Pregnant women's attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine and the use of phytotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 80% of individuals worldwide use various holistic complementary and alternative medicine (HCAM) methods, including herbal products, to prevent diseases and improve their general health. In this study, it was aimed to investigate complementary and alternative therapy (CAM) and the use of phytotherapy by pregnant women in the COVID-19 pandemic period. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional and descriptive study. The study included 381 women who applied to a public hospital in Türkiye and used herbal products during this pregnancy. Purposive sampling method was used. The study data were collected through "Identifying Information Form", "Holistic Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire (HCAMQ)" and "Information Form on the Use of Phytotherapy". In the analysis of the study data, descriptive statistics, the one-way ANOVA and multinomial logistic regression analyses were used. RESULTS: The study was completed with 381 pregnant women. The average age, parity and gestational age of the pregnant women were 28.33±6.09, 2.17±0.95, 29.11±8.87, respectively. It was determined that 37.3% of pregnant women did not know the ingredients of the herbal products they used and 38.8% found them safer than the drugs. HCAMQ total mean score of the pregnant women was calculated as 34.62±16.22. It was found that the pregnant women used garlic the most (65.6%), followed by cumin (38.6%), curcuma (36.2%), and ginger (34.4%). HCAMQ total mean score was found to be lower in the pregnant women who found herbal products safer than drugs (p<0.001), who were not aware of the content of the herbal product they used (p<0.001), and who used herbal products so as to protect against COVID-19 (p = 0.041), to increase their physical resistance (p = 0.022), and to facilitate childbirth (p = 0.002). It was determined that among the pregnant women who knew the content of the herbal products they used (Odds Ratio (OR) 1.122; 1.095-1.149 95%CI; p<0.001) and who did not know (OR 1.114; 1.085-1.144 95%CI; p<0.001), as negative attitude towards HCAM increased, their status of finding traditional drugs safer increased. Among the pregnant women who used herbal products to protect against COVID-19 (OR 1.142; 1.111-1.174 95%CI; p<0.001) and to increase their physical resistance (OR 1.120; 1.094-1.147 95%CI; p<0.001), as negative attitude towards HCAM increased, their status of finding conventional drugs safer increased. CONCLUSION: In today's world where the use of herbal products and CAM has become widespread, it is important to raise the awareness of pregnant women about the benefits and harms of these practices about which there is inadequate evidence.

The effect of antenatal education on expectant mother's childbirth attitudes, maternal role attainment, and self-confidence levels.

We aim to determine the effect of antenatal education on the attitudes of expectant mothers toward birth, maternal role attainment and self-confidence levels. We carried out this quasi-experimental, non-randomized, prospective study in a hospital located in Istanbul, in the pre- and post-education model. Women in the education group (EG = 60) attended 6 weeks of education. Women in the control group (CG = 60) participated in a periodic follow-up visit. We collected the data using Childbirth Attitudes Questionnaire (CAQ), Pharis Self-Confidence Scale (PSCS), and Semantic Differential Scale-Myself as Mother (MMS). We made three measures in total: in the first visit, after six weeks and in the sixth week postpartum. We found the mean scores of second measurement of CAQ, PSCS, third measurement of MMS statistically significant in favor of EG (p < 0.05). Antenatal educations positively affect childbirth attitude, maternal role attainment and self-confidence levels.

Investigation of the Relationship Between COVID-19 Anxiety and Perception of Risk in Pregnancy, Fears of Death and Losing Their Baby in the Pandemic.

The aim of the study was to determine Covid-19 anxiety, obsession, perception of risk and self-care agency levels of pregnant women during the pandemic and investigate the association between Covid-19 anxiety, obsession, perception of risk and self-care agency levels and the fears of death and losing their baby in the pregnant women. The study was a cross-sectional and descriptive study. Five hundred thirty-eight pregnant women were included in the study. "COVID-19 Anxiety Scale," "COVID-19 Obsession Scale," "Risk Perception in Pregnancy Scale," and "The Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale" were used to collect data of the study. In this study, the total Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients of the COVID-19 Anxiety Scale, COVID-19 Obsession Scale, The Perception of Pregnancy Risk Questionnaire, The Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale were found to be 0.73, 0.70, 0.86 and 0.95 respectively. Statistical analysis of data in the study was conducted using SPSS (22.0, IBM Corp. Armonk, NY) statistical program. Statistically significant differences were identified between the mean score from COVID-19 anxiety scale and the mean scores from COVID-19 obsession scale, the perception of pregnancy risk questionnaire and the exercise of self-care agency scale. These results suggest that education and health policies that focus on the health of pregnant women and their fetus should be developed for antenatal care services.

The effect of training with the Pecha Kucha method on the attitudes of chronically ill women toward COVID-19 vaccination.

In this study, it was aimed to plan a training program regarding vaccination chronically ill women group and investigate the effects of providing this training with the Pecha Kucha method on attitudes toward vaccination. This study was carried out between August 2021 and September 2021 using a pretest-posttest, prospective, randomized-controlled experimental design with an effect size (Cohen's d) of 1.005. The study was completed with 35 patients in each of the experimental and control groups. An introductory information form and the Attitudes toward the COVID-19 Vaccine Scale were used to collect data. While vaccination training was given to the experimental group via smartphones using the Pecha Kucha method, it was given to the control group with the classical verbal instruction method. The data were collected before the training, right after the training, and 3 months after the training. The statistical analyses included Pearson's chi-squared test, the Mann-Whitney U test, the Friedman test, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. In the second and third measurements, the rate of positive attitudes toward the vaccine and the rate of vaccination were higher in the experimental group (p < .05, p < .05). Training regarding vaccination via smartphones using the Pecha Kucha method may play a role in the development of positive attitudes toward the vaccine and the improvement of vaccination rates.

The effect of pecha-kucha training on fear and belief in myths of COVID-19 in elderly women.

Adequate and accurate information reduces pandemic fear in elderly women with chronic disease, one of the risk groups for COVID-19. We aim to determine the effect of pecha kucha pandemic training on the fear and belief in myths of COVID-19 in elderly women. This prospective, randomized controlled experimental study with pre- and post-tests employed a total of 64 elderly women, including 32 for each of experimental and control groups. The data were collected using an introductory information form, the Questionnaire for Beliefs in COVID-19 Myths, and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale. Women in the experimental group were informed about COVID-19, using a pecha kucha presentation via smart phone. Those in the control group were given the same information using classical lecture method. The data were collected before, just after, and 3 months after the training and analyzed using Pearson's chi-square, Mann-Whitney U, Friedman, Wilcoxon Signed Ranks tests. Elderly women in the experimental group had significantly lower fear and belief in myths of COVID-19 both just after and 3 months after the training (p < 0.05, p < 0.05). A pandemic training by pecha-kucha presentation, which is a short, clear, understandable and memorable method of teaching, can reduce both fear and belief in myths of COVID-19 in elderly women.

A creative and practical approach to postpartum discharge education: Pecha Kucha training via smart phone.

In this study, we aim to determine the effect of discharge education provided with the Pecha Kucha method using smartphones on the levels of feeling of being ready for postpartum discharge and anxiety. This is a randomized controlled experimental study. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04696991. We assigned the participants to the experimental (70) and control (70) groups through the permuted block randomization method. We collected the data using Personal Information Form, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale-New Mother Form (RHDS-NMF). The experimental group obtained significantly higher scores from the STAI and RHDS-NMF (p < 0.05). Today especially during the period of the pandemic in which contact tracing and social distancing are highly important, such a type of discharge education is also of importance for reducing the duration spent and the physical contact established by people indoors. According to the results of our research, this method can be a good alternative to routine discharge education.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/07399332.2022.2043860 .

Does Antenatal Education Affect Level Of Empathy And Attachment Of Fathers?

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to determine the effects of antenatal education on the paternal bonding and empathic tendency levels of men who would become fathers for the first time. BACKGROUND: There are a limited number of studies in the literature that have investigated the effects of antenatal education programmes on fathers. METHODS: This prospective, controlled quasi-experimental study was conducted in a hospital in Istanbul. The men in the antenatal educational group (EG) and their wives participated in training in antenatal classes. The men in the control group (CG) came for routine prenatal follow-up examinations with their wives. The Empathic Tendency and Paternal Postnatal Attachment Scales were used to collect the data. RESULTS: The Empathic Tendency Scale was applied before the education (1) - after the education (2) and at the 6th postpartum week (3), whilst the Paternal Postnatal Attachment Scale was used at the 6th postpartum month (4). EG had higher emphatic tendency levels in the 2nd and 3rd measurements and higher paternal bonding levels in the 4th measurement in comparison to CG (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Antenatal education increased the emphatic tendency of the fathers and the effects of this education continued in the postpartum period and affected paternal bonding positively.

The psychometric properties and validity of the Turkish version of the Body Image in Pregnancy Scale (BIPS-Turkish).

In our study, we aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Body Image in Pregnancy Scale (BIPS). A total of 220 pregnant women participated in the study. The content validity of the scale was evaluated by the content validity index (CVI) and its construct validity was evaluated by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The reliability of the scale was assessed with internal consistency analysis, item analysis, test-retest reliability, and parallel forms reliability. After the modification, the t values, factor loadings and fit indices of the scale items were at a good and acceptable level (χ2 = 1114.57, df = 505, χ2/df = 2.20, RMSEA = 0.07, SRMR = 0.07, CFI = 0.95, GFI = 0.90). Hence, a 34-item, 7-factor construct was confirmed for the Turkish version of the BIPS. Cronbach's alpha internal consistency coefficient of the overall scale was 0.90 and Cronbach's alpha internal consistency coefficients of the subscales were within the range of 0.65-0.94. Test-retest and parallel forms reliability of the scale were at a sufficient level. In conclusion, it was determined that BIPS can be used as a valid and reliable measurement tool to evaluate body image perceptions of Turkish pregnant women.