scholarly journals Assessing Breastfeeding Practices Objectively Using Stable Isotope Techniques

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-113
Author(s):  
Christine Slater ◽  
Pernille Kaestel ◽  
Lisa Houghton
Keyword(s):  
Human Milk ◽  
Compartmental Model ◽  
Deuterium Oxide ◽  
Population Level ◽  
World Health ◽  
Objective Method ◽  
Breastfeeding Practices ◽  
Nutritional Components ◽  
Lactating Mothers ◽  
Health Organization

An objective method of assessing breastfeeding practices is required to evaluate progress toward the World Health Organization Global Target 2025: to increase exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) rates in the first 6 months to at least 50% by 2025. Currently, assessment of EBF at the population level is based on mother or caregiver reporting, which risks recall and social desirability bias. A more objective method is the deuterium oxide dose to mother (DTM) technique, in which lactating mothers are given a small amount of deuterium-labeled water. The infant receives deuterium during breastfeeding, and a compartmental model is used to determine the amount of human milk consumed by the infant, and the exclusivity of breastfeeding practices. If the amount of human milk consumed by an infant is determined using the DTM technique and the concentration of nutritional components or potentially toxic contaminants is measured, then the infant’s intake of essential nutrients or environmental contaminants can be ascertained.

Household and Population-Level Behavioural Changes Due to COVID-19 Pandemic: A Smart Thermostat Based Comparative Data Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Kirti Sundar Sahu ◽  
Arlene Oetomo ◽  
Niloofar Jalali ◽  
Plinio P. Morita
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Population Level ◽  
World Health ◽  
Motion Sensors ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Smart Thermostat ◽  
The Impact

The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. To inhibit the spread of COVID-19, governments around the globe, including Canada, have implemented physical distancing and lockdown measures, including a work-from-home policy. Canada in 2020 has developed a 24-Hour Movement Guideline for all ages laying guidance on the ideal amount of physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep (PASS) for an individual in a day. The purpose of this study was to investigate changes on the household and population-level in lifestyle behaviours (PASS) and time spent indoors at the household level, following the implementation of physical distancing protocols and stay-at-home guidelines. For this study, we used 2019 and 2020 data from ecobee, a Canadian smart Wi-Fi thermostat company, through the Donate Your Data (DYD) program. Using motion sensors data, we quantified the amount of sleep by using the absence of movement, and similarly, increased sensor activation to show a longer duration of household occupancy. The key findings of this study were; during the COVID-19 pandemic, overall household-level activity increased significantly compared to pre-pandemic times, there was no significant difference between household-level behaviours between weekdays and weekends during the pandemic, average sleep duration has not changed, but the pattern of sleep behaviour significantly changed, specifically, bedtime and wake up time delayed, indoor time spent has been increased and outdoor time significantly reduced. Our data analysis shows the feasibility of using big data to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the household and population-level behaviours and patterns of change.

scholarly journals Breastfeeding Practices among Adolescent Mothers and Associated Factors in Bangladesh (2004–2014)

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 557
Author(s):  
Kingsley Agho ◽  
Tahmeed Ahmed ◽  
Catharine Fleming ◽  
Mansi Dhami ◽  
Chundung Miner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Mothers ◽  
Antenatal Clinic ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Bottle Feeding ◽  
World Health ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Breastfeeding Initiation ◽  
Breastfeeding Practices ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
At Home

Optimal breastfeeding practices among mothers have been proven to have health and economic benefits, but evidence on breastfeeding practices among adolescent mothers in Bangladesh is limited. Hence, this study aims to estimate breastfeeding indicators and factors associated with selected feeding practices. The sample included 2554 children aged 0–23 months of adolescent mothers aged 12–19 years from four Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys collected between 2004 and 2014. Breastfeeding indicators were estimated using World Health Organization (WHO) indicators. Selected feeding indicators were examined against potential confounding factors using univariate and multivariate analyses. Only 42.2% of adolescent mothers initiated breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, 53% exclusively breastfed their infants, predominant breastfeeding was 17.3%, and 15.7% bottle-fed their children. Parity (2–3 children), older infants, and adolescent mothers who made postnatal check-up after two days were associated with increased exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) rates. Adolescent mothers aged 12–18 years and who watched television were less likely to delay breastfeeding initiation within the first hour of birth. Adolescent mothers who delivered at home (adjusted OR = 2.63, 95% CI:1.86, 3.74) and made postnatal check-up after two days (adjusted OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.21, 2.30) were significantly more likely to delay initiation breastfeeding within the first hour of birth. Adolescent mothers living in the Barisal region and who listened to the radio reported increased odds of predominant breastfeeding, and increased odds for bottle-feeding included male infants, infants aged 0–5 months, adolescent mothers who had eight or more antenatal clinic visits, and the highest wealth quintiles. In order for Bangladesh to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2 and 3 by 2030, breastfeeding promotion programmes should discourage bottle-feeding among adolescent mothers from the richest households and promote early initiation of breastfeeding especially among adolescent mothers who delivered at home and had a late postnatal check-up after delivery.

scholarly journals A Scoping Review of Policies Related to the Prevention and Control of Overweight and Obesity in Africa

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 4028
Author(s):  
Theodosia Adom ◽  
Anniza De Villiers ◽  
Thandi Puoane ◽  
André Pascal Kengne
Keyword(s):  
Scoping Review ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
World Health ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Food Industries ◽  
Nutrition And Diet ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
And Control

To address the issue of obesity, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a set of comprehensive programmes aimed at changing the obesogenic environments to provide opportunities for healthy food options and increased physical activity in the school, home, and at the population level. The objectives of this study were to examine the nature and range of policies related to overweight and obesity prevention in Africa, and to assess how they align with international guidelines. An existing methodological framework was adapted for this scoping review. A search of publicly available national documents on overweight/obesity, general health, and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) was undertaken from relevant websites, including WHO, ministries, and Google Scholar. Additional requests were sent to key contacts at relevant ministries about existing policy documents. The documents were reviewed, and the policies were categorised, using the Analysis Grid for Environments Linked to Obesity (ANGELO) framework. The framework categorises the environmental drivers of obesity into four domains (physical, economic, legislative, and socio-cultural) and two scales: macro (national, regional, sectors, food industries, media, etc.) and micro (household, institutional, and community). This review included documents from 41 African countries. The policy initiatives to prevent overweight/obesity target the school, family and community settings, and macro environments, and broadly align with global recommendations. The NCD documents were in the majority, with only two on obesity. The majority of the documents detailed strategies and key interventions on unhealthy diets and physical inactivity. The physical, legislative, and sociocultural domains were largely featured, with less emphasis on the economic domain. Additionally, nutrition- and diet-related policies were in the majority. Overlaps and interactions of policies were observed in the application of the ANGELO framework. This study has provided information on national policies and programmes in Africa and can be useful as a first point of call for policymakers. The overlapping and interaction in the initiatives demonstrate the importance of multi-sectoral partnerships in providing supportive environments for healthy behaviours.

scholarly journals BREASTFEEDING EXPERIENCES OF WORKING MOTHERS IN VIETNAM

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-286
Author(s):  
Nguyen Thi Truong Xuan ◽  
Nhan Thi Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Working Mothers ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
World Health ◽  
Breastfeeding Support ◽  
Breastfeeding Practices ◽  
Optimal Health ◽  
Returning To Work ◽  
Need For Support ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Depth Interviews

Background: World Health Organization recommends mothers all over the world should continue breastfeeding up to the age of two years or beyond to achieve optimal health, growth and development for their infants. However, the breastfeeding practices among working mothers have been decreased by the time passed.Objective: to describe the breastfeeding experiences of mothers who returned to work after childbirth.Methods: This study was utilized a qualitative design. Purposive sampling was used to recruit the participant who met the inclusion criteria. Data were collected from 10 semi-structured in-depth interviews. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The interview transcriptions were analyzed by using the qualitative content analysis approach.Results: The breastfeeding period of 10 working mothers ranging from 7 to 15 months. Five categories emerged from the data were: 1) Attitude towards breastfeeding, 2) Breastfeeding support during working, 3) Strategic plan for breastfeeding, 4) Psychological distress, and 5) A need for support facilities and resources for breastfeeding during working.Conclusion: This research provided a better understanding of breastfeeding experiences of working mothers in Vietnam. The findings can help nurses and other healthcare professionals in providing anticipatory guidance to mothers who plan to continue breastfeeding after returning to work.

scholarly journals A study on effectiveness of lactational amenorrhea as a method of contraception

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 3946 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamlesh Tiwari ◽  
Ishmat Khanam ◽  
Neha Savarna
Keyword(s):  
Exclusive Breastfeeding ◽  
World Health ◽  
Contraceptive Methods ◽  
Monthly Basis ◽  
Breastfeeding Practices ◽  
Lactating Mothers ◽  
Lactational Amenorrhea ◽  
The World ◽  
Lactational Amenorrhea Method ◽  
Natural Hormones

Background: The lactational amenorrhea method, known as LAM, is part of the World Health Organization’s list of accepted and effective methods of family planning. Studies show LAM to be 98% effective, as effective as the pill and other modern methods, when used according to guidelines. As LAM costs nothing, easy and natural to use, no medication or any devise needed, no interference with natural hormones, no interruption in conjugal life and more over the mother enjoying her motherhood life, it sounds very good as a method of contraception.Methods:This is a prospective non-comparative study. A total of 298 mothers participated in this study. The benefits of exclusive breast feeding with particular emphasis on timely breastfeeding and must feeding during the night hours were explained to the mothers and the physiology of lactational amenorrhea was explained to them. All the mothers were interviewed and followed up on monthly basis. Results:No lactating mothers conceived within the first six months of delivering their baby and only 4% mothers had evidence of pregnancy mainly after the 10th months after delivery.Conclusions:The lactational amenorrhea method is a highly effective method of contraception for 6 months if exclusive breastfeeding practices are followed. In a country like India where use of contraceptive methods are very meager, LAM may prove a boon as it provides dual benefit of exclusive breastfeeding and prevention of pregnancy.

The Voices That Influence HIV-Positive Mothers’ Breastfeeding Practices in an Urban, Ghanaian Society

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 176-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Kwartemaa Acheampong ◽  
Florence Naab ◽  
Adzo Kwashie
Keyword(s):  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
World Health ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Breastfeeding Practices ◽  
Hiv Positive Mothers ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Health Organization

Background: The World Health Organization recommends that HIV-positive mothers should breastfeed for at least 1 year. There are people in the lives of these mothers who influence their decisions. Research aim: The aim was to explore the role of social persuasion in the decision-making processes of HIV-positive breastfeeding mothers. Methods: A qualitative, exploratory research design was employed ( N = 13). Participants were recruited from a public hospital in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. One-on-one interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and the contents of the transcripts were analyzed for emerging themes. Results: The perspectives of spouses, health workers, counselors, and siblings about breastfeeding affect the breastfeeding practices of mothers living with HIV in Ghana. Most of the women had negative experiences with their midwives. Because of complex social and cultural influences, the opinions of spouses, health professionals, siblings, and members of the communities in which breastfeeding mothers with HIV live influence breastfeeding practices. Conclusion: This study described HIV-positive, breastfeeding mothers’ perceptions of the role played by spouses, health professionals, siblings, and the community in breastfeeding decisions and practices. Influential people in the lives of breastfeeding mothers with HIV should be involved during interventions by HIV counselors to promote breastfeeding practices.

scholarly journals Compartmentalized mathematical model to predict future number of active cases and deaths of COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osmar Pinto Neto ◽  
José Clark Reis ◽  
Ana Carolina Brisola Brizzi ◽  
Gustavo José Zambrano ◽  
Joabe Marcos de Souza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Compartmental Model ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
World Health ◽  
Atypical Pneumonia ◽  
Global Optimization Algorithm ◽  
Future Behavior ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Active Curve

Abstract In December 2019, China reported a series of atypical pneumonia cases caused by a new Coronavirus, called COVID-19. In response to the rapid global dissemination of the virus, on the 11th of Mars, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak a pandemic. In light of this situation, this paper intends to analyze and improve the current SEIR models to better represent the behavior of the COVID-19 and accurately predict the outcome of the pandemic in a given social, economic and political scenario. We present a novel generalized Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered (SEIR) compartmental model and test it using a global optimization algorithm with data collected from the WHO. Our main results were: (a) our model was able to accurately fit the data of all countries tested (b) it is possible to predict values for one week ahead with errors in the order of 15% for the number of cases and 30% in the number of deaths for all countries; (c) predictions are better for countries where the active cases curve already reached the maximum; the error being in the order of 10% in the number of cases and 20% in the number of deaths; (d) for countries where the active curve is still growing, different optimization solutions can be found that fit the data; so, to predict future behavior in this scenarios some of the model coefficients should be estimated from outside sources or based on generalized results from other countries according to their health policies of social distance, quarantining and case test and tracing.

scholarly journals Antenatal care, care at birth, and breastfeeding during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-18
Author(s):  
Ranjitha Ranganathan ◽  
Amir Maroof Khan ◽  
Pragti Chhabra
Keyword(s):  
Antenatal Care ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
World Health ◽  
Vulnerable Group ◽  
Published Evidence ◽  
Lactating Mothers ◽  
The World ◽  
Child Healthcare ◽  
Health Organization

Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been declared by the World Health Organization after it has gripped many countries of the world. The exponential increase in the number of cases has resulted in panic and confusion among healthcare workers and the vulnerable population. Pregnant and lactating mothers are a vulnerable group and need evidence-based advice to protect the health of the mother and the child. Healthcare workers can play an important role in dispelling the myths and misconceptions among pregnant and lactating mothers regarding COVID-19, if they are equipped with scientific information on antenatal care, care at birth, and breastfeeding. This review attempts to summarize the published evidence related to antenatal care, care at birth and breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A critical discussion of the benefits of e-health in population-level dental research

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond Lam ◽  
Estie Kruger ◽  
Marc Tennant
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
World Health ◽  
Dental Research ◽  
Traditional Research ◽  
Invaluable Tool ◽  
Health Organization

Population-level research is an essential area of health with the potential to affect quality of life and the broader economy. There are excellent epidemiological studies that have improved health services, but traditional research requires a considerable investment. Although electronic technology has changed the practice of many industries with improved efficiency, its application to health is relatively new. Termed ‘e-health’, this emerging area has been defined by the World Health Organization as the use of information technology to support many aspects of health such as in administration and scientific information. However, not all professionals are convinced of its use. This paper presents a novel application of this emerging area to describe the benefit in data collation and research to support one of the most pressing issues in public health: oral health and policy. Using the Chronic Disease Dental Scheme as an example, a critical discussion of its benefit to population-level research is presented. The Chronic Disease Dental Scheme method of electronic administration has been shown to enhance research and to complement existing progress in health data linkage. e-Health is an invaluable tool for population-level dental research.

scholarly journals Assessment of breastfeeding practices in lactating mothers: more road to cover

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 306
Author(s):  
Veeraraja B. Sathenahalli ◽  
Netra G.
Keyword(s):  
Economic Status ◽  
National Development ◽  
World Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Care Givers ◽  
Knowledge Questionnaire ◽  
Lactating Mothers ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Health Organization

Background: The mother’s milk is the best gift nature has provided. It is complete nourishment for babies. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that infants be exclusively breastfed for the first six months, followed by breastfeeding along with complementary foods for up to two years of age or beyond. Absence of remarkable progress in indicators of breastfeeding suggest that certain gaps still exist which restrict achievement of national development goals. These gaps could have resulted from unawareness and lack of knowledge regarding appropriate IYCF practices. Appropriate intervention in terms of awareness programmes may help in achieving the national development goals.Methods: A cross sectional hospital based study was conducted over a period of 3 months. Lactating mothers in post natal ward were questioned using self-administered breastfeeding knowledge questionnaire about their knowledge, attitude and practices of breastfeeding.Results: Total of 100 lactating mothers were enrolled. Majority of the mothers were in the age group of 20-25 years (72%), 65% of mothers were from rural area. only 27% mothers practiced initiation of breastfeeding after birth. 62% of mothers initiated breastfeeding after 30 minutes of birth. 10% mothers gave prelacteal feeds, honey was the most commonly given prelacteal feed. 90% of the mothers fed their baby colostrum. 90% of mothers knew that breast milk is ideal feed for newborn.Conclusions: The primary care givers need to implement strategies to educate mothers about breastfeeding in antenatal and post natal checkups to enhance good breastfeeding practice thereby reducing infant mortality and morbidity. A special strategy to reach out to poor socio economic status and illiterate mothers is need of the hour.

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