Life transitions and changing physical activity patterns in young women

Background: Physical activity (PA) patterns are likely to change in young adulthood in line with changes in lifestyle that occur in the transition from adolescence to adulthood. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether key life events experienced by young women in their early twenties are associated with increasing levels of inactivity. Methods: This was a 4-year follow-up of 7281 participants (aged 18 to 23 years at baseline) in the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women's Health, with self-reported measures of PA, life events, body mass index (BMI), and sociodemographic variables. Results: The cross-sectional data indicated no change in PA between baseline (57% active) and follow-up (56% active). However, for almost 40% of the sample, PA category changed between baseline and follow-up, with approximately 20% of the women changing from being active to inactive, and another 20% changing from being inactive to active. After adjustment for age, other sociodemographic variables, BMI, and PA at baseline, women who reported getting married, having a first or subsequent child, or beginning paid work were more likely to be inactive at follow-up than those who did not report these events. Conclusions: The results suggest that life events such as getting married, having children, and starting work are associated with decreased levels of PA in young adult women. Strategies are needed to promote maintenance of activity at the time when most women experience these key life-stage transitions.

Effects of physical activity on emotional well-being among older Australian women - Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses

Objective: To explore relationships between physical activity and mental health cross-sectionally and longitudinally in a large cohort of older Australian women. Method: Women in their 70s participating in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health responded in 1996 (aged 70-75) and in 1999 (aged 73-78). Cross-sectional data were analyzed for 10,063 women and longitudinal data for 6472. Self-reports were used to categorize women into four categories of physical activity at each time point as well as to define four physical activity transition categories across the 3-year period. Outcome variables for the cross-sectional analyses were the mental health component score (MCS) and mental health subscales of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form (SF-36). The longitudinal analyses focused on changes in these variables. Confounders included the physical health component scale (PCS) of the SF-36, marital status, body mass index (BMI) and life events. Adjustment for baseline scores was included for the longitudinal analyses. Results: Cross-sectionally, higher levels of physical activity were associated with higher scores on all dependent variables, both with and without adjustment for confounders. Longitudinally, the effects were weaker, but women who had made a transition from some physical activity to none generally showed more negative changes in emotional well-being than those who had always been sedentary, while those who maintained or adopted physical activity had better outcomes. Conclusion: Physical activity is associated with emotional well-being among a population cohort of older women both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, supporting the need for the promotion of appropriate physical activity in this age group. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

Transition to raloxifene with and without low-dose estrogen therapy in postmenopausal women: effects on serum lipids and fibrinogen - a pilot study

Objective To compare the effects of transferring from low-dose transdermal estrogen to raloxifene (RLX), with a phase of alternate-day RLX therapy with or without low-dose transdermal estrogen, on serum lipids and fibrinogen in postmenopausal women previously administered estrogen plus progestogen therapy. Methods Sixty postmenopausal women (mean age 55 years) were randomized to one of two treatment groups: RLX + low-dose transdermal estrogen (RLX + E) or RLX + placebo. The study consisted of four 8-week phases: phase I (all subjects low-dose transdermal estrogen 25 mug/day), phase II (double-blind RLX 60 mg every 2nd day in combination with either low-dose transdermal estrogen or placebo), phase III (all subjects RLX 60 mg every 2nd day + placebo) and phase IV (all subjects RLX 60 mg/day + placebo). Results No significant differences existed between groups for baseline measurements prior to phase I. In phase I, for all subjects combined, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotem cholesterol both showed a significant increase (median increase of 0.2 mmol/l, p = 0.008 and 0.4 mmol/l, p < 0.001, respectively), while triglycerides decreased significantly (median decrease of 0.2 mmol/l, p < 0.001). For the primary analysis (phase II to phase IV), the mean change from baseline observations showed no significant differences between the therapy groups for serum lipids, fibrinogen, vital signs or weight. In the comparison phase (phase II), changes in serum lipids, fibrinogen, vital signs and weight were not significantly different between groups. Conclusion Gradual conversion to RLX from low-dose transdermal estrogen, with a phase of alternate-day RLX therapy with or without low-dose transdermal estrogen, does not have any effect on the serum lipid profile or fibrinogen level.

Normal values for pelvic organ descent in health nulligravid young caucasian women

Translabial ultrasound is increasingly being used for the assessment of women presenting with pelvic floor dysfunction and incontinence (1,2). However, there is little information on normal values for bladder neck descent, with the two available studies disagreeing widely (3,4). No data has so far been published on mobility of the central and posterior compartment which can now also be assessed by ultrasound (5). This study presents normal values for urethral, bladder, cervical and rectal mobility in a cohort of young, stress continent, nulliparous nonpregnant women. Methods 118 nonpregnant nulliparous Caucasian women between 18 and 23 years of age were recruited for an ongoing twin study of pelvic floor function. Translabial ultrasound assessment of pelvic organ mobility was undertaken supine and after bladder emptying (6,7). The best of at least three effective Valsalva manoeuvres was used for evaluation, with no attempts at standardization of Valsalva pressure. Parameters of anterior compartment mobility were obtained by the use of on-screen calipers; cervical and rectal descent were evaluated on printouts. All examinations were carried out under direct supervision of the first author or by personnel trained by him for at least 100 consecutive assessments. Results The median age of participants in this study was 20 (range 18- 23). Mean body mass index was 23 (range 16.9- 36.7). Of 118 women, 2 were completely unable to perform a Valsalva manoeuvre despite repeated efforts at teaching and were excluded from analysis, as were ten women who complained of urinary stress incontinence, leaving 106 datasets. Average measurements for the parameters ‘retrovesical angle at rest’ (RVA-R) and on Valsalva (RVA-S), urethral rotation, bladder neck mobility, cysto-cele descent, cervical descent and descent of the rectal ampulla are given in Table 1.

'Suitable mothers': lesbian and single women and the 'unborn' in Australian parliamentary discourse

Throughout the latter months of 2000 and early 2001, the Australian public, media and parliament were engaged in a long and emotive debate about motherhood. This debate constructed the two main protagonists, the unborn 'child' and the potential mother, with a variety of different and often oppositional identities. The article looks at the way that these subject identities interacted during the debate, starting from the premise that policy making has unintended and unacknowledged material outcomes, and using governmentality as a tool through which to analyse and understand processes of identity manipulation and resistance within policy making. The recent debate concerning the right of lesbian and single women to access new reproductive technologies in Australia is used as a case study. Nominally the debate was about access to IVF technology; in reality, however, the debate was about the governing of women and, in particular, the governing of motherhood identities. The article focuses on the parliamentary debate over the drafting of legislation designed to stop lesbian and single women from accessing these technologies, particularly the utilization of the 'unborn' subject within these debates as a device to discipline the identity of 'mother'.

Performing race, culture, and gender in an Indigenous Australian women's music and dance classroom

One perpetual concern among Indigenous Australian peoples is authenticity of voice. Who has the right to speak for, and to make representations about, the knowledges and cultures of Indigenous Australian peoples? Whose voice is more authentic, and what happens to these ways of knowing when they make the journey into mainstream Western academic classrooms? In this paper, I examine these questions within the politics of “doing” Indigenous Australian studies by focusing on my own experiences as a lecturer in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit at the University of Queensland. My findings suggest that representation is a matter of problematizing positionality and, from a pedagogical standpoint, being aware of, and willing to address, the ways in which power, authority, and voice are performed and negotiated as teachers and learners of Indigenous Australian studies.

Contradiction between the average age of retirement at the time of death and the average pension time for men and women in public employment in Portugal

The short article attempts to make some very brief reflections on the effects a lack of public policies positively discriminatory in terms of public employment retirement. In particular, the observation of the absurd contradiction between the average age of retirement at the time of death (for men and women) and the average pension time for men and women in public employment in Portugal.

Mid-upper arm circumference in pregnant women and its relation to birth weight

OBJECTIVE: In order to determine the relationship between some maternal anthropometric indicators and birth weight, crown-heel length and newborn's head circumference, 92 pregnant women were followed through at the prenatal service of hospital in S. Paulo, Brazil. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The following variables were established for the mother: weight, height, mid-upper arm circumference, pre-pregnancy weight, gestational weight gain and Quetelet's index. For the newborn the following variables were recorded: birth weight, crown-heel length, head circumference and gestational age by Dubowitz's method. RESULTS: Significant associations were noted between gestational age and newborn variables. In addition, maternal mid-arm circumference (MUAC) and pre-pregnancy weight were found to be positively correlated to birth weight (r=0.399; r=0.378, respectively). The multivariate linear regression shows that gestational age, mother's arm circumference and pre-pregnancy weight continue to be significant predictors of birth weight. On the other hand, only gestational age and mother's age was associated with crown-heel length. Similarly MUAC was significantly associated with crown-heel length (r= 0.306; P=0.0030). CONCLUSION: Maternal mid-upper arm circumference is a potential indicator of maternal nutritional status. It could be used in association with other anthropometric measurements, instead of pre-pregnancy weight, as an alternative indicator to assess women at risk of poor pregnancy outcome.

Breast cancer in Mexican women: an epidemiological study with cervical cancer control

INTRODUCTION: In Mexico, breast cancer (BC) is one of the main causes of cancer deaths in women, with increasing incidence and mortality in recent years. Therefore, the aim of the study is identify possible risk factors related to BC. METHODS: An epidemiological study of hospital cases of BC and controls with cervical uterine cancer (CUCA) was carried out at eight third level concentration hospitals in Mexico City. The total of 353 incident cases of BC and 630 controls with CUCA were identified among women younger than 75 years who had been residents of the metropolitan area of Mexico City for at least one year. Diagnosis was confirmed histologically in both groups. Variables were analyzed according to biological and statistical plausibility criteria. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses were carried out. Cases and controls were stratified according to the menopausal hormonal status (pre and post menopause). RESULTS: The factors associated with BC were: higher socioeconomic level (OR= 2.77; 95%CI = 1.77 - 4.35); early menarche (OR= 1.32; 95%CI= 0.88 - 2.00); old age at first pregnancy (>31 years: OR= 5.49; 95%CI= 2.16 - 13.98) and a family history of BC (OR= 4.76; 95% CI= 2.10 - 10.79). In contrast, an increase in the duration of the breastfeeding period was a protective factor (>25 months: OR= 0.38; 95%CI= 0.20 - 0.70). CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to the identification of risk factors for BC described in the international literature, in the population of Mexican women. Breastfeeding appears to play an important role in protecting women from BC. Because of changes in women`s lifestyles, lactation is decreasing in Mexico, and young women tend not to breastfeed or to shorten the duration of lactation.