Women’s Health
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12503/21747
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Browsing Women’s Health by Author "Chiapa-Scifres, Ana"
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Item An Evaluation of Prenatal Behaviors in a Rural Texas Community(2015-03) John, Jennifer; Chiapa-Scifres, AnaPurpose: Appropriate prenatal care for mothers is an important part of maternal health and should be a public health concern. Mothers need to be adequately educated on appropriate health practices during their pre-conception, prenatal, and post-conception time periods. This study was aimed to assess the behaviors of reproductive age women in a rural community concerning their prenatal care and to see if age and education level played a role in their behaviors. Methods: 46 women completed a survey that was given out at the Perryton Health Center in Perryton, Texas. The study was given to women of reproductive age 18-45 who were pregnant at the time or had been pregnant. The survey asked about their most recent pregnancy and the behaviors associated: how early they sought prenatal care, tobacco use, folic acid supplementation, and flu vaccination. Results: 41% of the respondents were 18-25 years old; in that age group, the average time of their first prenatal visit was 6.94 weeks, 15.8% were smoking while pregnant, 52.6% got their flu shot, and 63.2% took prenatal vitamins every day. 44% were 26-35 year olds; the average time of their first visit was 6.59 weeks, 5% were still smoking, 55% got their flu shot, and 70% took prenatal vitamins every day. 15% were aged 36-45; the average time of their first visit was 6.28 weeks, 14.3% were still smoking, 71.4% got their flu shot, and 42.9% were taking their prenatal vitamins every day. Conclusions: It is important to educate women on safe behavior during the prenatal period. This data shows that younger moms seek prenatal care later and are less likely to get the flu shot. But when it came to smoking and taking prenatal vitamins, both the youngest and oldest age groups had poor behaviors. This information can help healthcare providers know what to focus on in their patient encounters and what the patients should be asked about and educated on.Item Identifying Primary Factors Responsible for the Decline of Obstetric Care by Rural Texas Family Practice Physicians(2015-03) Beaver, Ryan; Chiapa-Scifres, Ana; Bowling, JohnThere is a well-documented decline of family practice physicians (FPs) providing OB, and the known reasons behind the decline are varied and complex. The purpose of this study is to assess which factors are most responsible for the decline in OB provided by FPs, with a specific focus on those in rural Texas communities. Specifically, it seeks to determine: 1.) What rural FPs are currently providing OB services? 2.) What are the primary factors/barriers responsible for the decline of OB services provided by rural FPs? A statewide survey of self-identified rural FPs targeted the degree of OB services currently provided and graded factors/barriers responsible for the decline of obstetric care in their personal practices. Current OB practice characteristics were divided into 3 primary categories: currently performing, previously performed, or never performed. Individual factors/barriers were graded using a scale of 1 through 5 and ranked according to highest arithmetic average. The survey was distributed in both physical and online forms to various professional FP societies in Texas and the data and statistical analysis were recorded in Qualtrics online survey software. 35 FPs volunteered to participate. 2 respondents did not self-identify as rural and were excluded from the analysis. Of the remaining 33, we found that 85% felt as if they had received adequate OB training in residency, yet only 29% were currently performing vaginal deliveries as part of their practice. Another 43% had previously performed vaginal deliveries but were not currently, and 29% had never performed vaginal deliveries as part of their practice. Of those adequately trained in OB, lifestyle (4.36), family (4.00), and sleep issues (3.75) accounted for the top three factors, followed by liability (3.41) and difficulty obtaining back-up coverage (3.14). The lowest ranked factors/barriers were hospital privileges (2.11), concern with skill level (1.96), and credentialing barriers (1.79). This data confirms that qualified FPs are declining to provide OB care. Primary factors responsible include lifestyle/family-related issues, liability, and poor back-up coverage. Factors of least concern were credentialing barriers, concern with skill level, and hospital privileges. This study confirms that non-medical factors are affecting medical care in rural areas, and future solutions must take these factors into account.