Women's Health Commons^™

Parenthood Orientation Among Young Women: Is It Associated With Pregnancy Intention And Unprotected Intercourse?, Nakeisha Blades

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored relationships between parenthood orientation, pregnancy intention, and unprotected intercourse. Nulligravid, sexually active women aged 18-29 (N = 252) were surveyed on these topics in May 2019. There were significant differences in parenthood orientation by past and current pregnancy intention. Higher scores on parenthood orientation were associated with increased odds of past unprotected intercourse and expecting future unprotected intercourse. Only education and contraceptive self-efficacy retained significance in adjusted models. Study results are consistent with prior work on parenthood orientation and pregnancy intention and point to other factors as stronger correlates of contraceptive use.

Dnp Final Report: Sane Finder: A Web-Based Mobile Solution To Identify The Location Of Currently Available Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (Sane) For First Responders, Brenda D. Herrmann

DNP Final Reports

Society views sexual assault as one of the most horrific crimes committed by one human being against another, but the “rescue” has the potential to make the experience even more difficult for the victim, in essence re-traumatizing them (Nugent-Borakove et al., 2006). In the United States in 2018, almost 140,000 victims reported being sexually assaulted (U.S. Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2019). In Texas, over 6 million individuals have been sexually assaulted in their lifetime (Busch-Armendariz et al., 2015). Getting victims to a specially trained sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) as quickly as possible improves outcomes. SANEs …

Rural Resiliency: The Cause And Effect Of Minnesota's Maternal Health Crisis, Annabel Traudie Gregg

Geography Honors Projects

The United States is experiencing a maternal health crisis that disproportionately affects those who give birth in rural communities. Rural birthing people have higher maternal mortality rates, increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage, non-indicated cesarean sections, and other adverse health outcomes. Despite the enhanced risks of rural birth, rural communities are losing access to hospital-based obstetric care at an unprecedented rate. Minnesota has vast rural territory, with one-fourth of its population living outside the urban sphere ­– making it a strategic area of study. As of July, 2021, 31% of Minnesota’s 91 rural hospitals were at risk of closing. The repercussions …

Protecting A Woman’S Right To Abortion During A Public Health Crisis, San Juanita Gonzalez

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

As COVID-19 infected our nation, states were quick to issue executive orders restricting various aspects of daily life under the pretense of public safety. It was clear at the outset that certain civil liberties were going to be tested. Among them, the constitutional right to an abortion.

This comment explores Texas’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the limitations it imposed on abortion access. It will attempt to address the legitimacy of the “public health concerns” listed in executive orders issued throughout numerous states and will discuss the pertinent legal framework and judicial scrutiny to apply.

According to the Fifth …

Responding To Sexual Abuse In Health Care: Development Of A Guide For Patients, Tristan Mcintosh, Heidi Walsh, Meredith Parsons, Erin D. Solomon, Jessica Mozersky, James M. Dubois

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

This report details the development of a stakeholder- and evidence-informed online resource guide for patients that provides information to raise awareness about sexual abuse in health care, the value of chaperones, and options for responding to sexual abuse. The guide was developed to reflect lessons learned from 10 years of researching physician wrongdoing (ie, sexual violations, improper prescribing, and unnecessary invasive procedures), a 5-year National Institutes of Health-funded mixed-methods study of 280 cases of egregious wrongdoing in medicine, and an expert working group. Focus groups were conducted with 22 patients from diverse backgrounds to obtain feedback on the acceptability of …

A Peer-Led Evidence-Based Contraceptive Counseling Initiative, Megan K. Tenbarge

DNP Projects

The experience of sexual health and wellness varies for newly independent college freshman. For reproductive-age women, gaps in knowledge and self-efficacy overlap with barriers accessing contraception and reproductive health care contributing to high-risk behavior and poor sexual health outcomes. Community-based participatory research was used to develop and implement a peer-education program targeting sorority women on a college campus in the Southeastern United States in the fall semester of 2021. Two senior nursing majors completed continuing education to be empowered as peer-educators using The University of California San Francisco Beyond the Pill framework. They engaged directly with nursing faculty stakeholders and …

The Effects Of Exercise And Nursing Care On Postpartum Depression, Greyson Whaley

Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference

Abstract

Introduction and Background: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020), “postpartum depression is depression that occurs after having a baby which is more intense and lasts longer than those of “baby blues,” a term used to describe the worry, sadness, and tiredness many women experience after having a baby.” It also states, “1 in 8 women report symptoms of depression after giving birth, about 1 in 5 (20%) women were not asked about depression during a prenatal visit, and over half (50%) of pregnant women with depression were not treated.”

Purpose Statement: The purpose of this …

Sensory Integration For Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence (Ipv), Nadien Albanna

Spring 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Since the start of the global pandemic, stay-at-home orders forced IPV survivors to stay in the home with abusers, increasing the risk of abuse, and the impact of psychological trauma. (Bright et al., 2020). Occupational therapists are trained professionals in incorporating sensory-based strategies to focus on the somatic manifestations experienced by the body from trauma and can help to regulate physiological and psychological responses through sensory stimuli (Mcgreevy & Boland et al., 2020). The development of this project sparked an opportunity to publish a new framework to introduce the role of sensory integration in treating survivors of intimate partner violence …

Eta Sigma Gamma - Georgia Southern University Chapter: Breast Cancer Awareness Health Communication Plan, Jill Johns, Omolola Okunromade

Eagle Showcase: Excellence in Service-Learning

The health communication plan was used to evaluate public health communication and advocacy promotion by efficiently increasing awareness about breast health and preventive services such as mammography screening among college students and women eligible for breast cancer screening. The communication plan was targeted towards empowering the Georgia Southern University chapter of Eta Sigma Gamma (ESG) members and other college students to act as health advocates by virtually disseminating information through the Facebook platform to their peer groups and social networks including friends and families in their community.

The purposes of the program evaluation and implementation measurement were to: 1) monitor …

Improving Postpartum Hypertension Discharge Education: A Pilot Project, Kathryn Barth

Dissertations

Problem: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are a leading cause of maternal morbidity, mortality, and postpartum readmission. Several evidence-based algorithms and protocols have been implemented in the inpatient setting to treat severe blood pressure and prevent complications. However, there remains an opportunity to improve the postpartum care transition and discharge education for patients with these conditions in an attempt to decrease 30-day postpartum hypertension readmissions.

Methods: This pilot project utilized a descriptive design and took place on a postpartum unit at a Midwest metropolitan high-risk obstetrical teaching hospital. Interventions included patient-specific discharge education, distribution of a home blood pressure …

Qualitative Exploration Of The Perception And Satisfaction Of Occupational Engagement And Level Of Awareness Of Treatment Options For Parous Women With Pelvic Floor Dysfunction., Sterling Donald, Pam Kasyan-Howe, Kristin Domville, Lisa Schubert

Spring 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

This poster looks to provide an overview of the results of the capstone project looking to fill a gap in the literature regarding the impact that pelvic floor dysfunction has on the occupational engagement of parous women, and their knowledge of occupational therapy treatment options for pelvic floor dysfunction (Burkhart et al, 2021). Data collection occurred over 2 weeks and the inclusion criteria for this study consisted of parous (having beard children) women, ages 18 to 65, and having at least 1 symptom of pelvic floor dysfunction (i.e., urinary problem, bowel problem, or pelvic organ prolapse). The research questions were, …

The Efficacy Of Low-Dose Aspirin In Pregnancy Among Women In Malaria-Endemic Countries, Melissa Bauserman, Sequoia I. Leuba, Jennifer Hemingway-Foday, Tracy L. Nolen, Janet Moore, Elizabeth M. Mcclure, Adrien Lokangaka, Antoinette Tsehfu, Sarah Saleem, Saleem Jessani

Community Health Sciences

Background: Low dose aspirin (LDA) is an effective strategy to reduce preterm birth. However, LDA might have differential effects globally, based on the etiology of preterm birth. In some regions, malaria in pregnancy could be an important modifier of LDA on birth outcomes and anemia.
Methods: This is a sub-study of the ASPIRIN trial, a multi-national, randomized, placebo controlled trial evaluating LDA effect on preterm birth. We enrolled a convenience sample of women in the ASPIRIN trial from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya and Zambia. We used quantitative polymerase chain reaction to detect malaria. We calculated crude prevalence …

Telehealth For Contraceptive Counseling During The Covid-19 Pandemic Among Federally Qualified Health Centers, Center For Applied Reasearch And Evaluation In Women's Health, East Tennessee State University

Center for Applied Research and Evaluation (CARE) in Women's Health Issue Briefs

During the COVID-19 pandemic, one in three women delayed contraceptive care or had difficulty obtaining contraception. To improve access, reimbursement and HIPAA policies were relaxed to facilitate implementation of telehealth services across the health care system nationally. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are part of the nation's health care safety-net and provide contraceptive care services to underserved patient populations. As such, it is important to study access to services at these clinics, particularly at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to examine telehealth service provision for contraceptive services at rural and urban FQHC clinics in South Carolina …

Gestational Age Variation In Human Placental Drug Transporters, Laura Goetzl, Nune Darbinian, Nana Merabova, Lindsay C Devane, Sammanda Ramamoorthy

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Patient and providers' fear of fetal exposure to medications may lead to discontinuation of treatment, disease relapse, and maternal morbidity. Placental drug transporters play a critical role in fetal exposure through active transport but the majority of data are limited to the 3rd trimester, when the majority of organogenesis has already occurred. Our objective was to define gestational age (GA) dependent changes in protein activity, expression and modifications of five major placental drug transporters: SERT, P-gp, NET, BCRP and MRP3. Apical brush border membrane fractions were prepared from fresh 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester human placentas collected following elective pregnancy …

Self-Portraits For Social Change: Audience Response To A Photovoice Exhibition By Women With Disability, Diane Macdonald, Angela Dew, Karen Fisher Assoc Prof, Katherine Boydell

The Qualitative Report

Negative attitudes about and behaviours towards women with disability are harmful and exclusionary, contributing to poorer health, income, educational, and employment outcomes. Our study focused on what audiences learnt, felt, and did (what changed) after viewing self-portraits and stories by women with disability. We questioned whether a public exhibition of their artworks, created through photovoice methodology, could be an effective platform to provoke social change and increase inclusion for people with disability. We collected audience response to our exhibition to address a research gap and to provide an example for other photovoice researchers. We employed interpretive thematic analysis through a …

Urinary Incontinence: Understanding The Silent Plight Of Women, Yasmin Nadeem Parpio, Anmol Minaz, Sonia Ijaz Haider

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Urinary incontinence (UI) is defined as the complaint of involuntary loss of urine. UI affects both men and women but is more common in women. It has been identified as a World Health Organization priority. The burden related to UI at local, national, and global levels is huge and its impact in terms of physical, social, mental, and financial aspects makes it a concerning issue. However, there exist several barriers in terms of knowledge and attitude in seeking healthcare among women experiencing UI. This calls upon a multi-disciplinary approach involving professionals from different disciplines and tackling it with collaborative and …

Contraceptive Knowledge Of Female College Students, Lina Perugini

Honors Theses

Background: Over 37% of teens (aged 15-19) and 62% of young adult (20-29) women use some method of contraception (Daniels, 2019). Women in college demonstrate inconsistent use and lack of knowledge about reproduction, menstruation, and contraception (Sutton, 2017). This study aimed to assess collegiate women’s knowledge of contraceptive and tested two hypotheses: (1) women in college will demonstrate a lack of knowledge about contraception; (2) those who use hormonal birth control will demonstrate significantly higher levels of contraceptive knowledge when compared to non-users. Method: 128 female college students completed an anonymous online survey that included demographic information, history of contraceptive …

Institute For Global Health And Development : Issue 3 - April - June 2022, Institute For Global Health And Development

IGHD Newsletters Archives

• Research Highlights
• Reflections from IGHD’s Associate Faculty
• Key Publications
• Webinars and Dialogues
• Celebration
• Collaborate With U

Colonic Epithelial Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (Ace2) Expression In Blacks And Whites: Potential Implications For Pathogenesis Covid-19 Racial Disparities, Mart De La Cruz, David P Nunes, Vaishali Bhardwaj, Deepika Subramanyan, Caroline Zaworski, Priya Roy, Hemant K Roy

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Covid-19 toll is disproportionate in Blacks although the mechanisms remain incompletely understood. From a biological perspective, several host proteins have received most attention as logical susceptibility targets. Specifically, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) serves as the epithelial cell receptor and acts in concert with transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2). Intriguingly, ACE2 can also suppress the inflammatory response and therefore may impact the severity of Covid-19 infections (from the exuberant immune response a.k.a. "cytokine storm"). We, therefore, assessed expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in Blacks versus Whites.

METHODS: Archived mucosal biopsies from colonoscopic biopsies of visually normal rectal mucosa without concurrent …

Pgc1Α/Β Expression Predicts Therapeutic Response To Oxidative Phosphorylation Inhibition In Ovarian Cancer, Carmen Ghilardi, Catarina Moreira-Barbosa, Laura Brunelli, Paola Ostano, Nicolò Panini, Monica Lupi, Alessia Anastasia, Fabio Fiordaliso, Monica Salio, Laura Formenti, Massimo Russo, Edoardo Arrigoni, Ferdinando Chiaradonna, Giovanna Chiorino, Giulio Draetta, Joseph R Marszalek, Christopher P Vellano, Roberta Pastorelli, Mariarosa Bani, Alessandra Decio, Raffaella Giavazzi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecologic cancer, and novel therapeutic options are crucial to improve overall survival. Here we provide evidence that impairment of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) can help control ovarian cancer progression, and this benefit correlates with expression of the two mitochondrial master regulators PGC1α and PGC1β. In orthotopic patient-derived ovarian cancer xenografts (OC-PDX), concomitant high expression of PGC1α and PGC1β (PGC1α/β) fostered a unique transcriptional signature, leading to increased mitochondrial abundance, enhanced tricarboxylic acid cycling, and elevated cellular respiration that ultimately conferred vulnerability to OXPHOS inhibition. Treatment with the respiratory chain complex I inhibitor IACS-010759 caused mitochondrial swelling …

Prevention Of Violence Against Women And Girls: A Cost-Effectiveness Study Across 6 Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Giulia Ferrari, Sergio Torres-Rueda, Esnat Chirwa, Andrew Gibbs, Stacey Orangi, Edwine Barasa, Theresa Tawiah, Rebecca Kyerewaa Dwommoh Prah, Rozina Karmaliani, Hussain Maqbool Ahmed Khuwaja

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Background: Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a human rights violation with social, economic, and health consequences for survivors, perpetrators, and society. Robust evidence on economic, social, and health impact, plus the cost of delivery of VAWG prevention, is critical to making the case for investment, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where health sector resources are highly constrained. We report on the costs and health impact of VAWG prevention in 6 countries.
Methods and findings: We conducted a trial-based cost-effectiveness analysis of VAWG prevention interventions using primary data from 5 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in sub-Saharan Africa …

Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals And Breast Cancer: Disparities In Exposure And Importance Of Research Inclusivity, Ashlie Santaliz Casiano, Annah Lee, Dede Teteh, Zeynep Madak Erdogan, Lindsey Trevino

Health Sciences and Kinesiology Faculty Articles

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are known contributors to breast cancer development. EDC exposures commonly occur through food packaging, cookware, fabrics, and personal care products as well as through the environment. Increasing evidence highlights disparities in EDC exposure across racial/ethnic groups, yet breast cancer research continues to lack the inclusion necessary to positively impact treatment response and overall survival in these socially disadvantaged populations. Additionally, the inequity in environmental exposures has yet to be remedied. Exposure to EDCs due to structural racism poses an unequivocal risk to marginalized communities. In this review, we summarize recent epidemiological and molecular studies on two lesser-studied …

Spatially Resolved Transcriptomics Of High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma, Elaine Stur, Sara Corvigno, Mingchu Xu, Ken Chen, Yukun Tan, Sanghoon Lee, Jinsong Liu, Emily Ricco, Daniel Kraushaar, Patricia Castro, Jianhua Zhang, Anil K Sood

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing do not provide full characterization of tissue spatial diversity in cancer samples, and currently available in situ techniques (multiplex immunohistochemistry and imaging mass cytometry) allow for only limited analysis of a small number of targets. The current study represents the first comprehensive approach to spatial transcriptomics of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma using intact tumor tissue. We selected a small cohort of patients with highly annotated high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma, categorized them by response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (poor or excellent), and analyzed pre-treatment tumor tissue specimens. Our study uncovered extensive differences in tumor composition between the …

Development And Management Of Depression During And After Pregnancy, Alexa Bouts, Maria Patnella, Jourdan Ujlaki, Emily Wells, Hannah Lamb, Michelle Musser

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Depression during pregnancy is common, whether it is a new onset of the disease or emerging symptoms of the already existent disease. Due to patient and prescriber concerns with antidepressant use during pregnancy, approximately three-quarters of those diagnosed with depression remain untreated. Furthermore, up to half of pregnant women with depression remain undiagnosed due to lack of recognition. As a result, both mother and fetus are at risk for negative health outcomes including substance abuse, functional impairment, increased risk of postnatal depression and poor pregnancy outcomes. Benefits must be balanced against the risks when considering pharmacologic treatment options to manage …

Examining Newcomer Women’S Experiences With Perinatal Care In Ontario, Canada: An Application Of Carspecken’S Critical Ethnographic Method, Jessica Pimienta, Oona St-Amant, Sepali Guruge, Corinne Hart, Cristina Catallo

The Qualitative Report

This article provides a practical description of Carspecken’s (1996) five-stage critical ethnographic approach entitled “Critical Qualitative Research (CQR).” Situated epistemologically and ontologically in the critical paradigm, this article is an exploration of critical ethnography as an important methodology for shedding light on the discursive culture of perinatal care for newcomer women during the three-month health insurance waiting period in Ontario, Canada. We argue that Carspecken’s approach to critical ethnography is especially instrumental in illuminating the social structures that contribute to health inequities.

Contraceptive Counseling During The Covid-19 Pandemic (2020) At Choose Well Participating Clinical Partners In South Carolina, Center For Applied Reasearch And Evaluation In Women's Health, East Tennessee State University

Center for Applied Research and Evaluation (CARE) in Women's Health Issue Briefs

In January-August 2021, staff at Choose Well participating clinical partners were asked about their experiences with Choose Well in 2020, including perceptions about access to contraceptive counseling and facilitators and barriers to contraceptive counseling. Interviews were conducted over the phone, audio recorded with permission, and transcribed. The aim of this issue brief is to examine access to contraceptive counseling across three sectors, hospitals, health departments, and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), that provided contraceptive counseling and partnered with Choose Well during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020). Findings from each sectors’ perceptions of contraceptive counseling are presented.

Effects Of Integrating Family Planning With Maternal, Newborn, And Child Health Services On Uptake Of Voluntary Modern Contraceptive Methods In Rural Pakistan: Protocol For A Quasi-Experimental Study, Zahid Memon, Sophie Reale, Wardah Ahmed, Rachael Spencer, Talib Hussain Lashari, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Hora Soltani

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Background: The uptake of modern contraceptive methods (MCMs) remains low, with 25% of women reporting their use in Pakistan. The overarching interventions covering service delivery platforms at facility and community levels necessitate the integration of family planning (FP) with maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) services.
Objective: The main aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of an integrated FP-MNCH service delivery model to increase coverage of MCMs in rural Pakistan. Moreover, we aim to measure the level of effectiveness of interventions regarding the uptake of MCMs.
Methods: A quasi-experimental, sequential, mixed methods study design with pre- and …

Intergenerational Risk And Resilience Pathways From Discrimination And Acculturative Stress To Infant Mental Health, Sabrina R. Liu, Curt A. Sandman, Elyssia Poggi Davis, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Preconception and prenatal stress impact fetal and infant development, and women of color are disproportionately exposed to sociocultural stressors like discrimination and acculturative stress. However, few studies examine links between mothers’ exposure to these stressors and offspring mental health, or possible mitigating factors. Using linear regression, we tested associations between prenatally assessed maternal acculturative stress and discrimination on infant negative emotionality among 113 Latinx/Hispanic, Asian American, Black, and Multiethnic mothers and their children. Additionally, we tested interactions between stressors and potential pre- and postnatal resilience-promoting factors: community cohesion, social support, communalism, and parenting self-efficacy. Discrimination and acculturative stress were related …

Factors Associated With Home Delivery In Rural Sindh, Pakistan: Results From The Global Network Birth Registry, Afreen Sadia, Shafaq Mahmood, Farnaz Naqvi, Seemab Naqvi, Zahid Soomro, Sarah Saleem

Community Health Sciences

Background: According to global estimates for 2017, nearly 295,000 maternal deaths occurred worldwide. Thus, approximately 810 women die every day due to pregnancy-related complications. This burden of maternal deaths in LMICs is primarily due to poor healthcare service utilization, as indicated by relatively low rates of institutional deliveries and skilled-birth attendance (SBA). We conducted this study with an aim to assess the factors associated with home delivery and its subsequent effect on the pregnancy outcome in rural Sindh, Pakistan.
Methods: Data for this study were taken from The Global Network's Maternal Newborn Health Registry (MNHR), which is a prospective, population-based …

Hyperammonemia Of Unknown Cause In A Young Postpartum Woman: A Case Report, Sadaf Hanif, Sher Muhammad Sethi

Section of Internal Medicine

Background: Hyperammonemia is a medical condition described as increased or elevated serum ammonia levels. High serum levels of ammonia can cause neurotoxicity. Sudden onset severe hyperammonemia may cause severe encephalopathy with brain damage. It can result in cerebral edema, emesis, seizures, hypotonia, and death. We report a young postpartum woman who had a sudden rise in serum ammonia levels after vaginal delivery.
Case presentation: A 24-year-old, married, postpartum Pakistani woman was admitted to the intensive care unit through the emergency department, with complaints of fever, severe abdominal pain with distension, and altered levels of consciousness. The patient had a medical …