critical first trimester, making them three to six times more likely to deliver a pre-mature, low birth weight baby; increasing the baby’s risk of mental impairment and developmental delay. According to Arloc Sherman, inadequate health care has an adverse impact on the child in school, as untreated ear infections, iron deficiency, and lead poisoning lead to trouble concentrating, aggression, poor motor and mental development, and impaired growth. This is just one example of how two seemingly separate elements of the microsystem (health care and school) interact at the level of the mesosystem in Bronfenbrenner’s model. While the detrimental effects of inadequate health care on child development can be better understood by interpreting them through the framework of the ecological model, the real strength of the model is that it provides a starting point (or a ring of the bulls-eye to target) for a solution. According to Chafel, many policy makers, educators, and counselors are still unaware of the ways in which poverty influences the health and related educational attainment of children. Therefore, if an effort is made at the level of the macrosystem, by educating politicians and professionals about the importance of health care, many of the school difficulties, cognitive deficiencies, and behavior problems of poor children may be eliminated. According to the Children’s Defense Fund, the first step in combating the ramifications of poverty is to ensure that every child has a “Healthy Start,” that they are insured and receive quality health care, in order to equip them with the physical and mental strength needed to break the cycle of poverty.Barbara Y. Whitman, in her article “Homeless Families and Their Children: Health, Developmental, and Educational Needs,” advocates a Bronfenbrenner-like approach to the issue of homelessness. She states, “from a social epidemiological perspective,...
