Background: Chronic constipation is a common distressing symptom. Abdominal massage is a safe, noninvasive, and comfortable intervention. However, it is rarely used in formal clinical practice as its' effectiveness for chronic constipation remains unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudy Question: Is the mode of conception (natural, subfertility and non-IVF, and IVF) associated with the risk of Type 1 diabetes mellitus among offspring?
Summary Answer: The risk of Type 1 diabetes in offspring does not differ among natural, subfertility and non-IVF, and IVF conceptions.
What Is Known Already: Evidence has shown that children born through IVF have an increased risk of impaired metabolic function.
Study Design, Size, Duration: A population-based, nested case-control study was carried out, including 769 children with and 3110 children without Type 1 diabetes mellitus within the prospective cohort of 2 228 073 eligible parent-child triads between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2017.
Globally, there has been little growth in vaccination coverage, with countries in the Horn of Africa having the lowest vaccination rates. This study investigated factors associated with vaccination status among children under five years old in Somaliland. The 2020 Somaliland Demographic and Health Survey surveyed women aged 15-49 years from randomly selected households.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theories assert that body constitution and meridian energy lay the foundation for disease prevention. TCM-based health concepts have not yet been incorporated into mobile health (mHealth) apps for individuals with prediabetes.
Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a TCM mHealth app for individuals with prediabetes.
Many studies have reported positive contributions of health promotion on the health behavior of nursing staff working in hospitals, including the maintenance of a regular healthy diet, engagement in physical activity, performance of routine screening practices, and participation in a health examination. Despite being considered a role model for healthy lifestyles, little is known about the effect of health-promoting hospital settings on nursing staff. The aim of this study was to perform a nationwide, hospital-based, cross-sectional, survey comparing health practices between full-time nurses of health-promoting hospitals and those of non-health-promoting hospitals in Taiwan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Women usually decrease their physical activity (PA) after becoming pregnant. The change in PA may influence their symptom distress (SD). The changes and correlations between SD and PA throughout pregnancy remain unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Belize has one of the highest human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome prevalence rates in Central America, with women of reproductive age being particularly vulnerable to HIV. Therefore, this study examined the factors associated with HIV testing among women of reproductive age in Belize and trends in HIV testing in 2006, 2011, and 2015-2016.
Methods: Cross-sectional data were analyzed using three Belize Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys.
Background: This study aimed to examine factors associated with postpartum depression (PPD) symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic among postpartum women in five countries, a subject that has not been investigated thus far.
Methods: A multi-country, cross-sectional, online survey was conducted with a convenience sample of 3,523 postpartum women in Brazil, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United Kingdom, from July to November 2021. Sociodemographic and obstetric data, food insecurity, COVID-19 positive status, COVID-19 vaccination, infant feeding, breastfeeding belief score, and social support were investigated.
Background: Sociocultural factors play critical roles in the mental health of marriage-based immigrant women. However, the effect of bi-dimensional acculturation ("adaptation to host culture" and "maintenance of heritage culture") and social support on perinatal depression across time was unknown among them.
Objective: To examine the effect of bi-dimensional acculturation and social support on perinatal depression among marriage-based immigrant women in Taiwan.
We investigated the impact of COVID-19 on tuberculosis (TB) case notification and treatment outcomes in Eswatini. A comparative retrospective cohort study was conducted using TB data from eight facilities. An interrupted time series analysis, using segmented Poisson regression was done to assess the impact of COVID-19 on TB case notification comparing period before (December 2018-February 2020, = 1,560) and during the pandemic (March 2020-May 2021, = 840).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAssociations between breastfeeding intention, duration and post-natal depression (PND) have been shown in pre-COVID-19 studies. However, studies during COVID-19 have not examined the associations between breastfeeding intention, breastfeeding practices, and PND in an international sample of post-natal women, taking into consideration COVID-19 related factors. This is the first study to address this gap as both PND and breastfeeding may be affected by COVID-19, and have important long-term effects on women's and infant's health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrevious research has demonstrated a link between maternal depressive symptoms and infant feeding behavior; however, the underlying mechanisms linking the two remain unclear. This study examined the association between maternal depressive symptoms and responsive feeding, and the potential mediating role of feeding self-efficacy and outcome expectancy. A panel study with 487 women, from pregnancy through postpartum, was conducted.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: The number of children born through the use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) has been increasing. These children may have higher risks for epigenetic alteration and adverse perinatal outcomes, which may be associated with childhood cancers.
Objective: To determine the associations between different modes of conception and childhood cancers and potential mediation by preterm birth and low birth weight.
Background: Studies regarding the impact of COVID-19 on breastfeeding have mostly used single- country samples or a qualitative design.
Aim: The objective of this study was to examine breastfeeding intention during pregnancy and breastfeeding behaviour among postpartum women in five countries during the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated factors.
Methods: An online questionnaire survey was conducted in Thailand, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Taiwan, and Brazil from July through November 2021.
Hypertension is prevalent in older women and is associated with increased cognitive impairment. Exercise has demonstrated beneficial effects on cognitive function, but the impact of exercise on older hypertensive women remains unclear. We investigated the effects of an aerobic walking program on memory, subjective cognitive complaints, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in older hypertensive women.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: It is uncertain whether Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) is associated with an increased risk of poor breastfeeding outcomes and what could be possible mechanisms. This study aimed to examine the effect of mode of conception on breastfeeding outcomes during the first two months postpartum and identify the potential mediating pathways for this relationship.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in a sample of 3,565 women with live births.
Background: Nurses are faced with varying job stressors depending on their positions and duties. Few previous studies have compared job stress and related chronic conditions among different nursing positions. The objectives were to compare job stressors among clinical registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and head nurses and explore the impact of job stressors and stress level on hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hypertension.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
November 2021
The majority of pregnant women in Taiwan are not considered physically active. During pregnancy, many women decrease their physical activity levels when compared to pre-pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between decreased physical activity from pre-pregnancy to pregnancy and excessive gestational weight gain (GWG).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDesign: This study applied a cross-sectional, descriptive correlational design.
Aims And Objectives: The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between cognitive function and self-reported antihypertensive medication adherence in middle-aged and older hypertensive women.
Background: Although medication adherence is an essential key for preventing complications from hypertension, poor medication adherence is common among middle-aged and older hypertensive women.
Introduction: Marriage-based immigrant women are increasing around the world. Although bi-dimensional acculturation is important for immigrant women's health, the existing scales have mainly been developed for immigrant women in Western countries and hence some items may not be suitable for Asian contexts. Thus, we developed and evaluated the Bidimensional Acculturation Scale for Marriage-Based Immigrant Women (BAS-MBIW) in Taiwan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: American Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends different ranges of gestational weight gain (GWG) based on pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI). In Taiwan, IOM guidelines are implemented concurrently with the local recommendation for GWG (10-14 kg). This study compared between the two sets of guidelines in relation to adverse perinatal outcomes.
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