Effect of mode of delivery on postpartum weight retention: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Retention of weight gained over pregnancy increases the risk of long-term obesity and related health concerns. While many risk factors for this postpartum weight retention have been examined, the role of mode of delivery in this relationship remains controversial. We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effect of mode of delivery on postpartum weight retention. METHODS: Ten electronic databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, MEDLINE, CINAHL, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan-Fang database, the VIP database and China Biology Medicine Database (CBM) were searched from inception through November 2022. Review Manager 5.4 was used to pool the study data and calculate effect sizes. For dichotomous data, the odds ratio and 95 % confidence interval were used to report the results. For continuous data, the mean difference (MD) and 95 % confidence interval were used to report the results. The outcomes were the amount of postpartum weight retention and the number or proportion of women who experienced postpartum weight retention. The Newcastle- Ottawa Scale (NOS) and GRADE Guidelines were used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. FINDINGS: A total of 16 articles were included in the systematic review and 13 articles were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that the mode of delivery had a significant effect on postpartum weight retention, women who delivered by caesarean section were more likely to experience postpartum weight retention compared to those who delivered vaginally. Sensitivity analysis showed that the results were stable and credible. CONCLUSION: Due to the limitations of this study, the findings need to be treated with caution. And, to better prevent the postpartum weight retention, future practice and research need to further focus on upstream modifiable factors.

Treatment duration of wrist-ankle acupuncture for relieving post-thyroidectomy pain: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Treatment duration of wrist-ankle acupuncture (WAA) is uncertain for post-thyroidectomy pain relief. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the effect of different WAA treatment duration on post-operative pain relief and other discomforts associated with thyroidectomy. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTION: This randomized controlled trial was conducted at a single research site in Guangzhou, China. A total of 132 patients receiving thyroidectomy were randomly divided into the control group (sham WAA, 30 min) and three intervention groups (group 1: WAA, 30 min; group 2: WAA, 45 min; group 3: WAA, 60 min), with group allocation ratio of 1:1:1:1. Acupuncture was administered within 1 hour of leaving the operating room. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Primary outcome was patients' pain at the surgical site assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS) at the moment after acupuncture treatment (post-intervention). Secondary outcomes included the patients' pain VAS scores at 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h after the thyroidectomy, the 40-item Quality of Recovery (QoR-40) score, the grade of post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and the use of additional analgesic therapy. RESULTS: The adjusted mean difference (AMD) in VAS scores from baseline to post-intervention in group 1 was -0.89 (95% confidence interval [CI], -1.02 to -0.76). The decrease in VAS score at post-intervention was statistically significant in group 1 compared to the control group (AMD, -0.43; 95% CI, -0.58 to -0.28; P < 0.001), and in groups 2 and 3 compared to group 1 (group 2 vs group 1: AMD, -0.65; 95% CI, -0.81 to -0.48; P < 0.001; group 3 vs group 1: AMD, -0.66; 95% CI, -0.86 to -0.47; P < 0.001). The VAS scores in the four groups converged beyond 24 h after the operation. Fewer patients in group 2 and group 3 experienced PONV in the first 24 h after operation. No statistical differences were measured in QoR-40 score and the number of patients with additional analgesic therapy. CONCLUSION: Compared with the 30 min intervention, WAA treatment with longer needle retention time (45 or 60 min) had an advantage in pain relief within 6 h after surgery. WAA's analgesic effect lasted for 6-12 h post-operatively. Please cite this article as: Han XR, Yue W, Chen HC, He W, Luo JH, Chen SX, Liu N, Yang M. Treatment duration of wrist-ankle acupuncture for relieving post-thyroidectomy pain: A randomized controlled trial. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(2): 168-175.

An integrative review on the maternal health literacy among maternal and child workers.

AIMS: This study aim to capture the most comprehensive evidence-based dimensions of maternal health literacy, including summarizing the definitions, theoretical frameworks, measuring instruments, and the association between maternal health literacy and health behaviours. BACKGROUND: Maternal health literacy has been recognized as an important approach to achieving high-quality maternal and child health; however, little is known about maternal health literacy comprehensively and scientifically. EVALUATION: An integrative review retrieved articles from 11 databases, following the methodology of Whittemore and Knafl. Inductive content analysis and narrative synthesis were conducted, guided by the aim of this review. KEY ISSUES: A total of 5580 articles were retrieved and 23 articles were finally identified. Existing definitions and theoretical frameworks took less consideration of maternal applicability and failed to summarize maternal health literacy from a dynamic and systematic perspective. Measurement instruments were set up with many items that make it difficult to quickly screen for poor maternal health literacy. Most articles proved the association between maternal health literacy and health behaviours through correlation analysis or regression analysis but less explored the influence pathways between them. CONCLUSION: The definition and theoretical framework need to focus on maternal applicability and explain the process of individual mothers acquiring and understanding health knowledge and skills from a dynamic and systematic perspective. A rapid instrument for maternal health literacy should be developed and high-quality empirical research was conducted to understand the associated mechanisms between maternal health literacy and health behaviours. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: It is necessary to strengthen maternal and child health education of primary health care nurses and enhance their ability to help perinatal women use maternal and child health information effectively.

The progression on the measurement instruments of maternal health literacy: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: Maternal health literacy is essential for high-quality maternal and child health. However, there is no consensus on the selection and application of maternal health literacy measurement instruments. Thus the aim of this scoping review is to provide an overview of existing literature on application characteristics, appraisal content, and psychometric properties of maternal health literacy measurement instruments. METHODS: A scoping review followed the Arksey and O'Malley's methodology and reported results by using PRISMA-ScR. A literature search was conducted of 12 databases on articles published between database creation and July 27, 2021, involving pregnant and postpartum women (over the age of 18). Eligible articles underwent full-text review and data extraction to summarize the application characteristics, appraisal content, and psychometric properties of instruments. FINDINGS: Thirty-nine articles were included and twenty instruments were identified. The most widely used instruments were objective instruments, represented by the Newest Vital Sign; subjective instruments were represented by the Single Item Literacy Screener; comprehensive instruments were represented by "the health literacy scale for perinatal pregnant women" (Chinese). All instruments measured "personal skills", but less attention was paid to "psychological factors" and "health-related activities". Only a few articles reported the psychometric properties of the instruments, and the instruments were evaluated for reliability using Classical Test Theory. KEY CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Scientific and reliable maternal health literacy measurement instruments can greatly advance high-quality maternal and child health. The future research direction of instruments should construct rapid maternal health literacy measurement instruments; the appraisal content needs to be enriched in multiple dimensions and introduce more scientific and reliable psychometric methods to verify the reliability of instruments.