Maternal and Child Health Commons^™

Vitamin D Status And Risk Of Incident Tuberculosis Disease: A Nested Case-Control Study, Systematic Review, And Individual-Participant Data Meta-Analysis, Omowunmi Aibana, Chuan-Chin Huang, Said Aboud, Alberto Arnedo-Pena, Mercedes C Becerra, Juan Bautista Bellido-Blasco, Ramesh Bhosale, Roger Calderon, Silvia Chiang, Carmen Contreras, Ganmaa Davaasambuu, Wafaie W Fawzi, Molly F Franke, Jerome T Galea, Daniel Garcia-Ferrer, Maria Gil-Fortuño, Barbará Gomila-Sard, Amita Gupta, Nikhil Gupte, Rabia Hussain, Jesus Iborra-Millet, Najeeha T Iqbal, Jose Vicente Juan-Cerdán, Aarti Kinikar, Leonid Lecca, Vidya Mave, Noemi Meseguer-Ferrer, Grace Montepiedra, Ferdinand M Mugusi, Olumuyiwa A Owolabi, Julie Parsonnet, Freddy Roach-Poblete, Maria Angeles Romeu-García, Stephen A Spector, Christopher R Sudfeld, Mark W Tenforde, Toyin O Togun, Rosa Yataco, Zibiao Zhang, Megan B Murray

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated the association between preexisting vitamin D deficiency and incident tuberculosis (TB). We assessed the impact of baseline vitamins D levels on TB disease risk.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: We assessed the association between baseline vitamin D and incident TB in a prospective cohort of 6,751 HIV-negative household contacts of TB patients enrolled between September 1, 2009, and August 29, 2012, in Lima, Peru. We screened for TB disease at 2, 6, and 12 months after enrollment. We defined cases as household contacts who developed TB disease at least 15 days after enrollment of the index patient. …

A Study Protocol For An Mhealth, Multi-Centre Randomized Control Trial To Promote Use Of Postpartum Contraception Amongst Rural Women In Punjab, Pakistan, Xaher Gul, Waqas Hameed, Sharmeen Hussain, Ishaque Sheikh, Junaid-Ur-Rehman Siddiqui

Community Health Sciences

Background: Provision of family planning services during the immediate post-partum phase is considered effective and cost-efficient for promoting healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies. This research aims to test the effectiveness of mobile phone-based interventions in promoting use of postpartum contraception. Moreover, it will also test the non-inferiority of text and voice messages compared to interactive phone-based counselling.
Methods: A three-arm, 10-month, multicentre, randomized controlled trial will be conducted at 15 social franchise (SF) health facilities in Punjab province of Pakistan. Pregnant women aged 15-44 years who are in their first or second trimester and have a mobile phone for …

Polyhydramnios Among Women In A Cluster-Randomized Trial Of Ultrasound During Prenatal Care Within Five Low And Low-Middle Income Countries: A Secondary Analysis Of The First Look Study, Melissa Bauserman, Robert Nathan, Adrien Lokangaka, Elizabeth M. Mcclure, Janet Moore, Daniel Ishoso, Antoinette Tshefu, Lester Figueroa, Sarah Saleem, Waseem Mirza

Community Health Sciences

Background: In many low and low-middle income countries, the incidence of polyhydramnios is unknown, in part because ultrasound technology is not routinely used. Our objective was to report the incidence of polyhydramnios in five low and low-middle income countries, to determine maternal characteristics associated with polyhydramnios, and report pregnancy and neonatal outcomes.
Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of the First Look Study, a multi-national, cluster-randomized trial of ultrasound during prenatal care. We evaluated all women enrolled from Guatemala, Pakistan, Zambia, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who received an examination by prenatal ultrasound. We used pairwise site …

The Nutritional Value Of Children's Menus In Chain Restaurants In The United Kingdom And Ireland, Michelle Young, Tara Coppinger, Sue Reeves

Publications

Objective: Obesity in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland is rising, as is the frequency of eating out in restaurants. The aim of this study was to investigate the nutritional quality of children's menus in restaurants. Design: Cross-sectional review of menus aimed at children from 20 popular chain restaurants in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Main Outcome Measures: Total energy, fat, saturated fat, and salt were collected from every food item on the menu in each restaurant. All potential meal combinations were created. A total of 39,266 meals were analysed. Analysis: Meals were compared with UK nutritional guidelines. …

The Effects Of Antenatal Betamethasone On Late Preterm Infants, Jennifer Hummel, Abigail Prest, Xinhua Chen

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Administration of steroids to mothers expected to deliver in the late preterm period has previously been found to decrease neonatal respiratory morbidity. In this retrospective chart review, there were no significant differences between groups in the primary outcome of required respiratory support for the neonate, incidence of periventricular hemorrhage or neonatal death. However, this study found that their rate of hyperbilirubinemia, need for phototherapy, and NICU stays were longer than their counterparts whose mothers did not receive steroids or who only received one dose.These findings may provide support for future protocols directed to improve neonatal morbidity secondary to jaundice.

Changing Healthcare Provider And Parent Behaviors In The Pediatric Post‐Anesthesia‐Care‐Unit To Reduce Child Pain: Nurse And Parent Training In Postoperative Stress (Np‐Tips), Brooke N. Jenkins, Michelle Fortier, Robert S. Stevenson, Mai Makhlouf, Paulina Lim, Remy Converse, Zeev N. Kain

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Children who undergo surgery experience significant pain in the post anesthesia care unit. Nurse and parent behaviors in the post anesthesia care unit directly impact child postoperative pain. Therefore, we have developed and evaluated (Phase 1) and then tested (Phase 2) the feasibility of a new intervention (Nurse and Parent Training in Postoperative Stress) to alter parent and nurse behaviors in a way consistent with reducing child postoperative pain.

Methods

In Phase 1, a multidisciplinary team of experts (physicians, nurses, and psychologists) developed an empirically‐based intervention which was then evaluated by experienced nurses (N = 8) and parents …

Metabolism During Pregnancy And Postpartum: How Does It Change And What Factors Influence It?, Kristin Yoho

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

PURPOSE: Pregnancy is a physically impactful process in a woman’s life. During this time, a woman will gain weight and research has shown that many women will retain some extra weight after delivery. Because of this, recovery in the postpartum period is pivotal to avoiding the implications of weight retention. The postpartum period is vastly understudied in both the research and medical communities and this gap between pregnancy and postpartum research needs to be bridged. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate metabolic changes from pregnancy to postpartum and to study how factors such as sleep and breastfeeding …

My Body, Their Choice: Childbearing Attitudes And Practices In Jamkhed, Maharashtra, Sienna Sewell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Understanding the beliefs and practices of women and their families during pregnancy and childbirth is fundamental to the creation of successful public health interventions that target maternal and infant mortality. This study explores the childbearing practices of women in rural Jamkhed, as well as the social and economic factors that influence family planning, reproductive health-seeking, and delivery. Interviews and quantitative surveys were conducted with women in villages that have partnered with the Comprehensive Rural Health Project (CRHP) to examine how and why women access prenatal care during pregnancy. The influence of CRHP’s “Jamkhed Model” on healthcare access is considered in …

La Adherencia A Las Recomendaciones De Sueño Seguro Por Parte De Las Enfermeras En Unidades De Cuidado Intensiva Neonatal (Ucin) De Hospitales Públicos Y Privados En El Gran Buenos Aires / The Adherence To Safe Sleep Recommendations By Nurses In Neonatal Intensive Care Units (Nicus) Of Public And Private Hospitals In Grand Buenos Aires, Joelle M. Schauer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El Síndrome de Muerte Súbita de Lactante (SMSL) es “la muerte de un niño menor de 1 año que ocurre, aparentemente, durante el sueño y no puede ser explicada luego de una investigación exhaustiva, que incluye una autopsia completa, la investigación de las circunstancias de la muerte y la revisión de la historia clínica" (Jenik et al., 2015, p. 2). La Academia Americana de Pediatría (AAP) tiene recomendaciones sobre las prácticas del sueño seguro que pueden disminuir el riesgo de SMSL y otras Muertes Súbitas Inesperadas Infantiles (MSII).

El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar la adherencia a estas recomendaciones …

Health Care Seeking For Maternal And Newborn Illnesses In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review Of Observational And Qualitative Studies, Zohra S. Lassi, Philippa Middleton, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Caroline Crowther

Woman and Child Health

Background: In low- and middle-income countries, a large number of maternal and newborn deaths occur due to delays in health care seeking. These delays occur at three levels i.e. delay in making decision to seek care, delay in access to care, and delay in receiving care. Factors that cause delays are therefore need to be understand to prevent and avoid these delays to improve health and survival of mothers and babies.
Methods: A systematic review of observational and qualitative studies to identify factors and barriers associated with delays in health care seeking.
Results: A total of 159 observational and qualitative …

The Influence Of Unpredictable, Fragmented Parental Signals On The Developing Brain, Laura M. Glynn, Tallie Z. Baram

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Mental illnesses originate early in life, governed by environmental and genetic factors. Because parents are a dominant source of signals to the developing child, parental signals - beginning with maternal signals in utero - are primary contributors to children’s mental health. Existing literature on maternal signals has focused almost exclusively on their quality and valence (e.g. maternal depression, sensitivity). Here we identify a novel dimension of maternal signals: their patterns and especially their predictability/unpredictability, as an important determinant of children’s neurodevelopment. We find that unpredictable maternal mood and behavior presage risk for child and adolescent psychopathology. In experimental models, fragmented/unpredictable …

Reducing Barriers To Accessing Fistula Repair: Implementation Research In Uganda, Justus Barageine, Charity Ndwiga, Hassan Kanakulya, Pooja Sripad

Reproductive Health

The Population Council, in collaboration with Fistula Care Plus and EngenderHealth, conducted implementation research to understand whether a comprehensive information, screening, and referral intervention reduces transportation, communication, and financial barriers to accessing fistula screening, diagnosis, and treatment in Uganda. Following a baseline assessment, researchers implemented a multi-pronged intervention utilizing a mobile hotline, transport voucher, and mass media tools to increase community awareness. This brief provides key messages and recommendations for overcoming barriers hindering access to fistula care services. Health systems and external stakeholder support are essential for sustaining trends.

The Maternal Health Behaviours Of Non-Irish Nationals During Pregnancy And The Effect Of Time Living In Ireland, R. Palmer, R. Layte, John Kearney

Articles

Objectives Maternal health behaviours (MHBs) can influence pregnancy outcomes. Despite efforts internationally to encourage positive MHBs, women often fail to comply with pregnancy guidelines. International studies show differences in MHBs between nationalities and an effect of time spent in the host country. There is limited Irish data in this area, with no previous research relating to the effect of time in Ireland.

Study design This study is a cross-sectional analysis of the Growing Up in Ireland infant cohort, a nationally representative longitudinal study. Methods Examination of the MHBs of non-Irish nationals during pregnancy and the effect of time in Ireland …

Kangaroo Mother Care And Traditional Care, Arianna Smola, Kirsten Lawson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Prematurity and low birth weight are leading causes of infant death. Throughout recent years care methods for this population have evolved from incubator care to Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC). The purpose of this systematic review was to answer the following PICO question: in the case of preterm and low birth weight (LBW) infants, how does the technique of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) compare to traditional incubator use, regarding long and short-term outcomes of preterm and LBW infant recovery. Methods of this study included the selection of twenty peer-reviewed articles that studied the effect of incubators and KMC on premature and …

Prenatal Risk For Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd): Fetal Cortisol Exposure Predicts Child Asd Symptoms, Sheena Ram, Mariann A. Howland, Curt A. Sandman, Elyssia Poggi Davis, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is multifactorial, complex, and likely involves interactions among genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. With respect to environmental influences, a growing literature implicates intrauterine experiences in the origin of this pervasive developmental disorder. In this prospective longitudinal study, we examined the hypothesis that fetal exposure to maternal cortisol may confer ASD risk. In addition, because ASD is four times more prevalent in males than in females, and because sexually dimorphic responses to intrauterine experiences are commonly observed, we examined whether or not any associations differ by fetal sex. Maternal plasma cortisol was measured at …

Prenatal Risk For Asd: Fetal Cortisol Exposure Predicts Child Autism-Spectrum-Disorder Symptoms, Sheena Ram, Mariann A. Howland, Curt A. Sandman, Elyssia Poggi Davis, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is multifactorial, complex, and likely involves interactions among genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. With respect to environmental influences, a growing literature implicates intrauterine experiences in the origin of this pervasive developmental disorder. In this prospective longitudinal study, we examined the hypothesis that fetal exposure to maternal cortisol may confer ASD risk. In addition, because ASD is four times more prevalent in males than in females, and because sexually dimorphic responses to intrauterine experiences are commonly observed, we examined whether or not any associations differ by fetal sex. Maternal plasma cortisol was measured at …

Women Are Being Cut During Childbirth Without Need Or Consent, Molly Cora Enking

Capstones

An episiotomy, a surgical cut used to enlarge the vaginal opening during childbirth, can be extremely painful, hard to recover from and can increase the risk of severe complications. In 2018, episiotomies are rarely necessary, but at some U.S. hospitals they happen much more than they should. And in the course reporting this story, New York City News Service found that it is common for doctors to cut women without the mother’s consent.

https://medium.com/@mollyenking/women-are-being-cut-during-childbirth-without-need-or-consent-7677de7eddae

The Politics Of Abortion And Maternal Health: A Discussion Paper, Ihsan Ullah, Ayaz Ayub, Edwin Van Teijlingen

Journal of Asian Midwives (JAM)

Abortion should be legally allowed for women because it can save mothers from childbirth-related complications and death. Legal abortion is one of the safest methods to terminate a pregnancy when there is a risk to the mother’s health by childbirth or severe deformity of the fetus or it is unwanted. Unfortunately, approximately half of all abortions worldwide mostly in nations where abortion is severely restricted and are performed in dangerous settings. These risky abortions are a significant contributor to maternal morbidity and disability. Limiting a woman's access to an abortion does not stop abortion; rather, it just encourages more risky …

The Logistics Of Voucher Management: The Underreported Component In Family Planning Voucher Discussions, Moazzam Ali, Madeline Farron, Syed Khurram Azmat, Waqas Hameed

Community Health Sciences

Background: The purpose of health care vouchers or coupons is to receive a health service in exchange which is fully or partially subsidized, such as any treatment offered for communicable disease; for immunization; antenatal care-/postnatal care-related maternal health services; a family planning (FP) service; or to get a health commodity like a medicine. Vouchers are targeted for a group of people who can benefit the most such as on the basis of poverty ranking, marginalized or living in rural areas. According to the World Health Organization, voucher schemes in the area of sexual and reproductive health are considered of high …

The Critical Need For Mental Health Education To Be Mandated In New Mexico's Public Schools, Bonnie L. Murphy

Shared Knowledge Conference

Based on a review of research and best practices in mental health awareness and skills, this inquiry project argues for state legislative policies that would require mental health awareness and skills in the K-12 curriculum. Mental health affects individual accomplishments in every stage of people’s lives beginning in early childhood and throughout the life cycle. Prevention and treatment of mental illness plays a key role in the ability of an individual to cope with loss and develop resiliency and perseverance in challenging times and to make better decisions that improve the individual’s life and the lives of those around them. …

Mapping Maternal Mortality Rate Via Spatial Zero-Inflated Models For Count Data: A Case Study Of Facility-Based Maternal Deaths From Mozambique, Osvaldo Loquiha, Niel Hens, Leonardo Chavane, Marleen Temmerman, Nafissa Osman, Christel Faes, Marc Aerts

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Maternal mortality remains very high in Mozambique, with estimates from 2015 showing a maternal mortality ratio of 489 deaths per 100,000 live births, even though the rates tend to decrease since 1990. Pregnancy related hemorrhage, gestational hypertension and diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS are amongst the leading causes of maternal death in Mozambique, and a significant number of these deaths occur within health facilities. Often, the analysis of data on maternal mortality involves the use of counts of maternal deaths as outcome variable. Previously we showed that a class of hierarchical zero-inflated models were very successful in dealing with …

Exome Sequencing Identifies Gene Variants And Networks Associated With Extreme Respiratory Outcomes Following Preterm Birth, Aaron Hamvas, Rui Feng, Yingtao Bi, Fan Wang, Soumyaroop Bhattacharya, Jared Mereness, Madhurima Kaushal, C Michael Cotten, Philip L Ballard, Thomas J Mariani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have identified genetic variants associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in extremely preterm infants. However, findings with genome-wide significance have been rare, and not replicated. We hypothesized that whole exome sequencing (WES) of premature subjects with extremely divergent phenotypic outcomes could facilitate the identification of genetic variants or gene networks contributing disease risk.

RESULTS: The Prematurity and Respiratory Outcomes Program (PROP) recruited a cohort of > 765 extremely preterm infants for the identification of markers of respiratory morbidity. We completed WES on 146 PROP subjects (85 affected, 61 unaffected) representing extreme phenotypes of early respiratory morbidity. We tested for …

Pregnancy Anxiety Predicts Shorter Gestation In Latina And Non-Latina White Women: The Role Of Placental Corticotrophin-Releasing Hormone, Isabel F. Ramos, Christine M. Guardino, Maxwell Mansolf, Laura M. Glynn, Curt A. Sandman, Calvin J. Hobel, Christine Dunkel Schetter

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective

Previous research has shown that a woman’s anxiety about her pregnancy predicts gestational length. Placental corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) is a stress-responsive peptide proposed as a mechanism. We examined placental CRH as a physiological mediator of the association between pregnancy anxiety and gestational length in Latina and non-Latina White women to replicate evidence of associations between pregnancy anxiety, placental CRH and gestational length; to test whether placental CRH levels or changes mediate effects of pregnancy anxiety on gestational length; to examine ethnic differences in pregnancy anxiety, placental CRH, and gestational length; and to explore whether the effects of pregnancy anxiety …

Reducing Typhoid Burden Within A Generation, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Anita K. M. Zaidi, Tikki Pangestu

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

No abstract provided.

Linking Hostile/Helpless Maternal Representations In Pregnancy And Later Child Protection Involvement: A Pilot Study, Madeleine Terry

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The present pilot study examined whether there are reliable indices in the narratives of pregnant women that can be used to identify child abuse and neglect potential before the birth of the child. The Hostile/Helpless (HH) Classification system (Lyons-Ruth et al., 1995-2005), which detects mental states associated with trauma, disturbances in early attachment, and severe pathology, was adapted for use with the Pregnancy Interview (PI), a semi-structured clinical interview (Slade, 2003) that assesses a woman's emotional experience of pregnancy, and quality of her developing relationship with her baby. The study sample was drawn from a replication study of the Minding …

Sex-Specific Associations Of Infants’ Gut Microbiome With Arsenic Exposure In A Us Population, Anne G. Hoen, Juliette C. Madan, Zhigang Li, Modupe Coker, Sara N. Lundgren, Hilary G. Morrison, Thomas J. Palys, Brian P. Jackson, Mitchell L. Sogin, Kathryn L. Cottingham, Margaret R. Karagas

Dartmouth Scholarship

Arsenic is a ubiquitous environmental toxicant with antimicrobial properties that can be found in food and drinking water. The influence of arsenic exposure on the composition of the human microbiome in US populations remains unknown, particularly during the vulnerable infant period. We investigated the relationship between arsenic exposure and gut microbiome composition in 204 infants prospectively followed as part of the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. Infant urine was analyzed for total arsenic concentration using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Stool microbiome composition was determined using sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. Infant urinary arsenic related to gut microbiome …

The Early Steps Project: Occupational Therapy In A Pediatric Primary Care Setting, Anne H. Zachry, J. Flick, P. Richey

Faculty Presentations

The purpose of this study is expand on the Early STEPs project goal of identifying early developmental delays in infants and young children in a health disparate population and to collect preliminary data to lay the groundwork for a future NIH grant proposal. Individuals with less education have poor health and shorter life expectancies than well-educated individuals, and research reveals that poverty is directly related to limited education. An innovative approach is needed to overcome barriers, improve health literacy, and educate parents on effective parenting strategies for this population. Technology may be the part of the solution to this issue. …

Maternal Programming: Application Of A Developmental Psychopathology Perspective, Laura M. Glynn, Mariann A. Howland, Molly Fox

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The fetal phase of life has long been recognized as a sensitive period of development. Here we posit that pregnancy represents a simultaneous sensitive period for the adult female with broad and persisting consequences for her health and development, including risk for psychopathology. In this review, we examine the transition to motherhood through the lens of developmental psychopathology. Specifically, we summarize the typical and atypical changes in brain and behavior that characterize the perinatal period. We highlight how the exceptional neuroplasticity exhibited by women during this life phase may account for increased vulnerability for psychopathology. Further, we discuss several modes …

An Approach To Identify A Minimum And Rational Proportion Of Caesarean Sections In Resource-Poor Settings: A Global Network Study, José M. Belizán, Nicole Minckas, Elizabeth M. Mcclure, Sarah Saleem, Janet L. Moore, Shivaprasad S. Goudar, Fabian Esamai, Archana Patel, Elwyn Chomba, Ana L. Garces

Community Health Sciences

Background: Caesarean section prevalence is increasing in Asia and Latin America while remaining low in most African regions. Caesarean section delivery is effective for saving maternal and infant lives when they are provided for medically-indicated reasons. On the basis of ecological studies, caesarean delivery prevalence between 9% and 19% has been associated with better maternal and perinatal outcomes, such as reduced maternal land fetal mortality. However, the specific prevalence of obstetric and medical complications that require caesarean section have not been established, especially in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We sought to provide information to inform the approach to …

Global Trends In Typhoidal Salmonellosis: A Systematic Review, Daina Als, Amruta Radhakrishnan, Paul Arora, Michelle F. Gaffey, Susan Campisi, Russanthy Velummailum, Farhana Zareef, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Typhoid and paratyphoid fever continue to significantly contribute to global morbidity and mortality. Disease burden is higher in low-and middle-income settings where surveillance programs are rare and little systematic information exists at population level. This review evaluates national, regional, and global trends in the incidence of typhoid fever and of related morbidity and mortality. A literature search in Medline, Embase, and Web of Science was conducted in June 2016, followed by screening and data extraction in duplicate. Studies reporting blood culture estimates of typhoid or paratyphoid morbidity and mortality were included in the analysis. Five thousand five hundred sixty-three unique …