Health Care for Women International最新文献

We determined the thoughts, experiences, and perceived barriers of visually impaired women regarding BSE. The sample of this qualitative study consisted of 15 women with visual impairment. We identified four main themes after performing a thematic analysis: 'preventive approaches to breast health', 'thoughts on BSE', 'implementation of BSE' and 'barriers to BSE'. We found that women with visual impairment perform BSE, although not regularly, to protect their breast health, and that this examination is very important for early diagnosis. Half of these women did not undergo BSE regularly or accurately. Furthermore, the most significant barriers to BSE among these women were lack of knowledge, inability to recognize visual changes, barriers in health services, youth, fear, and lack of any breast problems. Results reflect that the BSE was challenging for women with visual impairment, and highlight the need to develop specific training programs for BSE.

Constructivist grounded theory was used to explore perceptions and experiences of sexual health among British-born South Asian women, aged 18-25 who lived in North-West England. We aimed to explore whether and how women were influenced by religion and socio-cultural factors. Participants (n = 16) took part in either interviews or focus groups. A theoretical framework focusing on how women navigated shame to negotiate sexual agency was developed. Culture and religious values prohibited sex-based relationships before marriage, which meant accessing support could prove problematic. Women demonstrated different levels of agency through finding ways to maintain secret relationships and to navigate access to healthcare services.

In this study, we aimed to determine the relationship between women's depression, stress, anxiety, and personal traits with their sexual function levels. We conducted cross-sectional study, among 215 women with sexually active women. We collected the research data by utilizing "Introductory Information Form", "Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS)", "Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI)" and "International Personality Inventory Short Form (IPISV)". Among the participants, 63.7% exhibited adequate levels of sexual function, and 87.9% reported satisfaction with their sexual life. We found a weak negative correlation between total FSFI scores and some sub-dimensions of the IPISV, and the DASS. Higher levels of psychological distress and marked by emotional instability, hostility, undirectedness, and closed to experience, were associated with reduced levels of sexual function. It appears that psychological and personality factors may be relevant in understanding variations in sexual function, indicating the potential value of targeted interventions in improving sexual function.

Antenatal depression is a public health concern, impacting maternal and fetal health. We aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with antenatal depression in Baghdad, Iraq. In total, 850 pregnant women attending outpatient clinics at the Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital and three private clinics were screened for depression using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Depression prevalence was 29.8%, identified associated risk factors in descending order were: unwanted pregnancy, poor marital relationship, intimate partner violence, income dissatisfaction, severe fear of childbirth, and inadequate social support. Routine antenatal depression screening may help identify mothers for targeted interventions, optimizing care and outcomes.

Unintended pregnancies are widely known as social and financial burdens in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Therefore, we aim to examine whether unmet contraceptive needs cause unintended pregnancies in Indonesia in a cross-sectional study using the 2017 Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey (IDHS). In the bivariate analysis, we selected all variables for model building, except for employment status. In multivariate analysis, we found that unmet contraceptive needs posed a 1.3-fold higher risk for unintended pregnancies (CI 1.16-1.47) than those with met needs. Focusing on unmet contraceptive needs could reduce the prevalence of unintended pregnancies.

In this study, the researchers aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of coffee consumption in promoting gastrointestinal function recovery in women undergoing gynecological laparotomy. A randomized controlled trial design was conducted at a medical center in northern Taiwan, it involved 74 women randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group. Post-surgery, the experimental group drank 120 mL of black coffee three times daily, while the control group received 120 mL of warm water. We found that participants in the experimental group had more frequent bowel movements and earlier times to first bowel movement, first flatus, and first defecation. However, no significant differences were found between the groups. Coffee may support recovery in a manner like early water reintroduction, while also enhancing patient comfort, making it a promising clinical intervention for promoting postoperative gastrointestinal recovery.

Feminism has shown a protective effect on women's mental health and well-being. However, there exists a prevailing perception that feminism is incompatible with heterosexual romance. Despite this perspective, emerging research suggests that identifying with feminism can have positive implications for women's romantic relationships. The authors seek to contribute to existing literature by exploring the beneficial effects of feminist identity on women's romantic relationships. A total of 328 Chinese female undergraduates who were currently in romantic relationships completed the measurement of childhood emotional maltreatment (i.e. childhood emotional abuse and neglect), feminist identity, and coping strategies in romantic relationship conflicts (i.e. compromise, avoidance, submission, separation, domination and interactional reactivity). Firstly, we examined correlations between all studied variables. According to the result, childhood emotional neglect was significantly negatively related to constructive coping strategy (i.e. compromise) in romantic relationship conflicts. Besides, feminist identity possessed a significant positive correlation with compromise, separation and domination in romantic relationship conflicts. Subsequently, we investigated the moderating effect of feminist identity in the relation between childhood emotional neglect and compromise in romantic relationship conflicts. As a result, the negative correlation between childhood emotional neglect and compromise in romantic relationship conflicts was found only among Chinese female undergraduates with low, but not high, feminist identity. Implications of these findings were discussed.

In this article we explore the potential significance of illness stories in cancer rehabilitation by describing gynaecological cancer survivors' experiences from both reading other women's illness stories as well as writing their own. Individual texts were written by fifty-nine women who had recently finished primary cancer treatment while participating in an e-intervention. These texts were analyzed, inspired by Braun and Clark's method of analysis. Our analysis led to two main themes; "Recognition - understanding oneself through others" and "Processing and adapting to a changed everyday life." We found that reading and writing about cancer can pave the way for the individual woman's recognition, normalization, belonging, and path to acceptance. However, this work can be painful as it can trigger memories of going through the cancer experience. Health personnel must be aware of both potentials and pitfalls and be sure to give the support needed.

Thoracic spine pain (TSP) is a disturbing condition associated with a decreased quality of life among postpartum women. We conducted a cross-sectional survey assessing the prevalence of TSP and associated factors among 400 conveniently recruited postpartum women from four public hospitals in Enugu, Nigeria. We collected data on thoracic spine pain, posture, and mobility using the Oswestry thoracic disability index, an inclinometer, and the tape rule(cm), respectively. We found a 22.5% prevalence of TSP, with over 65% of cases occurring during and after pregnancy. More than half (64.4%) of the participants recorded flexion hypomobility, while 37.3% had extension hypomobility. We found a significant association between TSP and age (χ² = 2.493, p = .013), employment status (χ² = 11.650, p = .003), and jobs needing repetitive spinal movements like neck bending (χ² = 9.491, p = .023). TSP is fairly common in postpartum women with associated factors of younger age and being in jobs that require repetitive spinal movements.

Health issues of the marginalized social groups are often ignored in our society. In the present study, the authors investigate the health vulnerabilities of female sex workers (FSWs) in the South-western region of Bangladesh using a qualitative research approach. Twenty in-depth interviews were conducted with the female sex workers and some key informants using a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were audio-tapped, transcribed, and analysed thematically. Five themes emerged from the data revealing an overall poor physical, mental, and sexual/reproductive health status of the female sex workers. There were different factors including lack of healthcare knowledge, and difficulty in accessing quality healthcare services contributing towards the vulnerable health status of these women in prostitution. It is an immediate necessity to bring attention to the socially vulnerable female sex workers through specialized healthcare support and services in addition to the promotion of social awareness.