Egyptian Mothers Research Articles

Relation of maternal intelligence and schooling to offspring nutritional intake

For parents and children living in less developed countries the contributions of maternal education level to child survival and growth has been well established. What is less clear is the mechanism through which more education for women in less developed countries translates into positive child outcomes. Given evidence linking education to adult intellectual performance, and evidence linking children’s dietary quality to development, we hypothesised that more educated or more intelligent women in less developed countries may be providing a more nutritionally adequate diet to their offspring. This hypothesis was tested on a sample of 76 Egyptian mothers and their toddlers and a sample of 57 Egyptian mothers and their school age children living in an agricultural village outside of Cairo. Our predictor variables consisted of family demographics, maternal years of education, and maternal performance on four subscales from the Egyptian WAIS-R plus the Raven’s Matrices. Over a 12-month period dieticians collected monthly data on offspring dietary intake, including macronutrients (protein, calories), and micronutrients (trace minerals and vitamins). After controlling for family socioeconomic status, total caloric intake, and maternal educational level, results indicated that maternal intelligence was a unique predictor of toddler dietary quality intake. For school age children, after partialling, maternal educational level rather than maternal intelligence was found to be a better predictor of offspring nutritional intake. Implications of these results for understanding variability in children’s food intake are discussed.

Organochlorine insecticide residues in Egyptian mothers’ milk

Two hundred ninety‐two mother's milk samples were collected during 1994 from ten Egyptian governorates representing rural, metropolitan, and newly reclaimed desert areas. The samples were analyzed for 14 organochlorine insecticides and metabolites using electron capture gas chromatography and confirmed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The overall samples average showed that the most abundant organochlorine insecticide residues were p,p'‐DDE, α‐endosulfan, β‐HCH and, p,p’‐DDT. Residues in the range of not detectable to less than 14μg/l whole milk were recorded for α‐HCH, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin endrin aldehyde and p,p'‐DDD. The percentage of samples exceeding the acceptable daily intake for children (ADIs) set by the FAO/WHO ranged from 19% to 44% in all governorates included in the study except the governorate of Minia in which only 2.6% of the samples exceeded the ADI values. The insecticides exceeding ADI values are mostly heptachlor and heptaclor epoxide (ADI = 3.12 μg/1 whole milk).

A Reconceptualization of the Effects of Undernutrition on Children's Biological, Psychosocial, and Behavioral Development and commentaries

A Reconceptualization of the Effects of Undernutrition on Children's Biological, Psychosocial, and Behavioral Development and commentaries

Vitamin B-6 status of Egyptian mothers: relation to infant behavior and maternal-infant interactions

Functional consequences of marginal maternal vitamin B-6 status for behavior of the neonate and for mother-infant interactions at age 3-6 mo were assessed by a double-blind procedure. In 27 of 70 Egyptian village women studied, vitamin B-6 concentration of their milk was considered indicative of poor maternal vitamin B-6 nutriture. Neonatal behavior, quantified by the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale, showed that consolability, appropriate build-up to a crying state, and response to aversive stimuli were significantly correlated with maternal vitamin B-6 nutriture. Naturalistic observational procedures, used twice monthly with infants aged 3-6 mo, indicated that mothers assessed as having marginal vitamin B-6 status were less responsive to their infants' vocalizations, showed less effective intervention to infant distress, and were more likely to use older siblings as care-givers than were mothers of better vitamin status. We conclude that vitamin B-6 was a factor influencing both the behavior of the mother and her infant.

Evaluation of a programme of teaching mothers the management of acute diarrhoea.

The methods applied in this program are taken from behavior sciences and aim to teach Egyptian mothers skills to diagnose dehydration in their children mix the oral rehydration solution (ORS) and administer appropriate amounts as well as to ensure adequate nutrition. A random sample of 100 women attending the teaching program were interviewed using a special questionnaire about dehydration and its treatment and were asked to prepare the ORS. Each woman was also asked to identify a good friend in the same building who was then similarly interviewed. A control group of 100 mothers from a distant neighborhood was also interviewed. The social profiles of the 3 groups were not different. The results clearly demonstrate that with the methods of teaching used mothers retain essential information for several months and what is more they pass it on to neighbors. Although 98% of trained mothers use ORS 90% of them also used mixtures containing pectin kaolin or intestinal antiseptics. 100% of mothers in the other 2 groups used such antidiarrheal mixtures. 87% of the trained mothers correctly knew the steps involved in preparing ORS. 5% used a solution with a high sodium concentration. It is concluded that with the right approach mothers will retain what physicians and nurses teach and spread the word about rehydration therapy. With proper instructions mothers will become the central figure in the management of rehydration.

The value of transcutaneous nerve stimulation(TNS) during labour in egyptian mothers

The value of transcutaneous nerve stimulation(TNS) during labour in egyptian mothers

Attachment behavior of the Egyptian mother

Attachment behavior of the Egyptian mother

On the Creative Experiences of Beholders of Visual Art

The terms 'creative' and 'to create' have become highly controversial as to their meaning [1-6]. Whereas to some of the act of 'creating' means an act of significant unique achievement in whatever field of endeavor it was performed (I regard this as 'social' creativity), to others it is synonymous for an act of understanding, appreciation or simply making an art object (I regard this as 'individual' creativity). In my discussion I shall use the terms in the latter fashion. More people have an opportunity for beholder creative experiences as a result of an increase in the democratization of art and, particularly, because of the spread of education. Artists increasingly engage beholders' attention, stimulate them and draw them into aspects of their modes of work. Today, the challenge that faces individuals in the process of beholding is to exercise effort and imagination in order to gain understanding and appreciation of that which is unfamiliar to them. I met this problem in the course of my work at the Museum Haaretz at Tel Aviv, Israel, while attempting to explain exhibits to people of different cultural backgrounds. For example, I showed to a group of women of Yemenite origin an Egyptian amphorisca (small vase or bottle) of the 12th century B.C. When I found that I could not get them to appreciate the beauty of its shape and of the colors of the composition on its surface, I decided to give an explanation of the functional aspect of the object. I began by discussing lipstick used by women today and pointed out that the bottle served for the storage of the material used to paint lips in antiquity. But they gave no response, since they did not use lipstick, nor did they like their daughters to use it. I thought that, as they belong to a patriarchal society, I might be able to gain a response if I told them that in those days in Egypt men, as well as women, used makeup and stored it in this kind of container. There still was no response. I then said that, after all, they are mothers and Egyptian mothers

SPECIAL ARTICLE

THE Philadelphia Pediatric Society has presented to the library of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, an important work published in 1565 entitled: Five Books on the Feeding and Management of Children From Birth by Simon de Vallambert, thereby making an outstanding contribution to the historical and pediatric literary resources of Philadelphia, for the book is one of the earliest classics in the history of pediatrics, the first of its kind to be written in the French language, and one of the earliest in any modern language. The medical care of children in the modern complete overall welfare sense is as old as archeological records go. One of the earliest records of mankind is a relatively short fragment of Egyptian papyrus written in the Sixteenth Century B.C., usually referred to as the Berlin Papyrus, For Mother and Child, which consists of a collection of incantations against two diseases of infants and various charms to facilitate childbirth, as well as prescriptions and incantations for the protection of infants. This fascinating text makes it possible for us to look into the Egyptian nursery. Just as a mother today knows lullabies with which she croons the crying baby to sleep, so the Egyptian mother was skillful in making amulets and using correct soothing words for the child who was sick, restless or threatened by evil. Before the printing press was invented, literary efforts were transmitted in manuscript form. Through the centuries a number of such manuscripts have endured which pertain to matters of pediatric interest. Then came the printed book and, as soon as it did, pediatric printed works appeared.