ABSTRACT
Postpartum women live with a low quality of life due to pain caused by episiotomy and perineal laceration. In particular, they endure pain when sitting for long periods of time to breastfeed. The purpose of this study is to develop a sitting aid to alleviate postpartum vulvodynia. This study was conducted in the following four phases from July 2017 to May 2019. They are: material selection and molding, cleaning and disinfection testing, pressure distribution measurement testing, and trial testing by postpartum women. The main material was a 100% polypropylene object with a three-dimensional reticular fiber spring structure and fiber density of 3.8 kg/m2. As a result, a sitting aid that withstands washing and disinfection well in the medical field and is breathable. It had moderate resilience and elasticity and reduced pressure on the seating surface for women weighing approximately 45 kg and 55 kg, but we were skeptical about its use for women weighing more than that. The completed sitting aid is noninvasively effective in improving the quality of life of many postpartum women, but the density and thickness of the main material should be reexamined to meet the needs of women in a wider weight range. In addition, a self-administered questionnaire survey of trial users revealed that some women did not experience relief from vulvodynia even after using the sitting aid. Such women also had physical problems such as discomfort in the lower back, difficulty breastfeeding, and difficulty standing up. For women with multiple physical problems, individual causes should be addressed.
ABSTRACT
Objective: Since the late 1980s, Vietnam has seen numerous social changes, likely leading to changes in adolescent sexual awareness. Adolescents are currently exposed to a plethora of sexual information without adequate sex education and knowledge. Globally, researchers have identified sexual knowledge and self-esteem as determinants of adolescent sexual awareness and behavior, but little is known about the role of social capital, especially in rural areas. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between sexual awareness and cognitive social capital among high school students in rural Vietnam. Materials and Methods: We conducted a questionnaire-based survey assessing sexual knowledge, sexual awareness, perceptions of peers' sexual experience, structural and cognitive social capital, and self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale) in March 2017 among 1,583 11th graders at four public high schools in Hai Duong Province, Vietnam. Results: The final sample comprised 1,517 students (95.8% of total responses): 609 boys (40.1%) and 908 girls (59.9%). Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed with intolerance toward premarital sex as the dependent variable. In the first model, the independent variables were self-esteem, knowledge of proper timing for condom use, and perception that many peers are sexually experienced. The second model added an indicator of cognitive social capital. In the first model, self-esteem, knowledge of proper timing for condom use, and perception that many peers are sexually experienced were all significantly associated with intolerance toward premarital sex for both boys and girls. In the second model, for both boys and girls, only cognitive social capital was significantly associated with intolerance toward premarital sex. Conclusion: The results of this study regarding the effect of social capital in rural Vietnam are consistent with previous findings in urban areas. Social capital should be emphasized in efforts to improve sexual awareness and, in turn, sexual and reproductive health among adolescents in rural areas.
