Factors influencing breastfeeding preparedness among primigravidae attending antenatal clinic, at university of Port Harcourt teaching hospital, Rivers state, Nigeria

Background: This is a descriptive survey to determine the factors influencing breast feeding preparedness among primigravidae attending ante natal clinic at University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. Three objectives and one hypothesis were formulated to guide the study.Methods: A purposive sampling technique was used to select 108 respondents for the study. The instrument used for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire. The validity of the instrument was ascertained while the reliability confirmed through test- re-test which yielded a coefficient of 0.99 which was considered appropriate. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics while relationship was tested using inferential statistics and results presented in tables.Results: Findings revealed that only 4 (14.3%) aged between 24-29 years were ‘‘well prepared’’ to breast feed their babies; others were either ‘‘fairly or poorly prepared’’. Breastfeeding preparedness was also observed to be associated with maternal occupation. The findings showed that the unemployed and petty traders ranked highest in being well prepared, 8.3% and 12.5% respectively as compared to their counterparts. Also, result of the study revealed that preparedness is higher among women that had secondary and tertiary education, 61.6% and 50.1% respectively.Conclusions: Based on these findings it was recommended among others that midwives should be involved in appropriate education of expectant mothers especially new ones to help improve breastfeeding preparedness among them; women should be engaged in occupation that allow them enough time to breastfeed and employers should make adequate provisions for breastfeeding mothers in order to encourage them

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Does maternal long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid status in pregnancy influence the bone health of children?

In this large, population-based, prospective, mother-offspring cohort study, maternal long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) status during pregnancy was found to be positively associated with bone mass in the offspring at age 4 years. The findings suggest that variation in intrauterine exposure to n-3 and n-6 LCPUFAs may have potential consequences for skeletal development.Introduction: Maternal diet in pregnancy has been linked to childhood bone mass, but the mechanisms and nutrients involved are uncertain. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) have been shown to affect bone metabolism, but the relationship between maternal fatty acid status and bone mass in the offspring remains unknown.Methods: We evaluated the association between maternal LCPUFA status in late pregnancy (34 weeks gestation) and bone density in their children at age 4 years within 727 mother-child pairs taking part in the Southampton Women's Survey.Results: Concentrations of the n-3 LCPUFA component of maternal plasma phosphatidylcholine were positively associated with a number of bone mineral measures at the age of 4 years; these associations persisted after adjustment for maternal body build, walking speed and infant feeding. Relationships were most evident for eicosapentaenoic acid (r?=?0.09, p?=?0.02 for whole body areal bone mineral density [aBMD] and r?=?0.1, p?=?0.008 for lumbar spine aBMD) and for docosapentaenoic acid (r?=?0.09, p?=?0.02 for whole body aBMD and r?=?0.12, p?=?0.002 for lumbar spine aBMD).Conclusions: These findings suggest that variation in early exposure to n-3 and n-6 LCPUFA may have potential consequences for bone development and that the effects appear to persist into early childhood