Women & Health最新文献

Breast milk is the perfect food during infancy. Adequate support from family and health systems can be helpful to continue breastfeeding. This study aimed to determine the status of breastfeeding challenges and its relationship with social support and socio-demographic factors. In this correlational-descriptive study, 348 breastfeeding mothers were recruited using cluster random sampling from health care centers in Tabriz, Iran in 2022. Socio-demographic, breastfeeding challenges and social support questionnaires were used for data collection. Data were analyzed for descriptive and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation tests, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA and general linear model) using SPSS version 16. Difficulty in completing household tasks and breastfeeding at the same time (32.5 percent) was the most common challenge reported by mothers. There was an inverse and significant correlation between perceived social support and experiencing challenges (r = -0.199؛ p = .001). Based on the adjusted general linear model, with increasing social support, the score of breastfeeding challenges decreased (B = -0.165; 95 percent CI: -0.07-0.25, p < .001). Considering the relationship between perceived social support and the challenges experienced during breastfeeding, it can be concluded that adequate support from family along with training and guidance from health care providers can lead women to have better breastfeeding experiences and overcome breastfeeding problems.

Infertility treatments are emotionally taxing and include invasive and time-consuming procedures over extended periods of time. In light of the growing numbers of single mothers by choice, the objective of this study was to apply the Conservation of Resources Theory in the context of infertility care and examine whether relationship status constitutes a psychological resource that buffers the decline in quality of life during IVF treatments. We used the FertiQol questionnaire to compare the quality of life of IVF patients between 422 patients who are involved in a couple relationship ("attached") and 117 patients who are not ("unattached"). Results show that the total FertiQol was significantly higher among the attached participants; the Core FertiQol and the Treatment FertiQol were rated higher by the "attached." No significant differences were found between the attached and unattached for the Emotional and Social subscales. "unattached" participants report significantly lower levels of quality of life in the "mind-body" and "treatment tolerability" subscales than the "attached" participants. It is concluded that being involved in a long-term couple relationship is to be seen as a resource that buffers the decline in quality of life of infertile women undergoing IVF treatments.

To describe the demographic characteristics and estimate the uterine leiomyomata claim rates (ULCRs) by women 18 years and older in Florida, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the 2010-2019 administrative claims for uterine leiomyomata and associated study variables (age, race, ethnicity, county of residence, anatomic site, length of stay, and additional diagnoses). ULCR ratios were estimated by race and ethnicity, using ULCR for non-Hispanic White women as the reference group. We identified 232,475 claims, most of which were among non-Hispanic White women in their forties. The overall ULCR estimate [95 percent CI] was 284.8 [284.21, 285.39] per 100,000 women 18 years and older, with a small, nonsignificant trend to increase over time (R² = .310; p = .094). Black, Hispanic, and other women of color presented with higher ULCR ratios (4.84, 1.87, and 1.58, respectively). Urban counties had significantly higher ULCRs than suburban and rural counties. While non-Hispanic White women had the highest frequency of ULCRs, women of color-especially Black women-presented with significantly higher ULCR ratios. The epidemiologic profile of uterine leiomyomata in terms of age, race, ethnicity, and geographic location points to unmet healthcare needs among specific demographic and geographic groups of women in Florida.

Pregnant women frequently use the Internet to get information, and the information they receive is effective in their decision-making. It is known that pregnant women get information about COVID-19 vaccines from the Internet. This study aims to determine whether decision-making based on Internet sources during pregnancy is a predictive factor for vaccine hesitancy in pregnant women during the pandemic. A descriptive, cross-sectional research design was used. The data were collected by using an online survey instrument. There was a positive, moderate, and significant relationship between the self-efficacy perception sub-dimension of the internet decision-making during pregnancy scale and the risk sub-dimension of the vaccine hesitancy in pandemics scale (r: .584, p < .05) and between the self-control sub-dimension of the internet decision-making during pregnancy scale and the risk sub-dimension of the vaccine hesitancy in pandemics scale (r: .546, p < .05). The perception of self-control (β: .291) affected the lack of confidence, and the perception of self-efficacy (β: .481) affected the risk perception more than other variables. There was a relationship between internet decision-making and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in pregnant women. Health professionals, information specialists, and librarians should orient people to reliable sources about vaccines.

Menstrual health education is one of the important aspects of health education during adolescence in girls. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Health Belief Model (HBM) on promoting Knowledge of menstrual health in female students of Fasa City, Fars Province, Iran. This quasi-experimental study was done on 200 high school girls (100 experimental and 100 control groups) who were selected using a random sampling method in Fasa City, Fars Province, Iran, in 2019-2020. The educational intervention for the experimental group consisted of 6 training sessions of 50-55 minutes through lectures, Q & A, group discussion, educational posters and pamphlets, videoclips, and PowerPoint. A scale of this study consisted of two parts; demographic information, and HBM constructs were used to determine the behaviors of menstrual health in two (before and 3 months after intervention) times. The mean age of students in the experimental and control groups was 13.40 ± 0.68 and 13.34 ± 0.72 years. The results showed that before the educational intervention, there was no significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of knowledge, perceived sensitivity, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, cues to action and performance; however, three months after the intervention, the experimental group showed a significant increase in each of the mentioned variables except the perceived barriers. Based on the present study, education based on the health belief model structures is effective in improving Knowledge of menstrual health and this model can be used to prevent and reduce the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.

The study aimed to identify the prevalence of symptoms, changes in exercise levels, and exercise advice received during the menopausal transition in a large multi-country sample. Using total population sampling, 2.5 percent of female Strava app users (n = 970) from 7 countries completed an online survey between 14 February 2019 and 11 March 2019. The survey discussed menopause status (perimenopausal or postmenopausal), menopausal symptoms, changes to exercise behaviors, and advice received concerning exercise during menopause. Frequencies, chi-square statistics, and linear regressions were used to analyze data. The most commonly reported menopausal symptoms were sexual (18-83 percent) and cognitive/psychological (77-78 percent). 41 percent of women reported no change in exercise behavior since menopause began (46 percent increased and 11 percent decreased behaviors). The majority (88 percent) of women did not receive advice regarding exercise during menopause. Women who received advice were more likely to report an increase in their exercise than those not receiving advice (60 percent vs 46 percent; X² (df 2, n = 927) = 7.1, p = .03). Exercise behaviors increased the longer it had been since the menopausal onset (X² (df 8, n = 937) = 77.42, p < .001). The results suggested high menopausal symptom prevalence in active women and a general lack of exercise advice. More women reported higher symptom prevalence and an increase in exercise participation, the longer it had been since menopause onset. Future research should determine whether these increased exercise behaviors are being used as a coping mechanism.

Risky sexual behaviors of young women cause significant reproductive health problems. Therefore, it is vital to evaluate the sexual attitude and behavior characteristics of young women, their changes over the years, and the effects of information sources such as family, media, and friends, which play an effective role in bringing about changes in sexual behavior of young women. This study was planned to evaluate young women's premarital sexual behaviors and related factors in Turkiye between 01.11.2021 and 01.05.2022. It is designed as a descriptive correlation study conducted with 1.430 young women studying at universities in 30 metropolitan cities in Turkiye. The study data were collected using the "Participant Information Form" and the "Premarital Risky Sexual Behavior Assessment Scale for Young Women." This study showed that parents' educational status and geographical region was related to the young women's mean score and the subdimension score of the Premarital Sexual Behavior Assessment Scale for Young Women (PSAS-YW) (p < .001). Furthermore, young women's top source of information about sexuality was internet media (80 percent, n = 1144), and the least source was their fathers (2.9 percent, n = 41). There is a relationship between where young women spend most of their lives, the geographical region where their families live, and the risk of sexual behavior. The study observed that the geographical region where young women's parents live was effective in risky sexual behavior. While less risky sexual behavior was observed, primarily in the country's east, this rate increased in the western parts. Furthermore, while it was determined that young people mainly acquire sexual information through the media-internet or friends, it was observed that the participants in this group had the highest rate of risky sexual behavior. The age variable explained only 2 percent of the change in risky sexual behavior, and there was a linear increase between the mother's education level and the risky sexual behavior score of young women.

Cyclophosphamide is a drug used in chemotherapy. However, it has side effects, including changes in reproductive system functioning. Some herbal compounds can reduce the harmful effects of cyclophosphamide. This study aims to investigate the protective role of crocin against changes caused by Cyclophosphamide in ovarian tissue through changes in the expression of genes involved in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. This experimental study was performed on 24 adult female Wistar rats. Mice were divided into four groups (normal saline, 30 mg/kg cyclophosphamide, 100 mg/kg crocin and 30 mg/kg cyclophosphamide, and 200 mg/kg crocin and 30 mg/kg cyclophosphamide). At the end of the treatment period, the hypothalamus and ovaries were also removed to evaluate ob-Rb, ob-Ra, and NPY genes expression using real-time PCR and histological changes in the ovaries. Data were analyzed by SPSS statistical software. The expression of genes, number of follicles, and follicle diameter significantly decreased in the cyclophosphamide-treated groups compared with the control group. In the crocin and cyclophosphamide-treated groups, drug-induced reproductive complications were mitigated. The current findings indicate that by increasing the expression of genes ob-Rb, ob-Ra, and NPY, crocin could modulate the harmful effects of cyclophosphamide.