Effect of a traditional Chinese medicine course for undergraduate nursing students: A pre-/post-test study.

BACKGROUND: Traditional Chinese medicine is widely used for treating aging-related chronic conditions. Therefore, designing a TCM theoretical course for undergraduate nursing students will be a preparation for further clinical practice in TCM in the future. OBJECTIVES: To identify the effect of a TCM course designed for undergraduate nursing students on understanding four key parts of TCM theories. DESIGN: A quasi-experimental pre- and post-test study. SETTING: A university in China during the 2016 fall semester. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 47 senior undergraduate nursing students. METHODS: Each pair of pre- and post-tests were conducted before and after one lecture. Four pairs pre-/post-tests were conducted during lectures of fundamental theories, TCM diagnostic principles, herb properties, and treatment principles. Four questionnaires including ten multiple-choice questions were used for pre-/post-tests. Stata 14.0 was used for descriptive analysis and paired t-tests. RESULTS: Mean scores of post-tests were significantly higher than those of pre-tests (p < 0.001). Among pre-tests, the lowest correctness rates of key contents in the four lectures were the pathological relation of five elements (31.25%), the differentiation of symptoms for a case analysis (16.67%), the compatibility relation (12.77%), and the role of Monarch herbs (also called as "Principal herbs") and the characteristics of herbal pills (29.79%), separately; the highest were the nature of Yin-Yang (87.50%), identifying symptoms for a specific syndrome (85.42%), the herb usage (95.74%), and the principle of prescription composition (85.11%), separately. TCM knowledge in relation of nature of Yin-Yang and Five Elements and basic principles of TCM knowledge gained more increased correctness rates than that related to pathological-based and differentiation of symptoms. CONCLUSION: The TCM course has a positive effect to enhance TCM knowledge of undergraduate nursing students. The students were easier to gain TCM fundamental knowledge and principles than pathological based knowledge and differentiation of symptoms.

Early Initiation of Breastfeeding Among Maya Mothers in the Western Highlands of Guatemala: Practices and Beliefs.

BACKGROUND: Guatemala exhibits the sixth highest rate of child stunting worldwide, and stunting disproportionately affects Guatemala indigenous communities. In a country struggling to combat this result of malnutrition, early child nutrition is especially critical. Specifically, early initiation of breastfeeding is important for the development of newborn infants. Understanding beliefs and practices related to early initiation of breastfeeding in Maya Guatemala may provide an avenue to guide nutrition interventions in indigenous communities. Research aim: This study aimed to determine major beliefs and practices associated with early initiation of breastfeeding among Maya mothers in Lake Atitlán, Guatemala. METHODS: As part of a larger study to assess child nutrition in the Lake Atitlán region, we created a series of semistructured interview questions to document breastfeeding practices and beliefs among mothers. We conducted and audio-recorded in-person interviews that were translated from Kaqchikel, the local language, to Spanish by a community assistant. RESULTS: We conducted 178 interviews with mothers; 76% practiced early initiation. Early initiation was associated with the village and complementary feeding practices. Mothers held a variety of beliefs about the value of colostrum, and these beliefs were associated with the village. Mothers who held negative beliefs toward colostrum were more likely to delay breastfeeding initiation. CONCLUSION: Although most Maya mothers practice early initiation, the intervillage disparity in breastfeeding practices demonstrates a need to geographically focus breastfeeding interventions. Our novel insights into the breastfeeding beliefs among Maya mothers will serve as a guide to structure culturally competent breastfeeding education interventions in indigenous communities.

Yoga to Reduce Trauma-Related Distress and Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties Among Children Living in Orphanages in Haiti: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVES: To measure trauma-related distress and evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an 8-week yoga intervention (YI) in reducing trauma-related symptoms and emotional and behavioral difficulties (EBD) among children living in orphanages in Haiti. DESIGN: Case comparison with random assignment to YI or aerobic dance control (DC) plus a nonrandomized wait-list control (WLC) group. SETTING: Two orphanages for children in Haiti. PARTICIPANTS: 76 children age 7 to 17 years. INTERVENTION: The YI included yoga postures, breathing exercises, and meditation. The DC group learned a series of dance routines. The WLC group received services as usual in the institutional setting. After completion of data collection, the WLC group received both yoga and dance classes for 8 weeks. OUTCOME MEASURES: The UCLA PTSD Reaction Index and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire were used to indicate trauma-related symptoms and EBD, respectively. A within-subject analysis was conducted to compare pre- and post-treatment scores. A post-treatment yoga experience questionnaire evaluated acceptability of the YI. RESULTS: Analyses of variance revealed a significant effect (F[2,28]=3.30; p=0.05) of the YI on the trauma-related symptom scores. Regression analyses showed that participation in either 8 weeks of yoga or dance classes suggested a reduction in trauma-related symptoms and EBD, although this finding was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Respondents reported satisfaction with the yoga program and improved well-being. CONCLUSIONS: Children with trauma-related distress showed improvements in symptoms after participation in an 8-week yoga program compared to controls. Yoga is a feasible and acceptable activity with self-reported benefits to child mental and physical health. Additional research is needed to further evaluate the effect of yoga to relieve trauma-related distress and promote well-being among children.

Treatment of chronic conditions with traditional Chinese medicine: findings from traditional Chinese medicine hospitals in Hubei, China.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to document clinical use of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for chronic conditions in all TCM hospitals in a Chinese province and to recommend treatments most in need of evaluation for use in community health centers. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the summer of 2010. It included 119 of 132 TCM hospitals in Hubei Province, China. TCM physicians were asked to recommend specific TCM treatments for common chronic conditions. Nine types of chronic conditions recommended more than 3.7 times (mean of frequencies of chronic conditions) are included in this analysis. Frequency of each TCM treatment and the number of visits by type of chronic conditions were calculated. RESULTS: The total number of recommendations by TCM physicians was 411. For seven types of treatments, six were recommended for musculoskeletal pain, five for soft tissue injuries, four for visceral pain and fractures, three for stroke and asthma, two for hemorrhoids, and one for hypertension. The most frequently recommended treatments for specific conditions include orally ingested herbs for visceral pain (n=3), type 2 diabetes (n=5), and hypertension (n=7); herbs for external use for soft tissue injuries (n=10), asthma (n=6), and hemorrhoids (n=8); acupuncture for musculoskeletal pains (n=43) and for stroke (n=10); and Chinese external fixation for fractures (n=24). The number of visits for recommended treatments per year of was 671,759. The most frequently recommended treatments for specific chronic conditions have most visits, except for chronic conditions such as musculoskeletal pains, visceral pains, soft tissue injuries, and asthma. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with musculoskeletal pain have more treatment options than other patients. Herbal medicine is the option most commonly used for chronic conditions. These treatments for these conditions should be targeted for further evaluation of effectiveness and, only if found effective, considered for use in primary care settings.