Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Las Dos Cosas Versus Exclusive Breastfeeding: A Culturally And Linguistically Exploratory Intervention Study In Hispanic Mothers Living In Kentucky, Ana Maria Linares, Diana Cartagena, Mary Kay Rayens

Nursing Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Formula supplementation among infants of breastfeeding Hispanic immigrants is common practice known as las dos cosas. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility, effectiveness, and acceptability of a culturally and linguistically diverse intervention to promote exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first 6 months.

METHODS: A sample of 39 Hispanic pregnant women was recruited and randomly assigned to intervention (n = 20) and control groups (n = 19). The intervention included a peer counselor and professional support, and mothers were followed from pregnancy to 6 months after birth.

RESULTS: After the study, women assigned to …

Associations Of First Trimester Co-Use Of Tobacco And Cannabis With Prenatal Immune Response And Psychosocial Well-Being, Kristin Ashford, Amanda Fallin-Bennett, Andrea Mccubbin, Amanda T. Wiggins, Sheila Barnhart, Joshua A. Lile

Perinatal Research and Wellness Center Faculty Publications

PURPOSE: This study aims to describe the association of first trimester co-use of tobacco and cannabis with maternal immune response and psychosocial well-being, relative to tobacco use only.

METHODS: A preliminary midpoint analysis included 138 pregnant women with biologically verified tobacco use, 38 of whom (28%) also tested positive for recent cannabis use. Maternal perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale), depressive symptoms (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale), and serum immune markers (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNFα, CRP, MMP8), were collected, although cytokine data were only available for 122 women.

RESULTS: Participant average age was 29.1 years, approximately half had a high …

Evaluation Of A Tennessee Statewide Initiative To Reduce Early Elective Deliveries Using Quasi-Experimental Methods, Michael P. Thompson, Ilana Graetz, Caitlin N. Mckillop, Peter H. Grubb, Teresa M. Waters

Health Management and Policy Faculty Publications

Background: Concerted quality improvement (QI) efforts have been taken to discourage the practice of early elective deliveries (EEDs), but few studies have robustly examined the impact of directed QI interventions in reducing EED practices. Using quasi-experimental methods, we sought to evaluate the impact of a statewide QI intervention to reduce the practice of EEDs.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study of vital records data (2007 to 2013) for all singleton births occurring ≥36 weeks in 66 Tennessee hospitals grouped into three QI cohorts. We used interrupted-time series to estimate the effect of the QI intervention on the likelihood of an EED birth …