Tobacco-related morbidity and nicotine dependence: An experience in an urban slum of Burdwan district, West Bengal, India

Effect of cognitive-behavioral training on fear of childbirth and sleep quality of pregnant adolescent slum dwellers

BACKGROUND

Fear of childbirth is a common problem during pregnancy, which can give rise to sleep disorders and diminish sleep quality. This study aimed to determine the effect of cognitive-behavioral training on fear of childbirth and sleep quality of pregnant adolescent slum dwellers who visited the slum health centers of Zahedan city, Iran, in 2020.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2020 on 100 pregnant adolescent slum dwellers between 11 and 19 years old at 24-28 weeks pregnant. Multi-stage sampling was used and the participants were randomly divided into an intervention and a control group. The intervention group received four sessions of cognitive-behavioral training at weekly intervals. The control group only received routine care. The Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were filled before and 4 weeks after the training course. The data were analyzed in SPSS 21 using independent t-test, paired t-test, Fisher's exact test, and Chi-squared test. and covariance. A P value of < 0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS

After the intervention, the fear of childbirth significantly decreased (P = 0.004), and sleep quality significantly improved (P = 0.001) in the intervention group compared with the control group. The results of analysis of covariance to control the significant effect of pre-test scores showed that the mean score of fear of childbirth (P = 0.03) and mean score of sleep quality (P = 0.001) in the two groups after the intervention was statistically significant.

CONCLUSION

The results showed that in addition to reducing fear of childbirth, cognitive-behavioral training improved the sleep quality of women in the intervention group. Therefore, this training could be used as an easy and accessible method without complications to improve women's health.

Health-promoting services provided in pharmacies: A systematic review

Pharmacies are a major component of health systems and a major part of health service provision. This study aimed at identifying and introducing the potentials of pharmacies in health promotion. This was a systematic review that searched PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, SID, Magiran, and IranMedex from February 1990 to September 2018 for related materials. The main search keywords were (pharmacy services), (community pharmacy services), (retail pharmacy services), (pharmacy practice intervention). Inclusion was limited to those papers that discussed the health-promoting services provided in the pharmacies. The quality of included papers was assessed by the Critical Appraisal Skills Program checklists. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses chart was followed in all stages of the study. Of the 4156 papers retrieved, 18 met the inclusion criteria and included in the analysis. Study findings were categorized into three main categories: Health and prevention services, services related to treatments, and the awareness about the pharmacies' functions. The health and prevention category consisted of education, vaccination, screening and prevention of diseases, family planning, blood pressure monitoring, quitting smoking, limiting alcohol, and weight management. The treatment-related services consisted of adherence to medication, medication consultation, minor pains, and emergency medical services. Pharmacies can provide a wide variety of services besides the medications. Purposeful development of the services provided in the pharmacies and involving them in an extended array of services may accelerate the health promotion activities of the health system and result in improved quality of life and decreased costs. To do so, the legal, educational-skill, and pricing challenges should be resolved.