ABSTRACT
Infant mortality is caused by various health problems, especially since the gestation period, even starting before the gestation period. Stress during pregnancy affects the motor, cognitive, and emotional development of the baby. This study aims to determine the effect of interactive pregnancy education (IPE) on decreasing levels of cortisol, epinephrine, and its relationship with stress levels in third-trimester primigravida pregnant women. This research is a quasi-experimental study using a nonequivalent control group design, which has two groups, namely the experimental group and the control group. The authors compared the experimental group that was given the intervention with the control group that was not given any treatment. This research was conducted in the three Community Health Centers in Indonesia from June 2022 until December 2022. The samples were 30 third-trimester primigravida pregnant women for the intervention and control groups. Data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests with SPSS 22 software. The results of this study indicate that IPE has a good impact on pregnant women, where there is a significant relationship in the post-test cortisol and epinephrine levels in the intervention group. This indicates that IPE contributed to the difference in post-test scores in the intervention group. The IPE method is effective in reducing stress levels and cortisol levels in pregnant women, especially in pregnant women with high levels of stress.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Communication deficit is one of the characteristics of autism spectrum disorder. Some children with this condition cannot communicate verbally and some have very limited speech skills. This study aims to analyze the factors that affect speaking ability in children with autism, namely age, sex, emotions, attention, and memory. DESIGN AND METHODS: This study used a correlational analytical design with a retrospective cohort design. Data were obtained using questionnaires and scales. Furthermore, emotional factors, attention, memory, and age were analyzed for their effects on speaking ability using the Pearson test, while sex was analyzed for their effects on speaking ability using the Eta test. RESULTS: The results showed that there was a significant effect of attention and age on the speaking ability of children with autism spectrum disorders. Furthermore, it showed that there was a significant effect of emotion on attention. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that attention and age affect the speaking ability of children with autism spectrum disorder. Meanwhile, attention in affecting speaking ability is influenced by emotions. Therefore, to improve speaking ability, good emotional management and increased attention is required.
ABSTRACT
Obesity is a health disorder characterized by an increase in body weight, measured by waist circumference. High waist circumference is linked to potential development of non-communicable diseases. A systematic review study was used to explore health risks of high waist circumference through Google Scholar, Science Direct, Pubmed, and Proquest. Findings show that high waist circumference increased the risks of developing hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, joint pain, low back pain, and hyperuricemia. It is recommended that government increase their role in raising public awareness to maintain healthy lifestyle.
