Demographic Characteristics Of Women Research Articles

Assessment of Health Follow up and Weight Control for Women with Osteoporosis in Baqubah City

Objective(s): assessment of the health follow up and weight control for women with osteoporosis and find out the relationship between their health follow up and weight control and their socio-demographic characteristics.
 Methodology: A descriptive study was conducted on women with osteoporosis for the period of September, 26th 2020 to Jun, 20th 2021. Non- probability (convenient) sample of (70) women with osteoporosis selected from (5) Private Clinics for Joints and Fractures in Baqubah City. A questionnaire was designed though extensive review of literatures and it consists of three parts: the first part includes women’s socio demographic characteristics, the second part includes items on women’s health follow up , and the third part includes items on women’s weight control. Interview technique was used for data collection. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire was determined through a pilot study and a panel of (9) experts. The data was analyzed through the use of descriptive and inferential statistical analysis approaches.
 Results: The results of the study show that the majority of the study sample are within the age group of (40-49) years , married and housewives, low educated, with low family monthly income, and living in the rural area. most of these women are between fair level and a good level of health follow-up and fair level of weight control.
 Conclusions: The study concluded that women of osteoporosis need to be more complied with health follow up and weight control. Age is the only trait of women's demographic characteristics that has a relationship with their health follow up and weight control.
 Recommendations: The study recommend for the conduction of Health education programs about weight control to presented for women with osteoporosis , and mass media can play an essential role in raising women’s awareness about health follow up and weight control.

Effect of Perioperative Music Therapy/Medicine on Postoperative Pain in Women Undergoing Elective Lower Segment Caesarean Section Delivery under Spinal Anaesthesia: A Case-control Study

Introduction: Women undergoing elective Lower Segment Caesarean Section (LSCS) delivery under spinal anaesthesia usually experience anxiety and stress due to unpleasant operative environment. Music therapy/music medicine has been found to relieve anxiety and stress besides decreasing pain and stable cardiorespiratory parameters. Aim: To assess the effect of perioperative music therapy/music medicine on pain and cardio respiratory parameters in women undergoing elective LSCS under spinal anaesthesia. Materials and Methods: The present study was case-control study in which 60 consecutive parturient women, planned for elective LSCS delivery under spinal anaesthesia, were randomly divided into music and non music groups of 30 each. Demographic characteristics of women were recorded. The ‘music group’ received preselected music three times for 20 minutes each along with standardised analgesia protocol. The ‘non music group’ received standardised analgesia protocol only. Respiratory and haemodynamic parameters were assessed during perioperative period. Postoperative pain was assessed using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores in addition to comparisons of time for rescue analgesia between study and control groups. Statistical differences were derived using Mann-Whitney U-test. Results: Demographic characteristics of women were statistically insignificant. Significant differences were observed in Heart Rate (HR) at 30, 45 and 60 minutes Postanaesthesia Care Unit (PACU) (p-value 0.0278, 0.0151 and 0.02852, respectively) and Respiratory Rate (RR) at 60 minutes PACU (p-value 0.04884). This study found beneficial effect of music on pain as assessed by VAS in the postoperative period. Beneficial effect of music on pain observed in study group vs. controls at 1 hour (0.64 vs. 1.51), 2 hours (1.88 vs. 2.76) and 3 hours (3.07 vs. 3.47) of PACU stay (p-value 0.0003, 0.00152 and 0.02444, respectively). The study also detected a significant delay (29 minutes) in time for first rescue analgesia in music group (p-value 0.01732). Conclusion: Music therapy/medicine during elective LSCS delivery is beneficial on HR, respiratory rate, VAS and time to rescue analgesia.

Knowledge of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Its Complications, and Management among Lebanese Women: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract Introduction Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a multi-spectrum disease where a failure to address it correctly can result in various clinical complications. This study aimed to assess the Lebanese women's knowledge and perceptions of PCOS and its management. Materials and Methods This cross-sectional study included women whose ages ranged between 18 and 45 years. Women's demographic characteristics, reproductive health, knowledge, and perception of PCOS were analyzed through an online validated questionnaire. Results Among the 450 included women, 196 (43.6%) had good knowledge about PCOS. The majority of participants were aware that menstrual irregularity is a symptom of PCOS, 327 (72.7%), while only 231 (51.3%) women knew that PCOS may lead to infertility. Almost two-thirds of women were aware of the contribution of metformin, diet, and exercise in refining the progress of the disease. More than 60% of participants believed that PCOS patients need social support and have a low body image. Married women (p < 0.001) and those with undergraduate/ postgraduate degrees (p < 0.001) had better PCOS knowledge. Conclusion A significant percentage of Lebanese women have inadequate knowledge of PCOS and its complications.

Direct and opportunity costs related to utilizing maternity waiting homes in rural Zambia

AimTo assess the direct and opportunity costs involved in utilising maternity waiting homes. MethodA cross-sectional admission survey administered to women who used ten maternity waiting homes across two rural districts in Zambia. A total of 3,796 women participated in the survey. Descriptive analysis was conducted on three domains of the data: demographic characteristics of women, direct costs, and opportunity costs. FindingsWaiting to deliver (86.3%), safe birth (70.8%), and distance (56.0%) were the most frequent reasons women reported for using a maternity waiting home. In terms of direct costs, roughly 65% of the women brought seven days or fewer days' worth of food to the maternity waiting homes, with salt, mealie meals, and vegetables being the most frequently brought items. Only 5.8% of the women spent money on transport. More than half of the women reported paying user fees that ranged from 1 to 5 or more kwacha (US$0.10- 0.52). In terms of opportunity costs, 52% of the women participated in some form of income generating activities (IGAs) when at home. Approximately 35% of the women reported they lost earned income (1 to 50 or more kwacha) by staying at a maternity waiting home. ConclusionA large proportion of women paid for food and user fees to access a maternity waiting home, while a low number of women paid for transport. Even though it is difficult to assign monetary value to women's household chores, being away from these responsibilities and the potential loss of earned income appear to remain a cost to accessing maternity waiting homes. More research is needed to understand how to overcome these financial constraints and assist women in utilising a maternity waiting home.

Level and determinants of contraceptive uptake among women attending facilities with abortion-related complications in East and Southern Africa.

To investigate the level and determinants of nonreceipt of contraception among women admitted to facilities with abortion-related complications in East and Southern Africa. Cross-sectional data from Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Uganda collected as part of the World Health Organization (WHO) Multi-Country Survey on Abortion-related morbidity. Medical record review and the audio computer-assisted self-interviewing system were used to collect information on women's demographic and clinical characteristics and their experience of care. The percentage of women who did not receive a contraceptive was estimated and the methods of choice for different types of contraceptives were identified. Potential determinants of nonreceipt of contraception were grouped into three categories: sociodemographic, clinical, and service-related characteristics. Generalized estimating equations were used to identify the determinants of nonreceipt of a contraceptive following a hierarchical approach. A total of 1190 women with abortion-related complications were included in the analysis, of which 33.9% (n=403) did not receive a contraceptive. We found evidence that urban location of facility, no previous pregnancy, and not receiving contraceptive counselling were risk factors for nonreceipt of a contraceptive. Women from nonurban areas were less likely not to receive a contraceptive than those in urban areas (AOR 0.52; 95% CI, 0.30-0.91). Compared with women who had a previous pregnancy, women who had no previous pregnancy were 60% more likely to not receive a contraceptive (95% CI, 1.14-2.24). Women who did not receive contraceptive counselling were over four times more likely to not receive a contraceptive (AOR 4.01; 95% CI, 2.88-5.59). Many women leave postabortion care having not received contraceptive counselling and without a contraceptive method. There is a clear need to ensure all women receive high-quality contraceptive information and counselling at the facility to increase contraceptive acceptance and informed decision-making.

Understanding how social norms affect modern contraceptive use

BackgroundAn aim of this study is to introduce a practitioner-friendly behavior model. Few theories of health behavior explicitly take the effect of social norms on behavior into account. Generally, theories that do take social norms into account assume that the effect of social norms on behavior operates through motivation. We use the Fogg Behavior Model (FBM), a behavior model that is new to public health, to explore whether social norms are associated with modern contraceptive use among Nigerian women, and whether they affect behavior through motivation or through ability. In other words, do social norms that discourage contraception lower women’s motivation to use contraception or do they lower women’s ability to use contraception.MethodsThis study uses data from a cross-sectional household survey of Nigerian women, ages 14–24. The survey collected data on socio-economic and demographic characteristics of women, whether they were sexually experienced, and whether they used contraception. Modern contraceptive use was the outcome of interest for the study. The survey also collected data on social norms around premarital sex and contraceptive use. Multivariate logistic regression was used for the analysis.ResultsAfter adjusting for a range of socio-economic and demographic variables, we found that social norms that discourage contraception had a statistically significant negative association with contraceptive use (aOR = 0.90, p < 0.001). The analysis found that the negative association between social norms and contraceptive use remained statistically significant after controlling for motivation but did not remain statistically significant after controlling for ability.ConclusionThese findings suggest that social norms may affect contraceptive use in Nigeria through ability rather than motivation. In terms of programmatic implications, these finding suggest that public health interventions may be able to counter the negative effects of social norms that discourage contraceptive use by increasing women’s ability to practice contraception.

Women's satisfaction with maternity experience at a regional hospital in Swaziland: A cross sectional survey.

Clinical care during labor and childbirth is important, however understanding women's preferences and experiences have become more important in assessing quality health care delivery and maternity services utilization. Knowledge on women's satisfaction will be one of the important steps towards solving maternal and child health problems faced in Swaziland. The aim of the study was to determined maternity experiences and women's demographic characteristics that affect perceived satisfaction with maternity care at a regional hospital in Swaziland. A cross sectional survey using structured interview questionnaire was used to obtain data from 198 women who had a normal childbirth during their postnatal hospital stay. One-way ANOVA and t-test were used to examine association between variables and stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to identify predictors of satisfaction. The final model indicated that respecting women's description of pain/discomfort, staff kindness, gender of birth assistant, never being alone during labor and woman's education level determined satisfaction with maternity experience, explaining 44.6% of the variation in maternity satisfaction (F= 30.932, p <.001). The study findings show the importance of provider related factors (interpersonal aspect of care, gender of provider) and consideration of woman's education on satisfaction with care during intrapartum and postpartum.

Suicide and self-harm in women with mental disorders during pregnancy and the year after birth

IntroductionThere is little prospective data on the risk factors for later suicide in women who experience perinatal mental disorders, particularly beyond one-year postnatal.ObjectivesAmong a cohort of women who were in contact with a mental healthcare provider during the perinatal period, to: (1) Describe sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the women who died by suicide (2) Understand when, in relation to childbirth, most suicides tended to occur.MethodsData-linkage of de-identified service-user electronic healthcare records, national hospital episode statistics and mortality data generated a cohort of women in contact with a mental healthcare service provider in London, UK, perinatally. Using Natural Language Processing and structured field extraction, we identified clinical, socio-demographic characteristics, self-harm exposure, and suicide.ResultsAmong 5204 women, clinical and demographic characteristics of women who did and did not die by suicide were similar apart from indicators of illness severity including perinatal sedative medication prescription, clinician-rated functional impairment and smoking, which were more common in women who died by suicide. Suicide deaths occurred most frequently in the second year post-delivery. The most common method of suicide ocurring wihtin two years was by violent means, whereas after two years postnatal, the most common method was non-violent.ConclusionsOur findings support the extension of perinatal mental healthcare service provision to two years post-delivery.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Depends Who's Asking: Interviewer Effects in Demographic and Health Surveys Abortion Data.

Responses to survey questions about abortion are affected by a wide range of factors, including stigma, fear, and cultural norms. However, we know little about how interviewers might affect responses to survey questions on abortion. The aim of this study is to assess how interviewers affect the probability of women reporting abortions in nationally representative household surveys: Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). We use cross-classified random intercepts at the level of the interviewer and the sampling cluster in a Bayesian framework to analyze the impact of interviewers on the probability of reporting abortions in 22 DHS conducted worldwide. Household surveys are the only available data we can use to study the determinants and pathways of abortion in detail and in a representative manner. Our analyses are motivated by improving our understanding of the reliability of these data. Results show an interviewer effect accounting for between 0.2% and 50% of the variance in the odds of a woman reporting ever having had an abortion, after women's demographic characteristics are controlled for. In contrast, sampling cluster effects are much lower in magnitude. Our findings suggest the need for additional effort in assessing the causes of abortion underreporting in household surveys, including interviewers' skills and characteristics. This study also has important implications for improving the collection of other sensitive demographic data (e.g., gender-based violence and sexual health). Data quality of responses to sensitive questions could be improved with more attention to interviewers-their recruitment, training, and characteristics. Future analyses will need to account for the role of interviewer to more fully understand possible data biases.

Evaluation of cervical maturity by cervical collagen measurement using light-induced fluorescence (LIF) during pregnancy.

ObjectiveThe study aimed to evaluate cervical ripening by measuring cervical collagen levels in non-pregnant women, women with a normal pregnancy, and postpartum women by light-induced fluorescence (LIF).MethodsCervical collagen content in normal pregnant women (n = 165) at various times of gestation was measured by LIF with a collascope, which is specifically designed to measure fluorescence of collagen. Cervical LIF in non-pregnant women (n = 12) and postpartum women (n = 14) was also detected. The demographic characteristics of women at various times were recorded. The Bishop score at 40 to 41 gestational weeks (n = 37) before the onset of labor was analyzed.ResultsCervical LIF values progressively declined from the non-pregnant state to late gestation (R = −0.836) and reached their lowest levels during parturition and then increased at postpartum. LIF values and the Bishop score were significantly negatively correlated (R = −0.83). In patients with a Bishop score ≥6, the first stage of labor was shortened with a decrease in LIF values (R = 0.718).ConclusionsCervical collagen levels as measured by LIF could be a useful method for evaluating cervical maturity.

Evaluation of the frequency of coitus interruptus and the effect of contraception counselling on this frequency

In this prospective study, the aim was to determine the frequency and effectiveness of the coitus interruptus method, to compare the demographic characteristics of women using modern contraception methods and those using the coitus interruptus method and to demonstrate how effective contraceptive counselling is in choosing a contraception method. The researchers collected data from 1000 sexually active women in their reproductive period at the gynaecological clinic of a university hospital in Turkey. The researchers used an introductory information contraceptive counselling form, which they prepared for the data collection tool. The rate of the coitus interruptus method use among the interviewed women was 42.8%. There was a statistically significant difference between the coitus interruptus group and the group using modern contraceptive methods regarding mean age, educational status, smoking, awareness of last menstrual period, number of pads used during the menstrual period, and information sources. Following effective contraception counselling, the rate of switching to a modern and proven contraceptive method was found to be 73.8%. Impact statement What is already known on this subject? Although the traditional method of coitus interruptus has been used for many years, its incidence is not clearly known. What we know about the subject is based on ancient research. All the studies on the subject are very old and need to be updated. What do the results of this study add? With the help of the data obtained from this study, it is understood that withdrawal method is still widely used today, it is still not known that it is not a modern contraceptive method and the rate of transition to modern methods with effective contraception counselling is very high. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? In the outpatient clinic conditions, even a very short period of time for contraception counselling will be very beneficial for women and will contribute to family planning and prevent unwanted pregnancies.

PCR Detection and Sequencing of Trichomonas vaginalis in Women with Suspected Vaginitis in Southwestern Iran.

The human being is considered a natural host for Trichomonas vaginalis (T. vaginalis), which causes trichomoniasis, the most frequent non-viral sexually transmitted infectious disease in the world. The current study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and sequencing of T. vaginalis in women with vaginitis. ; Methods: In the current research, 514 vaginal discharge samples were obtained from women with vaginitis. The specimens were evaluated by the direct wet mount examination, Dorset culture medium, and PCR technique. Primers were designed for the detection of TVK3/TVK7, TVA5/TVA6 genes specific for the identification of T. vaginalis. The PCR-positive samples were sequenced and compared with the sequences registered in the GenBank database. ; Results: Among the collected samples, 30 (5.83%), 45 (8.75%), 90 (17.50%), and 62 (12.06%) cases were positive for T. vaginalis when assayed by the direct wet mount examination, Dorset culture medium, and PCR technique (TVK3/TVK7, TVA5/TVA6 genes), respectively. There was no significant relationship between trichomoniasis and demographic characteristics of women, such as age, occupational status, mode of delivery, number of deliveries, educational level, and contraceptive methods (p˃0.05). The range of vaginal pH was between 5-7 in women with vaginitis, and there was a significant statistical correlation between the pH values and the infection rate (p<0.05). The PCR-positive samples had 100% sequence homology with the reference sequence in the GenBank database (accession number L23861.1). ; Conclusion: This study confirmed a relatively high prevalence of T. vaginalis in the southwestern region of Iran. According to our results, the PCR method, especially detecting TVK3/TVK7 genes, was more sensitive than the direct wet mount examination and Dorset culture medium methods.

Predicting high-risk situations among marginalized young women navigating towards adulthood: Protective and accelerating factors

This study focuses on marginalized young women, participating in programs designed to meet their personal, vocational and social needs. The study's aims were to include gender-related aspects in the exploration of the prevalence of risk situations and to test a predicting model for risk situations based on the young women's demographic characteristics, human capital characteristics, and personal and social capital factors. Data were collected from 151 young Jewish and Bedouin women. The most prevalent risk situations were thoughts of or attempted suicide. Multiple regression analysis revealed that mothers and Bedouin women reported fewer risk situations. Additionally, higher self-esteem and informal social support appeared to reduce risk situations. Greater economic distress was the strongest predictor of more risk situations. The findings show that it is important to develop tools to learn about the unique risk situations among marginalized young women and to develop policies and interventions addressing these risks and their predictors.

Effect of a scaled-up neonatal resuscitation quality improvement package on intrapartum-related mortality in Nepal: A stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial.

BackgroundImproving quality of intrapartum care will reduce intrapartum stillbirth and neonatal mortality, especially in resource-poor settings. Basic neonatal resuscitation can reduce intrapartum stillbirth and early neonatal mortality, if delivered in a high-quality health system, but there is a dearth of evidence on how to scale up such evidence-based interventions. We evaluated the scaling up of a quality improvement (QI) package for neonatal resuscitation on intrapartum-related mortality (intrapartum stillbirth and first day mortality) at hospitals in Nepal.Methods and findingsWe conducted a stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial in 12 hospitals over a period of 18 months from April 14, 2017, to October 17, 2018. The hospitals were assigned to one of four wedges through random allocation. The QI package was implemented in a stepped-wedge manner with a delay of three months for each step. The QI package included improving hospital leadership on intrapartum care, building health workers’ competency on neonatal resuscitation, and continuous facilitated QI processes in clinical units. An independent data collection system was set up at each hospital to gather data on mortality through patient case note review and demographic characteristics of women using semi-structured exit interviews. The generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) and multivariate logistic regression were used for analyses. During this study period, a total of 89,014 women–infant pairs were enrolled. The mean age of the mother in the study period was 24.0 ± 4.3 years, with 54.9% from disadvantaged ethnic groups and 4.0% of them illiterate. Of the total birth cohort, 54.4% were boys, 16.7% had gestational age less than 37 weeks, and 17.1% had birth weight less than 2,500 grams. The incidence of intrapartum-related mortality was 11.0 per 1,000 births during the control period and 8.0 per 1,000 births during the intervention period (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.79; 95% CI, 0.69–0.92; p = 0.002; intra-cluster correlation coefficient [ICC], 0.0286). The incidence of early neonatal mortality was 12.7 per 1,000 live births during the control period and 10.1 per 1,000 live births during the intervention period (aOR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.78–1.02; p = 0.09; ICC, 0.1538). The use of bag-and-mask ventilation for babies with low Apgar score (<7 at 1 minute) increased from 3.2% in the control period to 4.0% in the intervention period (aOR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.32–1.77, p = 0.003). There were two major limitations to the study; although a large sample of women–infant pairs were enrolled in the study, the clustering reduced the power of the study. Secondly, the study was not sufficiently powered to detect reduction in early neonatal mortality with the number of clusters provided.ConclusionThese results suggest scaled-up implementation of a QI package for neonatal resuscitation can reduce intrapartum-related mortality and improve clinical care. The QI intervention package is likely to be effective in similar settings. More implementation research is required to assess the sustainability of QI interventions and quality of care.Trial registrationISRCTN30829654.

Association between child marriage and utilization of maternal health care services in India: Evidence from a nationally representative cross-sectional survey

ObjectiveIn an effort to improve utilization of maternal health care services, age at marriage of girls has gain very little attention by the policy maker and programmer. Studies have indicated that child marriage has serious negative consequences on maternal health. Moreover, there is a paucity of research on explaining the links between child marriage and maternal health care utilization. In this study, we aimed to examine the association between child marriage and utilization of maternal health care services using nationally representative sample survey of India. DesignCross-sectional observational study. SettingIndia. ParticipantsA total number of 190,898 ever-married women who had at least one live birth during the last five years preceding the survey from the 2015 to 2016 National Family Health Survey (NFHS) were utilized. MeasurementsOutcome measures: At least four antenatal visits (ANC), ANC visit within first trimester, institutional delivery, delivery by skilled health personnel, and postnatal care (PNC) within 42 days of delivery. Predictor variable: Child marriage. Control variables: Socio-economic and demographic characteristics of women. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed for the analyses of the study data. ResultsThe results of our study revealed that women who married at <18 years were significantly less likely to use maternal health care services than those married at ≥18 years even after accounting for socio-economic and demographic characteristics of women. Furthermore, nuanced analysis revealed that the odds of maternity care services is much lower for those women who married at ≤14 years compared with later married groups. ConclusionsThe findings of our study suggest that efforts should be made to increase age at marriage of girls which could have positive impact on utilization of maternal health care services. Moreover, targeted intervention is needed to improve the utilization of maternity care especially among socio-economically vulnerable women.

Prevalence and Demographic Features of Miscarriages at Baljurashi General Hospital, Albaha, Saudi Arabia

Background: Miscarriage is the most common encountered complication of pregnancy. It may be repeated for 3 or more times; a condition called habitual or recurrent miscarriage. Aim: To determine the incidence of miscarriage at Baljurashi General Hospital, the demographic characteristics of women who presented with miscarriage, and the most common gestational age at time of miscarriage. Materials and methods: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to women attending Baljurashi General Hospital who suffer from miscarriage. Results: The incidence of miscarriage was 10%. Ninety-two women responded to the questionnaire. Most of the respondents aged more than 25 years, had no job, and were in their first trimester. Half of the respondents had secondary education. Approximately one tenth suffered from repeated miscarriages. Conclusion: The incidence of miscarriage, among patients presenting to Baljurashi hospital, was comparable to those reported in other regions. However, the percentage of repeated abortion is high and these cases were not appropriately investigated. We recommend for the introduction of routine genetic studies into the work up of repeated miscarriages.

196: The impact of centeringpregnancy group prenatal care on preterm birth

CenteringPregnancy group prenatal care (GPNC) has shown promise in reducing preterm births (PTB), but the mechanism is not clear. We hypothesize that the GPNC model may reduce spontaneous PTB (sPTB), but would be less likely to influence indicated PTB (iPTB). We also sought to compare other birth outcomes, including low birth weight (LBW), and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions. Retrospective cohort study examining the influence of GPNC on PTB among a group of Medicaid eligible and medically low-risk women delivering at a single institution between April 2009 - March 2014. Participation in GPNC was voluntary. Birth outcome data from vital statistics records were appended to patient records, and detailed chart abstraction was performed for women with PTB to determine sPTB versus iPTB. Women attending ≥1 GPNC session were included in the GPNC group. Consistent with the GPNC model, women with multiple gestation, pregestational diabetes, BMI >45, and late entry to prenatal care (>5 months) were excluded. Demographic characteristics of women in GPNC versus individual prenatal care (IPNC) were compared through bivariate analysis and birth outcomes were analyzed through generalized estimating equations using log binomial regression. The final analysis included 1292 women in GPNC, and 8703 in IPNC. When compared to women in IPNC, women in GPNC were younger, more often non-Hispanic Black, had more education, less likely to be married, more likely to be primigravid, and less likely to have a previous PTB. Women in GPNC also entered prenatal care earlier in gestation, and were less likely to have inadequate prenatal care (P<0.01 for all). Participants in GPNC had lower rates of PTB (6.5% vs. 13.0%, P<0.01), sPTB (5.0% vs. 10.1%, P<0.01). After controlling for potential confounders, the risk of PTB (RR 0.38; 95% CI 0.31-0.47, P<0.01) and sPTB (RR 0.49; 95% CI 0.38-0.63, P<0.01) were reduced in GPNC compared to IPNC. Additionally, women in GPNC had fewer LBW infants (RR 0.46, 95% CI 0.37-0.56, P<0.01) and fewer NICU admissions (RR 0.46; 95% CI 0.37-0.57, P<0.01). Participation in GPNC demonstrated a decreased risk of overall PTB and sPTB, as well as LBW and NICU admissions. These findings add new insight into the possible mechanisms underlying improvements in PTB rates seen for women in GPNC. Prospective studies are needed to eliminate selection bias.

Prevalence and predictors of unknown HIV status among women delivering in Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda.

Knowledge of a person's HIV status during pregnancy is critical for prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV. To determine the prevalence and factors associated with unknown HIV status among women delivering in Mulago Hospital. This was a cross-sectional study of women that had just delivered. The women's demographic characteristics, health seeking behaviour, health system-related factors and knowledge on PMTCT were collected. Fisher's exact test, Wilcoxon rank sum test and logistic regression were used to test associations. The prevalence of unknown HIV status was 2.6% (10/382). Attending ANC at higher level facilities (OR =0.1 95% CI 0.0 - 0.4) and having been counselled for HIV testing during ANC (OR=0.1, 95% CI 0.0 - 0.4) were associated with likelihood of having a known HIV status. Out of the ten women with unknown HIV status, 4/6 who attended ANC in public/government accredited health facilities "opted out" of HIV testing due to personal reasons. Among the four who attended ANC in private clinics, two were not offered HIV testing and one "opted out". Most participants had a known HIV status at labour (97%). Private clinics need to be supported to provide free quality HCT services in ANC.

A Population-Based Study of the Prevalence of Abnormal Uterine Bleeding and its Related Factors among Iranian Reproductive-Age Women: An Updated Data.

Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) is one of the most common gynecologic complaints among reproductive-age women. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of AUB and its related factors among reproductive age Iranian women. A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 1393 women aged 15 - 45 years who participated in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study in 2009 - 2012. FIGO terminology and previous definitions were used for classification of AUB. Logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals to check the association between AUB and the women's demographic characteristics. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. A total of 35.8% (95% CI: 31.5% - 40.2%) of the participants suffered from one or more types of AUB. About 10.6% (95% CI: 6.3% - 12.5%) of them had disturbances of regularity and 23.8% (95% CI: 18.4% - 26.1%) reported experiencing disturbances of frequency. Also, disturbances of heaviness of flow and duration of flow were reported in 16% (95% CI: 12.7% - 19.2%) and 11.5% (95% CI: 8% - 15.4%), respectively. About 4.3% of the women (95% CI: 2.1% - 10.5%) reported irregular non-menstrual bleeding. According to previous definitions, the prevalence of heavy periods, metrorrhagia, polymenorrhea, oligomenorrhea, amenorrhea and inter-menstrual bleeding in reproductive aged women was 15.2%, 18.9%, 10.6%, 15.2%, 2.2%, and 4.3%, respectively. In addition, the proportions of women with AUB rose in the early and late reproductive years. After adjustment of confounders, logistic regression analysis showed that age (adjusted OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.07 - 3.97, P = 0.03) and BMI (adjusted OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02 - 3.04, P = 0.04) had statistically significant associations with AUB. The prevalence of AUB as a possible clinical indicator of underlying disorders was high among Iranian reproductive age women. Healthcare providers and policy makers are required to acknowledge these disorders and provide education and counseling opportunities for the public to inform them when and how to seek medical advice.

Characteristics of women with unplanned pregnancy: results from Botswana AIDS Impact Survey IV

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, there are 40 million pregnancies each year. Of these, one-quarter are unplanned and have negative health and socio-economic consequences. Aim: The aim of this article is to share findings on demographic characteristics of childbearing women who reported unplanned pregnancy. Methods: Botswana AIDS Impact Survey IV data were used to respond to the question, ‘What are the demographic characteristics of women who reported unplanned pregnancy in Botswana?’ The data extracted related to 311 687 women who responded to the question, ‘Have you given birth in the past 5 years?’ The authors then focused on data for 160 482 women who responded to the question ‘Was the last pregnancy planned?’ Using SPSS version 22, frequencies, means and standard deviations were calculated and demographic characteristics were analysed. Findings: More women with low educational status, unemployed, never married or cohabiting and residing in rural areas reported unplanned pregnancy. Conclusions: Unplanned pregnancy in Botswana requires targeted interventions.