Women's Health Commons^™

Cardiac Effects Of Obesity During Pregnancy In C57bl/6j Mice, Kayla Lynn Dudick

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Objective: Pregnancy requires profound cardiac and metabolic adaptation. Left ventricular (LV) mass is increased in response to pregnancy, but is not associated with cardiac damage. In contrast, obesity-mediated cardiac hypertrophy is pathological. Data from animal studies indicate dietary fatty acid composition may have a protective effect during states of extreme cardiac physiological adaptation. In contrast, aberrant cardiac metabolism is a hallmark of disease. Over a third of reproductive-age women in the United States are obese, but there is a paucity of data describing the effect of obesity on maternal cardiac adaptation to pregnancy. The objective of this study was to …

Know Before You Play: Associations Between Race, Education, And Hiv Susceptibility, Anfa Mohamed Diiriye

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Black women are disproportionately affected by HIV in the United States. This paper analyzes the associations between race, education, and HIV susceptibility, furthering previous research to understand if educational attainment reduces HIV susceptibility and if reduction patterns are similar for Black and White women. The CDC’s National Survey of Family Growth 2015-2017 was used to analyze associations using binary logistic and multiple regression models. HIV susceptibility was operationalized through four measures: condom use, having a partner with concurrent sexual relationships, having had an STD, and age at first sex. Black women were not found to be significantly more susceptible to …

Project Adkeyso: Addressing Female Genital Mutilation And Cutting In Somaliland, Ayanna Joyner

Capstone Showcase

Project Adkeyso: Addressing Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting in Somaliland

Ayanna Joyner

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Comfort Olorunsaiye

Female Genital Mutilation or Cutting (FGM/C) is the procedure of intentionally causing injury and altering the vulva of a young girl or woman for non-medical reasons. There are four types of FGM/C however, type III or infibulation, remains the most dangerous because the procedure consists of the narrowing of the vaginal opening by creating a seal with the labia majora through stitching. With infibulation, there will be a need for further surgeries or re-infibulation, which requires reopening of the stitches covering the vagina …

The Path To Pregnancy: Fertility Services And Assisted Reproductive Technologies, Olivia H. Gilbert

Scripps Senior Theses

The emergence of reproductive assistance like fertility treatments and assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in recent decades have provided new paths to pregnancy for many individuals. However, certain demographics in the US like low-income women and women of color are often excluded from utilizing these services on the basis of race, geography, and socioeconomic status. This in turn leads to significant disparities in access to and usage rates of such services. This research points out the perceived shortcomings in the current academic discussion surrounding fertility service disparities with the ultimate goal of expanding access to fertility assistance services for those who …

Vulvodynia, It’S In My Head: Mad Methods Toward Crip Coalition, Renee Dumaresque

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

This article employs a mad transdisciplinary approach to autoethnography to detail vulvodynia — or chronic vulvar pain — within the system of (dis)ability. Through autoethnography, the self operates as a mobile orientation from which to identify and disrupt the colonial rationalities that differentially construct and narrate vulvodynia across sites of madness and disability. Through historical, discursive, and autoethnographic analysis, I locate vulvodynia’s role in various processes of subject, race, and settler-state formation from the nineteenth century up to the neoliberal present.

Predictors Of Negative Outcomes And Causes Of Loss To Follow Up Among Breast Cancer Patients In Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, A. Johnson, R. R. Henderson, G. Jones, Y. Fujii, P. Haley, J. Bernard, V. Degennaro

Phase 1

Objective: To determine predictors of negative outcomes and causes of loss to follow-up (LTFU) in patients with breast cancer in Haiti.

Design and Methods: Patients seen by Innovating Health International’s (IHI) cancer program were designated as LTFU after at least six months of non-contact (n=606). A cohort of LTFU breast cancer patients (n=101) was compared to the larger population of breast cancer patients (n=939), and a regression model constructed in order to identify risks for death and LTFU. Multiple calls were made to contact LTFU patients, and reasons for LTFU were recorded.

Results: Death and LTFU status were associated with …

From The Legal Literature: If The Fetus Is A Person—Is It Relevant? An Argument On The Rights Of Pregnant Women, Francesca Laguardia

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Diabetes Risk Status And Physical Activity In Pregnant Women: U.S. Brfss 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, Bethany Rand

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Objective: We sought to examine differences in aerobic activity (AA) and muscle-strengthening activity (MSA) by diabetes risk status (DRS) among pregnant women in the United States.

Background: Pregnant women without complications are advised to engage in physical activity (PA) to mitigate adverse outcomes. Differences may exist among pregnant women of diverging diabetes status in meeting national PA recommendations.

Methods: The sample (n=9,597) included pregnant women ages 18-44, who participated in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Levels of DRS were: no diabetes (ND), high risk for diabetes (HRD) due to self-reported gestational diabetes or …

Exploring Female University Students’ Views Of Campus Engagement In Chaarg, Lia Giffels

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

There are positive benefits to group exercise, such as motivation and improved performance. However, strength training poses a gender disparity, with less participation among females. Changing Health, Attitudes, + Actions to Recreate Girls (CHAARG) is a student organization to empower females to reach health goals by participating in a comprehensive fitness program. Purpose: This investigation explores female college students’ views of their experience in CHAARG. Understanding how to engage more women in strength training and healthy lifestyles may fuel increased adherence rates. Methods: Q methodology will be used to investigate the viewpoints of female students’ members in a large Midwest …

A Phenomenological Photovoice Exploration Of Female Exercisers’ Experiences Of Their Body In Fitness Center Environments, Katherine E. Fairhurst

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

For many women, the relationship with their body and exercise is complex. Exercise can have positive effects on body image, however, not all women appear to benefit positively from all types of exercise. To date, body image research has focused on exercise as an activity and less so on the context in which exercise is performed. Women frequently exercise in fitness centers as young adults which, unfortunately, is associated with body dissatisfaction. Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach with Photovoice methodology, we explored young adult women’s lived body experiences while exercising in fitness centers. A purposive sample of 11 …

Evaluating Providers’ Perceptions On Preconception Care For Women With Sud, Corinna Hughes

DNP Projects

Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs) has become an epidemic. Women of reproductive age with SUDs have particularly complex healthcare needs including an increased risk of having an unintended pregnancy and associated sequela of negative birth outcomes (NBO). Little is known about how medication assisted treatment (MAT) providers are adequately addressing their unique needs. Identifying provider barriers and tools to address the reproductive needs of women with SUDs can optimize their health outcomes and prevent NBOs.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate MAT Nurse Practitioners’ (NPs) knowledge and perceptions of providing preconception care to women with …

Prevalence And Factors Associated With Maternal Near-Miss In Magway Regional Hospital, Magway, Myanmar, Aye Myo Thet

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Background: Maternal mortality is an important public health concern. Women die every day from pregnancy complications, delivery-related issues, and childbirth. Pregnancy related morbidity and mortality in Myanmar were dramatically increased from 17.6% in 2012 to 20.2% in 2018. In Myanmar, there are limited studies on maternal near miss. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence and determine the factors associated with maternal near miss in Magway Regional Hospital, Myanmar. Method: This cross-sectional study employed a health facility-based secondary data analysis to estimate the prevalence of maternal near miss cases, and examine factors associated with maternal near miss in Magway …

Solidarity Vulnerability And Mistrust, Ana Rosa Linde Arias, Maria Roura, Carlos Eduardo Siqueira

Gastón Institute Publications

Background: The public health response to Zika outbreak has mostly focused on epidemiological surveillance, vector control, and individual level preventative measures. This qualitative study employs a social-ecological framework to examine how macro (historical, legislative, political, socio-economic factors), meso (sources of information, social support, social mobilization) and micro level factors (individual actions, behavioral changes) interacted to influence the response and behavior of women with respect to Zika in different contexts. Methods: A qualitative study was carried out. Women were recruited through the snowball sampling technique from various locations in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the United States. They were of different nationalities …

Too Much To Ask Too Much To Handle, Ana Rosa Linde Arias, Elisa Tristan-Cheever, Grace Furtado, Carlos Eduardo Siqueira

Gastón Institute Publications

Abstract: Zika virus infection during pregnancy is a cause of congenital brain abnormalities. Its consequences for pregnancies have made governments and both national and international agencies issue advice and recommendations to women. This study was designed to understand the impacts of Zika on women who were less directly affected and less vulnerable to Zika. Women were recruited from various locations in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the United States. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Women perceived that public health systems placed an unfair responsibility for preventing health complications from Zika onto women who had limited …

The Impact Of Scaling Up Cervical Cancer Screening And Treatment Services Among Women Living With Hiv In Kenya: A Modelling Study, Pablo Noel Perez-Guzman, Michael Chung, Hugo De Vuyst, Shona Dalal, Kennedy K. Mutai, Karanja Muthoni, Bartilol Kigen, Timothy B. Hallett, Mikaela Smit

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Introduction: We aimed to quantify health outcomes and programmatic implications of scaling up cervical cancer (CC) screening and treatment options for women living with HIV in care aged 18–65 in Kenya.

Methods: Mathematical model comparing from 2020 to 2040: (1) visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and cryotherapy (Cryo); (2) VIA and Cryo or loop excision electrical procedure (LEEP), as indicated; (3) human papillomavirus (HPV)-DNA testing and Cryo or LEEP; and (4) enhanced screening technologies (either same-day HPV-DNA testing or digitally enhanced VIA) and Cryo or LEEP. Outcomes measured were annual number of CC cases, deaths, screening and treatment interventions, …

Black Women And Body Image: Implications Of The Racialized Beauty Aesthetic, Rachel L. Boutte

Theses and Dissertations

Black women have the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity relative to any other demographic group in the United States, however current weight management interventions appear least effective for them. Although several hypotheses have been proposed to explain these outcomes, few studies have collected data to evaluate how well they fit the lived experiences of Black women. In particular, the potential roles of body image and body dissatisfaction in the development and maintenance of overweight and obesity in Black women are not well understood. Extant literature largely reports that Black women are inoculated from body dissatisfaction due to cultural factors, …

Cost-Effectiveness Of A Mobile Health-Supported Lifestyle Intervention For Pregnant Women With An Elevated Body Mass Index, Elizabeth O'Sullivan, Salwa Rokicki, Maria Kennelly, Kate Ainscough, Fionnuala M. Mcauliffe

Articles

Objective To assess the cost-effectiveness of a mobile health-supported lifestyle intervention compared with usual care.

Methods We conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis from the perspective of the publicly-funded health care system. We estimated costs associated with the intervention and health care utilisation from first antenatal care appointment through delivery. We used bootstrap methods to quantify the uncertainty around cost‐effectiveness estimates. Health outcomes assessed in this analysis were gestational weight gain (GWG; kg), incidence of excessive GWG, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and incidence of large-for-gestational-age (LGA). Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated as cost per QALY gained, cost per kg of GWG …

A Content Analysis Of Institutions Of Higher Education's Sexual Assault Policies: Assessing Response To Sexual Assault In Georgia, Brianna Williams

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Sexual assault is a public health concern that must be systematically addressed. The existence of a comprehensive sexual assault policy and compliance with federal regulations can guide institutions of higher education in responding to and preventing sexual assault on campus. Federal laws hold institutions accountable for providing a safe environment for students. The purpose of this qualitative content analysis was to assess compliance with federal policy and assess the response to sexual assault by IHE in Georgia. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics was utilized to identify Georgia's institutions receiving federal aid during 2018-2019. Using a proportionate stratified …

Knowledge Of Breast Cancer And Screening Methods Among Rural Women In Southwest Nigeria: A Mixed Method Analysis, Rowland Edet, Oluwayimika Ekundina, Obasanjo Afolabi Bolarinwa, Julianah Babajide, Juliet Amarachukwu Nwafor

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to assess the awareness of rural women on breast cancer and its screening methods in Southwest Nigeria. Descriptive cross-sectional survey design with the aid of a semi-structured questionnaire was used to generate data among 422 rural women in selected communities in Egbeda local government area of Ibadan. The qualitative data was generated through in-depth interviews among rural women and key informant interviews among health workers in the communities. The study revealed that only 63.7% were aware of breast cancer screening methods compared to 31.6% who were not aware of it. The commonly known screening …

Hear Me Roar, Abigail R. Seethoff

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Hear Me Roar, a compilation of personal essays interspersed with short forms, grapples with the nuances of compliance versus autonomy in the context of the male gaze, beauty standards, and pop culture. The collection also explores what it means to treasure something—another person, an object—and how to express and deepen that affection.