Characteristics and attitudes of family planners in Khartoum, Sudan

1982 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Khalifa

SummaryIn a survey of 1475 urban Moslem wives in the age group 15–49 living in the capital city of the Sudan, knowledge of birth control was reported by almost all respondents while a significant proportion had used contraception at least once. The mean age of the users was 32·8 years, their duration of marriage was 15·1 years and their mean number of surviving children was 4·6. Those who had never used contraception had a higher mean age, a longer duration of marriage and more surviving children. Most of the users had an urban residential background and belonged to the high socioeconomic class. They held favourable attitudes to family planning. Although they thought that having a large family (more than five children) was not desirable, their mean preferred family size was no different from that of the never users.The results indicate that contraception is used for the purpose of spacing births rather than limiting their ultimate number. At this early stage of contraceptive adoption in Sudan, the characteristics of the pioneer acceptors are similar to those observed in other African countries.

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-85
Author(s):  
Suman Raj Tamrakar ◽  
S Shrestha

Cervical carcinoma is the most common gynecological malignancy and almost curable cancer, if identified at an early stage. Cervical biopsy remains the ‘gold standard’ for the diagnosis of precancerous cervical lesion. The objective of this study was to review the histopathological findings of cervical biopsy including cervical polypectomy and hysterectomy specimens at Dhulikhel Hospital from January 2008 to December 2018. Out of 2098 cases, almost half of the cases (49.3%) were of Brahmin/Chhetri castes. There were significant differences in mean ages among hysterectomy cases (47.55±9.26), cervical biopsy cases (43.08±11.50) and polypectomy cases (33.59±12.47) (p value < 0.005). Out of 925 cervical specimens (cervical biopsy and polypectomy), colposcopy and hysteroscopy were performed in 18.2% and 12.7%, respectively. Out of 1173 hysterectomies, there were 110 cases (9.4%) of malignancies and cervical cancer was the most common (67, 60.9%). The mean age of cervical cancer patients was 52.87±11.94 years. Cervical cancer detected in age group of 40 – 59 years was significantly high (p value < 0.005). Incidence of cervical cancer was lowest in Brahmin/Chhetris (2.4%) compared to Newars (3.4%) and other Janajatis (12.8%) and the difference was statistically significant (p value < 0.005). The findings of this study is useful in updating the histopathological pattern of cervical biopsies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 1332-1337
Author(s):  
Omar SO Amer ◽  
Mohamed I Waly ◽  
Izhar W Burhan ◽  
Esam S Al-Malki ◽  
Amor Smida ◽  
...  

Introduction: Saudi Arabia has successfully reduced malaria cases to be constrained largely in the western regions. This study aimed to determine the epidemiological trends of malaria infection in five western regions of Saudi Arabia. Methodology: A retrospective analysis was conducted to investigate the epidemiological trends of malaria infection in the western regions, based on the published registry of the Saudi Ministry of Health, during the period from 2014 to 2017 using the appropriate statistical tools. Results: A total of 8925 confirmed cases of malaria were reported in the western regions during the period from 2014 to 2017 with the mean of 2231 malaria cases per year. The minimum (n = 1097) and maximum (n = 4075) number of cases were reported in 2014 and 2016 respectively. The highest (n = 5919, 66.3%) number of cases were reported from Jazan region, while lowest (n = 86, 1.0%) number of cases were reported from Al-Bahah region. Plasmodium falciparum was the most frequently reported species with 7485 (83.9%) cases, while Plasmodium vivax accounted 1386 (15.5%) cases. Plasmodium malariae and mixed infections were insignificant and accounted 0.5% (n = 48) and 0.1% (n = 6) cases respectively. In relation to malaria infection and age group, malaria was predominant in > 15 age group. The highest number of malaria cases in almost all years was observed from January until March and the lowest number was reported from May until July. Conclusions: Plasmodium falciparum was the most dominant species in this survey and Jazan was the most affected region.


1986 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 379-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Higgins ◽  
I-Cheng Chi ◽  
Lynne R. Wilkens ◽  
Robert A. Hatcher

SummaryDepot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) was approved as an investigational new drug for contraceptive use in the United States between 1967 and 1978. Patterns of contraceptive choice and changing methods were determined among 36,298 women attending a family planning clinic between 1967 and 1976. This population was the largest concentration of US women who had DMPA available as a contraceptive option. By 1974, women in the age group 35–49 were as likely to choose DMPA as either oral contraception or an intrauterine device. Coincidentally, use of the most popular choice, oral contraception, declined in older women and IUD use dropped sharply in all age groups. On average, users of DMPA were more likely to continue their method than were users of IUDs or barrier methods. Among women in the 35–49 age group, DMPA users were the group least likely to change methods.


2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 19535-19535
Author(s):  
B. P. Nair ◽  
O. Khalil ◽  
V. R. Phooshkooru ◽  
L. F. Hutchins

19535 Background: Weight gain occurs in patients with early stage breast cancer receiving chemotherapy. The etiology is unknown. Most pre-menopausal patients receiving chemotherapy enter menopause during the course of treatment. We explored the relation between weight gain and development of menopause in breast cancer patients. We hypothesized that, among breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, those in the pre/perimenopausal group will gain more weight compared to postmenopausal group in the first 2 years. Methods: The electronic database at University of Arkansas was queried for breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy between May 1992 and Nov 2003. Age, chemotherapy and weight at multiple time points (diagnosis, 6, 12, 24 and 60 months) were obtained. The mean weight changes across these time points were then calculated for the entire population and also after categorizing by age. Age was used as a surrogate for menstrual status. Women aged >=50 yrs were considered postmenopausal, those <50 yrs were considered pre or perimenopausal. Results: 617 patients were included in the analysis. There were 371 patients in the >=50 age group and 246 patients in the <50 age group. The average baseline weight for the entire population was 75.21 kg: 74.44 for women <50 yrs and 75.71 for women >= 50 yrs. Patients <50 yrs of age gained weight in the first 2 yrs: 1.11 kg weight in the 1st year and 0.65 kg in the second yr. This was followed by loss of 1.19 kg over next 3 yrs which paralleled the loss of weight in the >=50 group. The mean weight of the >=50 age decreased by 0.27 kg in the first 2 years and then by 1.16 kg over the next 3 yrs following chemotherapy. Conclusions: Pre/perimenopausal breast cancer patients in our study gained weight, while postmenopausal patients had slight weight loss during the first 2 years. These findings imply that onset of menopause itself may be playing a significant role in weight gain among pre/perimenopausal breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. [Table: see text] No significant financial relationships to disclose.


1973 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 695-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.-A. Lamberg ◽  
R.-L. Kantero ◽  
P. Saarinen ◽  
O. Widholm

ABSTRACT In an endocrine survey of healthy girls aged 8 to 20 years before and after the menarche the serum TSH was measured by radioimmunoassay along with some parameters of thyroid function which are described separately. The subjects were grouped according to the skeletal age (SA) until the menarche and after this in the post-menarcheal age (PMA) expressed in years. The TSH value was highest in the youngest age group and from then on decreased. However, within 0.5 years after the menarche another significantly elevated TSH peak occurred. There was no significant difference between the means for TSH before (5.4 μU/ml) and after the menarche (5.7 μU/ml). Both values, however, as well as the means for almost all the individual age groups, were significantly higher than the mean for 13 boys aged 12 to 16 years (3.9 μU/ml) and that for normal adults (3.6 μU/ml). When the girls were grouped according to the stage of puberty, the TSH peak at the time of menarche disappeared. When they were grouped according to SA, a gradual declining trend was seen from age 8 to 16 years. It is concluded that the maturation process in girls in some way involves a significant elevation of serum TSH and an increase in the total and free T4 level which is not dependent on binding proteins.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eyitayo Omolara Owolabi ◽  
Daniel Ter Goon ◽  
Eunice Seekoe

Unplanned child birth generates serious health and financial problems for families, and results in a population explosion in the presence of inadequate infrastructure. In spite of the various awareness creation campaigns on family planning, many women are still ignorant of its importance; some believe that children are gifts from God and women should bear children without any restrictions. This study therefore sought to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of family planning among women of child-bearing age attending selected hospitals in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was administered to 200 purposively selected women of child-bearing age attending the two largest infant welfare clinics in Osogbo. The mean age of the participants was 26.23 (SD ± 1.23) years. The majority (170; 85%) were married, had 3-4 children (114; 57%) and were Muslim (118; 59%). Most (130; 65%) of the participants had secondary level education. Almost all the participants (194; 97%) were knowledgeable about family planning and contraception and all of them practised it. About 70% of the women had a good attitude to family planning. There was a significant relationship between education qualification (p < 0.000) and parity (p < 0.000) and women’s attitude to family planning. Likewise, there was a significant relationship between the family planning knowledge of women of child-bearing age as well as their practice of family planning (p < 0.000). The study showed that these women in the selected hospitals had good knowledge of and attitudes to family planning and applied good practices.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franciele Hellwig ◽  
Carolina V. N. Coll ◽  
Cauane Blumenberg ◽  
Fernanda Ewerling ◽  
Caroline W. Kabiru ◽  
...  

Background: Around 80% of the African population lives in urban areas, and a rapid urbanization is observed in almost all countries. Urban poverty has been linked to several sexual and reproductive health risks, including high levels of unintended pregnancies. We aim to investigate wealth inequalities in demand for family planning satisfied with modern methods (mDFPS) among women living in urban areas from African countries.Methods: We used data from 43 national health surveys carried out since 2010 to assess wealth inequalities in mDFPS. mDFPS and the share of modern contraceptive use were stratified by groups of household wealth. We also assessed the ecological relationship between the proportion of urban population living in informal settlements and both mDFPS and inequalities in coverage.Results: mDFPS among urban women ranged from 27% (95% CI: 23–31%) in Chad to 87% (95% CI: 84–89%) in Eswatini. We found significant inequalities in mDFPS with lower coverage among the poorest women in most countries. In North Africa, inequalities in mDFPS were identified only in Sudan, where coverage ranged between 7% (95% CI: 3–15%) among the poorest and 52% (95% CI: 49–56%) among the wealthiest. The largest gap in the Eastern and Southern African was found in Angola; 6% (95% CI: 3–11%) among the poorest and 46% (95% CI: 41–51%) among the wealthiest. In West and Central Africa, large gaps were found for almost all countries, especially in Central African Republic, where mDFPS was 11% (95% CI: 7–18%) among the poorest and 47% (95% CI: 41–53%) among the wealthiest. Inequalities by type of method were also observed for urban poor, with an overall pattern of lower use of long-acting and permanent methods. Our ecological analyses showed that the higher the proportion of the population living in informal settlements, the lower the mDFPS and the higher the inequalities.Conclusion: Our results rise the need for more focus on the urban-poorer women by public policies and programs. Future interventions developed by national governments and international organizations should consider the interconnection between urbanization, poverty, and reproductive health.


2011 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 754-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deb Feldman-Stewart ◽  
Carlo Capirci ◽  
Sarah Brennenstuhl ◽  
Christine Tong ◽  
Ufuk Abacioglu ◽  
...  

Purpose: To describe decisional roles of patients with early-stage prostate cancer in 9 countries and to compare the information they rated important for decision making (DM). Method: A survey of recently treated patients was conducted in Canada, Italy, England, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, and Turkey. Participants indicated their decisional role in their actual decision and the role they would prefer now. Each participant also rated (essential/desired/no opinion/avoid) the importance of obtaining answers, between diagnosis and treatment decision, to each of 92 questions. For each essential/desired question, participants specified all purposes for that information (to help them: understand/decide/plan/not sure/other). Results: A total of 659 patients participated with country-specific response rates between 58%-77%. Between 83%-96% of each country’s participants recalled actually taking an active decisional role and, in most countries, that increased slightly if they were to make the decision today; there were no significant differences among countries. There was a small reliable difference in the mean number of questions rated essential for DM across countries. More striking, however, was the wide variability within each country: no question was rated essential for DM by even 50% of its participants but almost every question was rated essential by some. Conclusions: Almost all participants from each country want to participate in their treatment decisions. Although there are country-specific differences in the amount of information required, wide variation within each country suggests that information that patients feel is essential or desired for DM should be addressed on an individual basis in all countries.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-107
Author(s):  
Tauseef Akhtar ◽  
Ronald Berger ◽  
Joseph E Marine ◽  
Usama A Daimee ◽  
Hugh Calkins ◽  
...  

A significant proportion of AF patients with advanced age are being treated in clinical practice. Cryoballoon ablation of AF, given its shorter procedure time and comparable efficacy to radiofrequency ablation, has rapidly become a commonly used tool for AF ablation. Data regarding the outcomes of cryoballoon ablation of AF in octogenarians are limited because of the exclusion of this age group in the previous studies. The authors report outcomes of 15 octogenarian AF patients undergoing index cryoballoon ablation at a single centre. The mean age of the included patients was 83 ± 3 years. In total, 13 patients (87%) presented with paroxysmal AF, and two (13%) had long-standing persistent AF. At 6 and 12 months of follow-up, freedom from AF was 80% and 70%, respectively. None of the patients suffered any procedure-related complications. Cryoballoon ablation appears to be a safe and effective approach for treating symptomatic AF refractory to antiarrhythmic drug therapy in octogenarian patients, based on outcomes in this cohort. These findings require further validation in prospective randomised studies with larger sample sizes.


1992 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 281-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui M M Victorino ◽  
D Guerreiro ◽  
M Helena Lourenço ◽  
M O Santos Ferreira ◽  
L Cunha Teles

A significant proportion (10%) of notified AIDS cases in Portugal are due to HIV-2 infection as a result of the close connections of Portugal with Western African Countries (ex-Portuguese colonies) where there is a high HIV-2 seroprevalence. We conducted a seroepidemiological study of HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection in 1400 women attending family planning and antenatal clinics in a health centre in Lisbon with the objective of analysing whether there was evidence of HIV-2 spread in this population. The seroprevalence for HIV, as determined by ELISA and confirmed by Western Blot, was 0.42% (6 cases) and 50% of these were of HIV-2 infection. Analysis of the epidemiological inquiries reveals that out of the 6 seropositive cases, only one was a drug addict (HIV-1) and another a western African black woman (HIV-2). The other 4 cases (2 HIV-2 and 2 HIV-1) were white Portuguese women with no history of travelling to Africa or previous blood transfusions, and the only risk factor was a history of multiple sexual partners (in 3 out of 4).


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