74 research outputs found
Molecular Understanding of Endothelial Cell and Blood Interactions with Bacterial Cellulose: Novel Opportunities for Artificial Blood Vessels
Diet and physical activity for childrenâs health: a qualitative study of Nepalese mothersâ perceptions
Published version, also available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-008197Objectives: Non-communicable diseases account
for 50% of all deaths in Nepal and 25% result
from cardiovascular diseases. Previous studies in
Nepal indicate a high burden of behavioural
cardiovascular risk factors, suggesting a low level
of knowledge, attitude and practice/behaviour
regarding cardiovascular health. The behavioural
foundation for a healthy lifestyle begins in early
childhood, when mothers play a key role in their
childrenâs lives. This qualitative study, conducted in a
Nepalese peri-urban community, aimed to explore
mothersâ perception of their childrenâs diet and
physical activity.
Design: We notated, tape-recorded and transcribed all
data collected from six focus group discussions, and
used qualitative content analysis for evaluation and
interpretation.
Setting: The study was conducted in the Jhaukhel-
Duwakot Health Demographic Surveillance Site in the
Bhaktapur district of Nepal.
Participants: Local health workers helped recruit 61
women with children aged 5â10 years. We distributed
participants among six different groups according to
educational status.
Results: Although participants understood the
importance of healthy food, they misunderstood its
composition, perceiving it as unappetising and
appropriate only for sick people. Furthermore,
participants did not prioritise their childrenâs
physical activities. Moreover, mothers believed they
had limited control over their childrenâs dietary
habits and physical activity. Finally, they opined that
health educational programmes would help
mothers and recommended various intervention
strategies to increase knowledge regarding a healthy
lifestyle.
Conclusions: Our data reveal that mothers of young
children in a peri-urban community of Nepal lack
adequate and accurate understanding about the impact
of a healthy diet and physical activity. Therefore, to
prevent future cardiovascular disease and other noncommunicable
diseases among children, Nepal needs
health education programmes to improve mothersâ
cardiovascular health knowledge, attitude and
behaviour
Knowledge, attitude and practice on diet and physical activity among mothers with young children in the Jhaukhel-Duwakot Health Demographic Surveillance Site, Nepal
Source at https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0200329. The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases is increasing in low and middle-income countries; Nepalâs population shows a high prevalence of behavioral risk factors. Our cross-sectional study in the Jhaukhel-Duwakot Health Demographic Surveillance Site (JD-HDSS), located near the capital Kathmandu, explored knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of mothers with young children regarding diet and physical activity and mothersâ perception of their childrenâs attitude and behavior toward the same issues. The purpose of our study was to assess needs of the mothers concerning cardiovascular health in general and more specifically regarding diet and physical activity, and to establish a baseline for future intervention in the community by comparing two villages of JD-HDSS. In AugustâNovember 2014, nine trained enumerators interviewed all mothers of children aged 1â7 years (N = 962). We scored responses on dietary and physical activity KAP, then categorized the scores based on the percentage obtained out of the maximum possible scores into âpoor,â âfair,â and âgood.â More highly educated mothers scored higher for KAP (all pp = 0.007). Most respondents were unfamiliar with the concept of healthy and unhealthy food. Overall, 57% of respondents in JD-HDSS had âgoodâ knowledge, 44.6% had âgoodâ attitude, and most (90%) had âpoorâ practice. We observed no significant differences between the villages regarding mothersâ knowledge and attitude or childrenâs behavior. Practice score of mothers in Jhaukhel was higher than those in Duwakot regarding diet and physical activity (p<0.001). Mothersâ perceived barriers for improving lifestyle were high cost of healthy food, taste preference of other family members, and lack of knowledge regarding healthy food. Barriers for physical activity were lack of leisure time, absence of parks and playgrounds, busy caring for children and old people, feeling lazy, and embarrassed to be physically active in front of others. Our findings suggest that a health education intervention promoting a healthy lifestyle for mothers and children might improve KAP and also improve cardiovascular health. To address mothersâ gap between knowledge and practice, a future intervention should consider perceived barriers
Prevalence of smoking before and during pregnancy and changes in this habit during pregnancy in Northwest Russia: a Murmansk county birth registry study
Publisher's version, source: http://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-016-0144-x.BACKGROUND
Smoking during pregnancy leads to adverse maternal and birth outcomes. However, the prevalence of smoking among women in Russia has increased fromââ20 % in the 2000s. We conducted a registry-based study in Murmansk County, Northwest Russia. Our aims were twofold: (i) assess the prevalence of smoking before and during pregnancy; and (ii) examine the socio-demographic factors associated with giving up smoking or reducing the number of cigarettes smoked once pregnancy was established.
METHODS
This study employs data from the population-based Murmansk County Birth Registry (MCBR) collected during 2006â2011. We used logistic regression to investigate associations between womenâs socio-demographic characteristics and changes in smoking habit during pregnancy. To avoid departure from uniform risk within specific delivery departments, we employed clustered robust standard errors.
RESULTS
Of all births registered in the MCBR, 25.2 % of the mothers were smokers before pregnancy and 18.9 % continued smoking during pregnancy. Cessation of smoking during pregnancy was associated with education, marital status and parity but not with maternal age, place of residence, and ethnicity. Women agedââ€â20â24 years had higher odds of reducing the absolute numbers of cigarettes smoked per day during pregnancy than those agedââ„â30â34 years. Moreover, smoking nulliparae and pregnant women who had one child were more likely to reduce the absolute numbers of cigarettes smoked per day compared to women havingââ„â2 children.
CONCLUSIONS
About 25.0 % of smoking women in the Murmansk County in Northwest Russia quit smoking after awareness of the pregnancy, and one-third of them reduced the number cigarettes smoked during pregnancy. Our study demonstrates that women who have a higher education, husband, and are primiparous are more likely to quit smoking during pregnancy. Maternal age and number of children are indicators that influence reduction in smoking during pregnancy. Our findings are useful in identifying target groups for smoking intervention campaigns
Molecular Understanding of Endothelial Cell and Blood Interactions with Bacterial Cellulose: Novel Opportunities for Artificial Blood Vessels
Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy of human smooth muscle cells in bioengineered tissue scaffolds
The integration of living, human smooth muscle cells in biosynthesized cellulose scaffolds was monitored by nonlinear microscopy toward contractile artificial blood vessels. Combined coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) and second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy was applied for studies of the cell interaction with the biopolymer network. CARS microscopy probing CH(2)-groups at 2845 cm(-1) permitted three-dimensional imaging of the cells with high contrast for lipid-rich intracellular structures. SHG microscopy visualized the fibers of the cellulose scaffold, together with a small signal obtained from the cytoplasmic myosin of the muscle cells. From the overlay images we conclude a close interaction between cells and cellulose fibers. We followed the cell migration into the three-dimensional structure, illustrating that while the cells submerge into the scaffold they extrude filopodia on top of the surface. A comparison between compact and porous scaffolds reveals a migration depth of <10 ÎŒm for the former, whereas the porous type shows cells further submerged into the cellulose. Thus, the scaffold architecture determines the degree of cell integration. We conclude that the unique ability of nonlinear microscopy to visualize the three-dimensional composition of living, soft matter makes it an ideal instrument within tissue engineering
Effect of Smoking Behavior before and during Pregnancy on Selected Birth Outcomes among Singleton Full-Term Pregnancy: A Murmansk County Birth Registry Study
Source at https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14080867 .The aim of our study was to assess associations between smoking behavior before and during pregnancy and selected adverse birth outcomes. This study is based on the Murmansk County Birth Registry (MCBR). Our study includes women who delivered a singleton pregnancy after 37 weeks of gestation (N = 44,486). Smoking information was self-reported and assessed at the first antenatal visit during pregnancy. We adjusted for potential confounders using logistic regression. The highest proportion of infants with low values of birth weight, birth length, head circumference, ponderal index and of the Apgar score at 5 min was observed for women who smoked both before and during pregnancy. We observed a dose-response relationship between the number of cigarettes smoked per day during pregnancy and the odds of the aforementioned adverse birth outcomes; neither were there significant differences in their occurrences among non-smokers and those who smoked before but not during pregnancy. Moreover, smoking reduction during pregnancy relative to its pre-gestation level did not influence the odds of the adverse birth outcomes. Our findings emphasize a continued need for action against tobacco smoking during pregnancy
Under-reporting of major birth defects in Northwest Russia: a registry-based study
Source at https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2017.1366785 .The objective was to assess the prevalence of selected major birth defects, based on data from two medical registries in Murmansk County, and compare the observed rates with those available for Norway and Arkhangelsk County, Northwest Russia. It included all newborns (â„22 completed weeks of gestation) registered in the Murmansk County Birth Registry (MCBR) and born between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2009 (n=35,417). The infants were followed-up post-partum for 2 years through direct linkage to the Murmansk Regional Congenital Defects Registry (MRCDR). Birth defects identified and confirmed in both registries constituted the âcasesâ and corresponded to one or more of the 21 birth defect types reportable to health authorities in Moscow. The overall prevalence of major birth defects recorded in the MRCDR was 50/10,000 before linkage and 77/10,000 after linkage with the MCBR. Routine under-reporting to the MRCDR of 40% cases was evident. This study demonstrates that birth registry data improved case ascertainment and official prevalence assessments and reduced the potential of under-reporting by physicians. The direct linkage of the two registries revealed that hypospadias cases were the most prevalent among the major birth defects in Murmansk County.
Abbreviations: ICD-10, International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision; MCBR, Murmansk County Birth Registry; MRCDR, Murmansk Regional Congenital Defects Registry; MGC, Murmansk Genetics Cente
Risk Factors for hypospadias in Northwest Russia: A Murmansk County Birth Registry Study
Source at https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0214213. Background - Hypospadias is the most common congenital anomaly of the penis, but its causes are mainly unknown. Of the risk factors identified, the most plausible are hormonal and genetic. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for hypospadias in Northwest Russia based on registry data.
Methods - The study population included male infants registered in the Murmansk County Birth Registry between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2011 (n = 25 475). These infants were followed-up for 2 years using the Murmansk Regional Congenital Defects Registry to identify cases of hypospadias not diagnosed at birth. We used logistic regression analysis to examine the contributions of hypospadias risk factors.
Results - Out of 25 475 male infants born during the study period, 148 had isolated hypospadias. The overall prevalence rate was 54.2 (95% CI 53.6â54.8) per 10 000 male infants. Those born to mothers with preeclampsia (OR = 1.65; 95% CI 1.03â2.66) or infant birthweight < 2500 g (OR = 2.06; 95% CI 1.18â3.60) exhibited increased risk for hypospadias. Maternal age, smoking during pregnancy, folic acid intake during pregnancy or hepatitis B surface antigen positivity did not associate with increased risk of hypospadias.
Conclusions
Combining data from a birth registry with those from a congenital defects registry provided optimal information about the prevalence of hypospadias and its association with low infant birthweight and preeclampsia. These factors have in common changes in hormone levels during pregnancy, which in turn may have contributed to hypospadias development
Knowledge, attitude and practice on diet and physical activity among mothers with young children in the Jhaukhel-Duwakot Health Demographic Surveillance Site, Nepal
The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases is increasing in low and middle-income countries; Nepal's population shows a high prevalence of behavioral risk factors. Our cross-sectional study in the Jhaukhel-Duwakot Health Demographic Surveillance Site (JD-HDSS), located near the capital Kathmandu, explored knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of mothers with young children regarding diet and physical activity and mothers' perception of their children's attitude and behavior toward the same issues. The purpose of our study was to assess needs of the mothers concerning cardiovascular health in general and more specifically regarding diet and physical activity, and to establish a baseline for future intervention in the community by comparing two villages of JD-HDSS. In August-November 2014, nine trained enumerators interviewed all mothers of children aged 1-7 years (N = 962). We scored responses on dietary and physical activity KAP, then categorized the scores based on the percentage obtained out of the maximum possible scores into "poor," "fair," and "good." More highly educated mothers scored higher for KAP (all p<0.001); the children's behavior score reflected their mother's education level (p = 0.007). Most respondents were unfamiliar with the concept of healthy and unhealthy food. Overall, 57% of respondents in JD-HDSS had "good" knowledge, 44.6% had "good" attitude, and most (90%) had "poor" practice. We observed no significant differences between the villages regarding mothers' knowledge and attitude or children's behavior. Practice score of mothers in Jhaukhel was higher than those in Duwakot regarding diet and physical activity (p<0.001). Mothers' perceived barriers for improving lifestyle were high cost of healthy food, taste preference of other family members, and lack of knowledge regarding healthy food. Barriers for physical activity were lack of leisure time, absence of parks and playgrounds, busy caring for children and old people, feeling lazy, and embarrassed to be physically active in front of others. Our findings suggest that a health education intervention promoting a healthy lifestyle for mothers and children might improve KAP and also improve cardiovascular health. To address mothers' gap between knowledge and practice, a future intervention should consider perceived barriers
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