Effects of Physical Exercise on Symptoms and Quality of Life in Women in Climacteric: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Providencia Juana Trujillo-Muñoz, María Angustias Sánchez-Ojeda, Eva Carolina Rodríguez-Huamán, Karima Mezyani-Haddu, Irene Hoyo-Guillot, et al. Healthcare Switzerland, 2025 Background/Objectives: Climacteric is a period of hormonal changes in women characterised by physical, emotional, and interpersonal alterations. This period is divided into two phases: perimenopause (the period from the appearance of the first symptoms to the arrival of menopause) and postmenopause (up to approximately 64 years of age). The progression of symptoms varies for each woman and can negatively affect self-esteem and quality of life. One of the most commonly used tools to reduce these negative effects is the performance of different types of physical exercise. The objective of this review was to summarise the research on the effects of both aerobic and strength exercises in women during the transition from perimenopause to postmenopause. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted according to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Initially, 1995 articles published in PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science between January 2014 and June 2024 were identified. From these articles, two researchers separately selected eight randomised controlled trials and compared the effects of aerobic and strength exercises with no activity. The risk of bias in the included articles was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool for randomised clinical trials. Results: Most of the trials reported that both types of exercise, when performed in a controlled and regular way, have beneficial effects on the vitality and mental health of women in climacteric, increasing their general quality of life. A meta-analysis revealed that aerobic exercise improved the symptoms of menopause, although studies that support the effect of aerobic exercise on vasomotor symptoms are lacking. Resistance exercise was shown to strengthen muscles, increase bone density, and protect against osteoporosis. Conclusions: Physical exercise is a safe and nonpharmacological option that has positive effects on the health of women in climacteric.
Psychometric Properties of the Turkish Version of the Rating Scale of Pain Expression during Childbirth Scale (ESVADOPA-TR) Burcu Avcıbay-Vurgeç, Silvia Navarro-Prado, Sule Gökyıldız-Sürücü, Muhsin Dursun, María Angustias Sánchez-Ojeda Healthcare Switzerland, 2024 Background: Evaluation of a specific and dynamic pain, such as labor pain, with a situation-specific measurement tool will increase the quality of care given during childbirth. The Rating Scale of Pain Expression during Childbirth (ESVADOPA) is a situation-specific measurement tool for labor pain. The aim was to examine the psychometric properties of a Turkish version of the ESVADOPA scale. Methods: This study utilized a methodological design. Participants were 158 pregnant women at term and in spontaneous labor. Two measurements were performed during the passive and active phases of labor. To avoid bias between the raters, all the evaluations were performed by a single midwife. Validity analyses of the scale were performed using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Results: The scale was composed of a one-factor structure that had an eigenvalue of over 1 and explained 71.79% of the variance. Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency coefficient of the scale is 0.92. An analysis of the factor structure showed that the item factor loads ranged between 0.729 and 0.897. In the confirmatory factor analysis, the results showed that the data had a good fit with the model. Conclusions: The Turkish version of the ESVADOPA was found to have high reliability and validity for determining the expression of pain during childbirth.
Access to the Health Care System of Undocumented Moroccan Migrant Slum Dwellers in Southern Spain: A Qualitative Study Fernando Jesus Plaza del Pino, Ghita Chraibi, Brigida Molina-Gallego, Maria Humanes-García, Maria Angustias Sánchez-Ojeda, et al. Nursing Reports, 2024 Spain has grown economically due to the recent boosts in the industrial sector, the agricultural sector, construction and services. Those who carry out agricultural tasks are mainly undocumented immigrants living in marginal neighborhoods. Objectives: to know the perception of undocumented Moroccan migrants living in marginal neighborhoods regarding access to the Public Health System. Methods: A qualitative method with a phenomenological approach was used to get closer to the experience of the participants in the study. In this work, 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted following a guide with a set of open questions to facilitate an in-depth discussion of the topics of interest. The participants were given an informed consent form, which guaranteed anonymity and confidentiality regarding the information obtained. For this, codes were used to identify them. The data were stored, managed, classified, and organized with the ATLAS-ti 9 software. Results: access and use of health services by the immigrants in the study was difficult due to communication problems related to language and culture, the discriminatory attitude and lack of cultural competence of health personnel, and the location of the neighborhoods (which were marginal far from urban centers), as well as the lack of transportation to health centers. Conclusions: it is an ethical imperative of the Health System to offer greater attention to the population in situations of extreme vulnerability, implement intercultural mediators and train health professionals in cultural competence.
Understanding resilience among migrant women in a humanitarian reception center: a qualitative study María del Mar Jiménez-Lasserrotte, María Angustias Sánchez-Ojeda, Gloria Vázquez-González, María Dolores Ruiz-Fernández, Azahara Peña-Rodríguez, et al. Frontiers in Public Health, 2024 BackgroundThe European Union receives thousands of irregular migrants and refugees annually. Irregular migrant women are admitted to Humanitarian Reception Centers. These migrants face multiple adversities on their migration journey, and resilience is key to coping with process. The aim of this study was to describe and understand irregular migrant women’s experience of resilience when living in humanitarian reception centers.MethodsDescriptive qualitative study. In-depth interviews and a focus group were carried out with 21 migrant women from different African countries, with an average age of 31.8 years. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data using ATLAS.ti computer software.ResultsThree main themes emerged: (1) Irregular migrant women in transit: extreme vulnerability. (2) Migration support networks. (3) Promoting irregular migrant women’s resilience.ConclusionThe harshness of the migration process tests the resilience of irregular migrant women, who are a vulnerable group at high risk of social exclusion. Their time in humanitarian reception centers is significant in their process of developing resilient behaviors. The multidisciplinary resources of the humanitarian reception center help the irregular migrant women in their personal development.
Analysis of University Student Motivation in Cross-Border Contexts Lionel Sánchez-Bolívar, Silvia Navarro-Prado, María Angustias Sánchez-Ojeda, Victoria García-Morales, Jonathan Cortés-Martín, et al. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2023 The development of the personality of university students can determine their affinities for certain disciplines; therefore, it is important to know their specific socio-demographic and motivational profile, what motivates them to start a certain university degree and what encourages them to continue with it, which can help to adapt the teaching methodology. A total of 292 university students from the University of Granada (Ceuta and Melilla campuses) participated in this quantitative study with a descriptive, cross-sectional design, in which motivation and social skills were analysed. Among the results, it can be highlighted that the student population is mainly female, with a higher level of motivation. Sociability, communication, thinking (optimistic or pessimistic), empathy and self-confidence are skills that affect university students’ motivation levels. This study highlights the importance and impact of students’ motivation on their learning and the development of their social competence, so it is essential to carry out educational interventions that promote these types of skills, especially in cross-border contexts, which can be demotivating environments.
Coping Strategies during Childbirth Related to Cultural Identity: Companionship, Choice of Analgesia and Maternal Satisfaction Silvia Navarro-Prado, María Angustias Sánchez-Ojeda, Fernando Jesús Plaza del Pino, María Ángeles Vázquez-Sánchez, María Isabel Tovar-Gálvez, et al. Healthcare Switzerland, 2023 Childbirth is a biological process and how it is experienced and managed is influenced by numerous factors, among them, socio-cultural or health care received. Objective: The objective of this study is to ascertain whether cultural factors influence the way in which women deal with childbirth through the treatment of pain, companionship and maternal satisfaction. Methods: This study is a non-experimental, quantitative, ex post facto, cross-sectional study of women who gave birth in a border town in southern Spain. The sample consisted of 249 women. Results: No relationship was found between cultural factors and the choice of epidural analgesia, alternative methods to alleviate pain, being accompanied nor maternal satisfaction. There was a significant relationship between the type of companionship and with maternal satisfaction. Conclusions: Cultural factors did not influence how women dealt with dilation and childbirth. Results found that the person accompanying the mother was important for increasing maternal satisfaction. The intercultural training of healthcare professionals is necessary.
Type of Sex Education in Childhood and Adolescence: Influence on Young People’s Sexual Experimentation, Risk and Satisfaction: The Necessity of Establishing School Nursing as a Pillar Silvia Navarro-Prado, María Isabel Tovar-Gálvez, María Angustias Sánchez-Ojeda, Trinidad Luque-Vara, Elisabet Fernández-Gómez, et al. Healthcare Switzerland, 2023 The aim is to identify the source of sexuality education used during childhood and adolescence and to analyse whether this education influences their sexual attitudes, their ability to cope with unwanted situations they experience and their satisfaction with their sexual lives. This is a non-experimental, quantitative, ex post facto, cross-sectional study. The sample is formed of 675 young people, with 50% of the ages included being between 20 (Quartile 1) and 22 (Quartile 3) years. The data collection was done by means of an online questionnaire, including sociodemographic and Likert questions about their sex life. Fisher “Independence Contrasts”and correlations were used to see and quantify the relationship among the variables. The main source of education was pornography (29.3%) and the internet (12.4%). The source of education has a significant relationship with whether the use of contraceptives is accepted or not (p < 0.001), refusal to use contraceptives (p < 0.001), engaging in risky sexual practices (p < 0.001), facing unwanted sexual situations (p < 0.001) and dissatisfaction with their sex life (p < 0.001). It is necessary that children and adolescents have sex education in safe environments, such as in a home or school setting, and the school nurse plays a vital part in this education. This would reduce the need for adolescents and young people to use the internet and pornography as a source of education. School nurses should be the educational axis to offer children and adolescents a reliable point of information about sex education. A joint work with teachers, nurses, students and parents would contribute positively to reduce the number of risky situations young people are facing, and it would promote and improve healthy attitudes towards sex and interpersonal relationships.
Nursing students’ attitudes towards immigrants’ social rights María Angustias Sánchez-Ojeda, Silvia Navarro-Prado, Adelina Martín-Salvador, Trinidad Luque-Vara, Elisabet Fernández-Gómez, et al. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020