Postpartum contraception: determinants of intention and methods of use among an obstetric cohort in a tertiary hospital in Jos, North Central Nigeria

Complementary and Alternative Medicines/Therapies (CAM) are commonly used by US asthma adults, yet little is known about recent trends in their use. Our aim was to report trends in CAM use among US adults with current asthma. We conducted a serial cross-sectional study using nationally representative data from the BRFSS Asthma Call-Back Survey (ACBS) collected between 2008 and 2019 (sample size per cycle, 8222 to 14,227). The exposure was calendar time, as represented by ACBS cycle, while the main outcomes were use of at least one CAM and eleven alternative therapies. We analyzed CAM use overall and by population subgroups based on age, gender, race/ethnicity, income, and daytime and night-time asthma symptoms. Our findings show that there was an increase in the use of at least one CAM from 41.3% in 2008 to 47.9% in 2019 (p-trend < 0.001) and an upward trend in the use of herbs, aromatherapy, yoga, breathing exercises, homeopathy, and naturopathy (p-trend < 0.05). However, the use of vitamins, acupuncture, acupressure, reflexology, and other CAM therapies remained stable (p-trend > 0.05). These trends varied according to population characteristics (age, sex, race, income) and asthma symptoms. In conclusion, our study suggests that CAM use among US adults with current asthma is either increasing or stable, and further studies are needed to explore the factors influencing these trends.

Background: Despite the widespread food insecurity in the United States, there is limited research investigating its prevalence among pregnant women and the potential impact it has on maternal and child health outcomes. This study examined trends in the prevalence of, and investigated risk factors for, food insecurity among peripartum women, using a nationally representative sample in the United States. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included pregnant and postpartum women aged 18–49 years who reported being currently pregnant or pregnant in the past 12 months and who participated in the National Health Interview Survey from 2019 to 2021. Weighted multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to estimate associations with food insecurity. Results: A total of 1,527 pregnant women, weighted to represent 5,588,192 women in the United States, were included in the analysis. Overall, from 2019 to 2021, 10.8% of peripartum women were food insecure. The prevalence of food insecurity changed substantially between 2019 and 2021 (2019: 10.6% confidence interval [95% CI: 8.7–13.5], 2020: 16.0% [95% CI: 10.9–22.8], 2021: 6.2% [95% CI: 4.2–9.1]). The adjusted odds of food insecurity were significantly higher among pregnant and postpartum women in 2020 (aOR 2.15), who had a health insurance coverage (aOR 2.98) and who had an unmet health care need in the preceding 12 months (aOR 6.52). Conclusion: We found that food insecurity was common among peripartum women between 2019 and 2021 and was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Identifying the factors that predispose peripartum women to the risk of food insecurity can guide the development and implementation of targeted interventions aimed at reducing the adverse impact of food insecurity on perinatal and infant health.

Food insecurity (FI) remains a key priority for sustainable development. Despite the well-known consequences of food insecurity on health and well-being, evidence regarding the burden and determinants of FI among pregnant women in Nigeria is limited. Framed by the social-ecological model, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of FI, and its associations with individual-/household-level and contextual-level factors among pregnant women in Nigeria. A cross-sectional study based on the Nigerian Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (2021 Nigerian MICS6) was conducted among a sample of 3519 pregnant women aged 15–49 years. Several weighted multilevel multinomial logistic regression models were fitted to assess the association between individual-/household-s level and community-level characteristics with FI. We estimated and reported both fixed effects and random effects to measure the associations and variations, respectively. Results: The prevalence of FI among pregnant women in Nigeria was high, with nearly 75% of the participants reporting moderate to severe FI in the past 12 months (95% CI = 71.3%-75.8%) in 2021. There were also significant differences in all the experiences of food insecurity due to lack of money or resources, as measured by the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), except for feeling hungry but not eating because of lack of money or resources (p < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis revealed that higher parity, households with 5 or more members, household wealth index, urban residence, and community-level poverty were significantly associated with FI. Our study demonstrates a significantly high prevalence of FI among pregnant women in Nigeria in 2021. Given the negative consequences of FI on maternal and child health, implementing interventions to address FI during pregnancy remains critical to improving pregnancy outcomes.

The African Journal of Laboratory Medicine focuses on the role of the laboratory and its professionals in the clinical and public healthcare sectors, and is specifically based on an African frame of reference.