Acupuncture treatment: multidimensional assessment of low back pain in pregnant women. / Tratamento com acupuntura: avaliação multidimensional da dor lombar em gestantes.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of acupuncture in the treatment of low back pain in pregnant women in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. METHOD: A quasi-experimental pre-post design was applied to pregnant women at a gestational age between 14 and 37 weeks, who had complaints of low back pain. Acupuncture sessions were performed, working systemic and auricular points. The McGill questionnaire was used to assess pain, as well as the instrument for identifying the sociodemographic, clinical and obstetric profile. RESULTS: The acupuncture technique performed in up to six sessions in 56 pregnant women with low back pain had positive effects on the participants' health. According to the pain assessment, there was a statistically significant reduction in the low back pain among the pregnant women as early as in the second session, with a gradual improvement with the advancement of the number of sessions. There were no serious adverse events related to acupuncture. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture offered significant effects for reducing or relieving pain in pregnant women. The participants expressed satisfaction and well-being as they left each session.

Social determinants of health and quality of life of caregivers of children with cancer. / Determinantes sociais da saúde e qualidade de vida de cuidadores de crianças com câncer.

OBJECTIVE: to associate the social determinants of health and quality of life of caregivers of children with cancer. METHODS: a cross-sectional study conducted in a paediatric cancer centre in Fortaleza, Brazil, with 176 participants in November and December 2013. Data were collected using a questionnaire with social determinants of health, and quality of life was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Bref. The determinants were correlated with the averages of the quality of life domains using analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS: there was a statistically significant association between the domains of social relations and education (p = 0.01792) and between the psychosocial domain and the gender of the caregiver (p = 0.01901). The male caregivers that were highly educated, younger, married, stay-at-home dads from the interior had a better quality of life. CONCLUSION: the study sheds light on the influence of social determinants of health in the quality of life of caregivers of children with cancer.

[Strategies for self-management support by patients with stroke: integrative review]. / Estratégias de autocuidado apoiado para pacientes com acidente vascular cerebral: revisão integrative.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze strategies for self-management support by patients with stroke in the light of the methodology of the five A's (ask, advice, assess, assist and arrange). METHODS: Integrative review conducted at the following databases CINAHL, SCOPUS, PubMed, Cochrane and LILACS. RESULTS: A total of 43 studies published between 2000 and 2013 comprised the study sample. All proposed actions in the five A's methodology and others were included. We highlight the Assist and Arrange, in which we added actions, especially with regard to the use of technological resources and joint monitoring between patients, families and professionals. No study included all five A's, which suggests that the actions of supported self-management are developed in a fragmented way. CONCLUSION: The use of five A's strategy provides guidelines for better management of patients with stroke with lower cost and higher effectiveness.

[Risk factors for sexually transmitted diseases among sex workers in the interior of Piaui, Brazil]. / Fatores de risco para doenças sexualmente transmissíveis em profissionais do sexo do interior piauiense.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the risk factors for STD among female sex workers and the characteristics of this population, and to verify the association between condom use by their male partners and clients. METHOD: Cross-sectional and correlational study conducted with 73 sex workers registered at the Sex Workers´ Association of the municipality of Picos -PI, Brazil. Data were collected in September and October 2010 using a questionnaire to obtain sociodemographic information and the participants´ background in the sex industry. Ethical aspects were observed. RESULTS: There was no significant association between most of the sociodemographic variables and background in the sex industry and condom use by male partners or clients. However, there was a significant association with years in the sex industry (p = 0.029). Sex workers who had been in the industry for the longest used condoms for protection against sexually transmitted diseases. CONCLUSION: It is essential to create health promotion strategies that observe the real-life experiences of sex workers.

Factors associated with antepartum pilgrimage at a reference maternity hospital in Ceará.

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with antepartum pilgrimage in pregnant women in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. METHOD: A cross-sectional study with 300 postpartum women from a state reference maternity hospital, carried out from March 2020 to January 2021. The frequency of pilgrimage was estimated according to socioeconomic characteristics and prenatal care. Analysis with Pearson's chi-square test selected variables for adjusted Poisson regression. RESULTS: The frequency of antepartum pilgrimage to more than one health service was 34.3%. Not knowing the reference maternity hospital (1.16; 95%CI: 1.04-1.30) and not living close to the reference maternity hospital (1.16; 95%CI: 1.03-1.31) were associated with the occurrence of pilgrimage among women. Personal characteristics and prenatal care were not associated. CONCLUSION: There was an association between antepartum pilgrimage and lack of knowledge of the reference maternity hospital and residence far from that maternity hospital, which requires better team communication and the guarantee of easier access to obstetric care services, through effective implementation of regionalization of maternal care.

Effects of auriculotherapy on nausea and vomiting in pregnant women: A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy induces physiological changes, commonly marked by nausea and vomiting in the first trimester, posing risks for both mother and baby. This study evaluates the effects of auriculotherapy on nausea and vomiting during the first trimester of pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized clinical trial was conducted in two primary health care centers with 56 Brazilian pregnant women who reported nausea or vomiting in the first trimester. The participants were divided into an intervention group (auriculotherapy with seeds) and a placebo group (sham auriculotherapy). The intervention was divided into three moments: pre-intervention with assessment of nausea and vomiting and application of questionnaires, and two follow-ups conducted on the fourth and seventh day of the intervention, with reassessment of nausea and vomiting. RESULTS: Both groups experienced a decrease in nausea and vomiting over time, with no statistically significant differences between groups in the within-group analyses at various time points. The intervention group had a greater reduction in symptoms. Within the intervention group, symptoms were more common among ferrous sulfate users and those without reported dietary disturbances. In addition, a higher incidence of nausea and vomiting was associated with the use of analgesics, morning snacks, and low intake of protein, vegetables, and fruits. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention did not affect the between-group differences in the incidence of nausea and vomiting and vomiting effort in the first trimester of pregnancy. However, a greater reduction was observed in the intervention group.

Prenatal care associated with neonatal outcomes in maternity hospitals: a hospital-based cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To verify the association between prenatal care quality indicators and neonatal outcomes in maternity hospitals. METHOD: Hospital-based cross-sectional study in four high-risk referral maternity hospitals in the five health macro-regions enabled by the Stork Network in Ceará-Brazil. Between April 2017 and July 2018, 440 puerperal women were interviewed using simple probabilistic sampling and a formula with finite populations and stratification of each maternity hospital. The analysis involved Pearson's Chi-Square, Adjusted Residuals Analysis and Fisher's Exact. RESULTS: There was an association between fewer consultations with prematurity and low birth weight. Delivery in the maternity hospital where the woman lived was associated with low birth weight and the need for ventilatory support. CONCLUSION: Prenatal care quality indicators influenced neonatal outcomes, which underlines the importance of ensuring access and quality of care as ways of reducing infant morbidity and mortality.

Factors associated with puerperal women's perception of the support received from their companions during labor and delivery.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the current study was to associate sociodemographic characteristics and satisfaction with the support received from companions during labor and delivery. METHOD: An analytical cross-sectional study was performed in a maternity hospital in Fortaleza, Brazil, from March to August 2019, with 320 postpartum women. A form containing sociodemographic and obstetric questions, companion-related information, type of support provided, and the Birth Companion Support Questionnaire (BCSQ) were used to assess the frequency of social support behaviors. χ2 and Fisher exact tests were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: Nonpharmacological methods were associated with an unsatisfactory perception of support, but the emotional support provided by companions was positively associated with women's satisfaction. CONCLUSION: The findings of the current study concerning women's perceptions of the support received from their companions may allow improvements in the delivery of care to women in labor toward the humanization of obstetric practices.

Women know about perineal trauma risk but do not know how to prevent it: Knowledge, attitude, and practice.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of pelvic floor muscle (PFM) preparation for birth among postpartum women, and its related factors. METHODS: Cross-sectional study conducted in a maternity unit among Brazilian women aged 14 years or older during the first 72 h postpartum, who desired and had vaginal birth. Sociodemographic, clinical, and obstetric data were collected using a standardized form from medical charts. A 15-question questionnaire was used to measure the KAP of PFM preparation for birth. Knowledge was categorized as: poor, average, and good. RESULTS: In all, 326 women completed the survey (mean age 24.3 ± 6.2 years) and 167 (51.2%) women had poor knowledge. The attitude of searching for information on how to prevent perineal trauma was reported by 14 (4.3%) women. Only 13 (4.0%) participants reported that they had practiced at least one session of PFM preparation during pregnancy (PFM training, perineal massage, etc.) Multivariate analysis showed that lower educational level was associated with poor knowledge (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The KAP of PFM preparation for birth is inadequate among postpartum women. Health education regarding PFM care during pregnancy and postpartum should be addressed among pregnant women, specifically younger women with lower levels of education and income.

Epidemiology of HIV in pregnant women and its relationship with the period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze, in the light of the Social Ecological Theory, the progression of reported cases of HIV during pregnancy in a Brazilian state and their relationship with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: Retrospective study, with a sample consisting of all reports of gestational HIV in the state of Ceará - Brazil from 2017 to 2021, on the IntegraSUS platform. Data collection was carried out in January 2022. The analyzed variables were organized according to the theoretical levels: macrosystem, exosystem, mesosystem, and microsystem. RESULTS: A total of 1,173 cases of HIV in pregnant women were recorded. When comparing the pre- and post-pandemic period, a reduction in the disease detection rate (from 231 to 122.67 pregnant women) was observed, as well as 1.82 times more chances of women not using antiretrovirals during childbirth after the start of the pandemic. There was a 55% reduction in vaginal births and 39% in cesarean sections among women diagnosed with HIV after the start of the pandemic. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic had an epidemiological and care impact, leading to a reduction in the number of notifications and in the detection rate of pregnant women living with HIV in the state of Ceará. Therefore, the need to ensure health care coverage is emphasized, with early diagnosis actions, guaranteed treatment, and quality prenatal care.

Risk factors for Central Nervous System drug use among nursing students.

OBJECTIVES: to verify sociodemographic, academic and health risk factors for Central Nervous System drug use among nursing students. METHODS: a cross-sectional study with 199 public undergraduate students from Ceará, using Characterization Instrument, Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory. Fischer's exact test and Pearson's chi-square test were performed, verifying an association between variables. Prevalence ratio was used. RESULTS: a total of 34 used such drugs, with predominance of use of anxiolytics, associated with age (p=0.026), dissatisfaction with the relationship between classmates (p=0.003), insomnia (p=0.009), chronic disease (p=0.001), depression (p=0.035), and severe anxiety (p=0.023). CONCLUSIONS: using Central Nervous System drugs among students was associated with sociodemographic, academic and health factors, evidencing the need for actions promoting undergraduate students' mental health.

Effect of educational intervention for compliance of school adolescents with the human papillomavirus vaccine.

OBJECTIVE: to assess the effects of "Piss off, HPV!", an educational intervention to increase adolescents' knowledge, attitude and compliance with human papillomavirus vaccination. METHOD: a randomized clinical trial by cluster, carried out in six schools in two municipalities in Ceará, with 238 girls. The control group (n = 120) received routine instructions, and the intervention group (n = 118), printed message cards about the quadrivalent HPV vaccine. A pre- and post-intervention knowledge, attitude and practice survey was applied to both groups. The McNemar test, to analyze knowledge, attitude and pre- and post-intervention practice, the chi-square test, to compare compliance in relation to knowledge and attitude, and a logistic regression model, to assess vaccine compliance, were carried out. A significance level of 5% was adopted. RESULTS: pre-intervention, knowledge was inadequate and attitude was adequate in both groups. Post-intervention, adequate knowledge and practices became greater in the intervention group. Adequate post-intervention knowledge and attitude, in addition to being 12 years of age or older, increase the chance for vaccination, explaining 70% of the practice. CONCLUSION: the educational intervention was effective for adolescents' knowledge and compliance with the quadrivalent HPV vaccine. UTN: U1111-1254-5546; ReBEC: RBR-107hzdqt.

Effects of auriculotherapy in the treatment of nausea and vomiting: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: to identify the effectiveness of auriculotherapy in the treatment of nausea and vomiting through a systematic review of the scientific literature. METHODS: it was performed a systematic review of the literature making use of the following data basis: The Scopus, PubMed, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Web of Science, LILACS and Cochrane databases were used. Articles from complete research from randomized controlled clinical trials that describe using auriculotherapy in nausea and vomiting treatment were selected, without restriction of date or language. RESULTS: eleven articles were selected for analysis. The majority approached the population in surgical situations, followed by patients undergoing chemotherapy and pregnant women. As for results, 81% (n=8) of the articles reported that nausea and vomiting were lower in incidence and/or intensity in the intervention group. CONCLUSIONS: the review provided relevant data on the effects of auriculotherapy in nausea and vomiting treatment, with a decrease in the intensity and frequency of these symptoms in different populations.

Factors associated with the knowledge and attitude of adolescents regarding male condom use.

OBJECTIVE: Identify factors associated with the knowledge and attitude regarding male condom use in school adolescents. METHODS: Cross-sectional, quantitative, Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice survey, conducted with 114 adolescents from a public state high school from August to October 2017, in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. RESULTS: The assumption of having sufficient knowledge regarding safe sex, not having a casual/dating partner, and having had three or more sexual partners in the last three months affected adequate knowledge. Higher education of the mother and not talking to the mother about sex were factors that influenced the inappropriate attitude of the participants. CONCLUSION: The knowledge and attitude of adolescents are influenced both by their previous sexual relations and by their relationship with their mother and the level of her schooling. Thus, it is essential that health institutions promote actions aimed at sex education, with support from schools and health professionals in general.

Impact of the Peace Agreement on the social determinants of health in Colombia.

OBJECTIVES: to analyze the impact of the Colombian Peace Agreement on the structural social determinants of health. METHODS: a descriptive, ecological study, based on documentary data from 2008 to 2018. The records of victims, epidemiological indicators, and structural social determinants of health in Colombia were analyzed. RESULTS: there was a correlation between the period in which the Peace Agreement process was developed and the indicators of structural determinants in health with p<0.05. With the Poisson regression analysis, the favorable correlations between the peace process and the determinants were confirmed, besides allowing the understanding of the changes in these indicators before the Peace Agreement. CONCLUSIONS: the implementation of the peace process has a positive impact on structural social determinants of health, which is observed by the beginning of the decrease of economic, educational, health, and social inequalities and inequities, a fact that offers the possibility of living in peace.

Middle range theory for the nursing diagnosis Excess Fluid Volume in pregnant women.

OBJECTIVE: To stablish a middle range theory for the understanding of the causal mechanisms and clinical consequentes of the nursing diagnosis Excess Fluid Volume (00026) among pregnant women. METHOD: The Middle Range Theory was constructed in five stages: defining of construction approach, establishing main concepts, elaborating propositions, developing a pictorial diagram, and establishing the causal relationships and evidence for practice of the Middle Range Theory. RESULTS: We identified 14 clinical indicators and 6 causal factors of Excess Fluid Volume. A pictorial diagram was developed and relationships between Excess Fluid Volume elements were established with 6 propositions for them. CONCLUSION: The Middle Range Theory included both physiological and pathological conditions to explain Excess Fluid Volume. This Middle Range Theory might help in the better understanding of interactions between causal factors and clinical indicators of Excess Fluid Volume.

Quality of life of high risk pregnant women during prenatal care.

OBJECTIVE: to analyze the quality of life of high-risk pregnant women. METHODS: an observational and cross-sectional study, carried out in a tertiary maternity hospital located in Fortaleza, with 276 high-risk pregnant women. A questionnaire was applied containing socioddemographic, clinical and obstetric data and The Mother-Generated Index. Descriptive analyzes were performed using the Jamovi statistical program®, version 0.9. RESULTS: most areas were negatively influenced by pregnancy. "Satisfaction with pregnancy", "family relationship" and "relationship with the partner" obtained the highest means of primary score, while "physical condition/disposition" and "financing" obtained the lowest means. The highest secondary scores were in "satisfaction with pregnancy", "family relationship" and "relationship with the partner", while the lowest were in "financing" and "psychological/emotional". CONCLUSION: the total primary score mean was 6.03, suggesting a good quality of life. The Mother Generated Index made it possible to identify aspects of life that go beyond pre-formulated assessments of the construct.

Sexuality and associated risk factors in pregnant women.

OBJECTIVES: to assess the sexual function of pregnant women and the influence of sociodemographic, obstetric, and behavioral factors on sexual dysfunction. METHODS: cross-sectional study conducted with 141 pregnant women attended by the Single Health System and 120 by one private service, totaling 261 participants. A questionnaire containing sociodemographic, obstetric, and behavioral variables was applied, as well as the Female Sexual Function Index instrument, which was used to assess sexual function. Associations between variables and sexual dysfunction were made using the chi-square test, considering a statistically significant result when p < 0.05. RESULTS: among the participants, 32.1% had sexual dysfunction, and the variables "age", "income" and "type of health service" had an influence on sexual dysfunction. The prevalence of pregnant women was between 21 and 30 years old (p < 0.001), with an income between 1 and 2 minimum wages (p = 0.048) and used the public health system network (p = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: the factors associated with sexual dysfunction are "young pregnant women", "low income" and "attended in the public health service".

Factors associated with performing activities of daily living in women after suffering a stroke.

OBJECTIVE: To associate sociodemographic variables and risk factors for stroke to the degree of dependence for performing the activities of daily living of women of childbearing age after suffering a stroke. METHOD: A prospective and analytical longitudinal study conducted in three public hospitals in Fortaleza, CE, Brazil. The Modified Barthel Index was used at the time of attending the unit and 3 months after the stroke to assess the degree of disability in the performance of activities of daily living. The chi-squared and likelihood ratio tests were chosen to analyze the association between variables. RESULTS: There were 109 women of childbearing age who participated in the study. There was an association between higher degrees of dependence in women from the interior/rural areas, with lower income and black people (p = 0.032, p = 0.043, p = 0.03, respectively). Regarding personal risk factors, there was a greater dependency in women with heart disease (p = 0.040), sedentary (p = 0.030) and alcoholics (p = 0.017). CONCLUSION: The results show the factors associated with higher degrees of dependence for performing activities of daily living by women of childbearing age after the occurrence of stroke.

Social determinants of health and heart failure hospitalizations in Brazil. / Determinantes sociais em saúde e internações por insuficiência cardíaca no Brasil.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between social determinants of health and heart failure hospitalizations in Brazil. METHOD: A retrospective ecological study, whose units of analysis were the cities of the Brazilian states. The outcome variable was heart failure hospitalization rate. The independent variables were Family Health Strategy coverager, federal transfer to Primary Care, expenditure on Primary Care, overlapping of the female population and age group above 60 years old. Regressive techniques were adopted for panel data, with estimation of weighted least squares by fixed effect. RESULTS: Twenty-six cities were analyzed. Hospitalization rates showed a non-uniform distribution between the areas, with lower median in the North and higher in the South. The regression model identified a relationship between hospitalization rates and Family Health Strategy coverage, federal transfer to Primary Care, and overlapping of the female population. CONCLUSION: Heart failure occurrence, a condition sensitive to Primary Care in Brazil, is influenced by social determinants of health represented by demographic, budgetary, and health service coverage factors.