Browsing by Subject "Women's health"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Early Pubertal Development and Cardiometabolic Risk: A Life Course Approach
    (2013-09) Dreyfus, Jill
    A number of reports have linked early pubertal development to adverse health conditions among women. Despite race disparities in pubertal timing and later cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related health in adulthood, few studies have investigated if associations of early maturation with cardiometabolic risk factors differ for African-American and white women. Furthermore, there are limited longitudinal data tracking the trajectory of change in cardiometabolic risk factors after puberty and into adolescence and adulthood. The three primary aims of this thesis were to 1) examine the relationship between earlier age at menarche and CVD risk factors at different points in the life course, 2) account for the role of adiposity in associations, and 3) explore possible race differences in associations. These aims were explored using data from three prospective cohort studies that included different age groups: the National Growth and Health Study (NGHS) for ages 9-19 years, the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study for ages 18-54 years, and the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study for ages 45-75 years. The results from the three manuscripts included in this thesis suggested that earlier age at menarche was associated with a more adverse cardiometabolic profile over the life course, but higher lifetime accumulated adiposity among early maturing women explained most associations. Earlier menarche was more strongly related to adulthood adiposity and metabolic syndrome among white compared with African-American women, but there were no other differences by race. Targeted efforts to prevent obesity starting before puberty, as well as among early maturing girls even if normal weight, might be helpful for primordial prevention of cardiovascular disease.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Examining the Variation in Child Vaccination Status by Maternal Vaccination and Birthing Place
    (2015-06) Fuchs, Erika
    Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses have occurred in recent years in pockets of children who are not up-to-date on their vaccinations, particularly among those whose parents have chosen to delay or refuse vaccinations for their children. It is essential to identify the at-risk children and the characteristics of parents who choose to delay or refuse vaccinations for their children. Numerous studies have focused on the beliefs and attitudes of parents regarding childhood vaccination, but few have focused on the association of other preventive health behaviors with childhood vaccination. Clustering of these behaviors is an important question in social epidemiology and could help in understanding underlying belief systems that influence health behaviors. Mothers who refuse influenza vaccinations during pregnancy report similar attitudes and beliefs to those who refuse vaccinations for their children, yet few studies have investigated relationships between child vaccination and other health behaviors. Additionally, mothers who choose to deliver their babies in out-of-hospital settings, a small, but growing, population in Minnesota, also report similar attitudes and beliefs, though this research is in its infancy. The objective of this study was to examine the variation in infant vaccination by maternal vaccination in pregnancy and maternal attitudes and beliefs using data from the Minnesota Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System and the Minnesota Immunization Information Connection. An exploratory study of the relationship between out-of-hospital birth and vaccination is also included. If relationships exist between these factors, there may be an opportunity for targeted vaccination interventions in subgroups of pregnant women or new mothers.