Women's Knowledge of Ovulation, the Menstrual Cycle, and Its Associated Reproductive Changes.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine women's knowledge of female reproduction-anatomy, hormones and their functions, ovulation, the menstrual cycle and its associated reproductive changes, conception, and signs of pregnancy. METHODS: A survey was completed by 125 women of childbearing age as part of a larger "Women's Health Promotion Program." Descriptive statistics, mainly univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted using STATA 13. RESULTS: The women in the study were ages 18-51 years, 52.0 percent were Hispanic, 36.0 percent African American, and 12.0 percent White. The majority, 70.4 percent, had a household income of less than $20,000, 58.4 percent were not married, 83.2 percent were not trying to get pregnant at the time, and 37.6 percent had sexual intercourse that may have put them at risk for pregnancy in the past month. Less than one-third knew about the reproductive hormones. Over 80.0 percent knew their reproductive anatomy, 68.8 percent were not keeping any log to track their menstrual flow, 53.6 percent did not know when their next menstruation would be, and 49.6 percent did not know the average number of days for a regular menstrual cycle. Many did not know what ovulation is (47.2%), the ovulation timing (67.2%), the number of eggs released from an ovary each month (79.2%), and how long an egg or sperm could live in a woman's body (62.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Reproductive knowledge should be assessed during preconception visits and women should be taught comprehensive reproductive education-not just selected topics-to be adequately equipped to make informed reproductive decisions.

Impact of Integrating Community-Based Participatory Research Into a Baccalaureate Nursing Curriculum.

BACKGROUND: Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is rapidly gaining respect within the health care community as a means to promote public health and address health disparities. It has also recently been named as one of the competencies needed by public health professionals to be effective. METHOD: This article describes an educational innovation where CBPR is integrated into a baccalaureate nursing curriculum as a strategy to create meaningful learning experiences for nursing students while benefitting the health of the community. RESULTS: The impact of this approach was analyzed over a period of 12 years. The positive outcomes for the community, students, and faculty are described, along with the unique challenges. CONCLUSION: Integrating CBPR into a nursing curriculum is an innovation that is worthy of further assessment.

Conducting Research With Community Groups.

Nurse scientists are increasingly recognizing the necessity of conducting research with community groups to effectively address complex health problems and successfully translate scientific advancements into the community. Although several barriers to conducting research with community groups exist, community-based participatory research (CBPR) has the potential to mitigate these barriers. CBPR has been employed in programs of research that respond in culturally sensitive ways to identify community needs and thereby address current health disparities. This article presents case studies that demonstrate how CBPR principles guided the development of (a) a healthy body weight program for urban, underserved African American women; (b) a reproductive health educational intervention for urban, low-income, underserved, ethnically diverse women; and (c) a pilot anxiety/depression intervention for urban, low-income, underserved, ethnically diverse women. These case studies illustrate the potential of CBPR as an orientation to research that can be employed effectively in non-research-intensive academic environments.

Contraceptive use among low-income women living in medically underserved neighborhoods.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the rate of contraceptive use and types of contraception used by low-income women. DESIGN: A descriptive study was used to survey women about their contraceptive use and sexual behaviors 12 months prior to the time of the interview. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: A convenience sample of 110 low-income women living in three urban medically underserved neighborhoods who enrolled in a larger study was included. METHODS: Univariate and bivariate descriptive analyses were conducted using STATA 10. RESULTS: Forty-eight (43.6%) of the women were African American, 43 (39.1%) were Hispanic, and 17 (15.5%) were White. The women were age 18 to 55 years (Mean = 31 years). Forty percent of these women who were not pregnant or planning to get pregnant had sex without contraceptives in the past 12 months. The percentage of women who used contraception decreased from 77.3% users in the last 12 months to 63.6% current users. The most common methods used within the last 12 months were condom use by male partner (28.2%), birth control pills (14.6%), contraceptive injection (12.7%), intrauterine device (10.9%), and the patch (1.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Many of the low-income women from medically underserved neighborhoods did not use contraceptives and of those who used contraceptives, the majority used the least effective methods.

Low-income women's recommendations for promoting early pregnancy recognition.

INTRODUCTION: This study explored low-income women's perspectives on how to promote early recognition of pregnancy as one strategy to address community residents' concerns related to unintended pregnancy. Unintended pregnancy, which is more prevalent among low-income women and minorities, has been associated with various adverse pregnancy outcomes. METHODS: This study used the ideological perspective of community-based participatory research. Six focus groups were conducted in 3 low-income, urban, medically underserved neighborhoods with ethnically diverse populations. Neighborhood women who were either pregnant or had experienced a pregnancy within 3 years were invited to participate in the study. A structured interview guide focused the discussion on how to promote early recognition of pregnancy within the existing context of unintended pregnancies in the neighborhoods. Focus-group sessions were audiotaped, then transcribed verbatim; the data were analyzed using an open-coding template approach assisted by QSR NVivo 8 software. RESULTS: Forty-one women aged 18 to 44 years participated in the study. Thirty-nine percent were African American, 24.4% were Hispanic/Latino, 19.5% were American Indians, and 17.1% were white. Three primary themes were identified: 1) women should know the menstrual/ovulation and pregnancy-related changes that occur in their bodies; 2) women should be prepared to confirm their pregnancies early, as soon as they suspect they may be pregnant; and 3) both information and emotional support are needed for pregnancy-related issues. "Knowing your body" was the strongest advice to promote early recognition of pregnancy. DISCUSSION: The participants in this study suggested that education about reproductive changes should be initiated during early adolescence and in the preconception period. Early testing and confirmation of pregnancy should also be promoted, especially for women who have unprotected intercourse. Local resources for information and emotional support during pregnancy should be accessible to women.

Reasons for unprotected intercourse in adult women.

BACKGROUND: Despite the increased availability of contraception, unprotected intercourse and unintended pregnancy are common among adult women. We sought to identify reasons why adult women at risk of unintended pregnancy have unprotected intercourse. METHODS: A comprehensive search of electronic databases of MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PSYCHOINFO, from 1995 to 2005, was conducted. Reference lists from relevant published papers and reviews related to contraceptive practices and pregnancy intendedness were also hand searched. The Bronfenbrenner ecological framework was used as a guide in the discussion of the findings. RESULTS: There were 16 studies that met inclusion criteria, and these provided numerous reasons why adult women had unprotected intercourse. Reasons were found at the individual, interpersonal, and societal levels. Individual reasons included concerns with contraceptive side effects, a low perceived risk for pregnancy, lack of knowledge, and attitudes and beliefs. Interpersonal reasons included partners, families, or friends who discouraged the use of contraception. Societal reasons included access problems, inconvenience, and cost. CONCLUSIONS: There are multiple reasons why women have unprotected intercourse. These reasons were located in overlapping domains of influence. Factors in a woman's environment at the interpersonal and societal level may significantly influence her contraceptive use behavior.