Pregnancy outcomes among active and sedentary primiparous women.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the relationship between exercise during the last trimester of pregnancy and physiologic outcomes of mothers and newborns to determine whether differences exist between active and sedentary exercise patterns on these variables. DESIGN: Nonexperimental, descriptive. SETTING: Physicians' offices, Lamaze classes, and hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred one primiparous women (48 sedentary and 53 active), 20-30 years of age, with no medical complications, whose length of gestation was at least 32 weeks. OUTCOME MEASURES: Weight gain, weeks of gestation, length of labor, common discomforts of pregnancy, occurrence of cesarean section, birth weight, and Apgar scores. RESULTS: Brisk walking was the preferred physical activity among 47% of the participants. Regular, active exercise had no significant effect on maternal weight gain or neonate birth weight. Twenty-five percent of the women in the active exercise group reported five or fewer discomforts compared with 6% of the women in the sedentary group (X2 = 7.45, p < 0.01). For the discomforts of swelling, leg cramps, fatigue, and shortness of breath, 44% of the women in the active group reported having only one or two of them, compared with 21% of the women in the sedentary group (X2 = 6.15, p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Women who engaged in active exercise during the last trimester of pregnancy had fewer of the common discomforts associated with pregnancy.

The use of progressive indicators as predictors of NCLEX-RN success and performance of BSN graduates.

Successful performance during the student's academic career contributes to his success on the NCLEX-RN. The purpose of this study was to determine predictors of success on the NCLEX preadmission and years 2, 3, and 4 variables in relation to NCLEX-RN scores. Data were obtained retrospectively from records of 408 baccalaureate nursing students. Preadmission variables were sex, age, race, and admission grade point average (GPA). Year 2 variables were numerical grades for the first two clinical nursing courses. Year 3 variables were numerical grades for clinical courses in mental health, adult health, and maternal child nursing. Year 4 variables were numerical grades in two senior clinical courses, percentile rank on NLN comprehensive exam, and graduate GPA. In NCLEX-RN scores, 67% of the variance was accounted for by admission GPA and race (33%), one 2nd year grade (an additional 14%), the 3rd year adult health grade (an additional 14%), the 3rd year adult health grade (an additional 11%), one 4th year theory grade, and the NLN comprehensive exam (an additional 9%). These results suggest that there are preadmission and sophomore year predictors of NCLEX-RN success which could be used to design early interventions for students performing poorly and at risk of failing the NCLEX-RN.