Vitamin D, Folate, Vitamin B12, and Iron Status in Pregnant/Postpartum Old Order Anabaptist Women in Southwestern Ontario.

Purpose: To assess vitamin D, folate, vitamin B12, and iron status in Old Order Anabaptist (OOA) pregnant/postpartum women.Methods: Blood was analyzed for plasma 25 hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D), red blood cell (RBC) folate, serum vitamin B12, and iron status indicators. Dietary intakes (food and supplements) from 3-day estimated records were compared to Dietary Reference Intakes and Canada's Food Guide (2007).Results: Fifty women participated in this descriptive cross-sectional study. Concentrations of 25(OH)D were low (<50 nmol/L for 20% and < 75 nmol/L for 63%); 42% had total vitamin D intakes < estimated average requirement (EAR). All women had RBC folate above the 1360 mmol/L cut-off. Nineteen percent had folate intakes upper limit. One woman had low serum vitamin B12 (<148 pmol/L); serum vitamin B12 was high (>652 pmol/L) for 24%. None had vitamin B12 intakes

Health Priorities and Health-Seeking Behaviors of Old Order Anabaptists in Southern Ontario With Emphasis on Cancer Screening.

BACKGROUND: Cancer-screening rates are low among Old Order Anabaptists; the burden of cancer is unknown. PURPOSE: To investigate cancer and health in the Old Order Anabaptist context. Specifically, to describe health priorities and health-seeking behaviors, crudely estimate cancer burden, and identify predictors of cancer screening. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was distributed to households around Perth County, Ontario, in January 2014. RESULTS: Response rate was 45%. Cancer burden was low. Cancer was a lower priority than general and mental health. After adjustment, family/friends motivated cancer screening for regular screeners ( OR: 6.38, 95% CI [1.93, 21.07]) and symptoms was reported to motivate those underscreened/never screened ( OR: 0.48, 95% CI [0.24, 0.96]). CONCLUSION: Cancer-screening participation may be low because the burden of cancer is low and there are other high-priority health concerns. IMPLICATIONS: Integrated cancer screening and holistic care may improve participation.

Perceived Benefits of Childbirth Education on Future Health-Care Decision Making.

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the perception of women regarding long-term effects of childbirth education on future health-care decision making. This qualitative study used a purposive sample of 10 women who participated in facilitated focus groups. Analysis of focus group narratives provided themes in order of prevalence: (a) self-advocacy, (b) new skills, (c) anticipatory guidance, (d) control, (e) informed consent, and (f) trust. This small exploratory study does not answer the question of whether childbirth education influences future health-care decision making, but it demonstrates that the themes and issues from participants who delivered 15-30 years ago were comparable to current findings in the literature.

Anxiety: etiology, treatment, and Christian perspectives.

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting 18% or more of adults. Anxiety is a natural response to stress and danger but becomes pathological when excessive and uncontrollable. This article discusses symptoms, risk factors, neurobiology and pathophysiology, psychotherapies and medications used in treatment, nursing interventions, and biblical Christian understanding and support for managing anxiety.

Childbirth education in rural haiti: reviving low-tech teaching strategies.

On a medical mission into rural mountainous regions of Haiti, the authors were charged with teaching safer childbirth practices to untrained, mostly illiterate traditional birth attendants (TBA) who spoke Haitian Creole. In this isolated region with no physician or accessible hospital, almost all births occur at home. With no electricity, safe water supply, or sanitation facilities, childbirth education was a challenge. Accustomed to electronic, high-tech teaching aids, these childbirth educators had to modify educational strategies for these extraordinary circumstances. A successful solution was to revive decades-old teaching techniques and visual aids once used in Lamaze classes. The purpose of this article is to describe the teaching environment, the target audience, and the low-tech approach to childbirth education in Haiti.

First do no harm: interventions during childbirth.

Although medical and technological advances in maternity care have drastically reduced maternal and infant mortality, these interventions have become commonplace if not routine. Used appropriately, they can be life-saving procedures. Routine use, without valid indications, can transform childbirth from a normal physiologic process and family life event into a medical or surgical procedure. Every intervention presents the possibility of untoward effects and additional risks that engender the need for more interventions with their own inherent risks. Unintended consequences to intrapartum interventions make it imperative that nurse educators work with other professionals to promote natural childbirth processes and advocate for policies that focus on ensuring informed consent and alternative choices. Interdisciplinary collaboration can ensure that intrapartum caregivers "first do no harm."