Good Health for African-American Kids

Noting the health gap between black and white Americans, Dixon, a nutritionist who practices with her physician husband in Baton Rouge, La., offers African American parents sound, jargon-free advice on raising healthy children. Aided by health writer Wilson, she begins with instructions for charting a family health tree to identify such genetic risk factors for heart disease as diabetes and hypertension. Advice on prenatal care is followed by that for infant, child and adolescent care. Focusing on disease prevention, Dixon includes ample advice on nutrition-including a few recipes. Acknowledging that African Americans are often distrustful of the medical establishment, she includes some trustworthy home remedies, such as drinking plenty of water to help avoid pregnancy-related constipation, and offers counsel on finding supportive health care providers. Urging parents not to overlook such preventive measures as well-baby checkups, immunizations and dental visits, Dixon also discusses AIDS, sex, street drugs, sickle-cell disease, lead exposure and the stress of racism. An extensive directory of resources adds to the book's usefulness. (Feb.)