Maternal Occupation Research Articles

Social Determinants of Stunting in Indonesia

Stunting is a form of malnutrition that causes growth disorders characterized by height that is not in accordance with age. Around 8.9 million Indonesian children experience suboptimal growth. This study aimed to determine the social factors associated with the incidence of stunting in Indonesia. The method used were secondary data processing from Indonesian family data collection in 2021. The population of this data collection were 66.207.139 families from 33 provinces in Indonesia. The research sample were 38.886.147 families. The variables analyzed were indicators of pre-prosperous families, environmental facilities, high risk pregnancy in couples of childbearing age, with the risk of stunting. Data were analyzed using linear regression. The results showed that the determinants of stunting are maternal education, parental occupation and income, environment, social and family support, and health service factors. Based on the analysis, there is a relationship between the social determinants of health according to healthy people and the increase in stunting cases in Indonesia.

HUBUNGAN TINGKAT PENGETAHUAN IBU DENGAN PEMBERIAN ASI EKSKLUSIF DI PUSKESMAS TANJUNG MORAWA

In order to reduce infant morbidity and mortality, according to the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), it is recommended that infants be fed only breast milk for six months, known as exclusive breastfeeding. Exclusive breastfeeding in Indonesia has not been fully successful. Based on the 2016 Indonesian Health Profile, the percentage coverage of exclusive breastfeeding for infants aged 0-6 months was only 54.0%. In North Sumatra Province, exclusive breastfeeding is considered to be lacking. Factors that are thought to influence include maternal age, education level, knowledge level and occupation. So, an observational analytic study was conducted which aimed to see the relationship between the level of maternal knowledge and exclusive breastfeeding. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between maternal knowledge level and maternal education level with exclusive breastfeeding for infants.

Maternal environmental, occupational, and urinary metabolite levels of benzene compounds and their association with congenital heart diseases in offspring: a case‒control study in China

The conclusions about the association of maternal pregnancy environment, occupation, and benzene compounds with fetal CHD are not entirely consistent. Eight hundred seven CHD cases and 1008 controls were included in this study. All occupations were classified and coded against the Occupational Classification Dictionary of the People’s Republic of China (2015 version). Logistic regressions were used to explore the correlation among environmental factors, occupation types, and CHDs in offspring. We found that living near public facilities and having exposure to chemical reagents and hazardous substances were significant risk factors for CHDs in offspring. We found that offspring of mothers who worked in agriculture and similar work during pregnancy suffered from CHD. The risk of all CHDs in the offspring of pregnant women working in production manufacturing and related work was significantly higher than that in unemployed pregnant women, the risk was also observed in 4 subtypes of CHDs. We compared the concentrations of the five metabolite (MA, mHA, HA, PGA, and SPMA) levels of benzene compounds in the urine of mothers in case and control groups and found no significant differences. Our study suggests that maternal exposure during pregnancy and certain environmental and occupational conditions are risk factors for CHD in offspring, but did not support an association between concentrations of metabolites of benzene compounds in the urine of pregnant women and CHDs in their offspring.

Neonatal Danger Signs: Knowledge and Its Correlates Among Mothers Attending Child Vaccination Program at Public Health Centers of Southwest Ethiopia

Neonatal danger signs are the indication of the presence of clinically significant risk of neonatal morbidity and mortality which pursues the need for the early assessment and therapeutic interventions. In this regards, the main aim of this study was to examine the status of knowledge about neonatal danger signs and its correlates among mothers attending child vaccination program at public health centers of south west Ethiopia. Facility based cross sectional study was conducted in November, 2020. Four hundred eleven participants were recruited through systematic random sampling. Pre-tested structured questionnaires were used to collect data. Data were entered into Epidata version 3.1 and analyzed by SPSS version 20. Binary logistic regression was employed and explanatory variables with P value < 0.25 in the bivariate logistic regression were included in the multivariable logistic regression model. Adjusted odd ratio was considered to determine association and P value < 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance. As the result indicated, about 34.3% (95% CI: 29-38.9) of participants reported to have good knowledge of neonatal danger signs. Maternal age between 29-32 year (AOR =7.3, 95% CI: 3.7-14.5), being government employee (AOR=2.5, 95% CI: 1.3-4.9), ANC attendance (AOR = 3.95, 95% CI: 2.1-7.52), two or more ANC visits (AOR=3.79, 95% CI: 1.79-8.05) and having ≥ 3 PNC visit during the last delivery (AOR=4.3, 95% CI: 2.14-8.63) were significantly associated with good knowledge of neonatal danger signs. In conclusions, nearly two thirds of participants had poor knowledge of neonatal danger signs which indicates the need for the necessary intervention. Maternal age and occupation, and the trends of ANC and PNC visit were identified as the factors that had linked to the status of maternal knowledge about neonatal danger signs.

Examining the Attitudes of Turkish Students Towards Scientific Field Trips

In this research, it is aimed to examine the attitudes of Turkish students attending middle school according to various variables (gender, class level, academic achievement, daily study time, maternal education status, maternal occupation, father education status, father's profession, family income status, number of people living in households). The research is designed according to one of the quantitative research methods, the scanning pattern. The sample group of the study consists of 452 secondary school students who were educated in the central district of Kilis province in the fall semester of the 2021-2022 academic year, aged between 10 and 13, selected using simple unelected sampling method. The data of the research were analyzed using the SPSS 23 program. The research findings reveals that middle school students have a high attitude towards scientific field trips. Student attitudes towards the learning tool and adventure direction, which are the sub-dimensions of scientific field trips, are moderate; student attitudes towards social and environmental aspects are high. It was also concluded that the attitudes of secondary school students towards scientific field trips differed importantly according to gender, academic achievement, study time, parental education level and occupation and number of households. However, it was detected that the attitudes of middle school students towards scientific field trips did not differ importantly according to class level and economic level variables.

Identification of Maternity Mothers with Uterine Inertia at the Kendari City Regional General Hospital

Uterine inertia is a uterine abnormality in which there is insufficient strength to open the cervix or push the fetus out. The causes of uterine inertia are his abnormalities, emotional factors and strength, misdirected labor, abnormal location of the CPD, disturbances in the formation of the uterus during the embryonic period, wrong administration of oxytocin and sedative drugs, excessive stretching of the uterus in multiple pregnancies or hydramnios, and postmature pregnancy. The effects of uterine inertia are prolonged labor, exhaustion, dehydration, and intrapartum infections. To Identify Maternity Mothers With Inertia Uteri at the General Hospital of Kendari City. This type of research implemented in June 2022 at General Hospital Kendari city. the study population was all women with maternal inertia in General Hospital kendari city with a total of 37 ceses. the sampling technique is total sampling.the type of data is quantitative data the data source of research is secondary data. The mother's age, 27 cases occurred at the age of 20-35 years and a few cases occurred at the age of &gt; 35 because of 8 cases. for maternal parity, there was a lot of parity I as many as 14 cases and a few cases in &gt; IV parity of 5 cases. for maternal education, it mostly occurred in SMP as many as 15 cases and a little occurred in DIII / SI as many as 3 cases. for maternal occupation, it occurred mostly in IRT as many as 26 cases and a little occurred in self-employed as many as 3 cases

Human Milk Oligosaccharides Are Associated with Lactation Stage and Lewis Phenotype in a Chinese Population.

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are the third most abundant component of human milk. Various factors may affect the concentration of HMOs, such as the lactation period, Lewis blood type, and the maternal secretor gene status. The purpose of this study is to investigate factors associated with HMO concentrations in Chinese populations. A sub-sample of 481 was randomly selected from a large cross-sectional study in China (n = 6481) conducted in eight provinces (Beijing, Heilongjiang, Shanghai, Yunnan, Gansu, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Shandong) between 2011 and 2013. HMO concentrations were determined by a high-throughput UPLC-MRM method. Various factors were collected through face-to-face interviews. Anthropometric measurement was conducted by trained staff. Median total HMO concentration was 13.6 g/L, 10.7 g/L, and 6.0 g/L for colostrum, transitional milk, and mature milk, respectively. HMO concentration decreased significantly as the lactation period increased (p < 0.0001). There were significant differences of average total HMO concentration between secretor mothers and non-secretor mothers (secretor 11.3 g/L vs. non-secretor 5.8 g/L, p < 0.0001). There were significant differences of average total HMO concentrations among three Lewis blood types (p = 0.003). Comparing with the concentration of total oligosaccharides of Le+ (a-b+), average of total oligosaccharides concentrations increased by 3.9 (Le+ (a+b-), p = 0.004) and 1.1 g/L (Le- (a-b-), p = 0.049). The volume of breast milk expressed and the province the mother came from affected the concentration of total oligosaccharides (all p < 0.0001). Maternal BMI (p = 0.151), age (p = 0.630), prematurity (p = 0.850), mode of delivery (p = 0.486), infants' gender (p = 0.685), maternal education level (p = 0.989), maternal occupation (p = 0.568), maternal allergic history (p = 0.370), maternal anemia (p = 0.625), pregnancy-induced hypertension (p = 0.739), gestational diabetes (p = 0.514), and parity (p = 0.098) were not significantly correlated with the concentration of milk oligosaccharides. The concentrations of 2'-fucosyllactose (2'-FL), lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT), sialyllacto-N-tetraose c (LSTc), lacto-N-fucopentaose I (LNFP-I), disialylated lacto-N-tetraose (DSLNT), difucosyl-para-lacto-N-neohexaose (DFpLNnH), difucosyl-lacto-N-hexaose (DFLNH[a]), and 3-sialyllactose (3'-SL) showed a gradual downward trend, while the concentration of 3-fucosyllactose (3-FL) showed a gradual upward trend among three lactation stages (p < 0.05). The concentration of HMOs changes throughout lactation, and it varies between different HMOs. HMO concentrations differed between lactation stage, maternal secretor gene status, Lewis blood type, volume of breast milk expressed, and the province the mother came from. Prematurity, mode of delivery, parity, infants' gender, and maternal characteristics did not affect the HMO concentration. Geographical region may be not associated with HMOs concentration in human milk. There may be a mechanism for co-regulation of the secretion of some of the oligosaccharides such as 2'FL vs. 3FL, 2'FL vs. LNnT, and lacto-N-tetraose (LNT).

Multilevel analysis of factors for intimate partner violence during pregnancy in Gammo Goffa Zone, South Ethiopia: A community based study.

Intimate partner violence during pregnancy is a public health problem that can affect both maternal and fetal life. However, its prevalence and associated factors have not been well studied and understood in Ethiopia. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the individual and community-level factors associated with intimate partner violence during pregnancy in Gammo Goffa Zone, South Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,535 randomly selected pregnant women from July to October 2020. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered, standardized WHO multi-country study questionnaire and analyzed using STATA 14. A two level mixed-effects logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with intimate partner violence during pregnancy. The prevalence of intimate partner violence during pregnancy was found to be 48% (95% CI: 45-50%). Factors affecting violence during pregnancy were identified at the community and individual levels. Access to health facilities (AOR = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.43, 0.85), women feeling isolated from the community (AOR= 1.96; 95% CI: 1.04, 3.69), and strict gender role differences (AOR= 1.45; 95% CI: 1.03, 2.04) were among higher-level factors found to be significantly associated with intimate partner violence during pregnancy. Low decision-making power was found to increase the odds of experiencing IPV during pregnancy (AOR= 2.51; 95% CI: 1.28, 4.92). Similarly, maternal education, maternal occupation, living with the partner's family, current pregnancy intended by the partner, dowry payment, and presence of marital conflict were among the individual- level factors found to increase the odds of experiencing intimate partner violence during pregnancy. The prevalence of intimate partner violence during pregnancy was high in the study area. Both individual and community-level factors had significant implications on maternal health programs related to violence against women. Socio-demographic and socio-ecological characteristics were identified as associated factors. Since it is a multifaceted problem, special emphasis has to be given to multi-sectoral approaches involving all responsible bodies to mitigate the situation.

Knowledge, attitude, practice and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding among women in Ethiopia: Systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the pooled estimate of Ethiopia's women's knowledge, attitudes, practices, and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding. MethodsPubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct, and Addis Ababa University online library were searched. Data were extracted using Microsoft Excel and analyzed using STATA statistical software (v. 14). Publication bias was checked by forest plot, Begg's rank test, and Egger's regression test. To look for heterogeneity, I2 was computed, and an overall estimated analysis was carried out. Subgroup analysis was done by region, study setting, and publication. The pooled odds ratio for associated factors was also computed. ResultsOut of 995 studies reviewed, 33 met our eligibility criteria and were included in this meta-analysis study. The total number of study participants was 13,397. The pooled prevalence of good knowledge, positive attitude, and poor practice of kangaroo mother care were 74.2% (95% CI: 62.9–85.4), 77.2% (95%CI: 68.3–86.0), and 58.3% (95% CI: 49.9–66.6), respectively. In sub-group analysis, the highest prevalence of knowledge was in institution-based studies (78.3%) and unpublished studies (76.3%). A positive attitude was also highest in institutional-based studies (81%). The highest practice prevalence was in Afar (68%) and the lowest was in Addis Ababa (34.6%).Women who had a secondary level of education (AOR = 3.3; 95%CI: 1.8–6.0) were a housewife (AOR = 3.1; 95%CI: 2.1–4.7), delivered vaginally (AOR = 2.0; 95%CI: 1.4–2.9), health facility delivery (AOR = 3.3; 95%CI: 2.1–5.1) and attending antenatal care were predictors of exclusive breastfeeding. ConclusionAlthough women have good knowledge and positive attitude toward exclusive breastfeeding, there is a significant gap in exclusive breastfeeding practice. Maternal education, occupation, vaginal delivery, institutional delivery, and antenatal care visit were predictors of exclusive breastfeeding. It is recommended to strengthen maternal and child health services.

The Relationship Between Healthy Lifestyle Beliefs and Hygiene Behaviors of Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic Process

Aim. The research was carried out to determine the relationship between healthy lifestyle beliefs and hygiene behaviors of adolescents during the COVID 19 pandemic process.&#x0D; Materials. This descriptive-correlational research was carried out with 418 Turkish adolescents at the age of 13 to 18 years between March and August 2021. The data were collected online with a data collection tool, including a question form, the Healthy Lifestyle Belief Scale for Adolescents (HLBSA), and the Hygiene Behavior Scale (HBS). Percentage, mean, independent sample t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the data.&#x0D; Results. In the study, the variables of socioeconomic status, health perception, and knowledge of healthy living have shown a significant influence on the total HLBSA score; the variables of gender, maternal occupation, health perception and knowledge of healthy living have shown a significant impact on the total HBS score (p&lt; 0.05). The total mean score of the HLBSA was 52.97 ± 19.71, and the total mean score of the HBS was 102.07 ± 23.02. There was a statistically significant relationship between the total HLBSA score and the total HBS score during the COVID-19 epidemic (p &lt; 0.05).&#x0D; Conclusions. The study found that hygiene behaviors of adolescents during the pandemic process were good if their healthy lifestyle beliefs were good.

Determinants of good vitamin A consumption in the 12 East Africa Countries using recent Demographic and health survey.

Vitamin A one of the important micronutrients that it cannot be made in the human body and must be taken from outside the body through the diet. Ensuring that vitamin A is available in any form in sufficient quantities remains a challenge, especially in regions where access to vitamin A-containing foods and healthcare interventions is limited. As a result, vitamin A deficiency (VAD) becomes a common form of micronutrient deficiency. To the best of our knowledge, there is limited evidence on determinants of good Vitamin A consumption in East African countries. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude and determinants of good vitamin A consumption in East African countries. A recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) of twelve East African countries were included to determine the magnitude and determinants of good vitamin A consumption. A total of 32,275 study participants were included in this study. A multilevel logistic regression model was used to estimate the association between the likelihood of good vitamin A-rich food consumption. Both community and individual levels were used as independent variables. Adjusted odds ratio and its 95% confidence interval were used to see the strength of the association. The pooled magnitude of good vitamin A consumption was 62.91% with a 95% CI of 62.3 to 63.43. The higher proportion of good vitamin A consumption 80.84% was recorded in Burundi and the smallest good vitamin A consumption 34.12% was recorded in Kenya. From the multilevel logistic regression model, women's age, marital status, maternal education, wealth index, maternal occupation, children's age in a month, media exposure, literacy rate, and parity were significantly associated with good vitamin A consumption in East Africa. The magnitude of good vitamin A consumption in twelve East African countries is low. To increase good vitamin A consumption health education through the mass media and enhancing the economic status of women is recommended. Planners and implementers should give attention and priority to identified determinants to enhance good vitamin A consumption.

Assessment of Maternal Risk Factors for Low-Birth-Weight Neonates: A Case Control Study in Teaching Hospital

Purpose: A major factors contributing to infant deaths and morbidity is low birth weight (LBW). Low birth weight (LBW) is a significant marker for the population's general health condition and reproductive health. Maternal risk factors are controllable and vary from one region to another depending on geographic, socioeconomic, and cultural factors and are biologically, socially interrelated.&#x0D; Subjects and Methods: The study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in kalaburagi. A total of 85 cases and 85 controls with normal birth weight. Mothers of aged 18-35 years who delivered a live-born singleton baby without any congenital abnormalities and gestational age 37-42 weeks were enrolled on the same day as delivery are eligible. Mothers who had multiple pregnancies were not eligible. Data was collected from Pre-tested survey.&#x0D; Results: The mean age of mothers in case and control group was 23.73 years and 5.04 years. Mean weight gain during pregnancy of mothers in case and control was 4.2 kg and 6.5 kg. Mean weight of the newborn of cases and controls was 2012 grams and3065 grams respectively. Maternal education, tobacco exposure, maternal anaemia, lower socioeconomic status (class IV+V), maternal occupation (laborer), heavy physical activity, pre term birth of baby, history of UTI were identified as significant risk factors for LBW neonates. Significant association was found between age of mother, height of mother&lt;145 cm, pre pregnancy weight &lt;45 kg, mean weight gain (&lt;6.5kg), prior infant death, inadequate ANC visits, and LBW.&#x0D; Conclusions: Health education, socio-economic development, maternal nutrition, and increasing the use of health services during pregnancy, are all important for reducing LBW.

Language Exposure for Preterm Infants is Reduced Relative to Fetuses

To assess changes and deficits in language and auditory exposures consequent to preterm birth and neonatal intensive care unit stay compared with exposures in utero among typically developing fetuses. We analyzed over 23 000hours of auditory exposure data in a cohort study of 27 typically-developing fetuses and 24 preterm infants. Extrauterine exposures for fetuses were captured by having pregnant women wear 24-hour audio recording devices. For preterm infants, recording devices were placed in the infant's crib. Multilevel linear regressions were conducted to test for group differences and effects of infant sex, maternal education, and mother' occupation. A linear mixed-effects model was used to test for an effect of speaker gender. Fetuses were exposed to an estimated 2.6±1.8hours/day of nearby, predominantly female language, nearly 5 times greater than 32±12minutes/day estimated for preterm infants (P<.001). Preterm infants had greater daily exposure to electronic sounds (5.1±2.5 vs 1.3±0.6hours; P<.001) and noise (4.4±2.1 vs 2.9±2.8hours; P<.05), with 4.7±3.9hours/day of silence. Language and extrauterine sound exposure for fetuses showed a marked day/night cyclical pattern, with low exposure during nighttime hours, but preterm infants' exposures showed significantly less change across the 24-hour cycle (P<.001). Maternal occupation requiring frequent communication predicted greater language exposure (P<.05). Our findings provide the first comparison of preterm infant auditory exposures to typically-developing fetuses. Some preterm infants may incur deficits of over 150hours of language exposure over the preterm period. Given known effects of prenatal/preterm language exposure on neurobehavioral outcomes, this magnitude of deficit is alarming.

Frequency of Vitamin D Deficiency in the Mothers of Low Birth-Weight Newborns: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To determine the frequency of vitamin D deficiency in the mothers of low birth-weight newborns Study design: A cross-sectional study Place and Duration: Postnatal/Neonatal ward, Liaquat University Hospital Hyderabad and Jamshoro, from December 2020 to June 2021 Methodology: The study includes full-term newborns who had low birth weights, regardless of gender, and who were admitted to a neonatal or postnatal unit. Each mother gave a 5ml blood sample, which was sent right away to the hospital laboratory. Within 24 to 48 hours following delivery, a diagnostic lab checked the mother's vitamin D level. To determine the neonatal birth weight in kilograms, all the neonates were measured. All of the information about the maternal vitamin D level, the neonatal birth weight, and demographic data were entered after the reports had been collected. The researcher performed all measures. The proforma had all of the information. With SPSS version 20, data analysis was carried out. Results: The average age of the mother was 26.46 + 3.91 years. A total of 53.6% of newborns were males and 46.4% of newborns were female. Overall 90% of women were housewives, while 10% were employed. Women made up 68.6% of the reservations, while 31.45% were not. A total of 33.6% of all newborns underwent caesarean procedures, compared to a normal vaginal delivery rate of 66.4%. Eighty-seven percent of mothers were vitamin D deficient, and of them, 45.0% had mild deficiencies, 23.6% had moderate deficiencies, 12.1% had severe deficiencies, and 19.3% had normal vitamin D levels. Related to maternal age, newborn gender, and occupation, vitamin D deficiency was statistically insignificant (p&gt;0.05), but it was statistically significant (p-0.05) according to a place of residence, educational attainment, SES, parity, booking status, and delivery method. Conclusion: Frequency of vitamin D deficiency was found to be highly prevalent among mothers, of neonates who presented with low birth weight. Keywords: Newborn, vitamin D, Birth weight

The efficacy of maternal health education and maternal screening on knowledge and the uptake of infant screening for sickle cell disease in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania; a quasi experimental study

BackgroundGlobally, Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most common genetic disease with high childhood mortality. Early identification of babies with SCD through newborn screening (NBS) and linking them to care are among the recommended interventions. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of maternal health education and maternal screening for SCD on knowledge and the uptake of infant screening for SCD among mother-infant pairs attending antenatal clinics at Government health facilities in Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania. MethodsThis study was a pre-test post-test, quasi-experimental which involved pregnant women attending antenatal clinics at three hospitals; Mbagala hospital, Sinza hospital and Buguruni health center in Dar Es Salaam. A structured questionnaire was used in data collection. Knowledge on SCD was assessed for all participants before and after two sessions of health education. Participants in Mbagala and Buguruni were also screened for SCD using Sickle SCAN point-of-care test (BioMedomics Inc, USA). The efficacy for health education intervention was computed as the post-intervention minus baseline knowledge score. For proportions, a two-sample z-test was used. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the efficacy of health education intervention and also predictors of infant diagnosis. ResultsFor two sessions of health education intervention, a total of 467 pregnant women completed the sessions. During antenatal visits, a total of 218 were screened for SCD. The proportion of participants with good knowledge of SCD had significantly increased to 85.9% from 12.4% at baseline following the education intervention. In multivariate analysis, sharing the received education on SCD was an independent predictor of the efficacy of health education intervention. Maternal occupation, maternal SCD status as well as sharing the received education on SCD were independent predictors of the uptake of SCD infant diagnosis.ConclusionThis study has demonstrated that maternal health education and maternal screening for SCD are feasible and efficacious interventions in raising knowledge and improving the uptake of infant diagnosis for SCD. These interventions are strongly recommended to be included in the comprehensive care package for pregnant women attending antenatal clinics, particularly in areas with a high burden of SCD.

Predictors of stunting among children aged 6-59 months, Zimbabwe.

Stunted children have an increased risk of diminished cognitive development, diabetes, degenerative and CVD later in life. Numerous modifiable factors decrease the risk of stunting in children. This study aimed to assess the role of the individual, household and social factors on stunting in Zimbabwean children. A 1:2 unmatched case-control study. This study was conducted in two predominantly rural provinces (one with the highest national prevalence of stunting and one with the lowest prevalence) in Zimbabwe. Data were obtained from the caregivers of 150 children aged between 6 and 59 months with stunting and from the caregivers of 300 children without stunting. Multiple (39) correlates of stunting were identified. Child's age, birth length, birth weight, and weight-for-age outcome (child-related factors), caregiver's age, maternal HIV status, occupation, and education (parental factors), breast-feeding status, number of meals, and dietary quality (dietary factors), child's appetite, diarrhoeal and worm infection (childhood illnesses), income status, access to safe water, access to a toilet, health clubs and maternal support in infant feeding (household, socio-cultural factors) were all found to be significant predictors of childhood stunting. Nearly all aspects under review from the individual-, household- to social-level factors were significantly associated with childhood stunting. These findings add to the growing body of evidence supporting the WHO stunting framework and strengthen the need to focus interventions on a multi-sectoral approach to effectively address stunting in high prevalence countries.

Respectful maternity care and associated factors among mothers who gave birth in three hospitals of Southwest Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study.

One of the primary barriers to reducing maternal morbidity and mortality is disrespect and abuse during childbirth in biomedical facilities. Despite the serious consequences of disrespect and abuse during childbirth, there is no evidence of the prevalence of respectful maternity care in Southwest Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of respectful maternity care and associated factors among mothers who gave birth in three hospitals in Southwest Ethiopia. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 348 mothers who gave birth in three hospitals in Southwest Ethiopia. Bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression were used to identify the factors of respectful maternity care. In this study, 348 mothers with their newborns were included, making a response rate of 100%. The overall prevalence of respectful maternity care was 81.2%. Maternal age [AOR = 2.54; 95% CI (1.01-6.43)]; maternal occupation [AOR = 5.23; 95% CI (1.15-23.72)]; antenatal care follows-up [AOR = 2.86; 95% CI (1.01-8.20)]; and discussions with the provider about the place of delivery during antenatal care follow up [AOR = 5.58; 95% CI: (2.12-14.70)] were found to be the most significant components of respectful maternity care. The provision of respectful maternity care was high, but there are complaints of disrespect and abuse still present in three hospitals in Southwest Ethiopia. Maternal age, maternal occupation, antenatal follow up, and discussion with the provider about the place of delivery during antenatal follow-up were associated with respectful maternity care. Thus, improving antenatal care service utilization and discussions with health care providers about the place of delivery during antenatal care follow-up should be focused on.

Maternal risk factors associated with term low birth weight in India: A review

Low birth weight is one of the leading factors for infant morbidity and mortality. To a large extent affect, various maternal risk factors are associated with pregnancy outcomes by increasing odds of delivering an infant with low birth weight. Despite this association, understanding the maternal risk factors affecting term low birth weight has been a challenging task. To date, limited studies have been conducted in India that exert independent magnitude of these effects on term low birth weight. The aim of this review is to examine the current knowledge of maternal risk factors that contribute to term low birth weight in the Indian population. In order to identify the potentially relevant articles, an extensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Goggle Scholar and IndMed databases (1993 – Dec 2020). Our results indi­cate that maternal age, educational status, socio-economic status, ethnicity, parity, pre-pregnancy weight, maternal stature, maternal body mass index, obstetric history, maternal anaemia, gestational weight gain, short pregnancy outcome, hypertension during pregnancy, infection, antepartum haemorrhage, tobacco consumption, maternal occupation, maternal psychological stress, alcohol consumption, antenatal care and mid-upper arm circumference have all independent effects on term low birth weight in the Indian pop­ulation. Further, we argue that exploration for various other dimensions of maternal factors and underlying pathways can be useful for a better understanding of how it exerts independent association on term low birth weight in the Indian sub-continent.

Households Health Care Financing Methods: Social Status Differences, Economic Implications and Clinical Outcomes Among Patients Admitted in a Pediatric Emergency Unit of a Tertiary Hospital in South West Nigeria.

Background. The affordability of health care services by households within a country is determined by the health care financing methods used by her citizens. In accordance with World Health Organization (WHO), health services must be delivered equitably and without imposing financial hardship on the citizens. Aim. This study aimed to determine the pattern of households health care financing method and relate it to the social-background, economic implication and clinical outcome of care in pediatric emergency situations. Method: It is a cross-sectional descriptive study. Result. 210 children from different households were recruited. Majority (75.9%) of the children were aged 0 to 5 years, males (61.2%) and belonged to the low socio-economic status (95.7%). The overall median (IQR) cost of care, income and percentage of income spent on care were ₦10 700 (₦7580-₦19 700), ₦ 65000(₦38000-₦110 000) and 17.6% (7.1%-39.7%) respectively. Though 70 (34.8%) of the respondents were aware of health insurance scheme, only 12.8% were enrolled. There were significant differences in the households' health care financing methods with respect to the socioeconomic status (P = .010), paternal level of education (P < .001), maternal occupation (P = .020), paternal occupation (P = .030) and distribution of income (P < .001). Catastrophic spending was experienced by 67.4% of the household, all of whom paid via out-of-pocket payment (OOPP) (P < .001), catastrophic health spending (CHS) was significantly associated with death and discharge against medical advice (DAMA) (P = .023). All cases of mortality and 93% cases of DAMA occurred with paying out of pocket (OOP) (P = .168). Conclusion. health care services were majorly paid for OOP among households in this study and CHS are high among these households. Clinical and financial outcomes were worse when health care services were paid through OOP.

Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness among Women in Jugal Hospital, Harar, Ethiopia

Background: The majorities of maternal fatalities are avoidable and are generally blamed on patients delaying seeking care. Delays in deciding to seek treatment if a complication arises, delays in getting to care, and delays in obtaining care all have an impact on the availability and usage of obstetric services to avoid maternal mortality. So Birth preparedness and complication readiness is a crucial strategy for reducing maternal and newborn mortality. This study was aimed to assess the current status of birth preparedness and complication readiness in Harari regional state, Harar, Ethiopia from April 1st to 30th, 2023. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional research was conducted at Jugal Hospital in Harar, Pregnant women who can hear and communicate and who were voluntary to participate were included. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select 233 pregnant women. The survey tool (questionnaire) used was developed by Johns Hopkins Program for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics (JHIEGO). SPSS version 21 was used for analysis. Descriptive analysis was done and the results were presented in the form of narrative and table. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression was done to identify factors associated with birth preparedness and complication readiness. All variables with p-value less than 0.25 in bivariable logistic regression model were entered to a multivariable logistic regression model for controlling possible confounding and odds ratios and their 95% CIs were computed. Result: Eighty-seven (37.83%), of the respondents mentioned at least two key obstetric danger signs during pregnancy, 92 (40.00%), of the respondents mentioned at least three key obstetric danger signs during childbirth and 66 (28.70%) of the respondents mentioned at least two key obstetric danger signs during postpartum period , 178 (77.39%), 199 (86.52%), 43 (18.70%), 67 (29.13%) and 7 (3.04%) of respondents indicated that they saved money, identified the place of delivery, identified skilled providers, identify means of transport and blood donors, respectively. Conclusion: This study revealed, age of the mother, Educational status, maternal occupation,. Residence, No. of pregnancy, Current ANC visit and History of stillbirth, were significantly associated with birth Preparedness and Complication readiness