BACKGROUND

Maternal malnutrition is a major cause of low birth weight (LBW) newborn outcome especially among adolescent mothers. It is one of the key drivers of child stunting and initiates the vicious cycle of intergenerational malnutrition. The body mass index prior to pregnancy or at the initial trimester is currently being used to establish the desired weight gain throughout pregnancy. However, Filipino adolescents often delay their first antenatal visit at a later stage of pregnancy. Without a baseline weight, the establishment of appropriate weight gain and nutritional status is often challenging. Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) was proven to be a good proxy measure of acute malnutrition, however, there was no global consensus on what MUAC cut-off point to use to identify pregnant adolescents at risk for delivering LBW babies. Finding the optimal cut-off could facilitate early identification and intervention of pregnant adolescents who are nutritionally at risk and could eventually break the cycle of intergenerational malnutrition.

The study aims to determine the association of maternal MUAC and the birth weight outcomes among newborn deliveries of adolescents in a tertiary hospital for a period of six months and to identify the optimal maternal MUAC cut-off point that can be used to predict low birth weight outcome among newborn deliveries of adolescents in a tertiary hospital.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescents ages 10 to 19 years who delivered babies in a tertiary hospital in the Philippines for a period of six months. Maternal MUAC and LBW outcome were documented, and their association was determined using a logistic regression analysis. To measure diagnostic accuracy, the sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the curve were taken for each MUAC point. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to aid the MUAC cut-off determination.

Out of 237 newborn deliveries, 35% were noted with low birth weight while 65% had normal birth weight. Most of the mothers were in their late adolescence at 78%. The crude association for the MUAC cut-offs ≤23.00 cm, ≤23.50 cm, and ≤24.00 cm and LBW showed a significant value of 2.19, 2.25, and 2.39 at 95% CI, respectively. However, it is only the cut-off ≤24.00 cm that showed significant results for adjusted association by the logistic regression analysis. The MUAC cut-off ≤24.00 cm also showed a better trade-off value between the sensitivity and specificity. Furthermore, the optimal maternal MUAC measurement that predicts LBW newborn outcome points to ≤24.00 cm cut-off based on the ROC curve.

This study shows that the maternal MUAC is predictive of LBW outcome among adolescent deliveries.A MUAC cut-off of ≤24.00 cm was superior to lower cut-offs studied. The pregnant adolescents might need a higher MUAC cut-off than adults to allow timely intervention and prevention of poor neonatal outcomes. By doing this simple screening test, suspected pregnant adolescents can be easily identified and referred for further confirmatory testing.

Background: Child-rearing is challenging for adolescent mothers at risk of providing limited care to their children because of the challenges and demands of simultaneously being an adolescent and a mother. Children aged 0-2 years depend on caregivers like their young mothers to promote their physical, emotional, social, and cognitive growth and development. Objective: The study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the Child-rearing Information Booklet (CRIB) among adolescent mothers with children aged 0-2 years on the three dimensions of knowledge, attitude, and practices. Methods: The study utilized the quasi-experimental non-equivalent pre-test-post-test control group design to investigate 30 intervention and 30 comparison adolescent mothers with children aged 0-2 years who met the study criteria in Baguio City from January 2019 to January 2021. The fishbowl sampling technique was used in selecting the population and the specific barangays. A validated self-made questionnaire (I-CVI of 0.95 with Cronbach's α of 0.96) determined both groups' knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP). The study used the weighted mean for adolescent mothers' KAP while an independent sample t-test analyzed the significant change in the scores of both groups and to answer the significant difference in the pre- and post-test scores between the two groups. Results: The results revealed that both groups are knowledgeable about child-rearing skills. Both groups have a favorable attitude when caring for their children and have a very satisfactory practice in childcare. The study also yielded a significant difference in the change of scores in the pre-and post-test scores of the two groups, specifically in knowledge and practice, while no significant difference in their attitude. It also presented a significant difference in the post-test scores between the two groups along with their knowledge (large effect size), attitude (medium effect size), and practices (large effect size). Conclusions Adolescent mothers have pre-existing KAP in child-rearing. The CRIB effectively enhances adolescent mothers' child-rearing knowledge and practice. Also, the increase of scores in KAP in child-rearing during the posttest may not be solely caused by the CRIB but also influenced by their age, level of education, living environment, experience in child-rearing, and age of their child. The CRIB has a high practical significance in improving the knowledge and practices among adolescent mothers but not in their attitude.
Adolescent Mothers ; Knowledge ; Attitude

BACKGROUND

Child-rearing is challenging for adolescent mothers at risk of providing limited care to their children because of the challenges and demands of simultaneously being an adolescent and a mother. Children aged 0-2 years depend on caregivers like their young mothers to promote their physical, emotional, social, and cognitive growth and development.

The study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the Child-rearing Information Booklet (CRIB) among adolescent mothers with children aged 0-2 years on the three dimensions of knowledge, attitude, and practices.

The study utilized the quasi-experimental non-equivalent pre-test-post-test control group design to investigate 30 intervention and 30 comparison adolescent mothers with children aged 0-2 years who met the study criteria in Baguio City from January 2019 to January 2021. The fishbowl sampling technique was used in selecting the population and the specific barangays. A validated self-made questionnaire (I-CVI of 0.95 with Cronbach's α of 0.96) determined both groups' knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP). The study used the weighted mean for adolescent mothers' KAP while an independent sample t-test analyzed the significant change in the scores of both groups and to answer the significant difference in the pre- and post-test scores between the two groups.

The results revealed that both groups are knowledgeable about child-rearing skills. Both groups have a favorable attitude when caring for their children and have a very satisfactory practice in childcare. The study also yielded a significant difference in the change of scores in the pre-and post-test scores of the two groups, specifically in knowledge and practice, while no significant difference in their attitude. It also presented a significant difference in the post-test scores between the two groups along with their knowledge (large effect size), attitude (medium effect size), and practices (large effect size).

Adolescent mothers have pre-existing KAP in child-rearing. The CRIB effectively enhances adolescent mothers' child-rearing knowledge and practice. Also, the increase of scores in KAP in child-rearing during the posttest may not be solely caused by the CRIB but also influenced by their age, level of education, living environment, experience in child-rearing, and age of their child. The CRIB has a high practical significance in improving the knowledge and practices among adolescent mothers but not in their attitude.

Objective: To explore the role of parental reproductive age on the risk of overweight and obesity in offspring. Methods: The participants were derived from physical examination data of students aged 6-18 years in seven provinces in China, and questionnaire survey was used to collect demographic characteristics and lifestyle information of the students and their parents. A total of 41 567 children with complete data were included. According to the restricted cubic spline curve, maternal reproductive age was divided into three categories, 14-23, 24-28, and 29-38 years, and paternal reproductive age was divided into 14-23, 24-30, and 31-42 years. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the association between parental reproductive age and parental nutritional status and the risk of overweight and obesity in offspring. Results: The mean age of 41 567 children was (10.6±3.2) years, and the mean paternal and maternal age were (27.9±4.4) years and (25.8±4.0) years, respectively. The detection rate of overweight and obesity was 23.4%. After adjusting factors of children diet and behaviors, the OR(95%CI)of offspring overweight and obesity in groups of fathers aged 24-30 years and mothers aged 24-28 years was 1.11 (1.04-1.18) and 1.16 (1.08-1.24), respectively. When none parents were overweight and obese, the difference of obesity risk was not statistically significant. When both parents were overweight and obese, the OR(95%CI)of offspring overweight and obesity in groups of fathers aged 24-30 years and mothers aged 14-28 years old was 1.27 (1.00-1.62) and 1.33 (1.07-1.65) respectively. Conclusion: Parental reproductive age and parental overweight and obesity status may both increase the risk of overweight and obesity in offspring, with a significant interaction effect.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Fathers ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mothers ; Obesity/epidemiology* ; Overweight/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors ; Young Adult

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Decision Trees ; Female ; HIV Infections ; economics ; transmission ; Humans ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical ; economics ; prevention & control ; Kenya ; Middle Aged ; Mothers ; South Africa ; Vietnam ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to explore Korean mothers' experiences of the development of parent-adolescent relationships. METHODS: The participants were 18 Korean parents of adolescents. Data were collected through in-depth interviews. The main question was, “Could you tell me about your experiences of developing a relationship with your adolescent child?” The data were analyzed using Strauss and Corbin's grounded theory methodology. RESULTS: The central phenomena of the experiences of parent-adolescent relationships among Korean mothers were “trying to reduce my expectations, but not being able to” and “having no idea where to go”. The major action/interaction strategies were “putting aside my desires and adapting to my child's needs” and “waiting and seeing at a distance”. The consequences included “appreciating myself and my child at the same time”. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that mothers tried to adapt to their children's needs and to keep their children at a distance. Their efforts were influenced by advice from friends and family members. The findings of this study emphasize specific aspects of how Korean mothers experienced the process of developing respectful relationships with their children.
Adolescent ; Child ; Friends ; Grounded Theory ; Humans ; Mothers ; Parent-Child Relations ; Parents ; Qualitative Research

PURPOSE: The Maternal Role Attainment Scale Form B (MRAS-Form B) was developed based on Mercer's theory and widely used to assess maternal role attainment among Thai mothers in hospitals. To assess the maternal identity among primiparous adolescent mothers in communities, MRAS-Form B remains indistinguishable due to differences in both mothers' ages and circumstances andwas modified to the Maternal Identity Scale (MIS). Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of the MIS. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 397 primiparous Thai teenagers residing with their infants aged 4−12 months. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to confirm the construct validity using Mplus Software. RESULTS: The overall model provided fit well to the empirical data (χ²/df = 2.23, comparative fit index = .93, TuckereLewis index = .92, root mean square error of approximation = .06, standardized root mean square residual = .05). About 33−66% of the variance among MIS items could be explained by three constructs of maternal identity. Convergent validity showed item loadings ranging from .58 to .81; in addition, average variance extracted and composite reliability ranged from .44 to .54 and .82 to .92, respectively. Discriminant validity correlations between constructs were ranging from .74 to .87. The MIS exhibited very good item discrimination values (.52 ≤ corrected item-total correlation ≤.70) and an excellent reliability (Cronbach's α = .95). CONCLUSION: Appropriately for community health nursing, the MIS was a valid and reliable tool, assessing maternal identity among primiparous teenage mothers one year after delivery.
Adolescent ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Community Health Nursing ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Humans ; Infant ; Mothers ; Postpartum Period ; Reproducibility of Results

PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop the Short Form Adolescent Parenting Stress Scale (APSS) to assess primary mental health of middle aged women with adolescent child.METHODS: Data were collected from 210 middle aged women with adolescent children from two large cities in South Korea. Self-reported data were collected in September 2018. Using SPSS/WIN 21.0 version, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted to verify construct validity. Pearson's correlation coefficients and intra-class coefficient between original scale and the short form were evaluated for convergent validity. Reliability was tested using Cronbach's α.RESULTS: The Short Form-APSS consisted of 3 sub-scales among 34 items: adolescent domain (11 items/4 factors); parent domain (13 items/5 factors); and adolescent-parent relationship domain (10 items/3 factors). It was observed to have strong explanation (adjusted R2=.98) and high correlation (r=.99) with the original APSS. The Short Form-APSS demonstrated sufficient level of intra-class coefficient (α=.99) and internal consistency (α=.94).CONCLUSION: The Short Form-APSS is valid and reliable to measure adolescent parenting stress amongst Korean mothers. It can be used for development and evaluation of parents' role in education programs for improving adolescent mental health.
Adolescent ; Child ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Mental Health ; Middle Aged ; Mothers ; Parenting ; Parents ; Stress, Psychological ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to examine the relationship between a mother's diagnosis of cervical cancer and attitudes toward cervical cancer prevention in their daughters. Their intention to recommend human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for their daughters, their confidence in 8 methods for cervical cancer prevention with their daughters, and their negative emotions about the assumption of their daughter's HPV infection.METHODS: This study was a secondary analysis of data from the study of maternal health beliefs about preventing cervical cancer. The study sample were women who reported whether ever diagnosed with cervical cancer, who had pubertal daughters (n=1,578). Data were analyzed by cross-tabulation analysis, Spearman's rank correlation analysis, and logistic regression.RESULTS: Mothers diagnosed with cervical cancer were more confident in using methods to prevent cervical cancer in their daughters (Z=−4.42, p<.001) and were more likely to feel negative emotions about the assumption of their daughters' HPV infection (Z=−2.44, p=.015) than mothers who were not diagnosed. Significant factors influencing their intention to recommend the HPV vaccination to their daughters were the mother's confidence in preventing cervical cancer in their daughters (odds ratio [OR], 1.003; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.002–1.004) and their negative emotions about the assumption of their daughters' HPV infection (OR,1.016; 95% CI, 1.004–1.028).CONCLUSION: For the early prevention of cervical cancer in pubertal daughters, the education of their mothers should include interventions to increase confidence in preventing cervical cancer in their daughters and sensitivity of HPV infection toward daughters.
Adolescent ; Diagnosis ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Intention ; Logistic Models ; Maternal Health ; Mothers ; Nuclear Family ; Puberty ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; Vaccination

OBJECTIVES: This research was conducted to identify the effects of a mother's nationality on adolescent oral health using data from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (2016). METHODS: This research matched adolescent health behavior online survey results using propensity score matching and identified the influence of a mother's nationality on her adolescent child's oral health. A total of 715 adolescents whose mothers' nationalities were identified as not Korean were selected as research participants, and 715 adolescents were selected from 62,349 individuals whose mothers' nationalities were identified as Korean as a comparison group to undergo propensity score matching. RESULTS: Having a non-Korean mother showed no influence on adolescents' subjective oral health. Socioeconomic characteristics, oral health behaviors, and experience visiting dental clinics were identified as affecting oral health. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between the characteristics of a multi-cultural family and oral health shown in this research suggests that health and welfare services essential to protect the rights to health must be maintained. Moreover, the results suggest that health services that focus on socioeconomically disadvantaged multi-cultural families must be seriously considered.
Adolescent ; Adolescent Health ; Dental Clinics ; Ethnic Groups ; Health Services ; Humans ; Korea ; Mothers ; Oral Health ; Propensity Score ; Risk-Taking ; Vulnerable Populations