Association between Breastfeeding Duration and Type of Birth Attendant

Introduction. Healthcare providers play an integral role in breastfeeding education and subsequent practices; however, the education and support provided to patients may differ by type of provider. The current study aims to evaluate the association between type of birth attendant and breastfeeding duration. Methods. Data from the prospective longitudinal study, Infant Feeding Practices Survey II, was analyzed. Breastfeeding duration and exclusive breastfeeding duration were defined using the American Academy of Pediatrics’ national recommendations. Type of birth attendant was categorized into obstetricians, other physicians, and midwife or nurse midwife. If mothers received prenatal care from a different type of provider than the birth attendant, they were excluded from the analysis. Multinomial logistic regression was conducted to obtain crude and adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results. Compared to mothers whose births were attended by an obstetrician, mothers with a family doctor or midwife were twice as likely to breastfeed at least six months. Similarly, mothers with a midwife birth attendant were three times as likely to exclusively breastfeed less than six months and six times more likely to exclusively breastfeed at least six months compared to those who had an obstetrician birth attendant. Conclusions. Findings from the current study highlight the importance of birth attendants in breastfeeding decisions. Interventions are needed to overcome barriers physicians encounter while providing breastfeeding support and education. However, this study is limited by several confounding factors that have not been controlled for as well as by the self-selection of the population

Point of Purchase TV-Screens - An Analysis of Gender and Generations in the In-Store Retail Environment

Title: Point of Purchase TV-screens - An analysis of Gender and Generations in the In-store-Retail-Environment Date of Seminar: May 29th 2007 Course: BUS 809, Master Thesis in International Marketing and Brand Management. Authors: Søren Berg Jørgensen, Daniel McCartney and Ben Wallenborn. Supervisors: Karin Alm and Ulf Johansson Keywords: In-store Marketing, Point-of-Purchase, In-store TV, Gender, Generations. Thesis Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to contribute to a greater understanding as to how consumers react to and perceive PoP TV-screens within the in-store retail environment. More specific, the aim of the study is to investigate if gender and generations react and feel differently towards the use of PoP TV-screens. From a practical standpoint, the study will aid marketers in how they can communicate more effectively with their target-market inside the store. In addition to this, the study will provide retailers with an insight into the overall atmospheric effect that the placement of TV screens has on stores. From an academic position, it was felt that an unbiased academic study was necessary in order to provide a gainful insight and solid foundation for future research concerning the use of In-store TV. Methodology: This thesis employs quantitative methods. 567 structured observations and 140 questionnaires through structured interviews were conducted in a Swedish supermarket. Theoretical Perspective: “Consumer Behaviour” is the foundation of the theoretical framework. Furthermore, “Atmospherics” and “Market Segmentation” theories are used as supporting theories. Empirical Foundation: The empirical data was collected during two days at a ICA Kvantum supermarket Flygfyren in Norrtälje, Sweden. The data from the observations and the questionnaires was analysed with the statistical software SPSS. This provided the study with indications of significant difference between demographic segments of gender and generations. Furthermore, a control group of 130 observations were conduct in order to increase the validity of the study. Conclusion: The study shows that there is a difference in how gender and generations respond and feel towards the stimulus of in-store Point-of-Purchase TV-Screens. The most noteworthy findings are that the youngest generation, Generation Y, displays an extremely positive overall response for both behaviour and attitudes, whilst the stimulus of the TV screen proves to be a very useful tool in attracting the men’s attention

Breastfeeding after Gestational Diabetes: Does Perceived Benefits Mediate the Relationship?

Introduction. Breastfeeding is recognized as one of the best ways to decrease infant mortality and morbidity. However, women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) may have breastfeeding barriers due to the increased risk of neonatal and pregnancy complications. While the prevalence of GDM is increasing worldwide, it is important to understand the full implications of GDM on breastfeeding outcomes.The current study aims to investigate the (1) direct effect of GDM on breastfeeding duration and (2) indirect effect of GDM on breastfeeding duration through perceived benefits of breastfeeding. Methods. Prospective cohort data from the Infant Feeding and Practices Study II was analyzed (=4,902). Structural equation modeling estimated direct and indirect effects. Results. Perceived benefits of breastfeeding directly influenced breastfeeding duration ( = 0.392, ≤ 0.001). GDM was not directly associated with breastfeeding duration or perceived benefits of breastfeeding. Similarly, GDM did not have an indirect effect on breastfeeding duration through perceived benefits of breastfeeding. Conclusions. Perceived benefits of breastfeeding are an important factor associated with breastfeeding duration. Maternal and child health care professionals should enhance breastfeeding education efforts

Understanding urban inequalities in children's linear growth outcomes: a trend and decomposition analysis of 39,049 children in Bangladesh (2000-2018)

BACKGROUND: Despite significant progress in reducing child undernutrition, Bangladesh remains among the top six countries globally with the largest burden of child stunting and has disproportionately high stunting prevalence among the urban poor. We use population representative data to identify key predictors of child stunting in Bangladesh and assess their contributions to linear growth differences observed between urban poor and non-poor children. METHODS: We combined six rounds of Demographic and Health Survey data spanning 2000-2018 and used official poverty rates to classify the urban population into poor and non-poor households. We identified key stunting determinants using stepwise selection method. Regression-decomposition was used to quantify contributions of these key determinants to poverty-based intra-urban differences in child linear growth status. RESULTS: Key stunting determinants identified in our study predicted 84% of the linear growth difference between urban poor and non-poor children. Child's place of birth (27%), household wealth (22%), maternal education (18%), and maternal body mass index (11%) were the largest contributors to the intra-urban child linear growth gap. Difference in average height-for-age z score between urban poor and non-poor children declined by 0.31 standard deviations between 2000 and 2018. About one quarter of this observed decrease was explained by reduced differentials between urban poor and non-poor in levels of maternal education and maternal underweight status. CONCLUSIONS: Although the intra-urban disparity in child linear growth status declined over the 2000-2018 period, socioeconomic gaps remain significant. Increased nutrition-sensitive programs and investments targeting the urban poor to improve girls' education, household food security, and maternal and child health services could aid in further narrowing the remaining linear growth gap

The role of metals in particulate matter-induced toxicity: cardiovascular effects of zinc

Cardiovascular health effects following exposure to particulate matter (PM) are well recognized. One potential mechanism behind this is the direct translocation of water soluble PM components, including metals, from the lungs into the circulation, whereby they exert extrapulmonary effects directly. Zinc is a common PM-associated metal proposed to be a causative component in PM-induced injury. To further investigate this, three approaches have been taken. First, to assess the relative toxicity of zinc compared to other PM-associated metals, male Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats (15 wks, 300-350 g) were exposed via a single intratracheal instillation (IT) to 1 [mu]mol/kg body weight of saline or zinc, nickel, vanadium, iron or copper, all in soluble sulfate forms. Zinc induced specific pulmonary and cardiac effects, both in timing and degree of response. Second, to prove that zinc directly translocates from the lungs into systemic circulation following IT, we used high resolution magnetic sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to measure levels of a stable isotope of zinc (70Zn) in lungs, plasma, heart, liver, spleen, and kidney of male WKY rats (13 wks, 250-300 g), 1, 4, 24, and 48 h following a single IT or oral gavage of saline or 0.7 [mu]mol/rat 70Zn, using a solution enriched with 76.6% 70Zn. Natural abundance of 70Zn is 0.62%, making it an easily detectable tracer following exposure. Gavage group was included to distinguish between kinetics following pulmonary and oral exposure to zinc, as this dose is nontoxic when taken orally. 70Zn translocated to all extrapulmonary organs, with levels higher following IT than following gavage. Third, to ascertain whether cardiac changes occur following exposure to environmentally relevant levels of zinc, male WKY rats (12 wks age) were exposed via nose only inhalation to filtered air or 10, 30 or 100 [mu]g/m3 of aerosolized zinc sulfate 5 h/d, 3 d/wk for 16 wks. No significant changes were observed in lung injury or inflammation markers, indicating minimal pulmonary effect; however in the heart, small but significant changes were detected. We have shown that soluble zinc directly moves from lungs into extrapulmonary systems, possibly in part causing PM-induced cardiovascular injury

Cardiopulmonary Responses of Wistar Kyoto (WKY), Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR) and Stroke Prone SHR (SHRSP) to Particulate Matter (PM) Exposure

A link between cardiopulmonary disease and increased susceptibility to particulate matter (PM) exposure exists, however the mechanistic link remains undefined. To investigate this, we compared the cardiopulmonary response of SHR, SHRSP and WKY rats to oil combustion PM exposure. Male rats (12-15 wks age) were intratracheally instilled with saline or 1.11, 3.33 or 8.33 mg/kg of PM. Pulmonary injury was induced in all strains, and pulmonary leakage was exacerbated in SHRSP. No exposure related lesions were noted in the hearts of either WKY or SHRSP. Changes in levels of ferritin, antioxidants and mitochondrial enzymes seen in the hearts of SHRSP only suggest a cardiac effect in this strain only. These data suggest SHRSP are slightly more susceptible than WKY and SHR to PM induced pulmonary vascular leakage and cardiac oxidative stress. Additionally, translocation of PM associated metals from lungs to systemic circulation may be playing a role in injury causation

Association between mother's work status and child stunting in urban slums: a cross-sectional assessment of 346 child-mother dyads in Dhaka, Bangladesh (2020)

Background A growing literature highlights the increased risk of stunting among children growing up in informal or slum settlements. Despite relatively high rates of female labor force participation in slums, there is limited evidence on relationship between mother's work participation and nutritional outcomes of children in these settings. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study in two large slums (Korail and Tongi) of Dhaka and Gazipur, Bangladesh to assess the association between maternal work and childhood stunting in a low-income urban context. Logistic regression models estimated unconditional and conditional associations between maternal work status and 1) child stunting, 2) child morbidity and dietary intake, and 3) health and hygiene behaviors. Subgroup analyses were done by type of child care support available. Results After adjusting for variations in individual and household level characteristics, we found that children of working mothers had nearly twice the odds of being stunted than children of non-working mothers (OR 1.84, 95%CI 1.05-3.23). Large differences in stunting were found by available care support: compared to children of non-working mothers, children of working mothers with nuclear-type family support had 4.5 times increased odds of stunting (OR 4.49, 95%CI 1.81-11.12), while no odds differential was found for children of working mothers with an extended-type family support (OR 0.69, 95%CI 0.30-1.59). Conclusions Maternal employment is associated with a substantial increase in the odds of child stunting in the slum areas studied. Given that these effects only appear to arise in the absence of adequate family support, integrating appropriate childcare support measures for low-income urban working mothers might be an effective strategy to help reduce the prevalence of chronic undernutrition among slum children

Socio-cultural factors for breastfeeding cessation and their relationship with child diarrhoea in the rural high-altitude Peruvian Andes - a qualitative study

BACKGROUND: In some areas of the world, breast milk is seen as a potential source of child diarrhoea. While this belief has been explored in African and Southeast Asian countries, it remains vastly understudied in Latin American contexts. We investigate socio-cultural factors contributing to breastfeeding cessation in rural high-altitude populations of the Peruvian Andes. The role of socio- cultural factors in the local explanatory model of child diarrhoea, and whether these perceptions were integrated in the local healthcare system were assessed. METHODS: Within the framework of a randomised controlled trial, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 40 mothers and 15 health personnel from local healthcare centres involved in the trial. RESULTS: Cultural beliefs on breastfeeding cessation included the perception that breast milk turned into "blood" after six months and that breastfeeding caused child diarrhoea. We identified eight local types of child diarrhoea, and women linked six of them with breastfeeding practices. "Infection" was the only diarrhoea mothers linked to hygiene and the germ disease concept and perceived as treatable through drug therapy. Women believed that other types of diarrhoea could not be treated within the formal healthcare sector. Interviews with health personnel revealed no protocol for, or consensus about, the integration of the local explanatory model of child diarrhoea in local healthcare and service provision. CONCLUSIONS: The local explanatory model in rural Andean Peru connected breastfeeding with child diarrhoeas. Cultural beliefs regarding diarrhoea management may increase home treatments, even in cases of severe diarrhoeal episodes. Future national breastfeeding support programmes should promote peer-counselling approaches to reduce negative attitudes towards breastfeeding and health practitioners. Local explanatory models should be incorporated into provincial and regional strategies for child diarrhoea management to promote equity in health and improve provider-patient relationships

Normal solution and transport coefficients to the Enskog-Landau kinetic equation for a two-component system of charged hard spheres. The Chapman-Enskog method

An Enskog-Landau kinetic equation for a many-component system of charged hard spheres is proposed. It has been obtained from the Liouville equation with modified boundary conditions by the method of nonequilibrium statistical operator. On the basis of this equation the normal solutions and transport coefficients such as bulk kappa and shear eta viscosities, thermal conductivity lambda, mutual diffusion D^{\alpha\beta} and thermal diffusion D_T^\alpha have been obtained for a binary mixture in the first approximation using the Chapman-Enskog method. Numerical calculations of all transport coefficients for mixtures Ar-Kr, Ar-Xe, Kr-Xe with different concentrations of compounds have been evaluated for the cases of absence and presence of long-range Coulomb interactions. The results are compared with those obtained from other theories and experiment.Comment: 24 LaTeX209 pages, 3 EPS figures (4 files). To be published in Physica