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Background and Objectives Concern about mistreatment and abuse during childbirth care is growing, and evidence suggests that many women worldwide experience mistreatment during childbirth. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of abused women during labor, types of abuse, rate of satisfaction with birth care among abused women, and associated sociodemographic and obstetric factors with mistreatment and abuse in the delivery room. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with data from 1196 women who experienced a vaginal delivery at least once within the past year in a public health setting in Erbil city, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. The author developed a questionnaire after a comprehensive review of the literature. Data were collected through direct interviews with the sample. Frequency, percentage, and chi-square tests were used for data analysis. Results About half of the study sample (49.9%) mentioned that they experienced mistreatment and/or abuse during labor and delivery. The most experienced type of mistreatment and abuse were as follows: lack of privacy (84.6%), patient-blaming (58.5), purposeful neglect (51.6%), abandonment of care, and detention in facilities (43.9%), Non-consented care (42.9%). The rate of physical and verbal abuse was 24.3% and 29.8%, respectively. There was a highly significant association between parity and general satisfaction with birth care with experiencing abuse (P = 0.006, P [less than or equal to] 0.001). Conclusions Mistreatment and abuse of women during childbirth are present among Kurdish women, leading to generally non-satisfaction with birth care, and exploring the reasons behind why health care providers mistreatment and abuse women during childbirth is critical., Author(s): Hamdia Mirkhan Ahmed [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.412012.4, 0000 0004 0417 5553, College of Health Sciences & Center for Research and Education in Women's Health, Hawler Medical University, , [...]

Introduction Maternal depression, which includes depression in the prenatal and postpartum periods, is estimated to affect between 10 and 20% of women globally but the rate is higher in the Middle East. Research focused on maternal depression in Iraq is limited to one study focused on postpartum depression. This paper identifies the prevalence and factors associated with antenatal depression among pregnant Iraqi women. Methods Women seeking maternal health services at primary health centers were invited to participate. Data were collected by trained midwifery students in Erbil, Iraq. Responses to the PHQ-2 PRIME-MD depression questions were used to identify depressive symptoms. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were used to analyze findings. Results Of the 179 participants, 86 (48%) reported depressive symptoms. In bivariate analysis, antenatal depression was associated with gestational age (p = 0.03), first prenatal visit in the second trimester (p = 0.003), loss of appetite (p = 0.003), not having help at home (p = 0.03), and use of prenatal vitamins (p = 0.002). Gravida approached significance (p = 0.07). In adjusted analysis, women reporting loss of appetite were more likely to report depressive symptoms (OR = 3.09, 95% CI: 1.47-6.51). Discussion Consistent with other research from the region, nearly half the women reported depressive symptoms. Because lack of appetite is associated with depressive symptoms, women reporting loss of appetite should be prioritized for depression screening in time-constrained settings., Author(s): Kathryn Mishkin [sup.1] , Shaymaa Samir Maqsood [sup.2] , Hamdia Mirkhan Ahmed [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.265850.c, 0000 0001 2151 7947, Department of Health Policy, Management, Behavior, University at [...]

Background: Researchers in universities and academic institutions must be in a leading position in generating research evidence to inform and direct national policies and strategies, improve service delivery, and achieve the main objectives. This study aimed to determine the factors that promote or hinder research productivity and quality among university academics in Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 949 university academics from all public universities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The authors developed a questionnaire that included sociodemographic data, challenges, satisfaction, and motivation for conducting research. Data were collected using a Google form. Frequencies, percentages, and the Chi-square test were used to analyze the data. Results: Most university academics (94.6%) believed that research was part of their job, but only 51.6% were satisfied with their role as academic researchers. The lack of financial motivation was the main reason for dissatisfaction, while the main incentive to conduct research was the passion for science. Around 21% of the university academics had not published any research, while 53.1% published 1–5 articles. Half of the participants (49.7%) lacked training in writing research proposals, and the majority (86.1%) have not applied for international grants. Approximately half of university academics (46.9%) shared their research findings with stakeholders, and the primary method was by sharing their published papers (59.4%), followed by seminars (42.2%). One of the important challenges in conducting research was the lack of funding (62.8%). Conclusions: The academics at universities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq are passionate about their role as researchers, but face many challenges in conducting effective research. A strategic plan is needed to provide an encouraging environment for university academics regarding infrastructure, financial, and technical support. More studies are needed to identify the root factors of academic staff needs and challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the World Health Organization, intimate partner violence (IPV) affects 35% of women worldwide and 40% of pregnant women, often resulting in maternal and infant death and harm. Displaced persons are at higher risk of abuse compared to the general population. While few studies have explored IPV in Iraq, research from Erbil, Iraq showed nearly 60% of women reported experiencing IPV in their lifetime. No publications examining IPV among displaced women in Iraq exist. Considering the severe impacts of IPV in pregnancy and the associated risks for IPV among women in refugee camps, this paper presents the first analysis of prevalence and factors associated with lifetime IPV among displaced pregnant women in two Iraqi refugee camps. Thirteen percent of women reported experiencing any abuse and experiencing IPV was associated with receiving fewer years of schooling (p = 0.04), not having a private doctor (p = 0.002), attending the first prenatal visit during the third trimester (p = 0.03), feeling pressure to have a child (p = 0.003), knowing someone who was physically injured by their husband (p = 0.05), experiencing suicidal ideation (p = 0.02), and being worried about harming one's baby (p = 0.02). Policy and programme recommendations for screening and prevention of IPV in resource-limited settings are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an educational breastfeeding intervention on initiation, continuation, and exclusivity of breastfeeding. In this experimental study 130 pregnant women who attended a primary health care center in Erbil city/Iraqi Kurdistan, between March 2018 and July 2018 were enrolled. They randomly allocated to either an experimental (n=65) or control (n=65) group. The participants assigned to the experimental group received two antenatal breastfeeding educational sessions. Outcome measurements (initiation, exclusivity, and continuation of breastfeeding) were assessed by a researcher, who was blind to groups' allocation. The percentage of subjects in the experimental group who began breastfeeding within one hour after delivery was significantly higher in the experimental group (75.0% vs. 39.4%, in the control groups, P=.004). Two months after delivery, proportion of women who practiced exclusive breastfeeding were (67.7% in experimental group compared to 40.0% in the control groups, P=.082), and for continuity of breastfeeding the majority of the subjects in the control (86.7%) and the experimental group (93.5%) were still breastfeeders (P=.425). An educational nursing intervention during the third trimester of pregnancy is an effective technique for increasing breastfeeding initiation, while it is less effective for breastfeeding exclusivity and continuation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anemia in pregnancy is a major public health problem, especially in developing countries. Nutritional anemia is the most common type of anemia worldwide and mainly includes iron, folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin C deficiencies. Iron deficiency contributes to half of the burden of anemia globally. The objectives of this study were to find out the prevalence and severity of anemia among pregnant women. A descriptive study was conducted on 600 pregnant women, during the period October 2015 to November 2016 at four primary health care centers in Erbil city. Data gathered through interview with study sample and filling questionnaire format and reviewing their antenatal records. Blood hemoglobin level was measured to assess the severity of anemia. Chi-square test and regression were used to analyze the data. Prevalence of anemia was 46.2%, and 67.1% of the anemic women had mild anemia. There was a significant association of severity of anemia with wife education and occupation, smoking, the number of abortions and cesarean section, ante partum hemorrhage, taking tablets of iron and folic acid per month. The study concluded that prevalence of anemia considered high in Erbil city, the highest percentage had mild anemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Religious beliefs may play a role in the rejection and acceptance of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines. We aimed to explore attitudes of Islamic clerics toward receiving the COVID-19 vaccines in a semi-structured qualitative focus group study., Methods: The clerics of members of the Union of Muslim Scholars of the Erbil branch were included through their representative in Iraqi Kurdistan in 2021., Results: This study found that both acceptance and non-acceptance focus groups approved of the existence and importance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The acceptance group intended to receive COVID-19 to protect themselves and tried to convince people to receive the vaccine. However, the non-acceptance focus group did not believe in the COVID-19 vaccine due to different reasons: (1) COVID-19 vaccines have been commercialized and politicized by the governments; (2) the government makes limitations for the people due to COVID-19; (3) making fake vaccine cards; and (4) several serious side effects of COVID-19 (death, etc.) and not receiving by health care workers. The acceptance group reported that some rumors are spread in our community and impact the public to not receive COVID-19 vaccines., Conclusions: This study showed that some Islamic clerics have serious concerns about the side effects of COVID-19 vaccines.