310 research outputs found
sj-docx-1-whe-10.1177_17455057221112935 – Supplemental material for Impact of coronavirus 2019 pandemic on post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among pregnant women in Jordan
No full textSupplemental material, sj-docx-1-whe-10.1177_17455057221112935 for Impact of coronavirus 2019 pandemic on post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among pregnant women in Jordan by Mo’ath F Bataineh, Maysm N Mohamad, Ayesha S Al Dhaheri, Monketh Rawashdeh, Ali M Al-Nawaiseh, Fida F Asali, Mona Hashim, Amjad Jarrar, Dima O Abu Jamous, Lily Stojanovska, Rameez Al Daour, Sheima T Saleh, Tareq M Osaili and Leila Cheikh Ismail in Women’s Health</p
Smoking during pregnancy and vision difficulties in children: a systematic review
No full textCigarette smoking during pregnancy is a major public health concern. Intra-uterine exposure to maternal cigarette smoking is associated with increased risks of growth and neurodevelopmental problems during childhood and later life. Few studies have focussed on visual difficulties in children in the context of maternal smoking during pregnancy. A systematic search of online databases was carried out between February and May 2013 to examine the trend in visual outcomes in children exposed to maternal cigarette smoking during intra-uterine life. Twenty-four non-randomized studies were identified. Each study was rated for quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Most studies (n=18) reported fetal exposure to active or passive maternal cigarette smoking to be associated with an increased risk of adverse visual outcomes in children. In particular, there were higher rates of strabismus, refractive errors and retinopathy among children of women who smoked during pregnancy. These findings suggest that fetal exposure to cigarette smoke is a significant risk factor for visual problems during later life and that certain visual faculties, such as the intraocular muscles and retinal neurons, are more affected than others. The findings provide evidence in support of public health policies aimed at reducing fetal exposure to smoking by advising both women and their partners to quit smoking during pregnancy.Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology; Li Ka Shing Foundation; Li Ka Shing Scholarship from the Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford; Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation via the INTERGROWTH-21st Project; Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of OxfordSCI(E)[email protected]
The effect of maternal anthropometry on newborn size and body composition
No full textThis thesis assesses how gestational weight gain (GWG) influences newborn body composition (NBC) in an ethnically diverse population and determines the modifiers on that relationship.
To answer the research question, it was important to understand what may be classified as optimal GWG. To achieve this, I carried out a systematic review of studies that produced GWG charts; this showed there was considerable heterogeneity in the quality of available GWG charts.
GWG was transformed into z-scores; this allowed analyses, which were independent of gestation length. Newborn body composition is considered a more accurate marker of neonatal size in anthropometric research when compared with birthweight. It is usually divided into body fat percentage (BF%) and fat free mass (FFM). NBC was measured using a PEAPOD® device which calculates BF% and FFM in infants up to the age of 6 months. It is considered the gold standard of measuring NBC.
My results showed that as GWG increased, both BF% and FFM increased. For each z-score unit increase in GWG, BF% increased by 1.8% and FFM by 292.7grams. The strongest modifiers on this relationship were BMI group, gender and GA at delivery. In addition, endocrine disorders and age at PEAPOD measurement affected only FFM and smoking affected only BF%.
The factors driving future morbidities are, of course, complex but GWG represents a modifiable factor that is easily measured and monitored hence its appeal. Public health issues such as childhood obesity, adulthood obesity, stunting and wasting and medical issues such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes appear to be affected by fetal environment and NBC. If it is at all possible to alter these, by influencing GWG through womenâs behaviour and clinical care we provide, the benefits in both the developed and developing world in the form of preventative medicine would be invaluable.</p
Association between gestational age specific weight gain in pregnancy and risk of adverse perinatal outcomes: A secondary analysis of the INTERBIO-21st Fetal Study
No full textBackground Gestational Weight gain (GWG) is a potentially modifiable factor that can influence perinatal health outcomes. Objectives To investigate the association between gestational age (GA)-specific weight gain and adverse perinatal outcomes.
Objectives; To investigate the association between gestational age (GA)-specific weight gain and adverse perinatal outcomes.
Methods; This study is a secondary analysis of the INTERBIO-21st Fetal Study, a prospective, longitudinal cohort conducted from February 8, 2012, to November 30, 2019, across six sites in Brazil, Kenya, Pakistan, South Africa, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. A total of 3,354 pregnant women, aged ≥18 years with a Body Mass Index (BMI) \u3c 35 kg/m2, initiated antenatal care before 14 weeks’ gestation. Weight was measured at 5 ± 1-week intervals from 14 to 40 weeks. GWG was assessed using the GA specific INTERGROWTH-21st and BMI-specific Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines. Adverse outcomes included gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH), emergency caesarean delivery, low birthweight (LBW), preterm birth (PTB), small or large for gestational age (SGA, LGA), macrosomia, and birth length or head circumference (HC) \u3c 10th or \u3e90th centile.
Results; Inadequate GWG was prevalent, with 53% (n=1,767) below the 25th centile of INTERGROWTH-21st standards and 62% (n=2,079) below IOM guidelines. Compared to GWG between 25th and 75th centile (n=370), females with GWG \u3c 25th centile (n=1767) had a higher odds of SGA (Odds ratio, OR=2.7, 95% confidence interval, CI: 2.2, 3.4), birth HC\u3c 10th centile (OR= 2.4, 95% CI: 1.8, 3.2), GDM (OR=1.9, 95% CI: 1.3, 2.7), LBW (OR=1.9, 95% CI: 1.5, 2.4), and birth length\u3c 10th centile (OR=1.7, 95% CI: 1.4, 2.1). Similarly, females with GWG \u3e75th centile (n=458) had higher odds for emergency caesarean section (OR=1.7, 95% CI: 1.1, 2.7) and PIH (OR= 1.5, 95% CI: 1.1, 1.9).
Conclusions; Appropriate-for-age (AGA) specific GWG between the 25th and 75th centiles standards is associated with reduced adverse outcomes, highlighting the importance of tailored guidelines for optimal maternal and neonatal health
Effectiveness of digital education approaches to improve knowledge, attitude, and practice towards salt intake in a sample of UAE population
No full textBackground: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), total deaths due to Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) recorded are ranged 24-46 % in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. High blood pressure (≥ 130/80 mmHg), is considered one of the major risk factors for CVDs and salt reduction is an effective strategy to prevent adverse risk. This doctoral work aims to translate and validate the original validated- Knowledge attitude and practice (KAP) questionnaire toward salt into Arabic, to assess intake of sodium and potassium in healthy United Arab Emirates (UAE)-residents using 24-hour urinary sodium excretion which is considered the gold standard method recommended by WHO, to estimate salt intake, alongside their (KAP) toward salt. It also aims to evaluate the effectiveness of digital intervention approaches to deliver educational material regarding salt intake.
Methods: KAP questionnaire for salt intake was translated to Arabic and validated for the UAE population with 156 participants. Then, a cross-sectional study with 191 UAE participants evaluated the KAP towards salt intake along with measuring 24-hour urinary sodium and potassium. Food records were used to identity the highest sodium food sources consumed by participants. The effectiveness of digital educational material to reduce salt intake delivered via weekly short WhatsApp messages versus fortnightly brochure email attachment was tested in a randomised controlled parallel study (N= 121). Forty participants from the two intervention groups were later interviewed retrospectively to provide insights into the educational material and their delivery methods.
Results: The internal reliability for the Arabic KAP questionnaire was confirmed with Cronbach’s α exceeding 0.7 and validity was confirmed by content validity ratio and construct validity. The mean urinary sodium and potassium were 2816.2± 675.7 and 1948.7± 473.1 mg /day, respectively, which were significantly higher in sodium and lower in potassium compared with the WHO recommendation. Compared to the control, sodium intakes decreased significantly in both the WhatsApp and e-mail groups with improvements in salt intake-specific food and health related knowledge.
Qualitative analysis revealed that 95% of the interviewees preferred receiving digital education through WhatsApp over the email. Nonetheless, 35 out of 40 identified benefits from the educational material but pointed to the lack of low-salt bakery product in the market and recommended having dedicated low-salt aisles or labels for low-salt products.
Conclusion: The Arabic KAP questionnaire is a valid tool to assess KAP towards salt intake and this is the first study used validated Arabic KAP questionnaire. Two-thirds of the study population exceeded WHO recommendation for salt intake with poor food-related knowledge. Digital platforms could be an effective tool for providing awareness on salt intake in the UAE region with WhatsApp being preferable over email communication. The lack of low salt alternatives was indicated as the main barrier for lowering salt intakes. Salt alternatives, their visibility and availability can be recommended in future studies to measure their effectiveness in salt reduction in this part of the world. This study also highlighted important of nutrition education to improve KAP toward salt intake and reduce intake if salt intake in sample of UAE population
Individual or Group-based Approach to the Assessment of Preschool Children: A Comparison using the INTERGROWTH-21st Neurodevelopment Assessment (INTER-NDA)
No full textIntroduction: It is unclear if the assessment of early child development can be carried out using a group approach, as opposed to individually.
Objective: To compare scores obtained from children aged 22 to 26 months assessed either in small groups or individually using the INTERGROWTH-21st Neurodevelopment Assessment (INTER-NDA), which measures cognition, language, motor skills, behavior, attention and socio-emotional reactivity.
Methods: A small group based strategy for administering and scoring the INTER-NDA was developed. Thirty-six preschool children attending four Centros de Cuidado y Atención Infantil of the Sistema Nacional para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF) of Mexico were assessed in small groups of three children by a teacher specifically trained in the INTER-NDA. A second teacher, unaware of the group results, assessed the children individually on a different day. The sex, age, weight, length and head circumference of the children at the time of assessment were recorded.
Results: INTER-NDA domain scores for group and individual assessments were statistically significantly correlated (range r=0.35 to r=1.00) for all domains except receptive language (r=0.25, p=0.14). Bland-Altman analysis showed agreement between group and individual scores for the language, behavior, attention and socio-emotional reactivity domains, and consistency (but not agreement) between group and individual scores for the cognitive and motor domains. None of the differences between group and individual scores examined were statistically significant, even after adjusting for the children’s age, sex, nutritional status and location of the preschool.
Conclusion: INTER-NDA domain specific scores obtained following group and individual assessment of children aged 22 to 26 months are consistent. It is feasible for trained preschool teachers to administer INTER-NDA at both group and individual level.</jats:p
The satisfactory growth and development at 2 years of age of the INTERGROWTH-21st Fetal Growth Standards cohort support its appropriateness for constructing international standards
No full textBackground The World Health Organization recommends that human growth should be monitored with the use of international standards. However, in obstetric practice, we continue to monitor fetal growth using numerous local charts or equations that are based on different populations for each body structure. Consistent with World Health Organization recommendations, the INTERGROWTH-21st Project has produced the first set of international standards to date pregnancies; to monitor fetal growth, estimated fetal weight, Doppler measures, and brain structures; to measure uterine growth, maternal nutrition, newborn infant size, and body composition; and to assess the postnatal growth of preterm babies. All these standards are based on the same healthy pregnancy cohort. Recognizing the importance of demonstrating that, postnatally, this cohort still adhered to the World Health Organization prescriptive approach, we followed their growth and development to the key milestone of 2 years of age. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine whether the babies in the INTERGROWTH-21st Project maintained optimal growth and development in childhood. Study Design In the Infant Follow-up Study of the INTERGROWTH-21st Project, we evaluated postnatal growth, nutrition, morbidity, and motor development up to 2 years of age in the children who contributed data to the construction of the international fetal growth, newborn infant size and body composition at birth, and preterm postnatal growth standards. Clinical care, feeding practices, anthropometric measures, and assessment of morbidity were standardized across study sites and documented at 1 and 2 years of age. Weight, length, and head circumference age- and sex-specific z-scores and percentiles and motor development milestones were estimated with the use of the World Health Organization Child Growth Standards and World Health Organization milestone distributions, respectively. For the preterm infants, corrected age was used. Variance components analysis was used to estimate the percentage variability among individuals within a study site compared with that among study sites. Results There were 3711 eligible singleton live births; 3042 children (82%) were evaluated at 2 years of age. There were no substantive differences between the included group and the lost-to-follow up group. Infant mortality rate was 3 per 1000; neonatal mortality rate was 1.6 per 1000. At the 2-year visit, the children included in the INTERGROWTH-21st Fetal Growth Standards were at the 49th percentile for length, 50th percentile for head circumference, and 58th percentile for weight of the World Health Organization Child Growth Standards. Similar results were seen for the preterm subgroup that was included in the INTERGROWTH-21st Preterm Postnatal Growth Standards. The cohort overlapped between the 3rd and 97th percentiles of the World Health Organization motor development milestones. We estimated that the variance among study sites explains only 5.5% of the total variability in the length of the children between birth and 2 years of age, although the variance among individuals within a study site explains 42.9% (ie, 8 times the amount explained by the variation among sites). An increase of 8.9 cm in adult height over mean parental height is estimated to occur in the cohort from low-middle income countries, provided that children continue to have adequate health, environmental, and nutritional conditions. Conclusion The cohort enrolled in the INTERGROWTH-21st standards remained healthy with adequate growth and motor development up to 2 years of age, which supports its appropriateness for the construction of international fetal and preterm postnatal growth standards
The First United Arab Emirates National Representative Birth Cohort Study: Study Protocol.
No full textBACKGROUND: In recent years, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has escalated. Evidence suggests that there are strong associations between nutrition in early life and the risk of disease in adulthood. This manuscript describes the study protocol of the First United Arab Emirates National Representative Birth Cohort Study (UAE-BCS), with the objective of investigating nutrition and lifestyle factors in the first 1,000 days of life. The main aims of the study are (1) to address critical issues relating to mother and child nutrition and their effect on growth and development, (2) to profile maternal nutrition, child growth, health, and development outcomes in early life, and (3) to study the associations between these factors among the Emirati population in the UAE. METHODS/DESIGN: In this study, a multidisciplinary team of researchers was established including credible researchers from the UAE, Lebanon, Australia, and the United Kingdom to launch the First United Arab Emirates 3-year birth cohort study. We aim to recruit 260 pregnant Emirati women within their first trimester, which is defined by the study as from 8 to 12 weeks pregnant, from obstetrics and gynecology clinics in the UAE. Participants will be recruited via face-to-face interviews and will receive a total of 11 visits with 1 visit in each trimester of pregnancy and 8 visits after delivery. Maternal data collection includes, socio-demographic and lifestyle factors, dietary intake, anthropometric measurements, physical activity, maternal psychological state, and blood samples for biochemical analysis. Post-partum, visits will take place when the child is 0.5, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months old, with data collection including infant anthropometric measurements, young child feeding practices, dietary intake, supplement use and the eating environment at home, as well as all maternal data collection described above, apart from blood samples. Additional data collection for the child includes early child developmental assessments taking place at three timepoints: (1) within 2 weeks of birth, (2) at 10-14 months and (3) at 22-26 months of age. Early child developmental assessments for the infant include vision, hearing, cognition, motor skills, social-emotional reactivity, neurodevelopmental, and sleep assessments. DISCUSSION: The United Arab Emirates Birth Cohort study protocol provides a standardized model of data collection methods for collaboration among the multisectoral teams within the United Arab Emirates to enrich the quality and research efficiency in early nutrition, thereby enhancing the health of mothers, infants, and children
The big five personality traits and eating habits among female students at Zayed University
No full textBackground: Adhering to healthy dietary habits is crucial for disease prevention and improving overall quality of life. Understanding how personality traits influence eating behaviors is essential for developing effective interventions aimed at promoting healthier eating habits. Personality traits are consistent behavioral patterns that individuals typically exhibit, and the Five-Factor Model (also known as the Big Five) is widely recognized as an effective framework for predicting personality traits. Methods: This study analyzed the relationship between personality traits and eating behaviors among 425 female students using a cross-sectional design. Sociodemographic data and personality traits were assessed using an online questionnaire, while eating behaviors were evaluated with the validated Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ). Key aspects of eating behavior studied included cognitive restraint, disinhibition, and emotional eating. The findings provide insights into how personality characteristics may influence eating habits, offering potential implications for interventions targeting healthier eating behaviors. Results: The majority of participants scored highest on the personality trait of openness to experience. The study found that certain personality traits, particularly neuroticism and agreeableness, were linked to dietary habits. Specifically, personality traits were associated with emotional eating (p < 0.003), but not with cognitive restraint (p = 0.25) or disinhibition (p = 0.308). Participants with higher levels of agreeableness demonstrated significantly higher cognitive restraint (p = 0.041). Conclusion: Personality traits can influence eating habits, particularly emotional eating. However, further research is needed to identify individuals at risk for diet-related diseases and to determine the most effective intervention strategies. This study is the first of its kind conducted in the United Arab Emirates, contributing valuable insights into the relationship between personality traits and eating behaviors
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