Pregnancy and postpartum periods have been associated with physical changes, mental health problems, including stress, anxiety, depression and psychosis as well as changes in women's quality of life (QOL). 11-13 Some ABSTRACT Background: Antenatal exercise (ANE) has been reported to improve postpartum health outcomes in women. However, postpartum health related outcomes of ANE have been inconsistent in previous studies and have not been studied in a Nigerian population. This study assessed the influence of ANE on postpartum health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of Nigerian women. Methods: 350 purposively selected women participated in this cohort study. During the last two pregnancy trimesters, participants completed a questionnaire assessing ANE practice/pattern while the Short Form (SF-36) questionnaire was used to assess HRQOL during postpartum. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with alpha level set at 0.05. Results: Majority (82.9%) of the women practiced ANE. Women who did not exercise showed significantly (p = 0.001) higher general health scores than those who did not. Women who exercised for <30 mins also showed significantly (p = 0.040) higher general health scores, as compared to those who exercised for ≥30 mins. HRQOL was negatively correlated with each of practice and duration of ANE. Conclusions: It was concluded that ANE practice and patterns did not improve postpartum HRQOL. Improved education and supervision of ANE is recommended for improved postpartum health outcomes.

Background: Carrying an infant is a physically demanding task which usually involves trunk loading, resulting in biomechanical stress on the musculoskeletal tissues. Aim: This cross sectional study investigated the prevalence and correlates of infant carrying-related low back pain (ICRLBP) in nursing mothers. Methods: A convenience sample of 192 Igbo-speaking mothers (18-35 years) with infants ≤ 2 years old completed a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire that included questions related to maternal demographics, postpartum characteristics and history of ICRLBP was employed in the study. Results: Mean maternal age and infant weight were 25.02 ±0.78 and 6.75±1.62 respectively. The findings revealed a high prevalence (82.3%) of ICRLBP among the nursing mothers. Majority (87.3%) of the affected women reported of mild low back pain. Maternal and infant factors were not significantly associated with the prevalence of ICRLBP. However, maternal age of > 35 years (OR = 6.41; 95% CI = 0.70-58.50), nursing an infant weighing > 10 kg (OR = 2.80; 95% CI = 0.50-15.82), previous caesarean birth (OR = 2.40; 95% CI = 0.94-6.12) and civil service (OR = 2.09; 95% CI = 0.81-5.02)were the highest risk factors of infant carrying-related low back pain. Conclusions: Infant carrying-related low back pain is prevalent among nursing mothers. Maternal and infant factors are not predictors of ICRLBP. Maternal education and ergonomic interventions relative to efficient infant carrying methods and suitable infant weights as tools for preventing musculoskeletal discomforts are recommended.

To translate, cross-culturally adapt, and psychometrically evaluate the Older People’s Quality of Life Questionnaire (OPQOL-35) among the Igbo older adult population in Enugu State. The original English OPQOL-35 (E-OPQOL-35) was translated into Igbo language, synthesized, back translated, and subsequently subjected to expert panel review, pre-testing and cognitive debriefing interview. The final Igbo version (I-OPQOL-35) was tested for internal consistency, concurrent, and structural validities in a cross-sectional study of 115 consenting apparently healthy older adults that were conveniently recruited from Enugu State, at 0.05 level of significance. The Spearman correlation coefficients between the participants’ domain and total scores on the I-OPQOL-35 and E-OPQOL-35 (rho = .92-1.00) were excellent. The Mann–Whitney U test revealed no significant difference between corresponding scores in the E-OPQOL-35 and I-OPQOL-35 ( P = .65-.94). The internal consistency coefficient of the I-OPQOL-35 was 0.78. The ceiling and floor effects were 0% respectively. The I-OPQOL-35 is therefore a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of quality of life among Igbo older adults in Nigeria.

Background: Breastfeeding-related Neck Pain (BFNP) is prevalent in nursing mothers and cuts across the utilization of different breastfeeding (BF) hold positions. Biomechanical considerations to highlight ergonomically safe BF positions for the prevention of BFNP have not been previously studied. Aim: This study was designed to compare the electrical activities of selected neck muscles across three breastfeeding hold positions [cradle (C1), cross-cradle (C2), and football (FB)]. Materials and Method: Surface electromyographic analyses of four neck muscles (right and left components of each trapezius and sternocleidomastoid) were performed respectively during three BF trials with different BF hold positions (C1, C2, and FB) in 22 nursing mothers. For all the trials, the mothers nursed from the left breast. Results: Across the three BF trials, the electrical activities of each of the neck muscles did not vary significantly (P > 0.05). Furthermore, the left muscular components showed predominantly higher activities, as compared to their right components. Conclusion: The breastfeeding hold position adopted during BF tasks may not be a determinant of BFNP in nursing mothers. Further studies to ascertain the biomechanical implications of the utilized BF holds are recommended.

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