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Background: Pregnancy is a known physiological phenomenon characterized by various changes in the body. The physical and physiological changes that occur during pregnancy may impact the body image which may lead to implications such as body image issues or poor eating habits among pregnant women. This study aimed to analyze the body image perception of pregnant women in their third trimester. Methods: This cross-sectional survey which involved the administration of a Multidimensional Body Self-Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ), was conducted among pregnant women between 28 and 40 weeks of gestation in a tertiary care setting in Southern India. Descriptive statistics were used to report the demographic characteristics of the respondents. A one-sample t-test was used to analyze the difference between the present sample scores and the published norms of MBSRQ. Univariate Logistic Regression was done to find the association between the demographic variables and subdomains of MBSRQ. Results: The mean age of the respondents (n = 246) was 29.5 years, and the period of gestation was 33.4 weeks. With mean scores of subscales of MSRQ as reference values, a greater proportion of women had higher scores on appearance orientation (52.44%), health evaluation (56.91%), and illness orientation (55.28%). Respondents scored less on appearance evaluation (52.03%) and body areas satisfaction scale (50.41%). The study found that pre-pregnancy BMI, abdominal circumference, and weight gain during pregnancy were associated with appearance orientation, overweight preoccupation, and self-classified weight. Health evaluation was associated with weight gain and Instagram use, while moderate-intensity physical activity during pregnancy was associated with higher health orientation. Conclusion: Although pregnant women in our setting during the third trimester were oriented towards their appearance and considered themselves healthy and fit, almost half of the respondents reported dissatisfaction with their changing bodies and appearance. Self-reported physical activity status, body mass index, weight gain, level of education, use of Instagram app, and type of family were factors found to affect pregnant body image perception. Hence, we conclude that body image perception is affected during pregnancy, and healthcare professionals should be aware of this, and the factors associated with it while addressing the health of pregnant women. Clinical trial registration details: The study was registered under the Clinical Trials Registry- India: CTRI/2023/08/056524. https://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/rmaindet.php?trialid=89771&EncHid=39880.12369&modid=1&compid=19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) may engage in a range of cultural food practices during pregnancy, including restricting or avoiding foods high in protein and iron, and foods rich in vitamins and minerals. While research has explored the cultural food practices of pregnant women in LMICs, there is less understanding of the continued cultural food practices of women who migrate to high-income countries and then become pregnant. This systematic review explores the existing research on cultural food practices and sources of nutrition information among pregnant and postpartum migrant women from LMICs, residing in high-income countries. A systematic search was conducted in April 2024 across Global Health, CINAHL, and MEDLINE, published in English, with no date restrictions. Eligible studies included those focused on pregnant and postpartum women who had migrated from LMICs to high-income countries. Studies were excluded if they comprised of non-immigrant women or did not involve LMIC participants. Screened were studies for eligibility, data were extracted, and study quality was assessed. In total, 17 studies comprising qualitative (n = 10) and quantitative (n = 7) approaches were included. In 14 studies participants adhered to cultural food practices, wherein certain nutritious foods were restricted during pregnancy or the postpartum period; three studies noted limited adherence due to support, acculturation, and access to traditional foods. Most studies (n = 10) reported traditional "hot" and "cold" food beliefs during pregnancy and postpartum, aiming to maintain humoral balance for maternal and child health and to prevent miscarriage. Nutrition advice was sought from family members, friends, relatives, healthcare providers, and media sources, with a preference for advice from family members in their home countries. There is a need for culturally appropriate nutrition education resources to guide pregnant migrants through healthy and harmful cultural food practices and overall nutrition during this crucial period. (PROSPERO Registration: CRD42023409990). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A weight-inclusive approach to health involves the promotion of intuitive eating, i.e., the individual's ability to be aware of their physiological hunger and satiety cues to determine when and how much to eat, while paying attention to how certain foods affect their body. The second version of the Intuitive Eating Scale (IES-2) evaluates four interrelated traits of intuitive eating: Unconditional Permission to Eat (UPE), Eating for Physical rather than emotional Reasons (EPR), Reliance on internal Hunger/Satiety Cues (RHSC), and Body–Food Choice Congruence (BFCC). In this study, our aim was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a Mexican Spanish adaptation of the IES-2 for pregnant women and examine the relationship between intuitive eating traits and maternal sociodemographic characteristics. A sample of 514 pregnant women answered our IES-2 adaptation and a sociodemographic questionnaire. We determined the quality, validity, and reliability of our adaptation through descriptive measures, frequency distributions, intra-class correlations, and extreme answer group comparison for each item, eliminating those with weak technical properties. We then performed an exploratory principal component analysis and a confirmatory factor analysis. Last, we analyzed the association between intuitive eating and maternal sociodemographic and reproductive variables through correlation tests and multivariable linear regressions. Psychometric tests confirmed the validity and reliability of our IES-2 adaptation, which comprised 18 out of the 23 original items. Notably, both the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded not four but five factors, due to the EPR subscale splitting in two (the "emotional" and "physical" components of EPR). We attribute this novel finding to the emotional manifestations that naturally accompany pregnancy, which may incline pregnant women to base their eating behaviors more on the emotional than the physical component that would otherwise dominate their EPR trait. Further research is also needed about the UPE subscale during pregnancy, due to item removal and subtle changes in meaning. Finally, the influence of sociodemographic variables on the IES-2 score was extremely low, suggesting that other variables, possibly of a psychological nature, may have greater influence on a pregnant woman's intuitive eating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although pro-dietary practices and associated malnutrition are modifiable risk factors, they have a significant effect on maternal and neonatal health outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effect of nutritional education and home gardening promotion on feto-maternal outcomes among pregnant women. Methods: A three parallel arms community-based cluster randomized controlled trial was carried out in Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia from August 2020 to January 2021. Eighteen selected clusters were randomly assigned into three arms: husband (pregnant woman with her husband), peers (pregnant woman with her peers), and the controls. A total of 348 pregnant women were recruited in a 1:1:1 allocation ratio to the study arms at the baseline and 336 attended the end-line survey. Three nutrition education sessions and four varieties of vegetable seeds were provided for women in the intervention arms (husband and peers) and only routine nutrition education for the controls. Data were collected using a pretested interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. Generalized estimating equation analysis (GEE) and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Kruskal Wallis test were used to evaluate the effect of the interventions. The intervention effect estimates were obtained through a difference-in-differences approach. Result: In the final model, neonates born to women in the husband group were 232 g heavier than those in the control groups (β = 232, 95%CI: 228.00, 236.27. Similarly, women in the husband group had a 0.45 g/dl greater hemoglobin level than the control groups (β = 0.45, 95% CI: 36.48, 54.40). Likewise, a minimum diet diversity score was higher in the husband group as compared to the controls (β = 0.87 95% CI: (0.56, 1.18). Conclusions: Therefore, nutrition education and home gardening interventions resulted in a significant positive effect on the mean birth weight and maternal hemoglobin level among the intervention groups. The findings imply the need for enhancing such interventions to improve feto-maternal outcomes. The trial was registered at Pan African Clinical Trial Registry as PACTR202008624731801. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black women in the UK face significantly higher risks of overweight and obesity and adverse pregnancy outcomes compared to women from other ethnic groups. Maternal nutrition plays a pivotal role in influencing the health outcomes of women and their children, especially during preconception and pregnancy. Cultural and environmental factors significantly influence the dietary experiences of African women after migration. This study explored the unique nutrition-related challenges faced by African migrant pregnant and postnatal women in the UK, and their nutrition support needs. Interviews were conducted with 23 African migrant women living in the UK, who were either pregnant or had a pregnancy within the past 3 years. These were analysed thematically, resulting in five overarching themes: food rituals and beliefs, pregnancy cravings, limited access to culturally appropriate food, limited access to culturally appropriate and evidence-based nutritional guidance, and the focus on healthy weight. The study identified challenges that African migrant women face in balancing their cultural heritage with the UK food environment and dietary recommendations, including potential implications on their health and pregnancy outcomes. It emphasised the importance of addressing these challenges through culturally sensitive approaches and tailored interventions, to enable informed decision making and enhance health outcomes for these women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Promoting a healthy lifestyle and achieving strict adherence to medical treatment among patients with diabetes are key objectives in public health. Yet health behaviors are often culturally driven, especially in closed religious communities. This study seeks to reveal key cultural-religious factors, attitudes and behaviors characterizing the lifestyle in one such closed community-the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community-by understanding the attitudes of ultra-Orthodox patients with diabetes toward coping with their illness and the factors impacting their adherence to medicinal treatment.Method: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 16 ultra-Orthodox patients with diabetes using a semi-structured, in-depth questionnaire.Results: Three main themes emerged: 1) "The disease as a secret": Hiding the disease among patients with diabetes in ultra-Orthodox society; 2) "Distinguishing between sacred and secular occasions": ultra-Orthodox diabetes patients distinguish between treatment adherence on weekdays and treatment adherence on holidays or special occasions; 3) "Ask the rabbi": In cases of dilemmas that involved conflicts between halakhic rulings and doctors' instructions, the rabbi's decision was usually the final one.Conclusions: The findings of this study may help provide an in-depth understanding of the obstacles and motives of ultra-Orthodox patients in adhering to medicinal treatment of diabetes in particular and to medicinal treatment in general, thus helping family physicians who treat this population provide optimal and appropriate treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nutritional awareness and practice of women during pregnancy could be determining their nutritional status, which significantly affects the outcome of pregnancy. Therefore this study aims to explore the maternal nutrition counseling provided by health professionals for pregnant women, Barriers to maternal nutrition, and major interventions. Methods: A descriptive study design with a qualitative method by using ground theory tradition, based on constructivist research approach and Charmaz's (2000) study design has been conducted from September-01/2019 _November-16/2019 among pregnant women who got ANC service in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A purposive sampling technique was used. Practical observations and in-depth interviews were conducted. The sample size adjustment has been carried out according to the information saturation obtained, and finally, 81 practical observations, In-depth interview with two center managers, nine health professionals and eleven term pregnant women has been conducted. An observational checklist and Semi-structured, open-ended questionnaires were used. Data, the environment, and methodological triangulation were carried out. A conceptual framework has been established based on the data collected about the whole process of maternal nutrition counseling during pregnancy. ATLAS TI software was utilized for information analysis. The results: Most participants responded that maternal nutrition counseling provided to pregnant mothers is not adequate and neglected by most stakeholders. From 81 practical observations, health professionals counseled to mothers were 10 what to feed, 4 what to limit to consume, and 5 were counseled about what to eat during pregnancy. Close to all the respondents agreed on the importance of providing nutrition counseled by the nutritionists. Most of the study participants emphasized a shortage of time as primary barriers. Institutional Barriers, Professional Barriers, Maternal Barriers, and Community Barriers were major barriers to nutrition counseling. Conclusions: Generally, maternal nutrition counseling provided to pregnant mothers was not adequate and neglected by most stakeholders. Shortage of time due to client flow, Institutional Barriers, Professional Barriers, Maternal Barriers, and Community Barriers were major categories of maternal nutritional counseling barriers. Information update and timely preparation were recommended to health professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thirst is a very common symptom in fasted children in intensive care unit (ICU). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of sterile ice water versus menthol spray in ICU fasted children, to provide insights to the clinical care of fasted children., Methods: The children admitted to the ICU of our hospital from June 1, 2021 to August 31, 2022 and needed to fast were included. Children were randomly assigned to the ice water group or menthol group. We evaluated and compared the thirst distress scale (TDS), oral mucosa wetness scale (OMWS), children medical fear scale (CMFS), numerical rating scale (NRS), unstimulated whole saliva (UWS) flow rate between 2 groups., Results: A total of 139 children were included, involving 69 children in ice water group and 70 children in menthol group. There were no significant differences in the baseline characteristics, TDS, OMWS, OMWS, CMFS, and NRS score, UWS flow rate before intervention between ice water group and menthol group (all P > .05). After intervention, the TDS, OMWS, NRS score of menthol group was statistically less than that of ice water group (all P < .05), the UWS flow rate of menthol group was statistically higher than that of ice water group (P = .034)., Conclusions: Compared with ice water spray, menthol spray may be more beneficial to relieve the thirst and increase the comfort in ICU fasted children. Future studies with larger sample size and rigorous design are needed to evaluate the effects and safety of ice water and menthol spray in the nursing care of children., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

This study examined the mediating effect of resilience in the relationship between spirituality and self-management among older people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The participants were 151 older people with COPD in four general hospitals in Jiangsu Province, China. Data were collected from September 2020 to May 2021 using a questionnaire developed by the investigator, the Function Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Scale (FACIT-SP-12), 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10), and COPD Self-Management Scale (CSMS). One-way ANOVA and t-test were used to compare the level of self-management in patients with different sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Partial correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between spirituality, resilience, and self-management. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the contribution of spirituality and resilience to the prediction of self-management. A bootstrapping test was implemented using the SPSS PROCESS macro to test the statistical significance of the mediating effect. There was a pairwise positive correlation between spirituality, resilience, and self-management. Resilience mediated the relationship between spirituality and self-management. These findings suggested that resilience interventions could be incorporated into future COPD self-management interventions to better improve self-management and health outcomes. Moreover, resilience should be an important component of healthy aging initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]