Objective: This study sought to understand the current experiences and subsequent needs of digital maternal health application users based on an interdisciplinary analysis of features currently available in the digital marketplace (including mobile applications and mobile-friendly websites).
Methods: Following secondary analysis of previously collected interview and focus group data, we used qualitative thematic analysis to observe recurring themes within current maternal health applications and prospective augmentation of related technology for future development.
Results: Study findings suggested tailored features would best serve the target population, and eleven unique themes comprising additions and improvements to maternal health applications emerged.
Background: The association of maternal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) with the risk of system-specific congenital malformations in offspring remains unclear. We conducted a meta-analysis to examine this association and the risk difference between these two types of inhibitors.
Methods: A literature search was performed from January 2000 to May 2023 using PubMed and Web of Science databases.
The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) recommends carrier screening for all pregnant women regardless of race or ethnicity. In recent years, the ACMG broadened the guidelines to include expanded carrier screening (ECS) which can screen for 112 conditions. This study seeks to explore the perceptions of pregnant Latina women about the benefits and concerns related to ECS use.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Black mothers experience markedly disproportionate maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States, with racism often cited as the root cause manifesting through several pathways. The study examined Black mothers' perceived provider communication, support needs, and overall experiences in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Design: This study used grounded theory embedded in the Black feminist theoretical (BFT) framework to generate new ideas grounded in the data.
Integrated behavioral health can improve primary care and mental health outcomes. Access to behavioral health and primary care services in Texas is in crisis because of high uninsurance rates, regulatory restrictions, and lack of workforce. To address gaps in access to care, a partnership formed among a large local mental health authority in central Texas, a federally designated rural health clinic, and the Texas A&M University School of Nursing to create an interprofessional team-based health care delivery model led by nurse practitioners in rural and medically underserved areas of central Texas.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWith the advance of genetic technologies, the use of expanded carrier screening (ECS) in the prenatal setting is growing. ECS tests for a wide range of inherited genetic disorders regardless of racial/ethnic background and family history. Latinxs are an important ECS stakeholder group as they are the largest minority group with the highest fertility rate in the United States.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: There are, currently, conflicting opinions about the adoption of exome sequencing (ES) into the standard newborn screening program. This study aimed to explore the views of pregnant Latinas, a hard-to-reach, underserved, and understudied population, about pursuing ES for their newborns.
Methods: We conducted semistructured interviews with 32 pregnant Latinas who predominately lived in rural areas and had low levels of income and education.
Background: Prenatal genetic testing is an essential part of routine prenatal care. Yet, obstetricians often lack the time to provide comprehensive prenatal genetic testing education to their patients. Pregnant women lack prenatal genetic testing knowledge, which may hinder informed decision-making during their pregnancies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMatern Child Health J
November 2021
Objectives: Despite the obstacles of limited education and employment opportunities-and the stress associated with immigration and pregnancy-Mexican immigrant women have low rates of preterm birth (PTB) compared to the US national average for all races and ethnicities. Stressors during pregnancy, and stressors associated with acculturation, may accelerate cellular aging manifested by shortened telomere length (TL) in pregnant women. Our objectives were to: (1) determine whether women with PTBs had shorter telomere lengths compared to women who had full term births; (2) assess the association of acculturation with TL and PTB.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMCN Am J Matern Child Nurs
October 2021
Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted health care delivery and services around the world causing rapid changes to maternity care protocols and pregnant women to give birth with tight restrictions and significant uncertainties. There is a gap in evidence about expectant and new mothers' experiences with birthing during the pandemic. We sought to describe and understand pregnant and new mothers' lived experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic using authentic birth stories.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPregnant Hispanic women are underserved with their needs for genetic counseling, despite birth defects remaining the leading cause of infant death in the United States. We present the qualitative findings of a study to understand knowledge and perceptions of prenatal testing in a sample of hard-to-reach underrepresented Hispanic pregnant women in South Texas. The sample for this study was 10 Hispanic pregnant women who were recruited from a high-risk prenatal clinic in South Texas in 2019.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOne in four women has experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetimes. The effects of intimate partner violence on women's mental health may be long-term; possible conditions include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Latina women may be particularly vulnerable to long-term effects of intimate partner violence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHisp Health Care Int
September 2021
Introduction: Explanations for racial disparities in preterm birth (PTB) are elusive, especially when comparing high rates in some racial groups with low rates in Mexican-immigrant women. The purpose of this study was to examine potential protective factors against PTB such as religiosity and acculturation.
Methods: This study was a prospective investigation of Mexican- and U.
Despite widened access to HIV testing, around half of those infected worldwide are unaware of their HIV-positive status and linkage to care remains a major challenge. Current rapid HIV tests are typically analogue risking incorrect interpretation, no facile electronic data capture, poor linkage to care and data loss for public health. Smartphone-connected diagnostic devices have potential to dramatically improve access to testing and patient retention with electronic data capture and wireless connectivity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: We explored faculty and staff perceptions of the challenges and opportunities of working on regional campuses of a large academic health science center.
Background: The growth of multicampus academic institutions presents numerous issues for intercampus planning and for organizational/professional relationships. We were interested in learning how regional campus faculty and staff experienced these issues, with the practical goal of making recommendations to both central and regional campus administrations.
The resurgence of interest in the influence of religion and spirituality on health is examined within the context of the holistic paradigm and historical connection between nursing and spirituality. While nursing and spirituality often intersect with end-of-life considerations, this article presents findings from studies that demonstrate that religious involvement favors health and longevity across the life course. Examples include protective associations with stress, depression, self-rated health, and infant birth weight.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLatina immigrant women are vulnerable and may experience higher levels of interpersonal or intimate partner violence (IPV) due to their immigrant status and cultural emphasis on familism. The concept of empowerment within the cultural context of Latina immigrant women experiencing IPV was analyzed using a modified version of Walker and Avant's concept analysis technique. The technique considers usage and definitions in the literature, antecedents, attributes, empirical referents, and the inclusion of a model and contrary case.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMatern Child Health J
January 2012
Although research has documented factors associated with maternal smoking, we need a more in-depth understanding of the risk factors associated with changes in smoking behaviors during the postpartum period. We investigate smoking patterns during pregnancy and 1 year postpartum as a function of relevant psychosocial factors. We use data on 3,522 postpartum mothers from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to analyze the predictors of smoking among mothers who did not smoke during pregnancy but smoked at 1 year postpartum, mothers who smoked both during pregnancy and postpartum, and mothers who did not smoke during either period.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMatern Child Health J
September 2009
Objectives: We examined the association between religious involvement and health risk behaviors such as smoking, drinking, marijuana use, and having multiple sex partners among a multiethnic sample of pregnant and postpartum women.
Methods: Using data from the National Survey of Family Growth, we estimated multivariate logistic regression models to determine the association between various aspects of religious involvement (e.g.
The concept of acculturation in Mexican immigrants was analyzed using the concept analysis technique developed by Walker and Avant. The related concepts for acculturation are assimilation, separation, and marginalization. The defining attributes identified for acculturation are original cultural identity, exposure to a culture different from one's own, and changes in the behavioral, affective, and/or cognitive domains of one's functioning after exposure to a new culture.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs
January 2005
Objective: To provide an integrated review of the literature of potential explanations for better than expected pregnancy outcomes in Mexican immigrants, focusing on socioeconomics, social support, desirability of pregnancy, nutrition, substance use, religion, acculturation, and prenatal care.
Data Sources: Computerized searches of MEDLINE and CINAHL databases, as well as reference lists from published articles on low birth weight and prematurity in immigrants and acculturation in immigrants from January 1989 to December 2002. Search terms were Mexican immigrant women, childbearing, and pregnancy outcome, and only English-language articles were reviewed.
With the increasing number of cross-cultural nursing studies, many scholars have suggested methods for conducting cross-cultural research. However, rigor in cross-cultural research has rarely been addressed. In this paper, five evaluation criteria for rigor in cross-cultural nursing research are proposed based on a review of the literature related to cross-cultural research published from 1965 to 2003.
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