Women's Health Commons^™

Evidenced-Based Strategies To Increase Cervical Cancer Screening Rates, Tuong Cat Vo Bsn-Rn, Nada Salloukh Bsn-Rn, Tatiana Elena Swanson Bsn-Rn, Xiao Mie Cindy Zhu Bsn-Rn, Laura Taylor Reed Dnp, Aprn, Fnp-Bc

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Purpose/Background

Cervical cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer affecting women worldwide (Staley et al., 2021). With cervical cancer being a preventable disease, an effective method of reducing healthcare costs and mortality is primary prevention, such as screenings. Financial burdens and barriers to accessing medical care may result due to the lack of proper cervical cancer screenings. Detecting cervical cancer includes screening women 21 to 65 years old with a Papanicolaou (PAP) test every three years. Women aged 30 to 65 years old can extend the screening of cervical cancer by having a Human Papillomavirus (HPV) test along with …

Chronic Lower Back Pain Among Women In India: Evidence-Based Approach To Risk Factors And Interventions, Aelita Matosova

Master's Projects and Capstones

Chronic lower back pain (CLBP) is a prevalent issue worldwide, affecting about 1.71 billion people, with a significant proportion being women. CLBP is a major health concern in India, particularly among women, which were 80% reported experiencing this condition. Several factors, such as personal beliefs, sociocultural norms, restricted healthcare access, repetitive movements, and psychological aspects, contribute to this high prevalence leading to severe health and economic implications, including reduced work productivity and income. Although there have been several reports on prevalence and risk factors of CLBP, to our knowledge, there has not been enough work focusing on evidence-based interventions to …

Exploring Risk Factors For Major Depressive Disorder For Female Patients Aged 18 Or Older Living In Ocean County, New Jersey, James Mack

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background: The incidence and prevalence of major depressive disorder has been increasing worldwide, in the United States of America, and on a local level. The population of Ocean County, New Jersey, a predominantly Caucasian, female, middle-aged population, may be at increased risk of developing major depressive disorder.

Purpose: To explore the social determinants of health and risk factors for major depressive disorder for female patients aged 18 or older living in Ocean County, New Jersey.

Methods: This literature review mainly used PubMed and Scopus for journal articles and utilized governmental databases for additional population data.

Results: Analyses conducted on social …

Reproductive Health Care In The Time Of Covid-19: Perspectives Of Poor Women And Service Providers From Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Iram Kamran, Tahira Parveen, Rehan M. Niazi, Irfan Masood

Reproductive Health

This study was conducted by the Population Council in Rahim Yar Khan district of Punjab, with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), to uncover urgently needed evidence about the challenges and needs of poor women and health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 200 poor women—beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), one of the largest social protection programs in the world—and 60 public and private sector health care providers participated in this investigation of BISP beneficiaries’ knowledge of COVID-19, the effects of the pandemic on their lives, mental health and wellbeing, and their access …

Facing Covid-19: Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices, And Challenges Of Healthcare Providers, Population Council

Reproductive Health

This research brief describes findings from the Population Council study Reproductive Healthcare in the Time of COVID-19: Perspectives of Poor Women and Service Providers from Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). During this study, 60 health care providers that represented 60 unique health facilities in Punjab’s Rahim Yar Khan district were interviewed by telephone, to evaluate how much they know about COVID-19 symptoms, prevention, and treatment, as well as their individual attitudes, practices, and challenges during the ongoing pandemic. To assess how the situation evolved during the critical first three months of …

Poor Women's Reproductive Health And Family Planning Challenges And Needs During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Population Council

Reproductive Health

This research brief describes findings from the Population Council study Reproductive Healthcare in the Time of COVID-19: Perspectives of Poor Women and Service Providers from Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The study conducted 164 interviews by telephone with beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) in Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan, previously surveyed in 2019, to determine how much those most vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19 know about the disease and its effects, in addition to understanding the pandemic’s effects on their lives, including their mental health and well-being as …

Does Age Affect The Association Between Race/Ethnicity And Hpv Screening: A Retrospective Cohort Study Of United States Women, Keila L. Marlin, Mph, Larissa R. Brunner Huber, Ph.D.

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Many studies have demonstrated disparities in awareness of and knowledge about human papillomavirus (HPV) among young, immigrant, and minority populations. Yet, there is a lack of existing research that has investigated the role of race/ethnicity and HPV screening, and how it varies by age. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this association using 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data. This study included 120,646 women who self-reported information on race/ethnicity, HPV screening, and age. Logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A stratified analysis was conducted to determine if age …

Depression Among Expectant And New Mothers: A Multi-Study Investigation Of Rates, Correlates, And Training For Healthcare Providers, Molly M. Long

Health Services Research Dissertations

Perinatal depression (PD) is a common concern among women. PD has been shown to have negative effects on the mother, child, and mother-child relationship. Screening for PD is inconsistent and low among healthcare providers. However, several governing organizations (e.g., The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, The American Academy of Pediatrics) have provided guidelines for screening and treating PD, indicating the importance and utility of screening and treating PD by a variety of healthcare providers. Few studies, with low methodological rigor, have attempted to improve PD screening, treatment, and referral practices. Therefore, it is important to implement and assess additional …

Preventive Health Service Use Among Rural Women, Erika C. Ziller Phd, Jennifer D. Lenardson Mhs, Nathan Paluso Mph, Jaclyn Janis Bsn, Rn

Access / Insurance

Preventive health services and screenings are an important component in the continuum of care provided to individuals across all ages. Yet, research has shown that rural residents generally use fewer preventive health services and screenings. This study used the National Health Interview Survey to examine receipt of preventive health services (cholesterol check, fasting blood sugar test, mammogram, pap smear, and receipt of the HPV vaccine) by rural and urban women over the age of 18. Findings indicate that rural women were less likely than their urban peers to receive preventive health services, and that some of the differences may be …

Patient Barriers For Weight Management Among African American Women, Owen Bowie, Jennifer Kusch, George L. Morris Iii, Tracy Flood, Jessica Gill, Renee E. Walker, Ron A. Cisler, Jennifer T. Fink

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: The primary aim of this study was to assess the perceptions of local African American women who are overweight or obese using semi-structured focus groups to identify barriers to weight management and factors that support strategy success. The secondary aim of this study was to determine recommendations for patient-centered weight management interventions established specifically for African American women in the Milwaukee-area community.

Methods: Three semi-structured focus groups to explore barriers to weight management were performed among women patients. Participants (N = 41) were recruited via email, postal mail, and phone as available from an academic medical center in Milwaukee, …

Serious Mental Illness Among Young Adult Women Who Use Drugs In The Club Scene: Co-Occurring Biopsychosocial Factors, Maayan Lawental, Hilary L. Surratt, Mance E. Buttram, Steven P. Kurtz

Center for Health Services Research Faculty Publications

Young women who regularly attend nightclubs are at risk for numerous health and social consequences, including mental distress, sexual and physical victimization and substance dependence. This paper uses a biopsychosocial framework to examine co-occurring mental health problems, victimization, substance dependence, sexual risk and physical pain among a sample of young women who use drugs (N = 222) in Miami’s club scene. The majority of women were under 24 years old, Hispanic, and identified as heterosexual. Almost all the women reported past 90-day use of alcohol, ecstasy/MDMA, marijuana, cocaine and prescription opioids and benzodiazepines; 32% of women reported being in a …

Socioecological Factors Influencing Women’S Hiv Risk In The United States: Qualitative Findings From The Women’S Hiv Seroincidence Study (Hptn 064), Paula M. Frew, Kimberly Parker, Linda Vo, Danielle Haley, Ann O'Leary, Dazon Dixon Diallo, Carol E. Golin, Irene Kuo, Lydia Soto-Torres, Jing Wang, Adaora A. Adimora, Laura A. Randall, Carlos Del Rio, Sally Hodder

Environmental & Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Understanding the current status of parents’ vaccine decision making is crucial to inform public policy. We sought to assess changes in vaccine decisions among parents of young children. … See full text for complete abstract.

Expanding Women’S Healthcare Access In The United States: The Patchwork “Universalism” Of The Affordable Care Act, Randy Albelda, Diana Salas Coronado

Center for Social Policy Publications

This paper explores the promise of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly called “Obamacare” (referred to here as the ACA), with attention to the ways gender matter by tracing the development and implementation of key US social protection systems, an examination of the current health system with particular attention to women’s coverage, and the potential impacts of the ACA, including how it conforms to international human rights norms for health care. The ACA promises to vastly improve the key dimensions of health coverage in the US, but it conforms with other US social policy by relying on market-based …

Glycaemic Index, Glycaemic Load And Ovarian Cancer Risk: A Prospective Cohort, Stephanie A. Navarro Silvera, Meera Jain, Geoffrey R. Howe, Anthony B. Miller, Thomas E. Rohan

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Background

There is some evidence that plasma insulin levels might influence ovarian cancer risk. Glyacemic index (GI) and glycaemic load (GL) are measures that allow the carbohydrate content of individual foods to be classified according to their postprandial glycaemic effects and hence their effects on circulating insulin levels. Therefore, we examined ovarian cancer risk in association with GI and GL, and intake of dietary carbohydrate and sugar. Methods

The study was conducted in a prospective cohort of 49 613 Canadian women enrolled in the National Breast Screening Study (NBSS) who completed a self-administered food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) between 1980 and 1985. …

Strengthening Social Science Research On Women's Health: Lessons Learned From A Capacity Building Programme, M.E. Khan, Bella C. Patel, John Townsend

Reproductive Health

The International Conference on Population and Development in 1994 led to an upsurge in interest in implementing reproductive health (RH) programs worldwide. The urgency to act has led to the development of disparate activities in several developing countries including India. While programs have been growing in numbers, their quality is in question. A fundamental problem has been lack of capacity at all levels of the health service system to respond to the paradigm shift articulated by the advocates of the reproductive health and rights agenda. To redesign programs, considerable research must be undertaken to understand the health needs and sociocultural …

Emergency Contraception As An Element In The Care Of Rape Victims, Ricardo Vernon, Raffaela Schiavon, Silvia Elena Llaguno

Reproductive Health

In most states in Mexico, abortion is excluded as a crime in pregnancies resulting from rape. However, legislation does not specify the norms by which women can obtain a legal abortion, which makes it difficult to choose this alternative. A partial solution to unwanted pregnancies from rape would be to provide emergency contraception (EC). Psychologists were trained to provide information on EC to women who reported a rape at four public ministry agencies specialized in sexual crime. In addition, 11 medical backup referral centers were established. To scale up the strategy, workshops were provided to representatives from State Attorney General …

Postabortion Care Services In Kenya: Baseline Findings Of An Operations Research Study, Julie Solo, Deborah L. Billings

Reproductive Health

In Kenya, as throughout the world, the health consequences of unsafe abortion for women of reproductive age are significant. Hospital-based studies in Nairobi have shown that unsafely induced abortion accounts for as much as 35 percent of pregnancy-related mortality and at least 50 percent of hospitals’ gynecological admissions. The concept of postabortion care (emergency treatment, postabortion family planning counseling and services, links between emergency abortion treatment services and comprehensive reproductive health care) has gained wide acceptance as one model of providing comprehensive care to women suffering from abortion complications. Integration of these three components is rarely found in public health …

Improving The Counseling And Medical Care Of Postabortion Patients In Egypt, Population Council, Egyptian Fertility Care Society

Reproductive Health

This pilot study conducted in Cairo and Minya examined the effects of improving the medical care and counseling of post-abortion patients in Egypt. A pre-test/post-test, no control group study design was used to measure the effects of an intervention that upgraded physicians' clinical and interpersonal communication skills for the care of post-abortion patients, including counseling and family planning (FP). The study's surveys utilized direct interviews with staff working in the OB/GYN wards, structured observations of treatment procedures and counseling of post-abortion patients, and interviews with patients prior to discharge. Changes in the clinical management of post-abortion patients were introduced through …

Development Of Approaches To Community Based Family Planning Outreach In Egypt: Assessment Of Raidats Rifiats Program, Population Council

Reproductive Health

Egypt’s family planning program officially began in 1965. Impressive gains in contraceptive use have been made since 1980, and the contraceptive prevalence rate increased from 24 percent in 1980 to 47 percent in 1992. Egypt’s National Population Policy addresses the nation’s population growth through multiple interventions designed to reduce fertility, including family planning (FP) services. FP accessibility is promoted through a network of public and NG0 FP clinics. A number of years ago, the Egyptian Family Planning Program began using the Raidats Rifiats program to extend services into rural communities. There is concern regarding the program’s ability to recruit women …