Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

When Descriptor Is Diagnosis: An Autoethnographic Response To The Medical Treatment Of Women With Vulvodynia, Josephine Taylor, Alexandra Ridgway

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Women with chronic vulvar pain experience symptoms that can affect their everyday functioning. These women are often diagnosed with vulvodynia, defined as vulvar pain without a medical explanation lasting at least three months. Yet while vulvodynia is presented by medical authorities as a diagnosis it is, more accurately, a descriptor of the physical condition. As such it does not have the ability to explain what causes this vulvar pain and, consequently, cannot determine an appropriate treatment pathway for all patients. As women with vulvodynia (‘V women’), we use this article to highlight the issues posed by a descriptor camouflaging as …

Sex Differences In Skeletal Muscle Fiber Types: A Meta-Analysis, James L. Nuzzo

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Biopsies have been acquired from living men and women to determine proportions of Type I (slow-twitch) and II (fast-twitch) skeletal muscle fibers since the 1970s. Sex differences have been assumed but the literature has not been submitted to meta-analysis. Here, the aim was to generate effect sizes of sex differences in muscle fiber cross-sectional areas, distribution percentages, and area percentages. Data from 2875 men and 2452 women, who participated in 110 studies, were analyzed. Myofibrillar adenosine triphosphatase histochemistry was used in 71.8% of studies to classify fibers as Type I, II, IIA, and/or IIX; immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, or sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide …

Early Mortality Among Aboriginal And Non-Aboriginal Women Who Had A Preterm Birth In Western Australia: A Population-Based Cohort Study, Helen D. Bailey, Caitlin Gray, Akilew A. Adane, Natalie A. Strobel, Scott W. White, Rhonda Marriott, Gizachew A. Tessema, Carrington C. J. Shepherd, Mary Sharp

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Having a preterm ( < 37 weeks' gestation) birth may increase a woman's risk of early mortality. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (hereafter Aboriginal) women have higher preterm birth and mortality rates compared with other Australian women. Objectives: We investigated whether a history of having a preterm birth was associated with early mortality in women and whether these associations differed by Aboriginal status. Methods: This retrospective cohort study used population-based perinatal records of women who had a singleton birth between 1980 and 2015 in Western Australia linked to Death Registry data until June 2018. The primary and secondary outcomes were all-cause and cause-specific mortality respectively. After stratification by Aboriginal status, rate differences were calculated, and Cox proportional hazard regression was used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Results: There were 20,244 Aboriginal mothers (1349 deaths) and 457,357 non-Aboriginal mothers (7646 deaths) with 8.6 million person-years of follow-up. The all-cause mortality rates for Aboriginal mothers who had preterm births and term births were 529.5 and 344.0 (rate difference 185.5, 95 % CI 135.5, 238.5) per 100,000 person-years respectively. Among non-Aboriginal mothers, the corresponding figures were 125.5 and 88.6 (rate difference 37.0, 95 % CI 29.4, 44.9) per 100,000 person-years. The HR for all-cause mortality for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal mothers associated with preterm birth were 1.48 (95 % CI 1.32, 1.66) and 1.35 (95 % CI 1.26, 1.44), respectively, compared with term birth. Compared with mothers who had term births, mothers of preterm births had higher relative risks of mortality from diabetes, cardiovascular, digestive and external causes. Conclusions: Both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women who had a preterm birth had a moderately increased risk of mortality up to 38 years after the birth, reinforcing the importance of primary prevention and ongoing screening.

Periodic Changes In The N-Glycosylation Of Immunoglobulin G During The Menstrual Cycle, Julija Jurić, Hongli Peng, Manshu Song, Frano Vučković, Jelena Šimunović, Irena Trbojević-Akmačić, Youxin Wang, Jiaonan Liu, Qing Gao, Hao Wang, Qiaoyun Chu, Marija Pezer, Wei Wang, Gordan Lauc

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is the most abundant plasma glycoprotein and a prominent humoral immune mediator. Glycan composition affects the affinity of IgG to ligands and consequent immune responses. The modification of IgG N-glycosylation is considered to be one of the various mechanisms by which sex hormones modulate the immune system. Although the menstrual cycle is the central sex hormone-related physiological process in most women of reproductive age, IgG N-glycosylation dynamics during the menstrual cycle have not yet been investigated. To fill this gap, we profiled the plasma IgG N-glycans of 70 healthy premenopausal women at 12 time points during their …

The Relevance Of Knowledge, Perception, And Factors That Influence Contraceptive Use Among Married Women Living In Uaddara Barracks, Ghana, Daisy Afra Lumor, Christian Obirikorang, Emmanuel Acheampong, Yaa Obirikorang, Hubert Owusu, Sam Newton

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Contraceptive use has many advantages for personal growth and societal advancement, but there is still the problem of unmet needs for women, which highlights the gap between women's reproductive intentions and contraceptive use. This study investigated knowledge, perceptions, and factors that influence contraceptive use among married women living in a military base in Ghana. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 350 married women between the ages of 20 and 58 years at the Uaddara Barracks, Kumasi. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on the background, knowledge, perceptions on contraceptive use, and contraceptive methods used by participants. Data was …

Nursing Practicum Equity For A Changing Nurse Student Demographic: A Qualitative Study, Lesley Andrew, Julie Dare, Ken Robinson, Leesa Costello

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: The nursing practicum (clinical practice) is an essential but often highly stressful aspect of the nursing degree. A review of the published literature reveals a strong focus on the stressors that originate within the practicum environment, rather than the student’s life outside the university and practice setting. This article reports on an Australian study, completed before the COVID-19 pandemic, of the university experiences of undergraduate women nurse students with family responsibilities. The findings reveal the importance of factors outside the university on the women students’ practicum experience and their ability to engage and achieve. Methods: The study was qualitative, …

The Use Of Complementary Medicine During Childbearing Years: A Multi-Country Study Of Women From The Middle East, Diana Arabiat, Lisa Whitehead, Samia Gaballah, Nazi Nejat, Ebtehal Galal, Eman Abu Sabah, Nazek Smadi, Inas Saadeh, Randa Khlaif

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The prevalence of self-prescribed complementary medicine (CM) use is an area of concern across the Middle East. We conducted a descriptive qualitative study to describe women’s use of CM during their childbearing years in Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iran. The study conducted using face to face audio-recorded interviews with 70 participants. Our findings showed that women used several herbal plants to ease pain and discomfort during menstruation and/or during pregnancy and in postpartum care. Acupuncture, meditation, and massage were less likely to be used by women. The impact of CM was often described in relation to perceived usefulness and …

Competing Worlds: The Private Lives Of Women Nurse Students And Gender Equity In Higher Education, Lesley Andrew, Ken Robinson, Leesa Costello, Julie Dare

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 Society for Research into Higher Education. A longitudinal qualitative study of undergraduate women nursing students demonstrated the profound and pervasive influence of the heterosexual intimate relationship on their university engagement and achievement. Hitherto, the importance of women’s private lives have been underappreciated in the arenas of student equity and retention. The study showed that traditional ideas of gender held within the intimate relationship were highly detrimental to student autonomy and capacity to engage, and that the university’s organisation and delivery of the curriculum exacerbated the situation. Participants made personal sacrifices, which, while enabling continuation of their studies, were …

Cruciferous Vegetable Intake Is Inversely Associated With Extensive Abdominal Aortic Calcification In Elderly Women: A Cross-Sectional Study, Lauren C. Blekkenhorst, Marc Sim, Simone Radavelli Bagatini, Nicola P. Bondonno, Catherine P. Bondonno, Amanda Devine, John T. Schousboe, Wai H. Lim, Douglas P. Kiel, Richard J. Woodman, Jonathan M. Hodgson, Richard L. Prince, Joshua Lewis

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

We have previously shown higher intake of cruciferous vegetables is inversely associated with carotid artery intima-media thickness. To further test the hypothesis that an increased consumption of cruciferous vegetables is associated with reduced indicators of structural vascular disease in other areas of the vascular tree, we aimed to investigate the cross-sectional association between cruciferous vegetable intake and extensive calcification in the abdominal aorta. Dietary intake was assessed, using a food frequency questionnaire, in 684 older women from the Calcium Intake Fracture Outcome Study. Cruciferous vegetables included cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli. Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) was scored using the …

The Impact Of Stuttering On Development Of Self-Identity, Relationships, And Quality Of Life In Women Who Stutter, Charn Nang, Deborah J. Hersh, Katie Milton, Su Re Lau

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose: The experiences of women who stutter have been underresearched. Clinicians have little guidance from the research literature on issues specific to women who stutter and are likely to have less clinical contact with this group than with men who stutter because of the higher prevalence of stuttering in men. This study explored the experiences of a small group of women who stutter with a particular focus on what the main current issues are and how gender may have influenced experiences with stuttering.

Method: This qualitative study involved recruitment of 9 women who stutter (aged 35-80 years) through a support …

Review Of Diabetes Among Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander People, Samantha Burrow, Kathy Ride

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Diabetes is the world’s fastest growing chronic disease. Type 2 diabetes in particular, has reached epidemic proportions globally and in Australia, and poses a challenge for public health systems everywhere. The greatest burden tends to fall on socially disadvantaged groups and Indigenous peoples Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians experience disproportionately high levels of diabetes. They are three times more likely to have diabetes than non-Indigenous Australians and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are almost twice as likely to develop gestational diabetes as non-Indigenous women. There is also evidence that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are eight times …

Maternal Work Hours In Early To Middle Childhood Link To Later Adolescent Diet Quality, Jianghong Li, Therese O'Sullivan, Sarah Johnson, Fiona Stanley, Wendy H. Oddy

Research outputs 2012

Objective Previous studies on maternal work hours and child diet quality have reported conflicting findings possibly due to differences in study design, lack of a comprehensive measure of diet quality and differing ages of the children under investigation. The present study aimed to prospectively examine the impact of parental work hours from age 1 year to age 14 years on adolescent diet quality. Design Multivariate linear regression models were used to examine independent associations between parents' work hours at each follow-up and across 14 years and adolescent diet quality at age 14 years. A diet quality index was based on …

Rethinking Social Support In Women's Midlife Years: Women's Experiences Of Social Support In Online Environments, Julie Dare, Lelia Green

Research outputs 2011

The midlife years (45–55) often coincide with fundamental changes in women’s lives, as women experience transitions such as menopause, changes to family structure due to departure of children or divorce, and parents’ ageing and death. These circumstances tend to increase women’s reliance upon their social support networks. Evidence suggests that social support is critical in helping women manage transitions during the midlife period and develop a sense of self-efficacy; this article highlights that this support is being increasingly exchanged through mediated communication channels. The article presents a comparative investigation of mediated communication channels, primarily email and online chat, through which …

Breast Self Examination: A Healthy Approach: Teaching Manual, Margaret Imeson, Molly Mccartney

Research outputs pre 2011

The theme of this health teaching package is breast care with an emphasis on step-by-step instruction f0r breast self examination. The package has been designed to guide health professionals in the facilitation of workshops and discussion groups promoting breast care for women. Materials included in the manual may be adapted to suit audience requirements...

Professional Experience Programme Report: Women's Health Promotion, An International Perspective, Lynne Hunt

Research outputs pre 2011

Between August 1988 and January 1989 I visited niQe countries in the Western Pacific, North America and Europe to survey women's health promotion from the perspective of the women's health movement. The experience was facilitated by study leave (Professional Experience Programme) from the Western Australian College of Advanced Education (now Edith Cowan University).

The main purpose of the study was to exchange ideas with selected academics and experts in women's health. The information acquired will be applied in courses in women's health offered by Edith Cowan University and in the ongoing development of a series of videotape productions on women's …