scholarly journals Social and Environmental Risk Factors for Unintentional Suffocation Among Infants in China

Author(s):  
Xue Yu ◽  
Leni Kang ◽  
Lei Miao ◽  
Jun Zhu ◽  
Juan Liang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: This retrospective study aims to determine the epidemiological features of deaths caused by unintentional suffocation among infants in China, with a focus on environmental and sociodemographic factors may contribute to these deaths.Methods: Data were obtained from China’s under 5 Child Mortality Surveillance System (U5CMSS) from October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2016. A total of 377 children under 1 year of age who died from unintentional suffocation were included in the survey. Primary caregivers were interviewed individually using the Unintentional Suffocation Mortality among Children under 5 Questionnaire. EpiData was used to establish the database, and the results were analysed using SPSS 22.0.Results: Most (85.9%) unintentional infant suffocations occurred in rural areas, and 67.5% occurred in infants 0 to 3 months old. Among the primary caregivers of the infants, most (82.7%) had a junior middle school education or below, and 83.1% of them lacked unintentional suffocation first aid skills. Of the 377 unintentional suffocated-infant deaths, the causes of death were unintentional suffocation and strangulation in bed (ASSB) (193, 51.2%), inhalation suffocation (154, 40.8%), other unintentional suffocation (6, 1.6%), and unknown (24, 6.4%). Among the infant deaths due to ASSB, overlaying (88.6%) was the frequently reported circumstance. A total of 93.8% of cases were reported to occur during co-sleeping/bed sharing with parents, and in 72.8% of the cases, the infants were covered with the same quilt as their parents. In our study, most inhalation suffocation deaths (88.3%) involved liquid food (such as breast milk and formula milk). A total of 80.5% of infant deaths were reported to occur after eating; in 28.2% of those cases, the infants were held upright and patted by their caregivers, and in 57.2% of them, were laid down to sleep immediately after eating.Conclusions: To reduce the occurrence of unintentional suffocation, local government should strengthen knowledge and awareness of unintentional suffocation prevention and safety among parents and caregivers, healthcare providers should educate parents and caregivers about safety issues of unintentional suffocation and relevant policies should be introduced to provide environments and activities that reduce the risk of suffocation such as promoting the Safe to Sleep Campaign. It is important to enhance the focus on infant unintentional suffocation as a health issue.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xue Yu ◽  
Lei Miao ◽  
Jun Zhu ◽  
Juan Liang ◽  
Li Dai ◽  
...  

Abstract Background This retrospective study aimed to determine the epidemiological features of deaths caused by unintentional suffocation among infants in China. Methods The data used in this study were obtained from China’s Under 5 Child Mortality Surveillance System (U5CMSS) from October 1, 2015, to September 30, 2016. A total of 377 children under 1 year of age who died from unintentional suffocation were included in the survey. Primary caregivers were interviewed individually using the Unintentional Suffocation Mortality among Children under 5 Questionnaire. EpiData was used to establish the database, and the results were analysed using SPSS 22.0. Results Most (85.9%) unintentional infant suffocations occurred in rural areas, and 67.5% occurred in infants 0 to 3 months old. Among the primary caregivers of the infants, most (82.7%) had a junior middle school education or below, and 83.1% of them lacked unintentional suffocation first aid skills. Of the 377 unintentional suffocated-infant deaths, the causes of death were accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed (ASSB) (193, 51.2%), inhalation suffocation (154, 40.8%), other unintentional suffocation (6, 1.6%), and unknown (24, 6.4%). Among the infant deaths due to ASSB, overlaying (88.6%) was the most frequently reported circumstance. A total of 93.8% of cases reported occurred during co-sleeping/bed sharing with parents, and in 72.8% of the cases, the infants were covered with the same quilt as their parents. In our study, most inhalation suffocation deaths (88.3%) involved liquid food (such as breast milk and formula milk). A total of 80.5% of infant deaths reportedly occurred after eating; in 28.2% of those cases, the infants were held upright and patted by their caregivers, and 57.2% of them were laid down to sleep immediately after eating. Conclusions To reduce the occurrence of unintentional suffocation, local government should strengthen knowledge and awareness of unintentional suffocation prevention and safety among parents and caregivers. Additionally, health care providers should educate parents and caregivers about safety issues of unintentional suffocation, and relevant policies should be introduced to provide environments and activities that reduce the risk of suffocation, such as promoting the Safe to Sleep Campaign. It is important to enhance the focus on infant unintentional suffocation as a health issue.


Safety ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
J. L. Gibbs ◽  
K. Walls ◽  
C. Sheridan ◽  
D. Sullivan ◽  
M. Cheyney ◽  
...  

Young adults enrolled in collegiate agricultural programs are a critical audience for agricultural health and safety training. Understanding the farm tasks that young adults engage in is necessary for tailoring health and safety education. The project analyzed evaluation survey responses from the Gear Up for Ag Health and Safety™ program, including reported agricultural tasks, safety concerns, frequency of discussing health and safety concerns with healthcare providers, safety behaviors, and future career plans. The most common tasks reported included operation of machinery and grain-handling. Most participants intended to work on a family-owned agricultural operation or for an agribusiness/cooperative following graduation. Reported safety behaviors (hearing protection, eye protection, and sunscreen use when performing outdoor tasks) differed by gender and education type. Male community college and university participants reported higher rates of “near-misses” and crashes when operating equipment on the roadway. One-third of participants reported discussing agricultural health and safety issues with their medical provider, while 72% were concerned about the health and safety of their family and co-workers in agriculture. These findings provide guidance for better development of agricultural health and safety programs addressing this population—future trainings should be uniquely tailored, accounting for gender and educational differences.


Author(s):  
Hyejung Lee ◽  
Ki-Eun Kim ◽  
Mi-Young Kim ◽  
Chang Gi Park ◽  
Jung Yeol Han ◽  
...  

The purposes of this study were to investigate the trajectory groups of depressive symptoms and anxiety in women during pregnancy and to identify the factors associated with those groups. Participants were recruited from the outpatient clinic of a women’s health hospital in Seoul, Korea. Pregnant women (n = 136) completed a survey questionnaire that included questions on depressive symptoms, anxiety, and pregnancy stress; additionally, their saliva was tested for cortisol hormone levels three times during their pregnancies. The group-based trajectory modeling approach was used to identify latent trajectory groups. Ordinal logistic regressions were used to explore the association of latent trajectory groups with sociodemographic factors and pregnancy stress. Three trajectory groups of depressive symptoms were identified: low-stable (70%), moderate-stable (25%), and increased (5%). Four trajectory groups of anxiety were identified: very low-stable (10%), low-stable (67%), moderate-stable (18%), and high-stable (5%). The only factor associated with both the depressive symptoms and anxiety trajectory groups was pregnancy stress (p < 0.001). Most participants showed stable emotional status; however, some participants experienced higher levels of depressive symptoms and anxiety related to higher pregnancy stress. These pregnant women may need additional care from healthcare providers to promote their wellbeing during pregnancy.


1997 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 656-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur Froese ◽  
Patrice Dwyer-Sepic ◽  
Kevin Parker

Objective: To report the early experience of a multiagency child psychiatric consultation service. Method: The program is described, and the demographic characteristics of clients referred to the consultation program over the first 25 months of operation are presented. Referrals were examined for demographics and the questions consultees wanted to have answered. Results: In 59 of 100 consultations, physical and/or sexual abuse was proved or highly suspected. In 82 of the 100 cases, consultees had questions pertaining to management issues. Questions related to diagnostic issues numbered 62, and there were 45 questions about safety issues. Conclusion: Effective psychiatric consultations services to rural areas can be established. Once established, the questions of consultees can provide an effective training ground for future community-oriented child psychiatrists.


2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ângela Rodrigues ◽  
Bruno Valentim ◽  
Daniel Tavares ◽  
Maria João Augusto ◽  
Jorge Campelo ◽  
...  

Introduction: The lack of knowledge about the existence, effectiveness, and supply of emergency contraception as well as access to it, its effective duration and the lack of recognition of the need for its use can prevent women from using it. The aim of this study was to ascertain the attitudes, experience, level of knowledge and information sources about emergency contraception of Portuguese female users of healthcare services.Material and Methods: We conducted a multicentre, cross-sectional, observational study among 280 Portuguese women users of health care services through an original and anonymous questionnaire composed of 30 questions.Results: The mean age of the women who replied to the questionnaire was 33.83 ± 8.76 years. Of the observed sample, 27.7% used EC, 50% of whom with no counselling. Despite 92.1% of women claiming knowledge about emergency contraception, only 31.2% of these answered 8 - 10 questions correctly (14 in total). The media were the most frequent source of information (63.4%). Most participants (67.5%) considered that emergency contraception is associated with severe adverse reactions. Furthermore, 76% did not know the time range of effectiveness after unprotected sexual intercourse. Youngest age (p = 0.038), higher education level (p < 0.001), increasing parity (p = 0.051) and previous use of emergency contraception (p = 0.011) were identified as the determinant sociodemographic factors for a higher level of knowledge about emergency contraception.Discussion: The use of emergency contraception after counselling by healthcare professionals was lower than reported in the literature.Conclusion: This study showed that female users of healthcare services were aware of the existence of emergency contraception, but they demonstrated a low level of knowledge about it, especially regarding the correct period of use, place of acquisition and safety issues.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neir Antunes Paes ◽  
Carlos Sérgio Araújo dos Santos ◽  
Tiê Dias de Farias Coutinho

ABSTRACT: Objectives: To propose a methodological path to investigate the coverage and information filling of maternal-infant deaths recorded in the Ministry of Health's Mortality Information System for regional spaces. Methods: Four steps were proposed: 1) Assessment of the completeness of the maternal and child variables, which was measured using the deterministic linkage technique between the Mortality Information System (Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade – SIM) and the Live Birth Information System (Sistema de Informações sobre Nascidos Vivos – SINASC); 2) Application of the multiple imputation technique to achieve the total filling of the missing information of the variables; 3) Estimation of death coverage; 4) The Unknown Variable Information Index (Índice de Informação Desconhecida da Variável – IIDV) was measured, which represents the combined effect of data completeness and coverage of deaths. The proposal of the methodological path was exemplified for neonatal deaths in the municipalities of Paraíba that are part of the new classification proposed by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística – IBGE), as adjacent rural areas, in three triennium periods from 2009 to 2017. Results: The percentage of matching records was 45%. Most of the variables had a percentage of non-completion below 10% and around 17% for the mother's education. Coverages ranged from 75 to 83%. The IIDV for all variables was between 21 and 36% after the linkage. Conclusion: The path of the methodological proposal proved to be effective, which can be replicated to other regions, and can be extended to other categories of deaths such as post-neonatal. The combination of the proposed procedures demands low operating costs and their uses are relatively simple to be applied by the managers and technicians of the vital statistics information systems.


Author(s):  
Woubishet Girma ◽  
Dessalegn Tamiru ◽  
Mirkuzie Woldie ◽  
Ayantu Kebede ◽  
Zewdie Birhanu ◽  
...  

Background Establishing maternity waiting homes is a key strategy to address the geographic barrier to obstetric care access among women living in rural areas. In Ethiopia, maternity waiting homes have been in use for several years, with a sharp increase in the number of such facilities recently. However, there is little empirical evidence detailing the experiences and challenges faced by women during the implementation of this initiative in Ethiopia. Methods This study used a multiple case study design with qualitative data collection methods, and was conducted from October to November 2016. Data were collected using focus group discussions, in-depth interviews and direct observation of each maternity waiting home. All interviews and focus group discussions were recorded using a digital voice recorder. Data were transcribed and translated into English. The coding process and formation of thematic structure was assisted by Atlas ti7.5 computer software. Results The participants reported that they were satisfied and comfortable with the services at the maternity waiting homes, as were their husbands and community leaders. Facility, social and environmental challenges were identified as common barriers to the utilisation of maternity waiting homes by stakeholders at different levels. Healthcare providers reported common challenges at maternity waiting homes include a lack of basic utilities (water and electric supply), and overcrowding because of a shortage of space and lack of medical supplies. Some women reported that poor transportation services and the distance to facilities hindered the utilisation of maternity waiting homes. Conclusions There are social and facility challenges related to the use of maternity waiting homes in Ethiopia. Policymakers and health managers should work with relevant sectors to mitigate the effect of facility, social and environmental barriers and maximise the use of maternity waiting homes.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shabina Ariff ◽  
Ikram Maznani ◽  
Maria Bhura ◽  
Zahid Memon ◽  
Tayyaba Arshad ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Low birth weight (LBW) is a common outcome of preterm birth and increases the risk of an infant’s morbidity and mortality. About 20 million infants are born with low birth weight globally. Since a significant number of births in Pakistan take place at home, it is important to focus on the use of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) (skin-to-skin contact) in communities to prevent neonatal mortality and morbidity. OBJECTIVE We conducted a formative research in order to understand the context of communities and facilities with regards to neonatal care and KMC practice, inform the design and delivery of culturally appropriate platforms to introduce KMC in communities, and develop effective recruitment and retention strategies of KMC, in rural areas of district Dadu, in the Sindh province. METHODS We conducted focus group discussions, in-depth interviews and key informant interviews with families of LBW babies, community members, healthcare providers and hospital administrators to identify barriers, enablers and a knowledge base for KMC interventions. RESULTS Newborn care practices in communities were subpar. Although KMC practices are not commonly practiced in communities and facilities and the method is unknown to many, family members were willing to provide KMC to LBW babies to improve their health outcomes. Community members, hospital administrators and healthcare providers widely accepted the practice for neonatal health and found it feasible and convenient. CONCLUSIONS The KMC as a method of treating low birth weight babies is widely accepted in the community. This formative research provided strategically effective ways for developing effective implementation strategies by identifying common community practices for LBW babies, and barriers and enablers to KMC practice.


Author(s):  
S. Upadhyaya ◽  
K. Farahmand ◽  
T. Baker-Demaray

One in three Americans will be diabetic by 2050, and the rate of diabetes is disproportionately high among Native Americans, especially among Native elders age 55 and older. Early identification and prevention strategies have been regarded as the cornerstone of preventative medicine. The objective of the authors’ research was to identify factors related to diabetes and their interactions specifically among Native elders and develop a simple prediction model which can be used by healthcare professionals while interacting with Native elders in remote or rural areas. Data from a survey of 18,078 Native American elders was used in their study. After eliminating outliers using Pearson’s residuals and Cook’s distance, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.7812 for men and 0.7230 for women. The results from the authors’ analysis provide additional perspective on how diabetes affects Native elders thus helping healthcare providers and policy makers when dealing with these community members.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. e032578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ei Ei Khaing Nang ◽  
Chhavarath Dary ◽  
Li Yang Hsu ◽  
Sokrath Sor ◽  
Vonthanak Saphonn ◽  
...  

ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the challenges encountered by patients and healthcare providers and opportunities for improvement in managing diabetes mellitus (DM) in a low- and middle-income country (LMIC) facing a rise in DM prevalence.DesignQualitative cross-sectional study.SettingUrban, semiurban, and rural areas in Cambodia.ParticipantsThirty health service providers and fifty-nine adult DM patients.ResultsMost of the 59 DM patients reported having developed DM complications when they first sought treatment. The biggest challenges for the patients were geographical barriers, diet control, and shortage of medication supply. The healthcare staff expressed concerns about their limited knowledge and lack of confidence to treat diabetes, limited availability of diabetes care services, inadequate laboratory services, shortage of staff, poor patients’ compliance, and insufficient medication supplies. Both healthcare staff and patients urged an expansion of diabetes services in Cambodia and prioritisation of diabetes care in a manner similar to communicable disease control programmes of the recent past.ConclusionsCurrently, the Cambodian healthcare system has very limited capacity to provide quality care for chronic diseases. As a consequence, many patients are either left untreated or have interrupted care due to several barriers including financial, geographical, and lack of knowledge and skills. A more comprehensive and multipronged approach is urgently needed to improve DM care, which would require a collaborative effort from government, external funding agencies, private sector, and communities.


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