Farah assesses the assets and needs of the population she serves
Farah reviews the local health status data and finds that at-risk pregnant women are not eating the recommended number of Canada’s Food Guide servings, are more likely to engage in high risk behaviours (like drinking alcohol and smoking), and are less likely to exclusively breastfeed their babies in the first 6 months of life (4.01f).
Farah also learns from her clients living in the urban neighbourhood she is serving that limited access to a grocery store, especially during the winter months, is a factor impacting their eating habits (4.01d, 4.01f, 4.01g, 1.07b, 1.07c).
Farah works closely with program stakeholders, including local community-based organizations, (4.01b) to review the incidence of Low Birth Weight (LBW) infants in her community (4.01d). The incidence of LBW infants is a key indicator that suggests how well at-risk pregnant mothers are managing their pregnancy. She also conducts focus groups with at-risk pregnant women from the community to help her plan the perinatal nutrition program (4.01d, 1.07d).
She uses all of this information to provide recommendations on how she might best serve the community (4.01p, 1.06h) and the ultimate goal of promoting better health for pregnant women and their babies (4.02b, 1.07d).
Farah now delivers a weekly program, in partnership with other health professionals, (4.03b) which encourages at-risk pregnant women to make healthy choices that support a healthy pregnancy and baby.
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