among the community's most vulnerable populations. Speakers at this event will explain why prenatal care is so important and address the challenges obstetricians face caring for mothers during pregnancy and neonatologists face caring for these at-risk infants. It also offers an opportunity to improve the population's health by better caring for mothers-to-be and their babies.
The conference is largely funded by the Harris and Eliza Kempner Fund. Barker will be the Daniel W. Kempner Visiting Professor.
Continuing medical and nursing education credits are also available. For fee information, please log on to http://www.utcme.net/ or call (409) 772-9300 (the Office of Continuing Medical Education at UTMB).