Infant Feeding and Lactational Amenorrhea in Sagamu, Nigeria

Five hundred and twenty educated, breastfeeding women in Sagamu, Nigeria, were observed prospectively in order to describe their infant feeding practices and to determine whether any predictors of the return of menses could be identified. The women remained amenorrheic for seven months. Compared with similarly selected women in other countries, they regularly fed their infants with supplements from a very early age, yet breastfeeding frequency and duration did not decline dramatically. Semi-solid food was introduced at about four months and such supplementation, as well as earlier supplementation with milk/milk-based feedings, was associated with the return of menses. The median duration of abstinence was about four months but the mean may have been much longer. No woman became pregnant until her infant was weaned. (Afr J Reprod Health 2002; 6[2]: 3950) Résumé Lallaitement et laménorrhée qui se rapporte à la lactation à Sagamu, au Nigéria. Cinq cent vingt femmes instruites et allaitant à Sagamu ont été observées prospectivement afin de décrire leurs pratiques dallaitement et pour déterminer sil était possible didentifier quelques indices du retour des règles. Les femmes sont restées aménorrhéiques pendant sept mois. Comparées aux femmes qui ont été selectionnées de la même manière dans dautres pays, elles nourrissaient régulierement leurs enfants du supplément dès leur très jeune âge; pourtant la fréquence de lallaitement et la durée nont pas baissé de façon dramatique. A lâge de presque quatre mois, on a initié les enfants à la nourriture semi-solides. Une telle administration dun supplément aussi bien quune administration antérieure dun supplément du lait et dautres nourritures à base du lait, ont été associées au retour des règles. La durée médiane de labstinence était à peu près quatre mois, mais la moyenne a probablement duré plus longtemps. Aucune femme nest devenue enceinte quaprès avoir sevré lenfant. (Rev Afr Santé Reprod 2002; 6[2]: 3950) Key Words: Breastfeeding, fertility, Nigeria, infant feeding, amenorrhea, Afric

Postpartum Sexual Abstinence and Breastfeeding Pattern in Sagamu, Nigeria

This was a prospective study involving 371 mothers. The mean age of the mothers was 27.5 (.3.6) years with a mean years at school (Educational years) of 11.3 (2.9) years. All the mothers had previously breastfed at one of their infants for at least 6 months, while the mothers also breastfed their last child for an average (mean) of 10.3 (4.0) months. The overall mean of previous live births was 1.9 (0.8). In the first month postpartum, 84.6% of the mothers abstained from sexual intercourse, but by the 4th-5th month the proportion had dropped to 18.1%, with just 2.1% of the study population abstaining from sexual intercourse at 11-15 months post-partum. Forty seven (13.5%), 30 (8.6% ) and 3 (0.9 % ) mothers in social classes 2,3 and 1 respectively have resumed sexual intercourse at 4-5 months, while only 12(3.4%) and 4(1.1%) in social classes 2 and 3 respectively continued with sexual intercourse at 11-15 months. More mothers resumed sexual intercourse from 1 to 15 months post-partum when they breast fed for 6-10 minutes and 11-15 minutes than those who breast fed for 1-5 minutes, 16-20 minutes and 21-25 minutes. Also more mothers within the 25-29 years age group resumed sexual intercourse from the first month to the fifteenth month post-partum than mothers in the other age groupsKeywords: Postpartum, Sexual, Abstinence, Breastfeeding, Sexually Transmitted InfectionsAfrican Journal of Reproductive Health Vol. 12 (1) 2008: pp. 96-10

Positive Psychiatry Interventions in Geriatric Mental Health

Purpose of reviewPositive psychiatry shifts the focus of geriatric mental healthcare beyond studying disorders and psychopathology to studying factors that contribute to mental well-being and successful aging. An increasing number of interventional studies are using treatments that target modifiable positive psychosocial characteristics (PPCs) and study their impact on mental health. Here we provide an overview of the literature on positive psychiatry interventions using illustrative examples of interventions targeting social connectedness, meaning in life, wisdom, and resilience.Recent findingsThere is growing evidence that PPCs are modifiable constructs that may be associated with improved well-being, physical health, and mental health outcomes.SummaryThe preliminary evidence summarized in this narrative review indicates that positive psychiatry interventions targeting social connectedness, meaning in life, wisdom, and resilience can improve overall well-being and other positive health outcomes amongst older adults. The effect sizes of these interventions reported in RCTs and meta-analyses are typically small to medium, but occasionally large effect sizes are also reported. Current literature is restricted by heterogeneous methodology, limiting clinicians' abilities to extrapolate these principles of positive psychiatry into everyday practice. With the expanding body of evidence, positive psychiatry may have the potential to transform the landscape of geriatric mental health