Factors Influencing Cesarean Delivery in Women Referring to the Women's Pregnancy Clinic in Bam, Iran

Background: Cesarean section is a surgery to deliver a baby and remove the placenta and membranes through an incision made on the mother's abdomen and uterus. While the rate of cesarean section is 10-30% of all deliveries in the world, it is 50-65% in Iran. The aim of this study was to identify factors leading to cesarean section in Bam, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 200 mothers who visited the Women’s Pregnancy Clinic in Bam were enrolled from October 2010 to October 2011. Data was collected by interviewing the women and reviewing their health records. The collected data was analyzed using t-test, chi-square test and logistic regression analysis in SPSS15. Results: Overall, 59% of the deliveries were performed through cesarean sections. There were significant relations between cesarean section and a history of cesarean section, mother’s gestational diabetes, parents’ education level, nonreactive nonstress test, cephalopelvic disproportion, high maternal body mass index, and fear of vaginal delivery. Conclusion: Although cesarean section can save mothers and neonates in emergency situations, non-medical factors such as higher education of parents and mothers' fear of vaginal delivery are also responsible for high rates of this surgery. However, more research in this field is warranted. Keywords: Influential factors, Cesarean, Ira

The Association between Birth Weight, Height and Some Maternal Risk Factors

Background and purpose: Since a large proportion of fetal mortality is associated with low birth weight (LBW) and regarding that fetal development is a vulnerable process influenced by maternal risk factors, this study examined some maternal risk factors associated with LBW infants. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted based on the medical files of 300 infants born in hemoglobin and hematocrit levels Sajjadieh Arjomand Health Care Center, Kerman County, Iran. The required data were registered in a predeveloped checklist. The data were analyzed by SPSS Software using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The mean weight of the infants was 3.22 &plusmn; 0.36 kg, the mean height 48.4 &plusmn; 0.3 cm, and the mean head circumference 35.00 &plusmn; 1.74 cm. The results indicated a significant association of the parity, maternal weight gain, pregnancy-induced hypertension, type of pregnancy (planned or unplanned), and abortion history with the birth weight (P < 0.050). Conclusion: Regarding the findings of this study, health centers should study the risk factors before and during pregnancy more seriously. Many risks for LBW can be identified before pregnancy occurs

Assessment of the Awareness and Practice of Women vis-à-vis Breast Self-Examination in Fasa in 2011

Background & Objective: Breast cancer is one of the most important causes of women's mortality the world over. Breast self-examination (BSE) is a method that often leads to detect breast cancer in the early stage. This study aimed at assessing the awareness and practice of women in the city of FASA vis-à-vis BSE.  Materials & Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study , 300 women over 15 years old who referred to the health centers of Fasa were chosen via the clustered method. A questionnaire comprising items about the patients’ demographics as well as their awareness and practice regarding BSE was completed for all the study population by a trained midwife through interviews. Subsequently, descriptive statistics , x2, and t-test were employed for analysis using SPSS Software ( version 15) .   Results: Fifty-five per cent of the cases had poor knowledge and 90% had poor practice. There was a significant correlation between knowledge and practice (p value < 0.0001). The highest level of knowledge was found among those with university levels of education. There was also a significant correlation between practice and educational levels (p value < 0.0001).   Conclusion: Given that the majority of the women under study had poor knowledge and function vis-à-vis BSE, it seems advisable that regular and systematic training programs be devised in relation to breast cancer prevention strategies such as practical classes on BSE , breast clinical examination, and mammography in order to raise awareness among women about the need to perform BSE