Effect of a Nutrition Education Intervention on Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Mothers of Children under 5 Years in the Peri-Urban Areas of Bobo-Dioulasso: Before and after Study

Background: This study assessed the effect of a nutrition education intervention. This intervention aimed to improve the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of mothers on food safety in the peri-urban areas of Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso. Methods: A total of 243 mothers of children under 5 years in the peri-urban of Bobo-Dioulasso were administered the FAO questionnaire for food safety knowledge, attitudes, and practices assessment during two cross-sectional surveys, before and after the intervention, in January and October 2017. The intervention included two components consisting of a theoretical phase (counselling and discussion) and cooking demonstrations implemented for ten months. To account for the before-and-after design of the study, the McNemar’s test was used to assess the effect of the intervention on food safety KAP of mothers of children under 5 years. Results: The mean age of mothers was 29 ± 6.2 years and 50.6% of them were between 20 and 29 years old. One for knowledge (cooking thoroughly with, p-value = 0.0001) and another for attitudes (perceived benefits of reheating leftovers before eating them, p-value = 0.0001), significantly increased after the intervention. In terms of food safety practices, all the indicators (cleaning of dirty surfaces, plates and utensils and storage of perishable foods) significantly increased (all p = 0.0001 Conclusion: This study provided some evidence of an effective nutrition education intervention for improving maternal KAP on food safety for their child’s feeding.

Effectiveness of an Educational Intervention for Postpartum Depression in a Pre-Parent Classroom

The global incidence of postpartum depression is estimated at approximately 10% - 20%. A lack of partner support is a key factor associated with perinatal depression. This study examined the effects of an educational intervention that provided information for the prevention and early detection of postpartum depression to first-time mothers and fathers who participated in a “First-Time Parent Class.” The study was utilized quasi-experimental research, conducted first with the control group and followed by an assessment of the intervention group. Mothers were assessed using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale and the Japan Child and Family Research Institute Child-Rearing Support Questionnaire. Fathers’ assessments were conducted using the Japan Child and Family Research Institute Child-Rearing Support Questionnaire for Fathers and were based on responses to questions regarding their coping strategies. Data were obtained from 158 data (72 interventions, 86 controls) couples analyzed. No significant difference was found between mothers’ child-rearing difficulty and depression score rates in the first month after childbirth. There was a difference among fathers in the control group and those in the intervention group regarding their responses to maternal depression: the “consult family” (p = 0.035), “consult friends” (p = 0.033), and “consult the city health center” (p = 0.047) variables were higher in the intervention group;however, the effect size was small. Providing first-time parents with information during pregnancy to prevent and detect postpartum depression will deepen parents’ understanding and help them cope with postpartum depression.

Alternative Public Health Interventions to Prevent Neonatal Deaths in Developing Countries： A Comparative Study

A number of evaluations of health education interventions in developing countries for the reduction of neonatal mortality have been reported. These interventions can be divided into two categories： those which include medical professionals and those without medical professionals. No systematic review has yet been performed that compares these two types of interventions. This study is an attempt to determine whether the inclusion of medical professionals in health education interventions more greatly decreases neonatal mortality in developing countries. Databases were searched for impact evaluation studies which： 1） had both experimental and control groups, 2） conducted both pre-tests and post-tests, 3） identified the intervention as a health education package, 4） were published in peer reviewed journals, 5） used neonatal mortality as an outcome measure, and 6） were undertaken in developing countries A total 14 studies were found that fit these criteria---eight of these studies included medical professionals in the intervention, and six studies were without medical professionals. To calculate the net effect of each intervention, both the difference-in-difference method and the use of log odds ratios were tested. Interventions involving medical professionals had significantly lower neonatal mortality rates than those without medical professionals. Interventions meant to decrease neonatal mortality in developing countries are recommended to involve medical professionals.

Effectiveness of Oral Health Education Program on Prevention of Periodontal Disease in Japanese Pregnant Women

The prevalence of periodontal disease among pregnant women increases with gestational age. Therefore, oral health education in the early stage of pregnancy should prevent periodontal disease and decrease the risk of an adverse pregnancy outcome such as preterm delivery and low birth weight. However, there has been no study on oral health care intervention for prevention of periodontal disease during pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficiency of an oral health education program on periodontal disease among Japanese low-risk pregnant women. A total of 207 pregnant women before 20 weeks of gestation were recruited. The first 131 of them were assigned to the control group and the remaining 76 to the experimental group. The experiment participants received an oral health education program including the toothpick brushing method in their early stage of pregnancy. Improvement of the self-assessment score of periodontal symptoms was used as a binary outcome variable. A logistic regression analysis indicated that the intervention (OR = 3.83) and proficiency of the toothpick brushing method (OR = 24.93) were statistically significant predictors of the outcome in the late stage of pregnancy. The positive outcome appeared after practice of the toothpick method brushing for 20 or more weeks, and was associated with the decrease in the log-transformed proportion of the count of Candida species in salivary microbiota (p = 0.026).

The Transmission of Gender Stereotypes in the Educational Process and Its Impact on Girls’Choices of STEM Majors

This study examines the transmission of gender stereotypes in the educational process and their impact on girls’choices of Science,Technology,Engineering,and Mathematics(STEM)majors.Utilizing a mixed-methods approach with a sample of 500 high school students,the research identified a significant negative correlation between the perception of gender stereotypes and intentions to pursue STEM fields,particularly among female students.The study’s findings suggest that educational interventions aimed at challenging gender stereotypes can enhance self-efficacy and encourage more equitable STEM major choices.The importance of female role models and equitable teaching practices in mitigating the impact of gender stereotypes is also highlighted.The paper concludes with recommendations for educational policy makers,schools,teachers,parents,and society to collaboratively address gender biases and support all students in STEM education.