Preconception Peer Educators Training Program

Welcome to PPE! College Students—we are IT! We are responsible for the next generation of healthy women/men/babies Our opinion is powerful

About the Group Requirements for membership: Structure Attend at least one meeting per semester (held once or twice a month) Attend at least one campus or community outreach event per semester Structure President Vice President Campus Outreach Liaison Community Outreach Liaison Secretary Treasurer Social Chair Media Chair

What do PPEs do? First, let’s define preconception health: Basically, it is the health of a woman before she becomes pregnant. Infant mortality is a HUGE issue both in Delaware and the US, and we believe that a majority of the problem is due to unhealthy mothers. Starting with teens and young adults, women should begin making healthy lifestyle choices that will not only benefit their future, but that of their future children. Our job is to think of fun and creative ways to spread the word both on campus and in the community!

WAIT…There’s more In addition to helping women and saving babies, we want the men to MAN UP! We target men in order to: Promote safe sex if not ready for a child Promote the importance of a father in a child’s life

Dr. Magda Peck’s Formula D x V x F > R Dissatisfaction Vision First Steps All combined help overcome resistance!

Why are we dissatisfied? About 25,000 infants in the United States die before their first birthday Mortality rate for non-Hispanic black infants is more than twice that of non-Hispanic white infants Most babies die due to a serious birth defect, being born prematurely (too small too early), Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, pregnancy complications, or injuries…most of which can be preventable with preconception education!

What’s the Vision? Bring down infant mortality rates Decrease disparity Educate teenagers, women, and men about the importance of prenatal care, healthy lifestyle, and smart choices

What are the First Steps?

We are already working on them! We are partnered with the Delaware Healthy Mother and Infant Consortium (DHMIC—you will learn this name very quickly), and use a ton of their resources in our efforts to spread the messages! We participate in conferences, summits, classroom talks, community baby showers…just to name a few. We hand out Life Plan Booklets (both teen and young adult versions), Condoms and business cards for the Man Up Plan Up campaign, and play the LifeCourse Game (ALL of which you will see at your first meeting)

Still not an expert on preconception care? No worries! We have cabinets full of resources to pull from, and current members and faculty who know a lot about this. Don’t need to be a pro---just passionate!

We Can Do It! Although it’s a slow process, Delaware’s infant mortality rate is slowly but surely declining—we can’t give up!! We are VERY excited about you joining our team 

Resources http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/MaternalIn fantHealth/InfantMortality.htm