ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To examine the association of women's postpartum health with total workload (TWL), work and personal factors in the year after childbirth. METHODS: Employed women from Minneapolis and St Paul, Minnesota, were recruited while hospitalized for childbirth. Longitudinal analyses, using fixed effects regression models, estimated the associations of TWL, job satisfaction and stress, social support, perceived control, breastfeeding and infant characteristics with women's health at 5 weeks, 11 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months postpartum. RESULTS: Increased TWL over time was associated with significantly poorer mental health and increased symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: High TWL--including reduced time for rest, recovery, and sleep--is a risk factor for women's mental health and symptoms 12 months after childbirth. Women's postpartum health was positively associated with social support, which may help to decrease the negative effects of excess work.
Subject(s)
Breast Feeding/statistics & numerical data , Women's Health/economics , Workload/statistics & numerical data , Adult , Cohort Studies , Female , Health Status , Humans , Job Satisfaction , Longitudinal Studies , Parturition , Postpartum Period , Pregnancy , Social Support , Stress, PsychologicalABSTRACT
Despite the cost-effectiveness and widespread availability of vaccines, vaccine-preventable diseases remain an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. We present the indications, contraindications and administration of adult vaccinations, as well as the strategies for improving the rate of outpatient adult vaccination as an effective means of disease prevention. Although immunizations have altered the course of many infectious diseases worldwide, there is a significant chasm in what we know is best for our patients versus what reaches our patients. A greater emphasis is needed for vaccination of adults, especially in primary care and public health settings as well as in special populations such as the pregnant, elderly or immunosuppressed.
Subject(s)
Immunization Schedule , Vaccines , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Immunocompromised Host , PregnancyABSTRACT
Women make up nearly half of Minnesota's workforce. Thus, many women, including those of reproductive age, are exposed to workplace hazards. These hazards may be chemical-toxicants such as heavy metals, pesticides, and endocrine disruptors; physical--the result of activities or proximity to something in the environment; or biological-infectious agents. And they are of growing concern among scientists and the public. Although data on the effect of these hazards on the reproductive health of women is limited, there is evidence indicating they ought to be of concern to women and the physicians who treat them. Clinicians are encouraged to assess women for exposure to workplace hazards and to communicate with them about whether such exposure might increase their risk for problems such as infertility, miscarriage, and preterm birth. This article highlights selected job-related hazards and offers suggestions for caring for working women of reproductive age.
Subject(s)
Occupational Diseases/etiology , Occupational Exposure/adverse effects , Reproductive Medicine , Safety Management , Abortion, Spontaneous/etiology , Congenital Abnormalities/etiology , Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Infertility, Female/etiology , Minnesota , Obstetric Labor, Premature/etiology , Occupational Diseases/prevention & control , Pregnancy , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study provides insight into Occupational Medicine (OM) residency graduates and how residency programs are meeting their education goals. METHODS: A survey of graduates from nine OM residency program was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of OM residency training in the United States and Canada. RESULTS: Eighty percent of the OM residency graduates were currently practicing OM. Three-quarters worked in clinical practice for a mean of 20 hr/wk. Other activities varied and included management, teaching and consulting. Ninety-five percent were satisfied with their OM residency training. The competencies acquired were mostly ranked highly as practice requisites, although preparation in clinical OM might be better emphasized in training. Recent OM residency graduates were more likely to be board-certified in OM than other American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine physician members (73% vs 41%). CONCLUSIONS: OM residency graduates over the past 10 years were highly satisfied with OM residency training, with the training generally meeting practice needs.
