The effect of spousal communication on contraceptive use in Central Terai, Nepal

Objective

Family planning has several social and health benefits; it can reduce maternal mortality and the number of unplanned pregnancies, as well as increase educational and economic opportunities [1] and [2]. Utilizing quantitative data from an endline household survey (July 2009) and data from focus group discussions, the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA) seeks to determine whether spousal communication increases contraceptive use among married women of child-bearing age in Nepal's Central Terai region.

Methods

Quantitative household survey and qualitative focus group discussions.

Results

Women who discuss family planning with their husbands (OR = 7.254), perceive husband approval on family planning (OR = 5.558) and have born a son (OR = 2.239) are more likely to use a modern contraceptive method. Qualitative data show that several other considerations can be motivating factors for contraceptive uptake.

Conclusion

While results do not explain the direction of causality, it is clear that spousal discussion and partner approval are significant in a woman's decision to use modern contraceptives in the Central Terai region of Nepal.

Practice implications

More research needs to be conducted on the effect of spousal communication and contraceptive use, in particular, the role of frequency, quality, and content of spousal communication, as well as individual motivations.     

2005—2009年邳州市法定传染病疫情监测分析

目的探讨江苏省邳州市法定传染病的疫情动态和流行特征。方法采用描述流行病学方法,对国家疾病监测信息报告管理系统的数据进行统计分析。结果 2005—2009年邳州市共报告法定传染病(乙、丙类)26种11 570例,年均发病率为142.83/10万,死亡率为0.53/10万。肺结核、病毒性肝炎、手足口病是本地区的重点传染病,年均发病率依次为73.37/10万、23.04/10万、25.71/10万。结论呼吸道传染病(肺结核为主)、血源及性传播疾病(乙肝为主)及肠道传染病(手足口病为主)是本地区危害最大的重点传染病,需要加强预防和控制工作力度。     

Longitudinal Determinants of Substance Use Disorders

Substance use and substance use disorders (SUDs) have been linked with marital discord. Relatively little is known, however, about the antecedents of SUDs, the mediators of these factors over time, or their associations with the spousal/partner relationship among urban adults. A better understanding of the longitudinal pathways to marital conflict and to SUDs should help prevention and intervention programs target their precursors within the developmental period in which they occur. The present study, therefore, examined the longitudinal predictors of an unsupportive spousal/partner relationship and SUDs among a community sample of urban African American and Puerto Rican adults from East Harlem, NY. Participants (N = 816) completed structured questionnaires at five time waves, from adolescence to adulthood (mean ages = 14, 19, 24, 29, and 32 years). Structural equation modeling examined the effects of earlier environmental and social stressors and intrapersonal and interpersonal factors on later SUDs in adulthood. There was a good fit of the structural equation model (CFI = 0.91; RMSEA = 0.06; and SRMR = 0.06), which revealed three main pathways from adolescence to the spousal/partner relationship and SUDs in adulthood. One pathway linked a weak parent–adolescent attachment relationship with the participant’s psychological symptoms in emerging adulthood (p < 0.01), which in turn were related to affiliation with deviant and drug-using peers, also in emerging adulthood (p < 0.001). Peer deviance and drug use were associated with the participant’s substance use in young adulthood (p < 0.001), which predicted both an unsupportive spousal/partner relationship (p < 0.05) and SUDs (p < 0.001) later in adulthood. Other pathways highlighted the continuity of psychological symptoms as related to both substance use in young adulthood (p < 0.001) and an unsupportive spousal/partner relationship in adulthood (p < 0.001). Findings showed that the associations of both distal stressors and the parent–adolescent relationship with more proximal intra- and interpersonal problems predicted unsupportive spousal/partner relationships and SUDs among urban adults. Several aspects of the individual’s life, at different developmental stages, provide opportunities for interventions to prevent or reduce unsupportive spousal/partner relationships and SUDs.     

2010年卫生相关WTO/TBT通报情况分析

作者整理、翻译、分析了2010年卫生相关WTO/TBT通报文件,并对欧盟、美国、韩国等国的主要通报进行了重点评析,为我国卫生标准制修订提供参考。作者还分析了目前卫生相关TBT通报评议工作存在的主要问题,提出了改进建议。     

Diagnostic accuracy of notified cases as pulmonary tuberculosis in private sectors of Korea

The diagnostic accuracy of the data reported in the Korean tuberculosis surveillance system (KTBS) has not been adequately investigated. We reviewed the clinical data of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) cases notified from private medical facilities through KTBS between January and June, 2004. PTB cases were classified into definite (culture-proven), probable (based on smear, polymerase chain reaction, histology, bronchoscopic finding, computed tomography, or both chest radiograph and symptoms) or possible (based only on chest radiograph) tuberculosis. Of the 1126 PTB cases, sputum AFB smear and culture were requested in 79% and 51% of the cases, respectively. Positive results of sputum smear and culture were obtained in 43% and 29% of all the patients, respectively. A total of 73.2% of the notified PTB cases could be classified as definite or probable and 81.7% as definite, probable, or possible. However, where infection was not confirmed bacteriologically or histologically, only 60.1% of the patients were definite, probable, or possible cases. More than 70% of PTB notified from private sectors in Korea can be regarded as real TB. The results may also suggest the possibility of over-estimation of TB burden in the use of the notification-based TB data.     

Safety evaluation of oleic-rich triglyceride oil produced by a heterotrophic microalgal fermentation process

Numbers of macro- and microalgae have been used as food sources in various cultures for centuries. Several microalgae are currently being developed as modern food ingredients. The dietary safety of oleic-rich microalgal oil produced using a heterotrophic fermentation process was assessed in a 13-week feeding trial in rats with genotoxic potential evaluated using in vitro and in vivo assays. In the genotoxicity assays, the test oil was not mutagenic in Salmonella typhimurium or Escherichia coli tester strains (⩽5000 μg/plate) with or without metabolic activation. Further, no clastogenic response occurred in chromosome aberration assays in the bone marrow of mice administered a single intraperitoneal dose (2000 mg/kg). In the subchronic study, rats consumed feed containing 0, 25,000, 50,000 or 100,000 ppm oleic-rich oil for 90 days. No treatment-related mortalities or adverse effects occurred in general condition, body weight, food consumption, ophthalmology, urinalysis, hematology, clinical chemistry, gross pathology, organ weights or histopathology. Although several endpoints exhibited statistically significant effects, none were dose-related or considered adverse. Taking all studies into consideration, the NOAEL for the oleic-rich oil was 100,000 ppm, the highest concentration tested and equivalent to dietary NOAELs of 5200 mg/kg bw/day and 6419 mg/kg bw/day in male and female rats, respectively.