Women-centred workplace health promotion interventions: a systematic review.

AIM: To analyse workplace health promotion interventions implemented exclusively for the female population. BACKGROUND: The differences in biological, psychological and social characteristics, as well as the type of work carried out by men and women, make it necessary for workplace health promotion to be specific for each group. This study focussed on working women. INTRODUCTION: Workplace health promotion interventions are centred on increasing the well-being and health of the employees. Occupational health nurses play an essential role in the implementation of these interventions. METHODS: A systematic review was carried out using the MEDLINE and Scopus databases, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. RESULTS: Twelve articles met the inclusion criteria. Two lines of interventions were found: (1) promotion of breastfeeding (16.6%) and (2) promotion of physical activity and other healthy lifestyles (83.4%). The interventions studied underlined promoting breastfeeding, preventing a sedentary lifestyle, improving body composition, reducing cardiovascular risk, relieving premenstrual symptoms, time of breastfeeding after returning to work, and showing favourable results. DISCUSSION: The lack of studies on the subject and the medium-to-low quality of the articles included in the review have made it difficult to analyse workplace health promotion interventions, making it necessary to continue research in this area. CONCLUSION: There are very few occupational health promotion interventions targeting women (1.9%), and the majority of them focus on promoting physical activity. It is worrying that specific aspects of women's health are poorly addressed. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE AND HEALTH POLICY: The work of the occupational nurse essentially is to guarantee the health of women in the workplace, being the key figure in the research and development of gender-related policies in the field of public health.

Neurodevelopment in preschool idiopathic toe-walkers. / Desarrollo neuromadurativo en andadores de puntillas de edad preescolar.

INTRODUCTION: Idiopathic toe walking, a differential diagnosis for neurological and orthopaedic disorders, has been associated with neurodevelopmental alterations. Neurodevelopmental assessment at early ages using specific tests may improve management and follow-up of these patients. The aim of our study is to analyse the neurodevelopmental characteristics of preschool idiopathic toe-walkers (ITW) by comparing them to a control group. METHOD: Our descriptive cross-sectional study compared possible risk factors, neurodevelopmental characteristics, and scores on the Child Neuropsychological Maturity Questionnaire (CUMANIN) between a group of 56 ITWs aged 3 to 6 and a control group including 40 children. RESULTS: The proportion of males was significantly higher in the ITW group (P=.008). The percentage of patients with a family history (P=.000) and biological risk factors during the perinatal period (P=.032) was also higher in this group. According to the parents' reports, motor coordination in ITWs was significantly poorer (59%; P=.009). ITWs scored significantly lower on CUMANIN subscales of psychomotricity (=0,001) and memory (P=.001), as well as in verbal development (P=.000), non-verbal development (P=.026), and overall development (P=.004). Foot preference was less marked in the ITW group (P=.047). CONCLUSIONS: The neurodevelopmental characteristics of our sample suggest that idiopathic toe walking is a marker of neurodevelopmental impairment. However, further studies are necessary to confirm these findings.