Assessing the Readability and Usability of Online H-E-L-P Intervention for IPV Survivors

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the readability and usability of an online HELP (Health, Education, and Legal Program) intervention for women experiencing IPV (Intimate Partner Violence) by asking graduate nursing students to review in class nine online HELP intervention modules. Design: A descriptive online survey administered to 15 graduate nursing students\ud was used to assess the readability and usability of an online HELP intervention. Methods: Participants were asked to perform the following activities: 1) reading the nine HELP modules on PowerPoint as posted on Blackboard (a web-based course management program), 2) filling in five blank lines under each heading (HEALTH, EDUCATION, LEGAL, and PROGRAM), by writing words or terms on the line after each heading, 3) ranking the words within each heading (with #1 as the highest and #5 as the lowest), 4) engaging in a class discussion of the rationale for the ranking, 5) re-ranking, and 6) voting on the ranking. The results were compiled to yield a master rank and vote order for each heading between 12 (received 12 votes) and 15 (received 15 votes) of the words that were ranked #1. Results: The words that were ranked #1 under each heading and the number of votes received were: Under HEALTH: Depression (15), Anger (14), Anxiety (13), and Pain (12); EDUCATION: Safety (15), Injury (14), Social Support (13) and Parenting/Child Care (12); LEGAL: Protection from Abuse (15), Attorney (14), Court/Hearing (13), and Rights (12); PROGRAM: Internet (15), Online (14), Intervention (13) and Resources (12). Conclusions: HELP intervention is readable and usable however, HELP needs to be piloted to ensure that survivors of IPV participants can access and benefit from HELP intervention

Exploring the Feasibility of Text Messaging Intervention in Intimate Partner Violence

Introduction: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is defined as controlling, abusive, and aggressive behavior in a romantic relationship. Women between the ages 16 and 24 experience the highest rate of IPV. IPV costs US society at least $13.6 billion annually and is expected to rise to$15.6 billion by 2021. The purpose of this study is to explore the feasibility of Text Messaging Intervention\ud (TMI) in recognizing, responding and preventing IPV among college students. The research questions are: Will TMI 1) improve participant knowledge of warning signs of IPV? (Knowledge) and 2) improve participant confidence to intervene in IPV? (Confidence). Methods: A mixed methods design in data collection and data analysis was used. One-way ANOVA and Chi-square test were used to analyze quantitative data from the pre and post TMI survey. Results of the qualitative data analysis are included verbatim. Results: Results showed that knowledge level pre to post test increased from 2.00 ± 1.00 to 2.7 ± 0.48 (p < 0.001) and confidence level pre to post test increased from 2.89 ± 0.60 to 3.30 ± 0.68 (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Further research is needed in evaluating\ud the feasibility and effectiveness of IPV prevention programs that uses mobile devices to create the best optimal health outcomes

A Pilot Exploring Self-Advocacy as a Factor in Maternal Mortality and Morbidity in Pregnant Black Women

Every year about 700 women die due to a birth and or postpartum difficulty. The United States (US) has the highest number of women dying compared to other countries. Black women are 3-4 times more likely to die than White or Latina women. A number of issues are linked with the US death rate. We begin with healthcare providers and hospitals that the women use. The other issue is patients. We are looking at how Black women share their concerns with healthcare providers and or self-advocate for themselves. The study looks at the usefulness of a new 20-item survey, the Pregnancy Self-Advocacy Survey (PSAS). One hundred Black adult women who are currently pregnant, or have delivered and experienced postpartum in the past six months will participate in the study. The women complete a survey that asks questions about level of education, and number of children they have delivered. Both surveys should take 30 minutes or less. The study information will be used to make needed changes in the PSAS. The information from the study will also help to develop programs to assist Black women to talk with healthcare providers. Black women talking with their healthcare provider will help providers to better respond to their problems, needs, and wishes during the pregnancy and postpartum period

YOWB: Enhancing Resilience and Healthspan through Listening Sessions with Community Engagement Centers

Listening sessions with lived experiences of adults in mid- (45-59 years old) and late- (60 years and older) life is an opportunity for engagement toward understanding and responding to health and those issues that relate to or impact health status. Listening is a source of information, affirmation, and observation from the community’s perspectives. The emotional effects of stressors, especially during the YOWB, influence the quality of life, affecting healthspan (a portion of life spent in good health), and resilience (the capacity to resist, adapt, recover, and grow from a challenge or a stressor). The purpose is to provide opportunities for adults in mid-and late life to engage in active listening. where they share each other’s experiences to enhance resilience and healthspan. Participants need to tell their stories about their healthspan experiences, expressed without judgment in a community-centered perspective through listening sessions. We aim to 1) establish a welcoming environment for listening, 2) actively listen to the lived health and illness experiences, 3) utilize active listening skills for conversations on healthspan, and 4) acquire a better understanding of resilience from community participants. Four listening sessions will be convened in 3 Pitt Community Engagement Centers (CEC) and an Asian/Filipino Community Center

Preconception Care to Reduce the Risks of Overweight and Obesity in Women of Reproductive Age: An Integrative Review

Despite adverse pregnancy outcomes for women with overweight or obesity, preconception guidelines for achieving optimal wellness for women contemplating pregnancy regarding the risks of overweight or obesity are varied based upon national affiliation. The aim of this study was to synthesize the best evidence related to preconception counseling and care focused on overweight or obesity provided to women of reproductive age. An integrative review of original studies was conducted. PubMed, Cumulative Index in Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Ovid, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase were included. Full-text, data-based articles were searched from 2009 to 2018, with reviews and synthesis completed in 2019 and 2020. Of 8703 initial articles, 31 articles remained in the review. Quality assessment and level of evidence were evaluated based upon criteria from the Joanna Briggs Institute and the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Quality Guide. The level of evidence for the majority of studies was non-experimental but they were of good quality with appropriate methods, samples and relevant results. Limited attention and interest in preconception counseling regarding risks of overweight or obesity by health care professionals were noted, which may contribute to women’s unawareness of these risks on preconception health

Client-Centered Breastfeeding-Promotion Strategies: Q Methodology

Fewer Korean women are choosing the 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding that are recommended for obtaining its maximal benefits despite an increasing effort to promote breastfeeding. Successful breastfeeding education and counseling need to be segmentally designed on the basis of client characteristics. This study explored the perceptions of breastfeeding in pregnant and 6 month postpartum Korean women using the Q methodology, a useful research approach to examine personal perceptions, feelings, and values about a concept or phenomenon of interest and identify typologies of perspectives. The Q sample consisted of 38 statements representing the universe of viewpoints on breastfeeding. The P sample (N = 49) included women who shared their perceptions of breastfeeding and filled each grid with a statement in the Q sorting table. Data were analyzed using the PC-QUANL program. Varimax (orthogonal) rotation revealed four factors that explained 53.0% of variance: maternal privilege (Factor 1), option based on emotion (Factor 2), option if efficient (Factor 3), and option if I have sufficient problem-solving skills (Factor 4). Korean women have changed their attitudes toward breastfeeding, with all participants viewing breastfeeding as optional. Breastfeeding-promotion campaigns and education need to consider societal norms and changes in women’s beliefs and perceptions

Pregnancy Weight Gain in Twin Gestations and Maternal and Child Health Outcomes at 5 Years.

Current guidelines for maternal weight gain in twin pregnancy were established in the absence of evidence on its longer-term consequences for maternal and child health. We evaluated the association between weight gain in twin pregnancies and the risk of excess maternal postpartum weight increase, childhood obesity, and child cognitive ability

Gestational Weight Gain and Adverse Birth Outcomes in Twin Pregnancies

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the association between gestational weight gain in twin pregnancies and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and large-for-gestational-age (LGA) birth, preterm birth before 32 weeks of gestation, cesarean delivery, and infant death within each prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) category. METHODS:Data in this population-based study came from Pennsylvania-linked infant birth and death records (2003–2013). We studied 54,836 twins born alive before 39 weeks of gestation. Total pregnancy weight gain (kg) was converted to gestational age-standardized z scores. Multivariable modified Poisson regression models stratified by prepregnancy BMI were used to estimate associations between z scores and outcomes. A probabilistic bias analysis, informed by an internal validation study, evaluated the effect of BMI and weight gain misclassification. RESULTS:Gestational weight gain z score was negatively associated with SGA and positively associated with LGA and cesarean delivery in all BMI groups. The relation between weight gain and preterm birth was U-shaped in nonobese women. An increased risk of infant death was observed for very low weight gain among normal-weight women and for high weight gain among women without obesity. Most excess risks of these outcomes were observed at weight gains at 37 weeks of gestation that are equivalent to less than 14 kg or more than 27 kg in underweight or normal-weight women, less than 11 kg or more than 28 kg in overweight women, and less than 6.4 kg or more than 26 kg in women with obesity. The bias analysis supported the validity of the conventional analysis. CONCLUSION:Very low or very high weight gains were associated with the adverse outcomes we studied. If the associations we observed are even partially reflective of causality, targeted modification of pregnancy weight gain in women carrying twins might improve pregnancy outcomes