Maternal obesity support services: a qualitative study of the perspectives of women and midwives

Background - Twenty percent of pregnant women in the UK are obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), reflecting the growing public health challenge of obesity in the 21st century. Obesity increases the risk of adverse outcomes during pregnancy and birth and has significant cost implications for maternity services. Gestational weight management strategies are a high priority; however the evidence for effective, feasible and acceptable weight control interventions is limited and inconclusive. This qualitative study explored the experiences and perceptions of pregnant women and midwives regarding existing support for weight management in pregnancy and their ideas for service development. Methods - A purposive sample of 6 women and 7 midwives from Doncaster, UK, participated in two separate focus groups. Transcripts were analysed thematically. Results - Two overarching themes were identified, 'Explanations for obesity and weight management' and 'Best care for pregnant women'. 'Explanations' included a lack of knowledge about weight, diet and exercise during pregnancy; self-talk messages which excused overeating; difficulties maintaining motivation for a healthy lifestyle; the importance of social support; stigmatisation; and sensitivity surrounding communication about obesity between midwives and their clients. 'Best care' suggested that weight management required care which was consistent and continuous, supportive and non-judgemental, and which created opportunities for interaction and mutual support between obese pregnant women. Conclusions - Women need unambiguous advice regarding healthy lifestyles, diet and exercise in pregnancy to address a lack of knowledge and a tendency towards unhelpful self-talk messages. Midwives expressed difficulties in communicating with their clients about their weight, given awareness that obesity is a sensitive and potentially stigmatising issue. This indicates more could be done to educate and support them in their work with obese pregnant women. Motivation and social support were strong explanatory themes for obesity and weight management, suggesting that interventions should focus on motivational strategies and social support facilitation

The Ecology of Tropical Asian Rivers and Streams in Relation to Biodiversity Conservation

Tropical Asian rivers support a rich but incompletely known biota, including a host of fishes, a diverse array of benthic invertebrates, and an assemblage of mammals adapted to riverine wetlands. River ecology is dominated by flow seasonality imposed by monsoonal rains with profound consequences for fishes and zoobenthos. Information on life histories, feeding, and the trophic base of production of these animals is summarized. Widespread use of allochthonous foods by fishes and zoobenthos is apparent. Migration by fishes is often associated with breeding and results in seasonal occupation of different habitats. Riverine biodiversity is threatened by habitat degradation (pollution, deforestation of drainage basins), dams and flow regulation, as well as over-harvesting. Conservation efforts in tropical Asia are constrained by a variety of factors, including lack of ecological information, but the extent of public awareness and political commitment to environmental protection are likely determinants of the future of riverine biodiversity.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Semi-annual oscillations in Saturn's low-latitude stratospheric temperatures.

Observations of oscillations of temperature and wind in planetary atmospheres provide a means of generalizing models for atmospheric dynamics in a diverse set of planets in the Solar System and elsewhere. An equatorial oscillation similar to one in the Earth's atmosphere has been discovered in Jupiter. Here we report the existence of similar oscillations in Saturn's atmosphere, from an analysis of over two decades of spatially resolved observations of its 7.8-microm methane and 12.2-microm ethane stratospheric emissions, where we compare zonal-mean stratospheric brightness temperatures at planetographic latitudes of 3.6 degrees and 15.5 degrees in both the northern and the southern hemispheres. These results support the interpretation of vertical and meridional variability of temperatures in Saturn's stratosphere as a manifestation of a wave phenomenon similar to that on the Earth and in Jupiter. The period of this oscillation is 14.8 +/- 1.2 terrestrial years, roughly half of Saturn's year, suggesting the influence of seasonal forcing, as is the case with the Earth's semi-annual oscillation

Mass customization and environmental sustainability: A large-scale empirical study

A growing number of firms nowadays needs to combine mass customization (MC) with environmental-sustainability management (EM). However, the research on the synergies or trade-offs between MC and EM is still in its infancy. Furthermore, the few findings available in the literature are partly conflicting: some studies suggest that MC and EM may be synergistic, while others raise concerns on the environmental sustainability of MC. This paper contributes to this debate by presenting the results of the first, large-scale, empirical test of some of the synergies suggested by prior research. Our results support the existence of two types of synergies between the MC capability of parts commonalization and the EM capability of product stewardship. One type of synergy is explained by the fact that parts commonalization capability reinforces the positive effect of product stewardship capability on environmental performance (interaction-based synergy). The other type is explained by the fact that both these organization capabilities require the same routines of cross-functional integration (shared-routine-based synergy). Besides enriching the debate on the relationships between MC and EM, our results also contribute to the broader discussion on the compatibility between economic and environmental sustainability dimensions