Suchergebnisse

Despite worldwide efforts, maternal and child mortality remains a major health problem in many developing countries. Cambodia's maternal mortality rate has decreased over recent years through government efforts and support from various international development cooperation agencies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that affected the accessibility of Cambodia's maternal healthcare services. Data from maternal health service surveys conducted in Battambang, Cambodia in 2012 and 2015 were compared and analyzed. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify factors related to the accessibility of integrated maternal healthcare service. The travel time to health centers was found to be related to distance from the health center (ß = 0.031, p < 0.001), travel time during the rainy season (ß = 0.166, p < 0.001), and travel cost (ß = 0.001, p < 0.001), with an explanatory power of 27% (R(2) = 0.274). Based on these findings, future research and policy should focus on improving accessibility to effective maternal and child healthcare services, to reduce maternal and child mortality. This study is intended to contribute to developing a multi-directional and integrated strategy for access to maternal health services in developing countries.

Background  Overweight and obesity in children with intellectual disabilities may be a major health threat. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Korean children with intellectual disabilities aged 7–18 years who did not have specific genetic syndromes or physical disabilities.Materials and methods  Participants were 2,404 children with intellectual disabilities aged 7–18 years attending thirteen special schools in Korea. Data from school health records were analysed using SAS (version 9.2). The differences between boys and girls were assessed for children's height and weight using t‐tests and for children's age and weight status, such as using Chi‐Square (χ2) test. The relationships between children's weight status, age and gender were reassessed using Chi‐Square (χ2) test, and strengths of the relationships were measured using Gamma coefficient.Results  Approximately one‐quarter of children with intellectual disabilities were either overweight or obese. Children's gender was significantly associated with their weight status, such that overweight and obesity were more prevalent in girls than in boys, specifically girls aged 15–18 years. There was a positive relationship between age and the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children for both boys and girls.Conclusions  The high rates of overweight and obesity in children with intellectual disabilities highlight the need for interventions to help children achieve healthy weight. Before conducting weight management interventions, identifying risk factors that influence weight status in children with intellectual disabilities is an important step.