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Results for “Women In Development”

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At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Obesity in women from developing countries.

OBJECTIVES: The key objective was to estimate obesity (>/=30 kg/m2) in women 15-49 y from developing countries. A second objective was to study how obesity varies by educational level and by residence in urban and rural areas. A third objective was to investigate how national incomes shape the relationship between obesity and eduction or residence. DESIGN: The analyses use cross-sectional data from nationally representative surveys from developing countries carried out in the last decade. Most of the surveys were Demographic Health Surveys (DHS). Data from a survey from the USA are used for comparison. SETTING: The 39 surveys used come from 38 developing countries and the USA. SUBJECTS: A total of 147,938 non-pregnant women 15-49 y were included in the analyses. RESULTS: The percentage of obese women was 0.1% in South Asia, 2.5% in Sub-Saharan Africa, 9. 6% in Latin America and the Caribbean, 15.4% in Central Eastern Europe/Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS), 17.2% in the Middle East and North Africa, and 20.7% in the USA. Levels of obesity in countries increased sharply until a gross national product of US$1500 per capita (1992 values) was reached and changed little thereafter. In very poor countries, such as in Sub-Saharan Africa, obesity levels were greatly concentrated among urban and higher educated women. In more developed countries, such as those in Latin America and the CEE/CIS regions, obesity levels were more equally distributed in the general population. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the analyses presented and on a review of the literature, it is concluded that obesity among women is a serious problem in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, and the CEE/CIS region. Obesity is less of a concern in Sub-Saharan Africa, China and South Asia. Obesity levels increased over time in most of the limited number of countries with data, but at varying rates. Rising national incomes in developing countries and increased 'Westernization' will most likely lead to increased levels of obesity in the future. SPONSORSHIP: Financial support was provided by the Food and Nutrition Program of the Pan American Health Organization and by the World Bank.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Worker role identity development of women with disabilities who experience domestic violence.

This two-year longitudinal qualitative study explored worker role identity development of seven women with disabilities who experienced domestic violence. Yearly semi-structured interviews and monthly follow up calls elucidated the meaning of work in women's lives and the development of role identity during transitions from shelters to the community. Participants aged 26-47, were from two domestic violence shelters and an independent living center in the Midwestern United States. Data analyses, using constant comparative methods, a peer team and member checking, revealed that women's work roles remained in a state of identity diffusion. Identity diffusion in the worker role was delineated into three themes: role ambivalence, impact of disability, and relationship of the worker role to other roles. Study findings suggest a conflict between staff urgency to support women's return to work and economic self-sufficiency, and women's readiness to assume stronger work identities.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Does a predisposition to the metabolic syndrome sensitize women to develop pre-eclampsia?

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify those factors in the non-pregnant state that distinguished women who developed pre-eclampsia from those who had normotensive pregnancies. DESIGN AND SETTING: This was a retrospective analysis of anthropometry, blood pressure, biochemical and haematological variables in 62 women with pre-eclampsia and 84 normotensive pregnant women who took part in studies of the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia. Pregnant volunteers were seen, after admission to hospital or in the outpatient clinic, and followed-up at 6 weeks and 6 months post-partum in the outpatient clinic or their home. Participants Proteinuric pre-eclampsia was defined as blood pressure > or = 140/90 mmHg with proteinuria of at least 300 mg/24 h after 20 weeks gestation, in women with no history of hypertension and whose blood pressure returned to normal levels by 6 months post-partum. Normotensive pregnancy was defined as blood pressure < 130/90 mmHg without proteinuria. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measures were blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), triglycerides, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol and markers of severity of pre-eclampsia. RESULTS: Regardless of parity, women with pre-eclampsia had elevated BMI before, during and after pregnancy compared with women who had normotensive pregnancies. Triglycerides were significantly elevated in women who had pre-eclampsia both before and after delivery, while total and LDL cholesterol were elevated significantly at both visits after delivery. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, which by definition were elevated antepartum in women with pre-eclampsia, remained higher at post-partum visits compared with women who had normotensive pregnancies. Women with pre-eclampsia reported a greatly increased frequency of both maternal hypertension and pre-eclampsia. Markers of severity of pre-eclampsia, which normalized by 6 months postpartum, included plasma creatinine, uric acid, albumin, endothelin 1 and urinary protein, 2,3, dinor-6-keto-PGF1alpha, blood platelet and neutrophil counts. CONCLUSION: The relative elevation of blood pressure, BMI and lipids in the non-pregnant state are features of the metabolic syndrome and may be important sensitizing factors contributing to the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia. A familial predisposition to pre-eclampsia may operate partly through these mechanisms.

6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha↗
PubMed1989

Career development of women in health care administration: a preliminary consideration.

As greater numbers of women enter health care administration, it is important to understand their career perceptions so that organizations can assist them in becoming effective leaders. This article reports findings from focused interviews of women administrators regarding their career development and expectations and suggests issues that require attention.

Career Choice↗
PubMed1992

Prenatal maternal stress and prematurity: a prospective study of socioeconomically disadvantaged women.

Developed and tested a biopsychosocial model of birthweight and gestational age at delivery using structural equation modeling procedures. The model tested the effects of medical risk and prenatal stress on these indicators of prematurity after controlling for whether a woman had ever given birth (parity). Subjects were 130 women of low socioeconomic status interviewed throughout pregnancy in conjunction with prenatal care visits to a public clinic. The majority of women were Latino or African-American. Half were interviewed in Spanish. Lower birthweight was predicted by earlier delivery and by prenatal stress. Earlier delivery was predicted by medical risk and by prenatal stress. Parity was not related to time of delivery or to birthweight. Implications of results for the development of biopsychosocial research on pregnancy and on stress are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Application of the theory of gender and power to examine HIV-related exposures, risk factors, and effective interventions for women.

Developed by Robert Connell, the theory of gender and power is a social structural theory based on existing philosophical writings of sexual inequality and gender and power imbalance. According to the theory of gender and power, there are three major social structures that characterize the gendered relationships between men and women: the sexual division of labor, the sexual division of power, and the structure of cathexis. The aim of this article is to apply an extended version of the theory of gender and power to examine the exposures, social/behavioral risk factors, and biological properties that increase women's vulnerability for acquiring HIV. Subsequently, the authors review several public health level HIV interventions aimed at reducing women's HIV risk. Employing the theory of gender and power among women marshals new kinds of data, asks new and broader questions with regard to women and their risk of HIV, and, most important, creates new options for prevention.

Communicable Disease Control↗
PubMed2005

Fluoxetine during pregnancy: impact on fetal development.

Women are at greatest risk of suffering from depression during the childbearing years and thus may either become pregnant while taking an antidepressant or may require a prescription for one during pregnancy. The antidepressant fluoxetine (FX) is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which increases serotonin neurotransmission. Serotonin is involved in the regulation of a variety of physiological systems, including the sleep-wake cycle, circadian rhythms and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Each of these systems also plays an important role in fetal development. Compared with other antidepressant drugs, the SSRIs, such as FX, have fewer side effects. Because of this, they are now frequently prescribed, especially during pregnancy. Clinical studies suggest poor neonatal outcome after exposure to FX in utero. Recent studies in the sheep fetus describe the physiological effects of in utero exposure to FX with an 8 day infusion during late gestation in the sheep. This is a useful model for determining the effects of FX on fetal physiology. The fetus can be studied for weeks in its normal intrauterine environment with serial sampling of blood, thus permitting detailed studies of drug disposition in both mother and fetus combined with monitoring of fetal behavioural state and cardiovascular function. Fluoxetine causes an acute increase in plasma serotonin levels, leading to a transient reduction in uterine blood flow. This, in turn, reduces the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus, thereby presenting a mechanism for reducing growth and/or eliciting preterm delivery. Moreover, because FX crosses the placenta, the fetus is exposed directly to FX, as well as to the effects of the drug on the mother. Fluoxetine increases high-voltage/non-rapid eye movement behavioural state in the fetus after both acute and chronic exposure and, thus, may interfere with normal fetal neurodevelopment. Fluoxetine also alters hypothalamic function in the adult and increases the magnitude of the prepartum rise in fetal cortisol concentrations in sheep. Fetal FX exposure does not alter fetal circadian rhythms in melatonin or prolactin. Studies of the effects of FX exposure on fetal development in the sheep are important in defining possible physiological mechanisms that explain human clinical studies of birth outcomes after FX exposure. To date, there have been insufficient longer-term follow-up studies in any precocial species of offspring exposed to SSRIs in utero. Thus, further investigation of the long-term consequences of in utero exposure to FX and other SSRIs, as well as the mechanisms involved, are required for a complete understanding of the impact of these agents on development. This should involve studies in both humans and appropriate animal models.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Hormone production during pregnancy in the primigravid patient. II. Plasma levels of deoxycorticosterone throughout pregnancy of normal women and women who developed pregnancy-induced hypertension.

The plasma concentration of deoxycorticosterone (DOC) was determined serially in a large group of primigravid women from 10 weeks' gestation to term. The plasma level of DOC in women whose pregnancies were uncomplicated (n = 44) was 234 +/- 33 pg/ml (mean +/- SE), at 10 to 14 weeks' gestation, a level two times that of nonpregnant subjects. The plasma level of DOC in these women rose to 778 +/- 65 pg/ml at 23 to 26 weeks' gestation, and at term (39 to 42 weeks) was 1,309 +/- 155 pg/ml. The plasma levels of DOC in women (n = 31) who eventually developed pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) were similar to those in the women who remained normal at all stages of pregnancy. We also found that, in women with normal pregnancies as well as in all stages of pregnancy. We also found that, in women with normal pregnancies as well as in women destined to develop PIH, the plasma concentration of DOC fluctuated in a manner parallel to that of progesterone throughout gestation; however, changes in the plasma level of DOC did not mirror those of cortisol. These data suggest that excessive plasma levels of DOC are not necessarily associated with the development of PIH. These data also support the view that, in pregnant women, a fraction of circulating DOC may arise via extra-adrenal 21-hydroxylation of progesterone rather than through adrenal secretion.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Human papillomavirus infection in women who develop high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or cervical cancer: a case-control study in the UK.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) testing might identify older women who could be withdrawn from the cervical screening programme, or require less frequent screening. A case-control study using the United Kingdom cervical screening population was set up to help address this issue. Cases comprised 575 women who developed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 2 or worse over a 13-year period following a cytologically normal baseline smear, and were stratified by age group ('under 20', '20-39' and 40 years or over). Controls (n=601) were women who remained disease free over this interval and were the same age on average as cases. DNA was extracted from the baseline smears and tested for HPV by PCR using GP5+/6+ consensus primers. HPV+ samples were tested for HPV types 16 and 18 using specific PCR primers. In all, 27.0% of cases tested positive for HPV at baseline, compared with 15.4% of controls (odds ratio (OR)=2.00; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.50-2.68). Among women aged 40 years or over, the OR for HPV 16 was 8.95 (95% CI, 2.63-30.4). These results support the need for further cervical screening of HPV- older women, as many of the cases were HPV- at baseline.

Adult↗
PubMed2007

Prioritizing health problems in women in developing countries: comparing the financial burden of reproductive tract infections, anaemia and depressive disorders in a community survey in India.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the health care and opportunity costs of three common health problems [depressive disorders, reproductive tract infections (RTIs) and anaemia] affecting women and their associated risks of catastrophic health expenditure (defined a priori as out-of-pocket expenditure on health care exceeding 10% of the total monthly household income). METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of 2494 women who consented to participate, from a randomly selected sample of 3000 women aged 18-50, living in the catchment area of a primary health centre in Goa, India. Depressive disorders were diagnosed with the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule; anaemia on the basis of a fingerprick sample of blood using the Haemocue system; and RTI using PCR, culture and microscopy with vaginal or urine specimens. Economic consequences were measured using the Costs of Illness Schedule and the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule. Health provision costs were calculated using previously derived unit costs for services for the main types of health care provider. RESULTS: Catastrophic health expenditure, defined a priori as >10% of total household income spent out of pocket on health in the previous month, was reported by 138 women (5.5%; CI: 4.7-6.5%); they were more likely to report economic difficulties, such as having gone hungry in the past 3 months because of lack of money (OR 1.99, CI 1.1-3.6, P = 0.02). Only depressive disorder was associated with significantly higher health care costs, lost time costs and risk of catastrophic health expenditure (OR 2.66, CI 1.6-4.4, P < 0.001, after adjustment for possible sociodemographic confounders and other physical health problems). There was a linear association between the psychological morbidity score (arranged into quintile groups) and the risk of catastrophic health expenditure (adjusted). CONCLUSIONS: If economic arguments were considered a key driver for global health policy, then depressive disorder should be considered a major health priority for women in developing countries.

Adolescent↗