Women's Experiences with Breastfeeding Support: Conflicting Practices and Discourses

Drawing on insights from critical scholarship on medicalization and professionalization, this thesis explores women's experiences with breastfeeding support in the context of medical, institutional, health policy and professional forces in Ontario, Canada. Drawing on 10 qualitative, semi-structured interviews and 41 in-depth surveys completed by women who initiated breastfeeding; the results provide insight into how hospital practices, the lactation consultant profession and pharmaceuticals to support breastfeeding can shape breastfeeding support and in turn, impact womens breastfeeding experiences. The findings demonstrate that the women relied heavily on professional breastfeeding support both in hospital and in the community and experienced a disparity between their expectations and the reality of breastfeeding. This research finds that often the conflicting practices and discourses of medicalized and professionalized breastfeeding support recreates breastfeeding as a technically challenging process that requires medical and expert intervention, rather than a natural and easy process as it is often portrayed and promoted

The woman doctorate, her doctoral study, and postdoctoral career development

Increasing numbers of women are earning doctorate degrees each year, and women constitute an increasing proportion of new doctorate recipients, but women doctoral students and graduates are a small minority of all women, and a minority in almost all fields of study and work settings, which sets them apart as a group subject to a peculiar set of problems;The first study of women doctorate holders was made in 1930, yet this study has seldom been referenced by other researchers, and comparisons of more recent women doctorate recipients with their earliest counterparts have not been made. Despite subsequent research, the need for more information about women as doctoral students and holders of the doctorate has been pointed out. In addition, no comprehensive summary of the research on women doctorate recipients has been made, so that those wishing to make decisions or give advice with respect to some aspect of doctoral study or postdoctoral career development have no single resource to aid them;The research reported here was designed with the objectives of providing a comprehensive summary of research on women doctorate holders, and comparing the most recent women doctorate recipients with their earliest counterparts. The characteristics of women doctorate holders, their doctoral study, postdoctoral career development, and obstacles to their career development were addressed;Findings with respect to the earliest (1877-1924) doctorates were presented, along with a summary of more recent research, and the results of a questionnaire survey of 1973-1974 doctorate recipients. It was found that the characteristics, doctoral study and postdoctoral career development of the earliest and the most recent doctorate recipients were similar in many ways, but there were also differences. An analysis of the situation of women doctorate recipients showed both positive and negative trends, and it was concluded that progress for women doctorate recipients will be slow

How not to miss: Abuse in children

Key learning points • Be alert and question the behaviour of the child or parent/carer • Ask for help • Report if abuse is suspected • Develop a multi-agency approach • Nurses must pursue referrals if they are not satisfied with the respons

CHANGES IN SUPPORT MOMENT AND MUSCLE ACTIVATION FOLLOWING HIP AND TRUNK NEUROMUSCULAR TRAINING: THE HIP AND ACL INJURY RISK

This study investigated lower limb muscular activation strategies following an 8-week body-weight based training intervention focused on the dynamic control of the hip/trunk. Muscle activation, support moment and frontal plane knee moments of elite female hockey players (n=13) were measured during unplanned sidestepping pre/post training. Post-training, gluteal muscle activation increased (+10%;p=0.006). There was no change in support moment or frontal plane knee moments however, the contribution of hip extension to total support moment increased (+10%;d=0.56) following training. Hip/trunk neuromuscular training is effective in improving hip neuromuscular activation, allowing athletes to more effectively utilise their hip to generate their support moment, which may prevent dangerous ‘dynamic valgus’ knee postures during sidestepping sporting tasks

HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH? MAINTAINING THE BIOMECHANICAL BENEFITS OF AN ACL INJURY PREVENTION TRAINING PROGRAM

This study investigated the effect of a 16-week maintenance training program which directly followed a high-dose 9 week initial training intervention, as part of a biomechanically informed ACL injury prevention program. Three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic data of elite female hockey players (n=16) were collected at baseline, post initial training and post maintenance training during unplanned sidestepping. Maintenance training was effective in retaining reduced peak knee valgus moments in a ‘high-risk’ subgroup elicited from the initial training program. Conversely, although the total group demonstrated no benefits following initial training, they displayed a reduction (?-26.3%, g=0.30) in peak valgus knee moments following maintenance training, suggesting a prolonged albeit moderate dose of training was effective for this population

COORDINATION AND VARIABILITY IN AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL KICKING: IMPLICATIONS FOR PERFORMANCE

The purpose of this study was to quantify coordination and coordination variability (CV) of drop-punt kicking in professional Australian Football players and investigate the association between CV and in-game kicking performance and professional playing experience. Intra-limb couplings described to be associated with kicking accuracy were investigated during 30m successful drop-punt kicking efforts in 14 players. Coordination and CV were quantified using a modified vector coding technique. Higher CV of frontal plane trunk/pelvis, frontal and transverse plane thigh/leg and frontal plane leg/foot coupled motion were associated with higher in-game kicking performance. In-game kicking performance and CV did not change following two years of professional experience. These results highlight the significance of junior level skill development and kicking performance in talent identification

Deficits in episodic future thinking following acute alcohol consumption

Rationale Acute alcohol consumption adversely affects many cognitive abilities, including episodic memory and executive functioning. However, no study to date has tested whether these acute effects of alcohol also extend to episodic future thinking (EFT). This is a surprising omission given that EFT refers to the ability to imagine oneself experiencing the future, a highly adaptive ability that has been implicated in many important functional behaviours. EFT is also thought to impose demands on episodic memory and executive control. Objectives The current study was designed to provide the first test of whether a moderate dose of alcohol influences EFT and whether any observed EFT difficulties are secondary to broader problems in episodic memory and executive functioning. Sex differences in EFT following acute alcohol consumption were also examined. Methods One hundred and twenty-four healthy adult social drinkers were recruited and randomly assigned to either the alcohol (n = 61) or placebo (n = 63) condition. Participants were administered a dose of 0.6 g/kg alcohol or a matched placebo drink. Results Relative to the placebo condition, EFT was impaired by acute alcohol consumption. This impairment was underpinned by broader difficulties with episodic memory, but not executive functioning. There were no sex differences in EFT performance following acute alcohol use. Conclusion These data provide novel insights into the effects of acute alcohol consumption on EFT and the broader cognitive mechanisms that contribute to these difficulties. The results are discussed in relation to their implications for understanding many of the maladaptive behaviours commonly associated with acute alcohol use

Who is classified as untestable on brief cognitive screens in an acute stroke setting?

Full completion of cognitive screening tests can be problematic in the context of a stroke. Our aim was to examine the completion of various brief cognitive screens and explore reasons for untestability. Data were collected from consecutive stroke admissions (May 2016–August 2018). The cognitive assessment was attempted during the first week of admission. Patients were classified as partially untestable (≥1 test item was incomplete) and fully untestable (where assessment was not attempted, and/or no questions answered). We assessed univariate and multivariate associations of test completion with: age (years), sex, stroke severity (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS)), stroke classification, pre-morbid disability (modified Rankin Scale (mRS)), previous stroke and previous dementia diagnosis. Of 703 patients admitted (mean age: 69.4), 119 (17%) were classified as fully untestable and 58 (8%) were partially untestable. The 4A-test had 100% completion and the clock-draw task had the lowest completion (533/703, 76%). Independent associations with fully untestable status had a higher NIHSS score (odds ratio (OR): 1.18, 95% CI: 1.11–1.26), higher pre-morbid mRS (OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.02–1.60) and pre-stroke dementia (OR: 3.35, 95% CI: 1.53–7.32). Overall, a quarter of patients were classified as untestable on the cognitive assessment, with test incompletion related to stroke and non-stroke factors. Clinicians and researchers would benefit from guidance on how to make the best use of incomplete test data