• Analysing Gaps in Child Health in the U.K.: A "Weathering" Hypothesis Perspective
  Presented by: Alice Goisis, Wendy Sigle-Rushton

• Rural Mother's Empowerment: Developing Health Messages for Rural, Low-Income Families
  Presented by: Elisabeth Maring, Amanda Ginter, Bonnie Braun, Linda Aldoory

• Interactions Between Families and Schools and Immigrant Adolescent Mental Heath
  Presented by: Jing Zhang, Tina Savla

Abstracts

Analysing Gaps in Child Health in the U.K.: A "Weathering" Hypothesis Perspective

Presented by: Alice Goisis, Wendy Sigle-Rushton

It is well established that, across a range of countries, ethnic minority women are more likely to have poorer birth outcomes than white women. U.S. research has also demonstrated that the excess risk of poor birth outcomes for black women compared to white women tends to increase with the age of the mother. Researchers have suggested that this age pattern may be due to black women's greater risk of exposure to cumulative health disadvantages, something referred to as the "weathering hypothesis". In the U.K., an ethnically diverse country with high levels of inequality and residential segregation, the "weathering" perspective has not been adopted to analyse gaps in child health. In this paper, using data from the Millennium Cohort Study (U.K.) and building on existing findings, we explore whether ethnic and social class gaps in child health increase with age as predicted by the "weathering" hypothesis literature.

Rural Mother's Empowerment: Developing Health Messages for Rural, Low-Income Families

Presented by: Elisabeth Maring, Amanda Ginter, Bonnie Braun, Linda Aldoory

There is a gap in family science literature about health messages targeting rural, low-income families. The purpose of this presentation is to describe a strategy to improve health by empowering rural low-income mothers to be part of message development. The presentation will provide participants with tools to understand an alternative to expert-driven health messaging. The information has implications for expanding family health education to incorporate rural mothers' experiences. In the short term, the strategy should lead to an increase in the number of families prepared to take positive action related to healthcare; in the long term, improved health outcomes.

Interactions between Families and Schools and Immigrant Adolescent Mental Heath

Presented by: Jing Zhang, Tina Savla

Guided by social capital and the ecological perspectives, this study examines the effects of social capital generated through the interaction of families and schools on the mental health outcomes of immigrant adolescents and the protective role of self- evaluation. Data were drawn from Wave 2 of Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study. The results of structural equation modeling showed that parent-child relations in school were positively associated with adolescent self-evaluation, and self-evaluation in turn was negatively associated with depressive symptoms of adolescents; however, parent involvement in school activities was negatively associated with self-evaluation.