Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · Apr 2013
Screening low-income women of reproductive age for cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Abstract Background: Identifying and treating chronic diseases, their precursors, and other cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors during family planning visits may improve long-term health and reproductive outcomes among low-income women. A cross-sectional study design was used to describe the prevalence of chronic diseases (hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes), their precursors (pre-hypertension, borderline high cholesterol, and pre-diabetes), and related CVD risk factors (such as obesity, smoking, and physical inactivity) among low-income women of reproductive age. ⋯ CVD screening during family planning visits can identify significant numbers of women at risk for poor pregnancy outcomes and future chronic disease and can provide prevention opportunities if effective interventions are available and acceptable to this population.
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Journal of women's health · Mar 2013
Embedding concepts of sex and gender health differences into medical curricula.
Sex, a biological variable, and gender, a cultural variable, define the individual and affect all aspects of disease prevention, development, diagnosis, progression, and treatment. Sex and gender are essential elements of individualized medicine. However, medical education rarely considers such topics beyond the physiology of reproduction. ⋯ S. schools of medicine and schools of public health, Health Resources and Services Administration Office of Women's Health (HRSA OWH), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH), and the Canadian Institute of Health and Gender. The purpose of this workshop was to articulate the need to integrate sex- and gender-based content into medical education and training, to identify gaps in current medical curricula, to consider strategies to embed concepts of sex and gender health into health professional curricula, and to identify existing resources to facilitate and implement change. This report summarizes these proceedings, recommendations, and action items from the workshop.
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Journal of women's health · Mar 2013
Intimate partner violence and cardiovascular risk in women: a population-based cohort study.
A potential link between intimate partner violence (IPV) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been suggested, yet evidence is scarce. We assessed cardiovascular risk and incident prescription of cardiovascular medication by lifetime experiences of physical and/or sexual IPV and psychological IPV alone in women. ⋯ Our findings indicate that clinicians should assess the cardiovascular risk of women with a history of physical and/or sexual IPV, and consider including CVD prevention measures as part of their follow-up.
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Journal of women's health · Mar 2013
Association between adiponectin and tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels at eight to fourteen weeks gestation and maternal glucose tolerance: the Parity, Inflammation, and Diabetes Study.
Inflammation may influence gestational hyperglycemia, but to date, the data from observational studies is largely limited to results from the third trimester of pregnancy. Our objective was to evaluate first trimester adipocytokine levels. We sought to determine whether first trimester adiponectin and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF)-alpha concentrations were independently associated and predictive of maternal glucose tolerance, as measured by the 1-hour glucose challenge test (GCT), after adjustment for maternal lifestyle behaviors and body mass index (BMI). ⋯ First trimester adiponectin levels are not predictive of the 1-hour GCT response, but may be a marker for the effect of maternal BMI on glucose response to the GCT.
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Journal of women's health · Feb 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialInconsistencies between medical records and patient-reported recommendations for follow-up after abnormal Pap tests.
Adherence with recommended follow-up after an abnormal Pap test is a critical step in the prevention of cervical cancer. Here, we focused on identifying inconsistencies between self-reported and health department record recommendations for follow-up. ⋯ Clinicians should be aware that patients with a history of abnormal results and severe Pap test abnormalities are at risk of misreporting recommendations for follow up.