Journal of women's health
-
Journal of women's health · Nov 2021
Impact of Adenomyosis on Women's Psychological Health and Work Productivity: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study.
Background: Quality of life in adenomyosis (AD) patients has been poorly investigated. Previous data suggest that AD has negative impact on the quality of life in these women. Materials and Methods: From September 2018 to December 2019, all consecutive female premenopausal patients aged ≥18 years diagnosed with AD by transvaginal ultrasound (TVU) were invited to participate in a comparative cross-sectional study. ⋯ Significant differences (p < 0.001) were also found for the percentages of absenteeism (12.2% vs. 1.1%), presenteeism (31.1% vs. 11.4%), overall work productivity loss (38.2% vs. 12.4%), and activity impairment (55.7% vs. 9.9%). The presence of AD was associated with higher yearly estimated indirect costs of €5161.32 (€7928.0 vs. €2460.8, p < 0.001). Conclusions: AD negatively affects women's health-related quality of life, psychological health, and work productivity, with impairment at work and daily activities, and higher risk for anxiety and depression.
-
Journal of women's health · Nov 2021
Prevalence of Hirsutism Among Reproductive-Aged African American Women.
Background: Hirsutism is the most common clinical symptom of hyperandrogenism, but racial and ethnic-specific thresholds have not been established. Our objective was to characterize hirsutism using self-report of hair growth in a large sample of African American women. Materials and Methods: The Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids is a prospective community-based cohort study of African American women (23-34 at recruitment). ⋯ Results were similar using mFG ≥11 and attenuated using mFG ≥4. Conclusions: Hirsutism prevalence was 10% in this community sample of African American women and was associated with PCOS, severe acne, and irregular menstrual cycles suggesting this represented hirsutism caused by hyperandrogenism. Ethnically diverse, population-based studies assessing the association between mFG score and androgen levels are needed to better understand the hirsutism threshold as a clinical marker of hyperandrogenism.
-
Journal of women's health · Nov 2021
Postpartum Weight Retention: A Retrospective Data Analysis Measuring Weight Loss and Program Engagement with a Mobile Health Program.
Background: Mobile health (mHealth) technology can circumvent barriers to participation in weight loss programs faced by new mothers. The objective of this study was to assess weight change and program engagement in postpartum women (n = 130) participating in a 24-week behavior change mHealth weight-loss intervention. Materials and Methods: Participants were recruited through a program offered on a commercial mHealth application that provided evidence-based lifestyle interventions. ⋯ In addition, body mass index significantly decreased at week 24 [t(112) = 7.33, p < 0.0001] with the majority of participants (80%) experiencing reductions by more than 2 units. On average, subjects who completed the program (completers) lost more weight compared with those who did not complete the program [t(-5.09) = -2.94; p = 0.004], losing 5.09 kgs (95% CI -8.48 to -1.69) throughout the 24 weeks. Conclusion: This cohort study shows that a uniquely mobile, behavior change intervention for weight management is effective at producing significant weight loss with potential to address postpartum weight retention.
-
Journal of women's health · Nov 2021
Promoting Cross-Sector Collaborations to Address Intimate Partner Violence in Health Care Delivery Systems Using a Quality Assessment Tool.
Background: As part of a Domestic Violence and Health care Partnership (DVHCP) project in California, 19 leadership teams consisting of representatives from domestic violence agencies and health care delivery systems in California came together to improve care related to intimate partner violence (IPV). We evaluated the impact of a Quality Assessment/Quality Improvement (QA/QI) tool on health care delivery systems' ability to collaborate with victim service agencies to address IPV. Methods: Each leadership team completed the QA/QI tool every 6 months between 2014 and 2017. ⋯ Results: The largest changes noted in the QA/QI tool were having written protocols for assessing for IPV, providers distributing educational safety cards about IPV to patients, scripts for providers on how to assess and support survivors of IPV, trainings led by IPV agency advocates, and support for staff to discuss difficult cases. Conclusions: Implementation of a QA/QI tool can guide health care delivery systems to make changes in provider practices and clinic protocols to improve care and support for survivors of IPV. Such clinic-level changes may support providers to more readily or consistently integrate addressing IPV in clinical encounters while facilitating and promoting cross-sector collaborations with victim service advocacy and related social service agencies.
-
Journal of women's health · Nov 2021
The Proportion of Women Authors and the Inclusion of Sex and Gender Content Among the American College of Cardiology Clinical Practice Guidelines, 2008-2018.
Background: Sex and gender, two important factors affecting health care, should be routinely taken into consideration in clinical practice. Members of the Sex and Gender Health Collaborative Scholarship Committee reviewed clinical guidelines published by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) from 2008 to 2018 to determine if the number of women authors on the writing committee influenced the presence of sex- and gender-specific content and recommendations in each guideline. Methods: We reviewed 33 ACC clinical guidelines from 2008 to 2018 and determined the number of women authors on the writing committee for each guideline. ⋯ The proportion of women authors was not associated with the presence of sex- and gender-specific content. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate continued gender disparities in authorship, and changes should be made to increase the inclusion of women in clinical practice guideline writing committees. We propose selecting a sex and gender champion for guideline writing committees and/or including a specific section on sex- and gender-related content in each guideline to ensure inclusion of sex- and gender-specific recommendations in clinical guidelines.