Maternal and Child Health Commons^™

Strengthening Cross River State Schools Of Nursing And Midwifery By Updating Their Training Curricula, Procedure Manuals And Student Handbooks, Ekechi Okereke, Godwin Unumeri, Aisha Jibril

Reproductive Health

Many of Nigeria’s Nursing and Midwifery schools and colleges encounter challenges that include outdated training curricula, which can lead, in some cases, to loss of accreditation. In Cross River state, in 2014 only one health training institution was accredited—provisionally. Five other institutions had lost their accreditations from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) which stipulates minimum standards of compliance for accreditation. An assessment team led by the Director of Nursing of Calabar’s Ministry of Health visited the Cross River schools to determine the best ways of addressing the gaps in the accreditation team’s report. Through the HRH project …

Autonomy, Intimate Partner Violence, And Maternal Health-Seeking Behavior: Findings From Mixed-Methods Analysis In Nigeria, Pooja Sripad, Charity Ndwiga, Charlotte E. Warren

Reproductive Health

Gendered norms and discriminatory practices often limit women’s decision-making power, which over time can lead to social norms that systematically subordinate women. Aspects of empowerment were explored in a global evaluation of Demographic and Health Survey data that measured how gendered social norms influenced maternal health-seeking behaviors. Analysis specifically explored associations of women’s autonomy and acceptability of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) on antenatal care use and facility delivery in 63 low- and middle-income countries. Service utilization is positively associated with increased autonomy and negatively associated with increased acceptability of IPVAW, but variability exists across countries and regions. In …

Determinants Of Physical Activity For Latino And White Middle School-Aged Children, Aileen Garcia, Shinya Takahashi, Mindy Anderson-Knott, Dipti Dev

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Background: Physical activity (PA) has long been acknowledged to contribute health benefits among children. However, research has consistently shown that PA declines as children grow older. Thus, this study examined the factors which are associated to children’s PA in order to identify potential barriers to PA.

Methods: Using data from the KidQuest Program, we conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses on survey data collected from fifth to seventh grade students in a small Midwestern city.

Results: We found that food knowledge, eating breakfast, and talking with family about eating healthy foods, are positively related to PA. On the

other hand, screen …

Women's Postpartum Experiences, Courtney Watkins

Online Theses and Dissertations

Current literature explores childbirth options and evidence-based approaches for care of an infant such as kangaroo care and breastfeeding, but there is little to no research on women’s birthing experiences and its impact on daily routines. This paper will reveal themes related to postpartum experiences and the impact on occupations for women who have given birth in the last six months. This qualitative study, using a convenience sample, explores a woman’s birthing experience and the influence it has on her postpartum occupations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2017) listed almost four million births that occurred during 2016 in …

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 …

Women's Empowerment And Its Impact On Reproductive Health Outcomes: Evidence From Nepal, Samyukta Ghimire

Masters Theses

The percentage of women utilizing maternal health care services in Nepal is relatively less than women in other South Asian countries. Moreover, large socio-economic and regional disparities have been the root causes for lower utilization of health care leading to increasing maternal mortality. Using a national representative sample of 9,475 women (2011) and 9,875 women (2016) from Nepal, I examine the impact of women empowerment in relation to prenatal care, place of delivery and postnatal care (3Ps) outcomes. A composite Women’s Empowerment Index (WEI) based upon responses is also constructed to include three empowerment domains namely, attitude toward violence, social …

Housing Cost Burden And Maternal Stress Among Very Low Income Mothers, Kaycee L. Bills, Stacia Michelle West, Jami Hargrove

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As the affordable housing shortage proliferates, more American households struggle with high housing cost burdens. Grounded in Belsky’s (1984) parenting stress framework, we use a weighted low-income sample from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study of mothers who rent their homes (N=388) to investigate a relationship between housing cost burden, or paying a substantial portion of income toward housing, and higher rates of reported maternal stress. Findings of the linear regression indicate that younger mothers and those paying 30% or more of their income each month toward rent have higher reported maternal stress scores. These findings are discussed with …

2nd Tier Assay For The Detection Of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia By Virginia’S Newborn Screening Laboratory: Steroid Profile By Hplc-Ms/Ms, Christopher E. Nixon

Theses and Dissertations

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) encompasses several disorders related to disruptions in the adrenal steroid production pathway. These disruptions may cause virilization of the external female sex organs, incorrect gender assignment, precocious puberty, and in the most severe form, may cause life-threatening salt wasting and adrenal crisis if not detected and treated early in the newborn period.

17α-Hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) is the primary target for immunofluorescence detection of CAH from dried blood spots in newborn screening (NBS). Unfortunately, current immunoassay techniques for the detection of CAH suffer from high false positive rates. The primary factors contributing to false positive determinations can include …

The Role Of Prenatal Care And Systematic Hiv Testing In Preventing Perinatal Transmission In Tanzania, 2011-2012, Nkembi Lydie Bianda, Patrick A. Tschida, Vasileios Margaritis

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

In 2012, the prevalence of HIV infection among Tanzanian women was 6.3%, and 18% of Tanzanian children were born infected with HIV. The purpose of this study was to determine the importance of prenatal care attendance on comprehensive knowledge of HIV mother-to-child transmission (MTCT), HIV testing and counseling, and awareness of HIV testing coverage services in Tanzania. The study population was Tanzanian women of childbearing. Guided by the health belief model, this cross-sectional survey design used secondary data from the 2011–2012 Tanzania Demographic Health Survey. Factors of interest were comprehensive knowledge of HIV MTCT, HIV testing and counseling, and awareness …

"I Don't Know If I Have The Courage" Reproductive Choices In Times Of Zika, Ana Rosa Linde, Grace Furtado, Elisa Tristán-Cheever, Carlos Eduardo Siqueira

Gastón Institute Publications

In this transnational study, we aimed at providing insights into women's views and attitudes towards their reproductive rights during the Zika epidemic. Women of distinct nationalities and ethnicities were recruited from various locations in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the United States. We conducted semistructured interviews that suggest that participants reproductive decisions were intimately related to personal convictions and cultural beliefs, and their actions and thoughts were embedded in their sociocultural norms. The majority of women interviewed communicated that it takes courage to make the extreme, emotional, and overwhelming decision to have an abortion. The findings of this study suggest that …

The Relationship Between Maternal Plasma Homocysteine In Early Pregnancy And Birth Weight, Shona Cawley, Eimer O'Malley, Rachel Kennedy, Ciara Reynolds, Anne Molloy, Michael Turner

Articles

Background: There is limited evidence that plasma homocysteine (Hcy) is increased in women with adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as low birth weight (LBW).

Objective: We examined the relationship between maternal Hcy at the first prenatal visit and birth weight.

Study design: In a prospective observational study, women were recruited during their first prenatal visit after sonographic confirmation of gestational age. Along with the standard tests, blood was also taken for the measurement of maternal serum and red blood cell (RBC) folate, vitamin B12, and Hcy. In addition to collecting standard clinical and sociodemographic details, a detailed questionnaire on vitamin supplementation …

A Web-Based Dietary Intervention In Early Pregnancy And Neonatal Outcomes: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Rachel Ak Kennedy, C.M.E. Reynolds, Shona Cawley, E. O'Malley, D.M. Mccartney, M.J. Turner

Articles

Background Maternal nutrition is a determinant of pregnancy outcomes. Few studies have evaluated the potential of online nutrition resources to modify behaviour. This randomized controlled trial aimed to determine whether access to a customized evidence-based nutrition website in pregnancy improved neonatal outcomes.

Methods Women < 18 weeks gestation were recruited at their convenience. The control group received standard care. In addition to standard care, the intervention group received access to an evidence-based nutrition website, customized to the preferences of pregnant women.

Results Of the 250 women, there were no differences in characteristics between the two groups. Of the women, 91.0% reported they make a conscious effort currently to eat a healthy diet. However, only 19.6% met dietary requirements for calcium, 13.2% for iron, 2.7% for folate and 2.3% for iodine. The most popular website section was pregnancy …

Development Of A Novel Periconceptual Nutrition Score (Pens) To Examine The Relationship Between Maternal Dietary Quality And Fetal Growth, Rachel Ak Kennedy, Michael J. Turner

Articles

Background Maternal nutrition may influence intrauterine fetal development. To date, the relationship between contemporary European dietary guidelines and fetal growth has not been examined.

Aims To develop a novel Periconceptual Nutrition Score (PENS) to assess maternal dietary quality in early pregnancy and examine its relationship with fetal growth.

Study design Women were recruited conveniently at their first clinic visit and completed a supervised four day retrospective diet history. The PENS was developed using European Food Safety Authority recommended dietary intakes for pregnancy. The relationship between PENS and fetal growth was examined.

Subjects Women with a singleton pregnancy.

Outcome measures Birthweight, …

Factors That Influence Maternal Feeding Decisions For Toddlers: Extending The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Elizabeth Lucas Combs

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Establishing healthy eating behaviors is vital in the early years to help combat the development of obesity and other chronic diseases. Mothers play an invaluable role in shaping their children's eating habits through controlling what and when children eat as well as the overall food environment, which is why a better understanding of what influences mothers’ decisions about these behaviors is important.

The purpose of the dissertation was to gain a better understanding of what impacts maternal feeding decisions regarding toddler nutrition behaviors. This was a two-phased mixed methods study. The aim of the initial study was to explore, using …

Randomised Study Demonstrates Sustained Benefits Of A Pre-School Intervention Designed To Improve Nutrition And Physical Activity Practices, Diewerke De Zwarte, John Kearney, Clare A. Corish, Corina Glennon, Lorraine Maher, Charlotte Johnston Molloy

Articles

Background: Health-promoting programmes must demonstrate sustained efficacy in order to make a true impact on public health. This study aimed to determine the effect of the Healthy Incentive for Pre-schools project on health-promoting practices in full-day-care pre-schools 18 months after a training intervention.

Methods: Thirty-seven pre-schools completed the initial study and were included in this follow-up study. The intervention consisted of one training session with either the pre-school 'manager-only' or 'manager and staff' using a specifically developed needs-based training resource pack comprised of written educational material and a validated health-promoting practice evaluation tool. Direct observation data of health-promoting practices were …

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 …