Frontiers in global women's health最新文献

{"title":"Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on work-family balance, resilience, and burnout of physicians in Lebanon: a cross-sectional survey study.","authors":"Eveline Hitti, Hani Tamim, Abdo Mghames, Dima Hadid, Walaa El Sheikh, Ghada Chamandi, Lina Daouk-Öyry","doi":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1721389","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1721389","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The COVID-19 pandemic placed significant strain on physicians. Gender inequities in medicine preceded the pandemic. This study aimed to assess the association of COVID-19 lockdown on physicians' careers, work-life balance, resilience, and burnout from a gender perspective, in Lebanon.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>A web-based survey was sent to all Lebanese Syndicate of Physicians members. Data was collected between August and September 2022. The survey was designed comprising five domains to assess personal characteristics, career impact, work-family intersection, resilience, and burnout.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 165 physicians were included in the analysis. A greater percentage of women were married with children and in a non-surgical specialty. During COVID-19 lockdown, more women occupied part-time positions compared to pre-COVID-19 (29.2%vs.18.0%, <i>p</i> = 0.04), whereas there was no significant difference among men. While both men and women shifted to more remote work during COVID-19, there was no statistically significant difference by gender. Moreover, more women than men reported increased time spent on household tasks (64.0%vs.36.8%, <i>p</i> < 0.001). While the majority of both men and women reported increased parenting activities, a higher percentage of women reported solely bearing childcare responsibilities during school disruptions. Furthermore, a higher percentage of women reported relying on their extended family during childcare disruptions (30.9%vs.9.5%, <i>p</i> < 0.001), compared to men who reported relying more on their spouses (52.6%vs.9.1%, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Multivariate regression of Work-to-Family conflict and resilience scales did not show any statistically significant difference by gender, nor was there a gendered difference in burnout scores. Being married and married with children were both associated with higher resilience in physicians.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our study highlights the disproportionate association between COVID-19 lockdown and experiences of women physicians. Policies and initiatives to retain women physicians during crises are of paramount importance as are interventions targeting resilience in single physicians and overall burnout.</p>","PeriodicalId":73087,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in global women's health","volume":"7 ","pages":"1721389"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13408004/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148610585","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Understanding maternal nutrition through the voices of community health workers and mother mentors in Limpopo Province, South Africa.","authors":"Mxolisi Welcome Ngwenya, Coshiwe Makunyane, Mabitsela Hezekiel Mphasha, Praveenkumar Aivalli, Frank Adusei-Mensah, Samuel Akinseinde, Joke-Folu Badejo, Fionnuala M McAuliffe, Catherine M Phillips, Livhuwani Muthelo","doi":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1850855","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1850855","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Maternal nutrition is an important factor influencing maternal health and foetal development. Community health workers (CHWs) and mother mentors (MMs) play a critical role in assisting pregnant women, particularly in low-resource rural settings; however, their knowledge on maternal nutrition remains untapped. This study investigated the attitudes and experiences of CHWs and MMs regarding optimal maternal nutrition among pregnant women in Limpopo Province, South Africa.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A qualitative exploratory descriptive design was adopted. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 11 MMs and five focus group discussions with 34 CHWs. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis framework, supported by NVivo and manual coding.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Three themes emerged. The first theme focused on participants' knowledge and beliefs about maternal nutrition, including food types, dietary behaviours, and the significance of nutrition for maternal and foetal health. The second theme identified barriers to adequate maternal nutrition, such as cultural norms and beliefs, socio-economic constraints, limited resources, misconceptions about pregnancy supplements, and trust concerns. The third theme emphasised the roles of CHWs and MMs, including health education, health literacy promotion, and liaison with healthcare services and community support systems.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>The findings demonstrate that maternal nutrition habits are influenced by a complex interaction of social, cultural, and economic factors, as well as individual expertise. These findings also highlighted the importance of context-specific and culturally responsive maternal nutrition interventions. Strengthening the competence of CHWs and MMs through standardised training and increased community engagement may contribute to improved maternal nutrition outcomes in disadvantaged settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":73087,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in global women's health","volume":"7 ","pages":"1850855"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13408234/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148622953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sex- and gender-specific differences in treatment efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine: a scoping review.","authors":"Jing Hu, Boyang Liu, Haiyin Hu, Xiaolei Wu, Paola Matarrese, Massimo D'Archivio, Anna Ruggieri, Elena Ortona, Lin Miao, Junhua Zhang, Alice Josephine Fauci, Zhaochen Ji","doi":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1833361","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1833361","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>While Western medicine is increasingly investigating sex- and gender-specific differences in health and disease, and despite TCM theory and practice placing particular emphasis on individual differences-including sex- and gender-related characteristics, research on sex- and gender- sensitive medicine in TCM remains underexplored.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>We conducted a scoping review to map and synthesize the existing evidence on sex- and gender-specific differences in the efficacy and safety of TCM interventions and to analyze possible underlying mechanisms.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The scoping review followed the JBI guidance. Six Chinese and English databases (CNKI, WF, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, and Web of Science) were searched from inception to July 2025 for preclinical and clinical studies. Key information was extracted from the included studies, and data were synthesized using descriptive statistics and systematic narrative synthesis. GraphPad Prism 10.0 was used to generate figures.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Database searches identified 6,720 records; after removing 250 duplicates, 6,470 records were screened by title and abstract, and 2,417 proceeded to full-text eligibility assessment. Ultimately, 16 studies were included, comprising randomized controlled trials, animal experiments, non-randomized controlled trials, and single-arm trials. Conclusions drawn from the original studies indicated that changes in all relevant outcome measures were associated with sex. Sex-specific differences in TCM efficacy were observed across herbal, acupuncture, and combined interventions. Female animals demonstrated predominant benefits in bone metabolism, whereas female human participants showed greater benefits in pain perception, emotional regulation, neurological recovery, and pulmonary functional outcomes. Male animals exhibited more pronounced gut microbiota responses to metabolic interventions, while male human participants showed stronger effects in obesity-related outcomes and sensorimotor responses. These divergent patterns likely reflect sex-related differences in pharmacokinetics, gut-brain axis interactions, and neuroendocrine mechanisms. None of the included studies examined gender-related sociocultural factors.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This review highlights a persistent theoretical and methodological gap in TCM research, which has yet to fully integrate sex- and gender-sensitive medicine principles. The limited high-quality clinical evidence underscores the need for rigorous sex-informed trials to evaluate efficacy across sexes. These findings support the integration of sex as a key determinant in TCM clinical decision-making, alongside syndrome differentiation, to advance precision medicine and improve personalized therapeutic outcomes.</p><p><strong>Systematic review registration: </strong>DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/QABTY.</p>","PeriodicalId":73087,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in global women's health","volume":"7 ","pages":"1833361"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13402364/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148610527","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The <b>\"</b>Goldilocks Zone\" of immune balance: association of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratios with miscarriage.","authors":"Zhou Fang, Nan Ding, Fang Wang","doi":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1775954","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1775954","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Miscarriage affects 15%-20% of clinically recognized pregnancies, yet reliable biomarkers for risk stratification remain elusive. While systemic inflammatory markers derived from routine complete blood count have shown promise in identifying associations with adverse pregnancy outcomes, their association with miscarriage has not been systematically evaluated.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this retrospective cohort study of 347 pregnant women with a history of at least one prior pregnancy loss, we calculated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) from routine complete blood count tests. Associations with miscarriage were evaluated using four progressively adjusted logistic regression models accounting for demographic, reproductive, and metabolic confounders. Dose-response relationships were assessed through quartile analysis, threshold effects through piecewise linear regression, and non-linear associations through generalized additive models.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>After comprehensive adjustment, higher NLR was independently associated with reduced miscarriage risk (OR = 0.67 per doubling, 95%CI: 0.49-0.91, <i>P</i> = 0.012), with women in the highest quartile showing 60% lower risk than those in the lowest quartile (Q4 vs. Q1: OR = 0.398, <i>P</i> = 0.006). This protective effect was most pronounced at NLR values <4.16 (OR = 0.64, <i>P</i> = 0.001), plateauing at higher levels. Conversely, elevated LMR significantly increased miscarriage risk (OR = 1.839 per doubling, 95%CI: 1.12-3.01, <i>P</i> = 0.015), with risk more than doubling in the highest quartile (OR = 2.236, <i>P</i> = 0.017) and accelerating above LMR values of 6.46 (OR = 1.62, <i>P</i> = 0.049). No significant association was observed between PLR and pregnancy outcomes in our study.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Among women with a history of prior pregnancy loss, NLR and LMR were independently associated with miscarriage in opposing directions, consistent with a <b>\"</b>Goldilocks\" conceptual framework of immune balance in early pregnancy. No significant association was observed between PLR and pregnancy outcomes in our study. These readily available CBC-derived inflammatory indices may provide useful insight into immune-related changes associated with miscarriage risk, but require prospective validation in independent cohorts.</p>","PeriodicalId":73087,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in global women's health","volume":"7 ","pages":"1775954"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13402462/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148610660","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on mental health in natural menopause: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Flavia Bonfadini, Laura Paplauskaite, Michelle Hughes, Ruimin Ma, Mark Kennedy","doi":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1830813","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1830813","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;There are currently more than 750 million women worldwide aged 40-60 years, the age during which the majority undergo menopausal transition. This period is often marked by challenging symptoms that affect physical and mental health, productivity, and quality of life, sometimes becoming severe enough to compromise personal and professional relationships. A substantial proportion of women experience mental health symptoms such as anxiety, depression and cognitive complaints. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have shown promising results in alleviating menopausal symptoms and represent a safe, self-managing alternative or complement to pharmacological treatments.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objectives: &lt;/strong&gt;To consolidate and review the current state of the literature on the effectiveness of MBIs for mental health symptoms, including anxiety, depression, and cognitive function in women undergoing natural menopause.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. It included randomized and non-randomized controlled trials of MBIs in women undergoing natural menopause. The outcomes of interest were mental health, including anxiety, depression, and cognitive function. Databases searched included PubMed, Embase, PsycInfo, CINAHL, and Web of Science. Searches were performed up to October 2025. Reference lists and specialist journals were also hand searched. The methodological quality and risk of bias of the included studies were assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 (RoB 2) and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). An exploratory random-effects meta-analysis was conducted where measurement consistency permitted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;Ten studies (eight randomized controlled trials and two quasi-experimental designs), including a total of 1,270 participants, met the inclusion criteria. Six studies assessed psychosocial quality of life using the MENQOL Psychosocial Domain, enabling meta-analysis; a large pooled effect favoured MBIs (Hedges' &lt;i&gt;g&lt;/i&gt; = -1.06, &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt; &lt; 0.001). Secondary outcomes of anxiety and depression, measured independently, showed smaller effects. No study assessed cognitive function using validated cognitive instruments.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;Preliminary evidence suggests mindfulness-based interventions may improve mental health symptoms during natural menopause. The discrepancy between composite psychosocial effects and standalone mood effects may reflect measurement differences between menopause-specific and generic instruments, or suggest that cognitive complaints contribute to the observed benefits. However, substantial methodological limitations temper confidence in these findings. Future research should prioritise validated cognitive assessment as an independent outcome, investigation of practice dose required to maintain benefits, and comparati","PeriodicalId":73087,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in global women's health","volume":"7 ","pages":"1830813"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13396212/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148586287","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Predictors of psychological distress among Afghan and Syrian refugee women in Houston, Texas.","authors":"Jenna Zamil, Isaiah Olumeko, Samuel Ofili, Sai Cheruvu, Paroma Arefin, Fatin A Atrooz, Farzana Ahmad, Samina Salim","doi":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1830947","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1830947","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Refugee mental health is shaped by a complex interplay of pre-migration trauma, migration-related hardship, and post-migration stressors. Afghan and Syrian refugees constitute two of the largest displaced populations resettled in the United States, yet their mental health needs remain understudied particularly among women, who may face layered vulnerabilities linked to their gender-based roles within the family. Houston, Texas, hosts sizeable communities of both groups, creating a unique context for examining culturally specific expressions of distress and the predictors of post-migration stress. This study compares mental health profile of Afghan and Syrian refugee women living in the Houston metropolitan area and identifies demographic and sociocultural factors associated with psychological distress. Mental health in both groups was assessed using two psychometrically validated measures: the Afghan Symptoms Checklist (ASC) and the Refugee Post-Migration Stress (RPMS) scale. Sociodemographic data was collected and included in a multiple linear regression model to identify predictors of psychological symptoms. Differences in psychological distress patterns were observed between Afghan and Syrian refugee women; however, these differences were not statistically significant in adjusted models. Perceived discrimination and social strain emerged as significant predictors of psychological distress across multiple models. These findings highlight the need for culturally tailored community-engaged mental health interventions that address both the universal challenges of resettlement and the unique cultural frameworks shaping psychological state among refugee women.</p>","PeriodicalId":73087,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in global women's health","volume":"7 ","pages":"1830947"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13391813/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148581367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fifty years of maternal mortality research in sub-Saharan Africa: a bibliometric analysis of trends, gaps, and opportunities for health equity.","authors":"Modupe M Fasina, Gaotswake P Kovane, Ishaku L Elisha, Angel Phuti","doi":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1717410","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1717410","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) continues to bear a disproportionate share of the global burden of maternal mortality (MM), despite decades of advocacy, research, and investment.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A bibliometric analysis investigated the evolution, volume, scope, and impact of maternal mortality research in SSA from 1975 to 2024, and presents a 50-year overview of peer-reviewed research on maternal mortality across SSA, identifying trends, prolific contributors, research gaps, and thematic shifts over the studied years. Moreover, using the Scopus database and VOSviewer, 1,985 publications were analyzed for authorship, institutional output, funding patterns, and coauthorship networks.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results revealed substantially increased publication output over time, particularly from Nigeria, South Africa, and Ethiopia, though the regions remain dependent on external funding and underrepresented in global high-impact journals (≤2.6% of global MM research outputs). There were some critical disparities in authorship, language, and thematic areas, including the translation of research findings into policy and practice. The most cited studies were grounded in subnational and underserved populations in SSA. The highest MM rates were found in Chad, Nigeria, and South Sudan (>1,000 deaths/100,000 live births), yet Chad and South Sudan have been studied in the fewest publications. Persistent causes of maternal mortality such as postpartum hemorrhage, hypertension in pregnancy, unsafe abortion, and infection have remained unchanged for decades, while health system and sociocultural barriers, including geographic inaccessibility, conflict and internal displacement, continue to worsen clinical outcomes, undermining progress.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study underscores the broader systemic inequities in SSA that are reflected through progress in MM research and its outputs. Moreover, it calls for intersectional approaches in health, equity-driven, and transdisciplinary research and highlights the need for regional ownership, particularly in underrepresented areas. Capacity building and strengthening local research ecosystems through investments in research infrastructure and cross-sectoral partnerships to bridge research-policy gaps are recommended. Context-driven solutions are crucial to make tangible progress. Such solutions are aligned with the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals and national health security plans.</p>","PeriodicalId":73087,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in global women's health","volume":"7 ","pages":"1717410"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13388389/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148563941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Physical activity enjoyment and attitudes toward healthy nutrition in women: associations and demographic differences.","authors":"Bekir Erhan Orhan, Walaa Jumah Alkasasbeh, Aydın Karaçam, Umut Canlı, Adam Tawfiq Amawi","doi":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1880236","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1880236","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Women's physical activity and nutrition behaviours are key public health priorities, yet the affective and cognitive factors underlying these behaviours remain incompletely understood. This study examined the association between women's physical activity enjoyment and attitudes toward healthy nutrition and explored whether these constructs differed according to key sociodemographic and activity-related characteristics.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted among 397 adult women (18-60 years; <i>M</i> = 31.43, SD = 10.97) living in Türkiye. Participants completed the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) and the Attitude Scale for Healthy Nutrition (ASHN) via an online questionnaire. Independent-samples <i>t</i>-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analyses, and simple linear regression were performed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Physical activity enjoyment was positively associated with overall healthy nutrition attitudes (<i>r</i> = .28, <i>p</i> < .001). ASHN total scores significantly predicted PACES scores (<i>β</i> = .28), explaining 8.3% of the variance (R² = .083, <i>p</i> < .001). Married women reported significantly higher ASHN total scores than single women (<i>d</i> = .42, <i>p</i> < .001). Higher educational attainment and greater physical activity frequency were associated with more favourable healthy nutrition attitudes, while women engaging in physical activity ≥5 days/week reported the highest PACES scores. Athletic license status was associated only with the ASHN Emotion for Nutrition subscale (<i>p</i> = .04).</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Physical activity enjoyment and healthy nutrition attitudes are modestly but consistently associated in adult women. These findings support integrated, subgroup-sensitive health promotion strategies that simultaneously target enjoyment of physical activity and positive nutrition attitudes to encourage healthier lifestyles.</p>","PeriodicalId":73087,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in global women's health","volume":"7 ","pages":"1880236"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13388795/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148563991","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"PRESHA - Preventing severe hypertensive adverse events in pregnancy and childbirth: a study protocol for establishing a prospective cohort study and biobank in urban Tanzania.","authors":"Andrea Solnes Miltenburg, Richard Kiritta, Benson R Kidenya, Hannah Brown Amoakoh, Peter C J I Schielen, Felix Manyogote, Hanne Ochieng Lichtwarck, Albert Kihunrwa, Johanne Sundby, Ingvil Sørbye, Ewoud Schuit, Karel G M Moons, Anne Cathrine Staff, Elia Mmbaga, Joyce L Browne","doi":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1812275","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1812275","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a leading cause of maternal and perinatal mortality in low- and middle income settings. Yet, to date few large-scale prospective clinical studies in this field are conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper describes the study protocol of a prospective cohort study, the PRESHA (PREventing Severe Hypertensive Adverse Events) cohort in Mwanza, Tanzania. The PRESHA study aims to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity related to preeclampsia (PE) through improved prediction, prevention and clinical management. More specifically, within the cohort we aim to improve antenatal risk prediction of PE by externally validating existing biomarker-based (PlGF and sFlt-1) risk prediction models.</p><p><strong>Methods and design: </strong>Recruitment for a prospective cohort study of 3,000 women started August 2025 and is ongoing. Eligible for enrolment are women between 10 ⁺ ⁰ to 16 ⁺ ⁰ weeks of pregnancy at booking for antenatal care. Socio-demographic, environmental, clinical, health behaviours, resource use and care satisfaction data will be collected up to 12 weeks postpartum. Biological samples (serum, plasma, urine) will be collected at up to five moments: at 10 ⁺ ⁰ ≤ 15 ⁺ ⁶ weeks, 19 ⁺ ⁰ ≤ 23 ⁺ ⁶ weeks, 27 ⁺ ⁰ ≤ 31 ⁺ ⁶ weeks, upon diagnosis and at birth (including placenta biopsy). Main outcomes are confirmed diagnosis of PE and adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. Biomarker analysis (sFlt-1 and PlGF) will commence after completed recruitment. We will establish gestational age (GA)-specific population reference values for these biomarkers, and describe the predictive accuracy of the biomarkers and biometric parameters for screening of PE. For existing prognostic models, we will evaluate the predictive performance in our cohort in terms of discrimination (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve) and calibration (calibration plot).</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>This prospective cohort study offers comprehensive and contextually relevant data contributing to improving antenatal risk prediction for PE in a low-resource setting. The establishment of a new pregnancy database in Tanzania allows for identification of the impact of social or environmental determinants of health, risks of pregnancy complications and effect of health seeking behaviour. Future discovery studies of other predictors and diagnostics tools for placenta disorders will be possible with the established biobank.</p>","PeriodicalId":73087,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in global women's health","volume":"7 ","pages":"1812275"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13388734/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148563947","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction: PDGF-BB as a potential biomarker for early diagnosis of postpartum hemorrhage.","authors":"Karthikeyan Thirugnanam, Brock E Polnaszek, Kevin Eng, Amy Y Pan, Ramani Ramchandran","doi":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1913342","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1913342","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fgwh.2026.1849806.].</p>","PeriodicalId":73087,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in global women's health","volume":"7 ","pages":"1913342"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13389960/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148563971","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}