Longer
maternity leaves, lesser post partum depression
A new study has warned that women, who return to work sooner
than six months after giving birth, are at greater risk of developing
postpartum depression than those who take longer maternity leaves. The study
was led by Dr. Rada K. Dagher, assistant professor of health services
administration at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. Dr.
Dagher said that in the US, most working women are back to work soon after
giving birth, with the majority not taking more than three months of leave.
The first year after childbirth presents a high risk of
depression for women, with about 13 percent of all mothers experiencing
postpartum depression, with debilitating symptoms similar to clinical
depression.
For the study, researchers measured postpartum depressive
symptoms using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, a widely used and
validated depression screening tool. The study utilizes data from the Maternal
Postpartum Health Study, collected by Dr. Patricia McGovern, professor at the
University of Minnesota School of Public Health and a co-author on the study.
Dr. McGovern followed a group of more than 800 women in Minnesota over the
course of the first postpartum year and gathered data about depressive symptoms
and mental and physical health at six weeks, twelve weeks, six months and
twelve months postpartum.
At the six weeks, twelve weeks and six months time frames,
the women who were on maternity leave had significantly lower postpartum
depression scores compared to their peers who had returned to work.
The study is published in the Journal of Health
Politics, Policy and Law.
Source: http://health.india.com
16.12.2013
The taller
you are, lesser the risk of coronary heart disease!
A new study has suggested a connection between an adult”s
height and the prevalence of coronary artery calcium (CAC), a direct marker of
plaque in the arteries that feed the heart.
Coronary artery calcium is a strong predictor of future
heart attacks with a nearly 10 fold increase in the risk of coronary heart
disease (CHD) in patients with elevated CAC.
The study, which is based on research in 2,703 patients from
the Family Heart Study, suggested that taller adults tend to have lower levels
of plaque, and thus, a lower risk of CHD.
This relationship persisted even after accounting for
standard cardiovascular risk factors such as age, smoking, high cholesterol,
and diabetes.
‘A potential link between height and CHD has been shown in
several studies but the mechanism of this relationship has not been clear and
our study suggests the relationship is mediated by plaque build up in the
coronary arteries,’ Michael Miedema, MD, MPH, from the Minneapolis Heart
Institute Foundation, said.
There may be as much as 30 percent lower risk of plaque
build-up in the top quarter of tallest adults compared to the bottom quarter.
These results had to be adjusted for gender, given the differences in height
between men and women, but the relationship was consistent in both men and
women.
The study is published in journal Circulation:
Cardiovascular Imaging.
Source: http://health.india.com
16.12.2013
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