Awareness of the Termination of Pregnancy Act of the Laws of Zambia among Women of Reproductive Age at Kanyama First Level Hospital in Lusaka District Zambia

Background: Termination of pregnancy (TOP) in Zambia is guided by the Termination of Pregnancy (TOP) Act of 1972 and as amended in 1994 of the laws of Zambia. However, despite provision of Comprehensive abortion care services with the liberal law, statistics at Kanyama First Level Hospital in relation to unsafe illegal abortions are alarming. This study sought to understand the Awareness on the TOP Act of the laws of Zambia among women of reproductive age 15 - 49 years at Kanyama First Level Hospital in Lusaka District. Purpose of the Study: To assess awareness on the TOP Act among women of reproductive age at Kanyama First Level Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. Methodology: A convergent parallel mixed method design was conducted using both survey and in-depth interviews among women of reproductive age at Kanyama First Level Hospital in Lusaka District. The study surveyed 370 randomly sampled women aged 15 to 49 years old while the in-depth interviews included eight women purposively sampled from the survey population. Survey data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics while qualitative data thematic analysis was used. Results: The study found that 37% of the participants were aware of the TOP Act while 63.8% viewed legalization of abortion for any reason as wrong. The study results also showed that widowed women were 8 times more likely to be aware of the TOP Act compared to single women (AOR: 8.262;95% CI: 1.105, 61.778). Women in business were significantly more likely to be aware of the TOP Act compared to those who reported having no occupation. (AOR: 2.61;95% CI: 1.246, 5.499). Limited access to information, the social stigma attached to abortion, health care providers’ attitudes, cultural norms, values and religious beliefs, restrictive legal requirements, and absence of a supportive network were some of the barriers affecting awareness and utilization of available safe abortion care services. Conclusions: The research findings concluded that a significant lack of awareness among women of reproductive age regarding the Termination of Pregnancy (TOP) Act. The majority of respondents held the view that abortion should only be legalized for medical reasons. Furthermore, there was a notable gap in knowledge concerning the penal code’s provisions on abortion.

Women Awareness on the Importance of Agriculture Technologies Using ICT-Based Training Programs

Awareness policy intended to contribute to changing rural women realities to urgent needs of information and gain knowledge was to be demonstrated through in-depth information and communication technology-based(ICTs-based)training program that focused on the importance of advanced agricultural technologies in the production chain in developing countries like Egypt through access and use of the ICTs.Women are becoming well trained on the detailed steps of improved technologies applied in supply chain.Their increased awareness of the necessity of quality management to be followed during their work in the postharvest handling system helped them to produce high-quality products to meet the export requirements of foreign markets and add value to the export quality.Women have been able to reduce the extremely high losses that occurred due to improper handling in particular.The outcomes of proper and healthy procedures,precautions and personal protection were gained by rural women and technicians working in the supply chain.Moreover,women themselves became more confident in their know-how and more comfortable in transgressing cultural norms that inhibited their progress.

Breast cancer awareness in reproductive women in the low-and middle-income countries:a scoping review

Objective:This study aimed to assess breast cancer(BC)awareness among reproductive women in low-and middle-income countries(LMICs),identify influencing factors,and propose feasible interventions or programs.Methods:We followed a 5-step process using a modified version of Arksey and O’Malley framework methodology.A comprehensive search was conducted on the Embase,PubMed,and CINAHL electronic databases for literature published within 10 years(from 2012 to 2022).Results:Thirty-three papers published between 2012 and 2020,spanning 18 countries,were included.Of these,45.6%described a good level of knowledge,while 24.2%reported that women at reproductive ages had good awareness.Twelve influencing factors were identified in 3 categories:socio-demographic(family history,personal history,marital status,age,religion,income status,living place,and occupation),personal(self-efficacy,education,and perceived level),and external(advertisements promoting awareness).Educational programs were recommended in most(>72%)of the included studies.Conclusions:While most studies reported high levels of knowledge and awareness,some found low prevalence among certain groups.Factors affecting knowledge and awareness were classified into socio-demographic,personal,and external categories,with socio-demographic factors such as age,education,income,and marital status being the most frequently cited.The studies recommended implementing educational programs,health prevention strategies,and social interventions to increase BC knowledge and awareness.

Awareness, Practice and Intention to Practice Testicular Self-Examination among Professional Working Males in Ghana

Background: The aetiology of Testicular Cancer (TC) is still unknown to researchers but many of the associated risk factors have been identified. These include family history, age, racial origin, cryptorchidism, urogenital malformations, testicular atrophy, and infertility. Given the lack of scientific data on the causes of the disease, it has been asserted in previous studies that the promotion of awareness and early detection are prerequisites to mitigating risks of metastasis as well as improving survival. This study is to assess the awareness, practice, and intention to practice testicular self-examination among professional working males in Accra. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional design with a structured research instrument was used to collect data from respondants. The purposive and convenience sampling techniques were used to collect data from 300 men at Accra in Ghana. The study was conducted at two (2) Universities and a Senior High school at Accra in Ghana. The data was then analysed using descriptive statistics, logistic regression, multiple linear regression, and structural equation modeling. Results: From the study findings, 37% of male participants rated their knowledge of testicular self-examination and related symptoms as good, 28% of participants practised testicular self-examination monthly, while 65% of respondents expressed their intention to practice monthly testicular self-examination. The findings from logistic regression demonstrated that level of education, age, and marital status of participants had a significant influence on testicular self-examination. Additionally, the multiple linear regression results revealed knowledge and self-efficacy significantly predict testicular self-examination intention. The path coefficient results from the structural equation model are consistent with results from the regression models. Conclusion: This research is the first to investigate testicular self-examination among men in Ghana. The findings revealed awareness and practice of TSE are low among participants. Therefore, the research findings would improve the expertise of physicians and nurses in providing counsel, intervention, and support for patients at risk of testicular cancer.

The Changes in the Awareness of Cervical Cancer Prevention and the Acceptability of HPV Vaccines among Women after Their Introduction in China

Cervical cancer is a form of malignant tumor that seriously threatens women’s health. In China,according to the cancer statistics, 98,900 new cervical cancer cases and 30,500 deaths due to cervical cancer were estimated to have occurred in2015, and the incidence and mortality rates still exhibited an upward trend[1].

Awareness and knowledge of human papillomavirus vaccination and their influential factors among Chinese women: a systematic review

Objectives: To systematically review the knowledge attitudes and the influential factors on human papillomavirus(HPV) vaccination among Chinese women.Methods: Published studies on knowledge and attitudes of HPV vaccination for preventing cervical cancer among Chinese female population were retrieved using the major Chinese and English databases. Meanwhile, handwork retrieval was also conducted and the references including in the literature were retrieved. The quality of the literature was rigorously evaluated and extracted independently by two researchers and the data were analyzed and described by review manager 5.3(RevMan5.3) software.Results: In all, 19 articles including 8 articles in Chinese and 11 in English were chosen. A total of 30,176 participants were included and the sample size ranged from 64 to 6,024. The overall awareness of HPV and HPV vaccine among Chinese women was at a low level. Chinese women generally showed poor knowledge about HPV and HPV vaccine. Acceptance of HPV vaccination among Chinese women was at a high level. Vaccination intentions were influenced by the theory of planned behavior(TPB) and measured by attitudes subjective norms and perceived behavioral control.Conclusions: The health authorities may evaluate and develop TPB-based interventions to increase HPV vaccination intentions of Chinese women. HPV vaccination programs should focus on carrying out multi-level and targeted health education and developing effective public health strategies after balancing the cost and benefit of HPV vaccine program. Medical staff should play the positive role in promoting the use of HPV vaccines in China. Integration of policy and community perspectives and multi-level interventions are essential to maximize the public health benefits of HPV vaccination.

Awareness about transmission and preventive measures of COVID-19 from mother to child: A cross-sectional study among pregnant women

Objective:To study the knowledge,attitude,and practice of pregnant women regarding transmission and preventive measures of COVID-19 from mother to child and to determine the reasons for vaccine hesitancy.Methods:This observational cross-sectional knowledge,attitude,and practice study was conducted among pregnant women of any trimester,attending the antenatal care out-patient department of a tertiary care hospital in Lucknow from October 2020 to March 2021.All the participants were interviewed using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire for desired information.Reasons for vaccine hesitancy were also asked to assess their unwillingness to get vaccinated.Results:Totally 652 pregnant women were included and 91.3%were aware that COVID-19 spread through contact with an infected person and 85.3%knew that COVID-19 spread by respiratory droplets.Of pregnant women,95.7%perceived that social distancing and wearing a proper mask were effective ways to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and 96.8%of the pregnant women wore masks regularly when going out.Of pregnant women,79.0%were hesitant to get vaccinated.The most common reason was that COVID-19 vaccine can harm the developing fetus(77.5%)and was not very safe in pregnancy(75.0%).Conclusions:Of the pregnant women,22.92%have unsatisfactory knowledge regarding COVID-19,35.63%have negative attitude and 19.93%have poor practices,indicating that there are still gaps in awareness,and majority of them are unwilling to get vaccinated.Good awareness will help prevent the occurrence of future COVID-19 waves in India.

Women’s empowerment and food consumption:Evidence from female-headed households in Tanzania

Despite the growing recognition of women’s increasing role in the household and corresponding empowerment programs in sub-Saharan Africa,intensive research on the relationship between women’s influence and household food consumption is minimal.Using the most recent(2017-2018)national household survey data from Tanzania,this study examined the influence of women’s empowerment on household food consumption.First,we compared the monthly consumption of eight food categories between female-headed households(FHHs)and male-headed households(MHHs)using both descriptive statistics and the propensity score matching(PSM)method.Furthermore,we adopted the two-stage Linear Expenditure System and Almost Ideal Demand System model(LES-AIDS)to estimate income and price elasticities for the two household types.The results show that FHHs consume bread and cereals,fish,oils and fats,vegetables,and confectionery(sugar,jam,honey,chocolate,etc.)more than MHHs.Moreover,FHHs have a significantly higher income elasticity of demand for all food groups than MHHs.They are also more price elastic than MHHs in meat,fish,oils,fats,sugar,jam,honey,chocolate,etc.

The Three Principles of Institutional Safeguards for Women's Participation in Legislation in China

The participation of women in legislation is an important aspect and means of safeguarding women’s rights.Feminist theory,based on criticism of both the“citizenship identity theory as rights”and the“citizenship identity theory as responsibilities,”proposes the“citizenship identity theory as subjectivity.”Observing the current practice of women’s participation in legislation in China,two institutional safeguard principles can be summarized:the“minimum proportion”and the“influence evaluation.”However,each of these principles has its inherent limitations.Therefore,it is necessary to supplement them with the principle of“subjective participation”in a reflective manner.This principle requires women to participate substantively in the legislative process as subjects,express women’s needs and demands,input women’s perspectives and experiences,and reconstruct the distribution of rights and responsibilities in the existing legislation.The three principles complement each other and work together to comprehensively constitute the institutional structure of women’s participation in legislation,thereby promoting the reproduction of corresponding action structures.

A Historical Review of the Development of Women’s Higher Education in China (1908-2020): Stages, Explanations, and Trends

The development of women’s higher education in China can be divided into four stages:emergence(1908-1948);foundation(1949-1976);accelerating development(1977-2008);and the qualitative leap(2009-2020).This work considers the principal institutional mechanisms that contributed to this development.First,flexibly planned parenthood gradually promoted gender equality and openness in society facilitated by systematic“awards,grants,and loans”initiatives to support women’s higher education economically.Second,compulsory education ensured that left-out and migrant children had access to higher education.Third,effective connectivity across different education types bridged education gaps between those with different levels of education.Fourth,China made great efforts to invite and integrate international experiences that promoted the development of women’s higher education.Looking beyond these achievements,we also discuss the future trends of women’s higher education in China.

An Assessment of Awareness of Specialists in Adequate Diagnostics of Chronic Pancreatitis in Kazakhstan

Our national center of gastroenterology provides highly specialized care, including chronic pancreatitis. Another area of our activities is educational programs, including postgraduate and fellows’ courses. Thereby, we have noted significant gaps in the knowledge of the specialists that involved in the chronic pancreatitis management. The most critical downsides are related to insufficient attention to etiology and risk factors, using outdated classifications, the lack of knowledge in arsenal of diagnostic techniques, polypharmacy or application of low level of evidence treatment methods. Finally, we have made amendments in the National Clinical Protocol in Chronic Pancreatitis [1], updated the State Educational Standard for residents of the gastroenterological profile [2]. The aim of the study was the analysis of the basic knowledge among different specialists in the management of chronic pancreatitis (CP) around the country. This qualitative study consists of two parts, including focus group interviews followed by interviews with the specialists across the country, which was conducted during the period 2015-2018. In this paper, we present results of diagnostic approaches at the different levels of medical care. The general practitioners have noted the absence of modern methods of laboratory and visual diagnostics in their routine practice, therefore explaining the plenty of the complicated forms. Another issue is the low specialist’s adherence to clinical guidelines, poor knowledge of the risk factors and overestimation of the clinical presentation value except malnutrition symptoms. On the other hand, surgeons and other specialists are not ready to implement modern diagnostic tools and methods in their practice. Obviously, in accordance with the results of our study, our educational center should conduct a number of training activities, as well as develop new algorithms for medical care specialists.

ADVANCES OF EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH ON ACUPUNCTURE AND MOXIBUSTION FOR TREATMENT OF WOMEN'S CLIMACTERIC SYNDROME

To introduce the advances of experimental research on acupuncture and moxibustion for treatment of Women＇s Climacteric Syndrome.The recent years experimental research literature of acupuncture and moxibustion for treatment of Women＇s Climacteric Syndrome were reviewed.The research literatures on acupuncture treatment were major,focusing on the field of acupuncture and moxibustion regulating hypothalamic-pituitary-gonad axis and nerval-endocritic-immune net.Acupuncture and moxibustion could regulate the endocrine environment of menopausal women.Taking advantage of combination biomedicine with multi-sciences,to improve the acupuncture and moxibustion curative effct and probe the mechanism of menopausal pathology and acupuncture and moxibustion function to Women＇s Climacteric Syndrome,is the research direction afterward.

Women＇s speech in variation studies

It is demonstrated by sociolinguistic variation studies that women are more likely than men to use standard speech. This paper reviews the operational methods and analytical means of classic quantitative studies in this field, intending to provide guidance and enlightenment for relevant studies and verifications in the context of Chinese culture.

The Women Characters of the 1930s in the Chinese TV Serials

The women of the 1930s in the Chinese TV serials deduct inspiring stories.They play different roles in the big wealthy families such as mothers-in-law,daughters-in-law,and maidservants.There are unceasing conflicts between these women,because of their struggle for men's love,wealth or social position.The theme of their stories is always about fertility,love,kindness and evil,with the ending being either comic or tragic.The stories of various kinds of women of the 1930s in the Chinese TV serials decorate and enrich the lives of many of us latecomers and their names are passed on from generation to generation.

Factors associated with cervical cancer knowledge and practice among Bahraini women

The study was conducted to assess the women’s knowledge and attitude towards cervical cancer and cervical cancer screening,to support the health education programs in this field.A total sample of 350 women(n = 350 ),70 women from each health center was chosen based on a multistage sampling technique according to a number of 21 health centers that serve the population.One health center from each government was selected based on the population it serves,thus the health center with the highest population number was chosen.The main tool of data collection was a face to face interview questionnaire.When assessing the knowledge,attitude, and practice(KAP) of our sample,we observed that approximately equal percentages(70%) of women have heard of both Pap smear and cervical cancer.Only 47.4%had ever had Pap smear and of those 35.1% had it during a period of 5 years or less.The main source of knowledge for those who have done the procedure is the family physician(30.8%).When asked about the reason behind having a Pap smear,the majority (62.3%) had it during postnatal visits.Nevertheless,those that didnt have it,almost half(46.6%) disapproved to do so because they are healthy even after being told that Pap smear is a painless significant procedure. In conclusion,majority of respondents have a good knowledge about cervical cancer but is not reflected in their practice.The results strongly recommend continued health education for the women which can be achieved through the introduction of this topic into the schools’curriculum and planning educational programs within antenatal and postnatal visits.

Patterns of medication use for the treatment of menopausal symptoms before and after the women’s health initiative;implications for decision-making practices of women and women’s health professionals

Background: The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) published findings in 2002 that changed the perception of the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for the reduction of cardiovascular risks. Menopausal women using HRT for the relief of vasomotor symptoms were advised to use the lowest possible dose of HRT over the shortest possible duration. Objective: This study sought to examine patterns of HRT use for the treatment of menopausal symptoms before and after the WHI among women at least 40 years of age. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on a total of 1367 women in the pre-WHI group and 6467 women in the post-WHI group using the U.S. General Electric (GE) Centricity electronic medical record database. Menopause diagnosis was assessed using ICD-9 codes. Clinical characteristics and medication use were assessed for women with at least 3 years of enrollment (1 year baseline, 2 years follow-up). Results: The proportion of women in the post-WHI group that initiated HRT was significantly less than that of women in the pre-WHI group (31.3% vs. 56.9%, respectively;p < 0.001). Combination HRT use declined significantly (21.9% pre-WHI cohort vs. 7.2% post- WHI cohort, p < 0.001) among increases in non-HRT use, namely SSRIs (15.2% pre-WHI cohort v. 22.3% post-WHI cohort, p < 0.001) and tranquilizers (9.5% pre-WHI cohort v. 15.8% post-WHI cohort, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The results of the WHI 2002 publication made an impression on the perception of HRT’s role in the relief of menopausal symptoms. Decision-making on the part of women seeking treatment for vasomotor symptoms and women’s health professionals demonstrates that despite HRT precautions, women continue to exhibit a need for HRT use. This study’s findings suggest that women seeking treatment for menopausal symptom relief and women’s health professionals continue to work together to find the appropriate balance between therapy use and adherence to therapy use guidelines.

Application-aware routing with QoS support in SDN networks

Software defined networking( SDN) offers programmable interface to effectively control their networks by decoupling control and data plane. The network operators utilize a centralized controller to deploy advanced network management strategies. An architecture for application-aware routing which can support dynamic quality of service( Qo S) in SDN networks is proposed. The applicationaware routing as a multi-constrained optimal path( MCOP) problem is proposed,where applications are treated as Qo S flow and best-effort flows. With the SDN controller applications,it is able to dynamically lead routing decisions based on application characteristics and requirements,leading to a better overall user experience and higher utilization of network resources. The simulation results show that the improvement of application-aware routing framework on discovering appropriate routes,which can provide Qo S guarantees for a specific application in SDN networks.

Influence of group B streptococcus and vaginal cleanliness on the vaginal microbiome of pregnant women

BACKGROUND The vaginal microbiome plays a critical role in the health of pregnant women and their newborns.Group B Streptococcus(GBS)and vaginal cleanliness significantly affect the vaginal microecosystem and are closely associated with vaginal diseases.AIM To explore the effects of GBS status and vaginal cleanliness on vaginal microecosystems.METHODS We collected 160 vaginal swabs from pregnant women and divided them into the following four groups based on GBS status and vaginal cleanliness:GBS-positive+vaginal cleanliness I–II degree,GBS-negative+vaginal cleanliness I–II degree,GBS-positive+vaginal cleanliness III–IV degree,and GBS-negative+vaginal cleanliness III–IV degree.Samples were subjected to 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing.RESULTS Alpha diversity analysis showed that the Shannon index did not significantly differ between the four groups.We identified significant variation in taxa abundance between the GBS-positive and GBS-negative groups and between the vaginal cleanliness I–II degree and III–IV degree groups.Principal coordinate analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis further confirmed the microbial diversity of the four groups.Moreover,the linear discriminant analysis demonstrated that Lactobacillus jensenii and Actinobacteria were strongly associated with GBS-positive status,and Lactobacillus iners,Lactobacillaceae,Lactobacillus,Lactobacillales,Bacilli and Firmicutes were closely correlated with GBS-negative status.CONCLUSION GBS status and vaginal cleanliness significantly affect vaginal microbiome differences in pregnant women.Our findings provide instructional information for clinical antibiotic treatment in pregnant women with different GBS statuses and vaginal cleanliness degrees.

Impact of the Changes in Women’s Characteristics over Time on Antenatal Health Care Utilization in Egypt (2000-2008)

Objectives: This study empirically assesses the impact of the changes in women’s characteristics, empowerment, availability and quality of health services on woman’s decision to use antenatal care (ANC) and the frequency of that use during the period 2000-2008. Study Design: The study is a cross-sectional analytical study using 2000 and 2008 Egypt Demographic and Health Surveys. Methods: The assessment of the studied impact is conducted using the Zero-inflated Negative Binomial Regression. In addition, Factor Analysis technique is used to construct some of the explanatory variables such as women’s empowerment, the availability and quality of health services indicators. Results: Utilization of antenatal health care services is greatly improved from 2000 to 2008. Availability of health services is one of the main determinants that affect the number of antenatal care visits in 2008. Wealth index and quality of health services play an important role in raising the level of antenatal care utilization in 2000 and 2008. However, the impact of the terminated pregnancy on receiving ANC increased over time. Conclusions: Further research of the determinants of antenatal health care utilization is needed, using more updated measures of women’s empowerment, availability and quality of health services. In order to improve the provision of antenatal health care services, it is important to understand barriers to antenatal health care utilization. Therefore, it is advisable to collect information from women about the reasons for not receiving antenatal care.

Women＇s Cooperatives Contributions to Local Region Economy： Seferihisar Agricultural Cooperative Development Model-Turkey

The cooperative movement has played a very important role in the social and economic development of all countries since 19th eentury＇s second half. Cooperatives provide health, housing, and banking services; they promote education and gender equality; they protect the environment and workers＇ rights. According to 2014＇s data, the total number of cooperatives is 79,486 in Turkey, while the total number of partners of cooperatives is approximately 7.8 million. The research＇s sample group ＂Hidirlik Agricultural Development Cooperative＂ was founded by the wife of the Seferihisar＇s mayor and six women. It has been a subject of curiousity that the contributions of the cooperative have developed the economy of the region since 2010. Therefore, various questions asked to the president and members of the cooperative, and significant results were obtained. In this research ＂Interview technique＂ was used. The fact that within the boundaries of local governments, the establishment of ＂women＇s cooperatives＂ and their active management can be supported with 10 basic criteria for the regional and national development can be predicted. These dimensions： ecological balance and sensitivity, the revival of the tourism sector, the mobility of logistics activities, new investments and increase of land value, the increase of women employment, the increase of healthy living standards, increase of competitiveness and trade earnings, the creation of new brands, widespread of the agricultural sector, and the increase of social and educational level of women. The similiar implementation of ＂Seferihisar Women＇s Cooperatives Model＂ in the research is considered form an important enterprenurship model not only in Turkey but also for all countries.