Newswise — A new study led by researchers from the University of Sydney has found young women’s engagement with social media plays a major role in shaping how they think – and act – in relation to their health.
The research, published in the peer reviewed journal Health Marketing Quarterly, studied 30 women aged between 18 and 35 during the 2021 COVID-19 lockdowns to understand the factors influencing them to adopt diet and exercise messages on social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Lead author of the study, PhD candidate Clare Davies from the Discipline of Media and Communications, said the initial findings suggest women are just as likely to accept health messages on social media – promoted by influencers – as they are from public health communicators.
“The women we spoke to were highly influenced to take up diet and exercise messages on social media if they felt a sense of ‘connection’, or relatability, with the source of the message,” she said.
“Social media influencers embody this connection by fostering relationships with their audiences and sharing anecdotes about their own lives and behaviours. This was amplified during the pandemic when many women turned online to seek connectivity and explore new ways of living a healthy life.”
Although much of the world has emerged from COVID-19 induced lockdowns, Ms Davies said many of the women surveyed continued to engage with diet and exercise programs promoted by wellness influencers post-pandemic due to the sense of “friendship and community” they generated around shared health and lifestyle goals.
“Access to exclusive online communities, coupled with real-life ‘meet and greets’ with the influencers, are a big drawcard for women when deciding whether or not to take up specific programs or diets,” she said.
Participants also said they were highly encouraged to take up and maintain diet and exercise regimes if the influencer promoting them had similar life or health experiences to them, or even a similar body type.
“Women reported being drawn to social media influencers who shared intimate details of their lives and whose personal narratives they could relate to. This included experiencing a similar health issue to the influencer, like endometriosis, or discussing things like their fertility and relationship challenges.”
Similarly, the study found exposure to personal testimonials from other women and ‘before and after’ visuals in closed online communities were a major factor in shaping women’s understanding of and behaviours around health.
One participant, who was part of a closed Facebook group associated with influencer Jessica Sepel (of JSHealth vitamin fame), reported being influenced to take a supplement for a condition “she had never experienced” due to the strength of other women’s private testimonials about the product.
Co-author of the study, Adjunct Professor Alana Mann from the Discipline of Media and Communications, said: “This study offers a snapshot into the influence of social media on women’s behaviour, particularly in relation to complex ideas about their health and wellbeing.”
“Our current findings, and the emerging body of research into social media and public health, demonstrates that health marketers and public health campaigners must recognise that social media influencers and online communities do present new opportunities for ways of communicating complex health messages to women.”
Ms Davies added: “This is a case of listening to the consumer. Women, and younger people in general, are increasingly getting their information from non-medical bodies, and this information influences their ability to make independent decisions in everyday life.”
“It is vital that those designing and implementing public health campaigns work with this knowledge to ensure people get the right information about health and how to live a healthy life.”
“The escalating war is taking a heavy toll on civilians who live close to the front lines, people who cannot go back to their homes, and people across the country living under almost daily threats of attacks,” said Jens Laerke, from the UN’s humanitarian affairs office, OCHA.
More than a year since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, mine contamination and lack of access to Russia-controlled areas remain obstacles to reaching those in need, he said.
Delivering emergency assistance
Assistance has included cash to more than 2.1 million people and food for 3.5 million people, while nearly 3 million gained access to health services and medicines, Mr. Laerke said.
The assistance also included support for survivors of gender-based violence, he said, adding that more than 60 per cent of those reached with aid are women and girls.
Other types of assistance include access to clean water and hygiene products, emergency shelter, education services for children, and protection services, including prevention of gender-based violence and support to survivors, he said.
Volunteers play vital role
“Hundreds of humanitarian organizations are involved in this effort working with local groups and community-based volunteers who play a vital role in getting the assistance delivered on the last mile,” he said.
However, assistance to areas under Russian military control remains extremely limited, he said.
This year, because of the worsening security situation and shifts in the front lines, humanitarian partners have lost access to almost 60,000 people in around 40 towns and villages close to the front lines in the Donetsk, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions, he said.
Mine action casualties
At the same time, mines and explosive remnants of war in Ukraine have left 263 killed or injured in 2023. That is more than 50 per month on average, according to the UN human rights office, OHCHR, which believes that the actual figures are considerably higher.
The agency’s latest report indicates that from 1 to 21 May, 46 civilians were killed or injured by mines, 44 in April, 102 in March, 36 in February and 35 in January.
Mine contamination remains a deadly threat to farmers and humanitarians delivering assistance. In the agricultural regions of Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Kherson, dozens of mine-related accidents are being reported every month, Mr. Laerke said.
Denise Brown, UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, said recovery work hinges on demining.
“Ukraine is considered as one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world,” she said. “Demining agricultural land is one of the Government’s priorities so that farmers can get back to work, and the UN, through WFP World Food Programme] and FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization], working with the Ministry of Agriculture, are contributing to this.”
Learn more about what the UN is doing to help the people of Ukraine here.
UNDP Ukraine/Oleksandr Simonenko
A deminer for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine sweeps the ground for unexploded ordnance and landmines.
“The United Nations and its partners made strides in rolling back the worst food insecurity last year, but these gains remain fragile, and 17 million people are still food insecure in Yemen,” said David Gressly, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the country.
Compared to the same period in 2022, the levels of acutely malnourished people rose in 2023, indicating a need for more funding to stave off extreme hunger, according to the latest findings of a new report by three UN agencies that are closely monitoring the situation, following eight years of intense warfare.
Drivers of hunger
Yemen remains one of the most food insecure countries globally, mainly driven by the impact of conflict and economic decline, according to the report from the UN food agency, FAO, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The integrated phase classification (IPC) analysis provides an outlook for the period between now until the end of this year, indicating the need for more programme investments, as the modest improvements may be eroded, the agencies said.
Their report showed that the people of Yemen continue to require attention, with hunger stalking millions. The agencies cautioned that the situation could worsen if nothing is done to address the key drivers of food insecurity.
The new report showed that between January and May 2023, about 3.2 million people experienced high levels of acute food insecurity in government-controlled areas, representing a 23 per cent reduction from the period between October and December 2022.
During the June to December 2023 period, the report estimated that the number of people likely to experience high levels of acute food insecurity could increase to 3.9 million, out of which 2.8 million people are projected to reach crisis levels of hunger.
Life-saving interventions
FAO Yemen representative Hussein Gadain, said the agency is focused, through various interventions, on improving household food security and income by strengthening agricultural production practices, increasing labour opportunities, and diversifying livelihoods in a sustainable way that fosters peaceful coexistence.
We are working directly with farmers on the ground to enable them to maintain their livelihoods,” he said. “We make sure that smallholder farmers in Yemen will withstand any shocks which impact food security.”
UNICEF and partners reached around 420,000 children suffering from severe and acute malnutrition with life-saving interventions in 2022, said the agency’s Yemen representative, Peter Hawkins.
“This is the highest ever reached in Yemen, thanks to the scale-up of nutrition services,” he said, adding that despite this, malnutrition levels remain critical in many areas of the southern governorates.
“A multisectoral approach to address all forms of malnutrition is essential and together with partners UNICEF is strengthening the provision of primary health care, including early detection and treatment of severe acute malnutrition”, he said.
Averting famine
The UN food agency’s assistance is critical for getting people to firmer ground, for averting crisis and famine, said WFP Country Director, Richard Ragan. Yemen’s food insecurity situation remains fragile, and the hard-won gains of the past 12 months will be lost without continued and urgent support, he said.
“There are women, men, and children behind these IPC statistics, whose lives straddle the fine line between hope and utter devastation,” he said, urging donors to renew their commitment to supporting the most vulnerable Yemenis. “We simply cannot take our foot off the gas now.”
Learn more about what the UN is doing to help the people of Yemen here.
Ahead of World No Tobacco Day on Wednesday 31 May, WHO deplored that 3.2 million hectares of fertile land across 124 countries are being used to grow deadly tobacco – even in places where people are starving.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that governments across the world “spend millions supporting tobacco farms”, and that choosing to grow food instead of tobacco would allow the world to “prioritize health, preserve ecosystems, and strengthen food security for all”.
Disaster for food, environmental security
The agency’s new report, “Grow food, not tobacco”, recalls that a record 349 million people are facing acute food insecurity, many of them in some 30 countries on the African continent, where tobacco cultivation has increased by 15 per cent in the last decade.
According to WHO, nine of the 10 largest tobacco cultivators are low and middle-income countries. Tobacco farming compounds these countries’ food security challenges by taking up arable land. The environment and the communities which rely on it also suffer, as the crop’s expansion drives deforestation, contamination of water sources and soil degradation.
Vicious cycle of dependence
The report also exposes the tobacco industry for trapping farmers in a vicious cycle of dependence and exaggerating the economic benefits of tobacco as a cash crop.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva on Friday, Dr. Rüdiger Krech, WHO’s Director for Health Promotion, warned that tobacco’s economic importance is a “myth that we urgently need to dispel”.
He said that the crop contributes less than 1 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in most tobacco-growing countries, and that the profits go to the world’s major cigarette-makers, while farmers struggle under the burden of debt contracted with the tobacco companies.
‘Smokers, think twice’
Dr. Krech also explained that tobacco farmers find themselves exposed to nicotine poisoning and dangerous pesticides. The broader impact on communities and whole societies is devastating, as some 1.3 million child labourers are estimated to be working on tobacco farms instead of going to school, he said.
“The message to smokers is, think twice”, Dr. Krech said, as consuming tobacco came down to supporting an iniquitous situation in which farmers and their families were suffering.
Workers at a tobacco factory in Malawi fill processing machinery with coal. (file)
Breaking the cycle
WHO, along with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have joined forces around the Tobacco Free Farms initiative, to help thousands of farmers in countries like Kenya and Zambia to grow sustainable food crops instead of tobacco.
The programme provides farmers with microcredit lending to pay off their debts with tobacco companies, as well as knowledge and training to grow alternative crops, and a market for their harvest, thanks to WFP’s local procurement initiatives.
Dr. Krech said that the programme was a “proof of concept” of the power of the UN system to enable farmers to break free from harmful tobacco cultivation. He outlined ambitious plans to expand the programme, as countries in Asia and South America were already requesting support.
“We can help every farmer in the world to get out of tobacco farming if they wish,” he said.
Volker Türk was issuing a clarion call to protect and expand civic space, arguing that it’s the only way to enable us all “to play a role in political, economic, and social life, at all levels, from local to global.”
Hate speech going unchecked
He said with more and more decision-making migrating online, “with private companies playing an outsized role, having an open, safe digital public square has never been more important”.
And yet, States are struggling and “often failing” to protect online space for the common good, “swinging between a laissez-faire approach that has allowed violence and dangerous hate speech to go unchecked, and overbroad regulations used as a cudgel against those exercising their free speech rights, including journalists and human rights defenders,” he added.
Invest in multilingual markets
He called on big business to step up and increase investment in preventing and responding to online harms, especially in the non-English language environment, stressing that “doing business in any location requires making sure you can do so safely, in line with the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.”
The UN rights chief said that carving out civic space was key to human rights, to peace, development, and for “sustainable and resilient societies”, but coming under more and more pressure from undue restrictions, and laws.
This includes crackdowns on peaceful assembly, internet shutdowns and bullying and harassment online.
Expand space as a ‘precondition’
“States must step up efforts to protect and expand civic space as the precondition for people to be able to sustainably enjoy all other entitlements enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, from access to healthcare and clean water and quality education to social protection and labour rights”, Mr. Türk argued.
Pressure on civil space continues despite the inspiring commitment of civil society groups, he continued.
“Civil society is a key enabler of trust between governments and the populations they serve and is often the bridge between the two. For governments to reduce barriers to public participation, they must protect this space, for the benefit of all – both online and offline”.
Newswise — Boston – Women with obesity when they are diagnosed with early breast cancer have a higher risk of recurrence or a second cancer compared to women whose weight is in the normal range and it can be hard to lose weight after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Now, a clinical trial has shown that a telephone-based weight loss program can help patients with breast cancer whose body mass index is in the overweight or obese range lower their weight by a meaningful degree.
The findings, to be reported by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, set the stage for follow-up research into whether this type of program can extend patients’ survival and lower their risk of a breast cancer recurrence.
“We know that women with obesity when they are diagnosed with breast cancer have a higher risk of dying of the disease, of developing second cancers, and of dying from any cause,” says Dana-Farber’s Jennifer Ligibel, MD, the principal investigator of the trial, who will present the findings at ASCO. “But we don’t know whether helping patients lose weight after diagnosis will improve treatment outcomes. That’s what this study seeks to discover.”
The Breast Cancer Weight Loss (BWEL) trial, a Phase III trial supported by the National Cancer Institute, enrolled nearly 3,200 women from more than 600 cancer treatment centers in the U.S. and Canada. The participants, who had been diagnosed with stage 2 or 3 HER2-negative breast cancer, had completed chemotherapy and radiation therapy (if it was to be administered) and were randomly assigned to receive either a telephone-based weight-loss program plus health education or health education alone. The weight-loss program, conducted by phone, coached patients in reducing their calorie intake and increasing exercise.
Participants’ height and weight were measured when they entered the study and 12 months later. At the 12-month mark, researchers checked the weight of nearly 2,400 patients who were free of breast cancer.
“We found the weight-loss program was highly successful in helping patients lower their weight,” Ligibel says. Women who received the telephone-based intervention lost an average of 4.8% of their baseline body weight, compared to an average 0.9% increase in body weight among those in the control group.
The findings were especially noteworthy in that they were consistent regardless of patients’ age, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and education level, and type of breast cancer they had.
Within this overall trend, however, researchers noticed some differences in patterns of weight change among the participants. While the weight-loss program was effective in both older and younger patients, younger women experienced a somewhat smaller weight loss. Younger women who didn’t receive weight-loss coaching gained a bit more weight than older participants, so the amount of weight change was relatively similar in older and younger patients.
A similar pattern occurred among Black patients, who made up 13% of trial participants. Black women in the weight-loss program group lost less weight, on average, than others but Black women in the control group gained more weight than control participants of other races and ethnicities. However, women in the weight loss program lost more weight than women in the control group, regardless of their age, race, ethnicity, or other characteristics.
The results provide a lead-in to the next phase of the study. “We’ll continue to follow patients who enrolled in the BWEL trial to determine whether the weight-loss program reduces the risk of cancer recurrence and cancer-related mortality,” Ligibel remarks. “We hope this research ultimately shows that healthy lifestyle change after a cancer diagnosis has a positive impact on outcomes, so we’ll be able to routinely offer this type of program to patients as a part of their breast cancer care.”
Ligibel will present results from the BWEL trial during the Oral Abstract Session on Symptoms and Survivorship (Abstract 12001) during ASCO in Chicago on June 5, 2023, 9:12am ET.
About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is one of the world’s leading centers of cancer research and treatment. Dana-Farber’s mission is to reduce the burden of cancer through scientific inquiry, clinical care, education, community engagement, and advocacy. We provide the latest treatments in cancer for adults through Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center and for children through Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. Dana-Farber is the only hospital nationwide with a top 5 U.S. News & World Report Best Cancer Hospital ranking in both adult and pediatric care.
As a global leader in oncology, Dana-Farber is dedicated to a unique and equal balance between cancer research and care, translating the results of discovery into new treatments for patients locally and around the world, offering more than 1,100 clinical trials.
Opinion by Kirsten Stade (st paul, minnesota, usa)
Inter Press Service
ST PAUL, Minnesota, USA, May 25 (IPS) – A new study estimates that global heating will push billions of people outside the comfortable range of temperature and weather in which we have evolved.
While coverage of the study notes that rapid emissions cuts could greatly reduce the number of people forced to live amid unprecedented extremes, it fails to mention the obvious: that reducing our population would have the same effect.
Not long ago, the idea that human population growth drives both human suffering and environmental decline was considered common sense. That changed in the 1990s in the wake of several egregious population control programs, ranging from China’s one-child policy to forced sterilizations in China, India, Puerto Rico, and elsewhere.
Today, the mere mention of population growth in connection with environmental protection or human well-being gets demonized as “neo-Malthusian” or “eugenicist” – notwithstanding the fact that the vast majority of efforts to lower fertility, whether to alleviate poverty or to reduce pressure on resources, have been rights-based and voluntary.
What is most troubling about this mischaracterization is that it deflects attention from the enormous violations of reproductive rights that occur in the name of increasing reproduction.
Pronatalism — the social pressures, religious doctrine, and government policies designed to induce people to have more children – has long been the most prevalent form of reproductive coercion.
Impressed upon people by family members, religious leaders, and politicians pursuing racist, nationalist, military, and/or economic agendas, pronatalism shows up through abortion bans and alarmist messaging that promotes childbirth for certain ethnic groups. The common thread is treating people as reproductive vessels for external agendas.
Over 218 million women worldwide who want to avoid pregnancy have an unmet need for contraception. This troubling reality is the result of both simple unavailability of contraceptives, and of deep-seated pronatalist attitudes–often held by husbands and other family members- that make it impossible for women to use them.
When women are expected to produce large families regardless of their own wants, pronatalism not only denies their reproductive autonomy; it also worsens poverty and damages the environment. A new study by the Swedish Research Council debunks the stubborn misconception that population growth has a negligible effect on climate change since it’s concentrated in low-consumption countries.
In fact, the study finds, population growth is the biggest driver of carbon emissions and is canceling out emissions reductions made through renewables and efficiency. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), population growth is one of the “strongest drivers of CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion in the last decade.”
Population growth and resultant agricultural expansion drive water scarcity, soil depletion, deforestation, land degradation, and damage to ecosystems that humans depend on. The connection between population growth and environmental impacts is clear, yet frequently denied, and this denial has real consequences.
Since addressing population growth fell out of favor in the 1990s, international funding for family planning declined 35 percent and falls far short of meeting global need.
Population denialism is reminiscent of climate denialism in its disregard for science and its failure to acknowledge the suffering of millions. Population deniers invoke Malthus and Margaret Sanger to invalidate population concerns by associating them with infamous sources, while ignoring unimpeachable ones like the IPCC.
While Malthus’ doomism and Paul Ehrlich’s Population Bomb failed to foresee new agricultural technologies that averted the famine and population crash they predicted, population denialists make the opposite mistake.
They adhere to a cornucopian faith that technology will magically solve our problems, and assume that new low-carbon energy sources and unproven interventions like carbon capture will fix everything.
They won’t.
In fact green tech raises serious environmental and social problems of its own. Solar and wind energy and the infrastructure for transmitting the power they generate requires far more land area than fossil fuel plants, with consequences for wildlife and its habitat. Lithium-ion batteries in electric cars and e-bikes use cobalt mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by low-wage workers subjected to toxic dumping and en masse displacement.
Population deniers are rightly concerned with equitable development of the world’s impoverished regions, but development will mean more emissions, more water use, more habitat destruction.
If current trends continue, the global middle class is projected to reach 5 billion by 2030. To enable all people to attain a reasonable standard of living without further straining natural systems, we must make access to family planning for all people a matter of urgent international concern.
The good news is that doing so reaps rewards not only for the planet but for human well-being. In every culture where fertility rates have declined, even staggering government investment in pronatalist incentives is insufficient to compel women to go back to the high birth rates they have left behind – an indication that women have a latent wish for low fertility.
This suggests that the path forward lies in acknowledging both the human and environmental toll of high birth rates and resultant population growth, and giving women the universal, free access to contraceptives and abortion care that will enable them to realize their reproductive wishes.
Kirsten Stade is a conservation biologist and communications manager of the NGO Population Balance
Cute summer outfits may be the most mood-boosting of all. Summer fashion always feels lighthearted and fresh. When planning out your purchases and go-to formulas this year, take a look at the inspiration below.
Slip Dresses + All Out Accessories
Slip dresses are just effortlessly elegant and flattering. This chocolate brown one from SIR is a cut out maxi dress featuring contrast floral lace cut-out detail through front to accentuate the waist. I paired it with my white Loewe sunnies, slouchy straw bag, straw hat and Hermès slip-on sandals (very good dupe here).
Mix and Match
Less is more? Not always. Not if you ask me. Unconventional layers and compositions is a styling trick that many use to step up their looks. It’s a great way to bring personality and character to your look! Here are two basic rules for mix and matching: look for analogous colors, you will hardly go wrong in the composition because they are close and it is very likely to result in a mix sur ton that is beyond chic. Secondly, look for colors that run in opposite directions – these are complementary colors – for a bolder and super stylish combination. Check out some fun options below.
Crochet Fever Forever
Democratic, crochet is a must between your summer outfits and matches a wide array of accessories. It is far from monotonous and gives the composition texture, personality, style and versatility. Want to put together some looks with the beauty of crochet? Check the carousel below.
Newswise — HealthPartners Institute researchers have published new data in JAMA Network Open that shows monovalent COVID-19 booster vaccinations administered in early pregnancy (before 20 weeks’ gestation) were not associated with miscarriage. The research adds to the growing understanding about the safety of COVID-19 booster vaccinations among people who are pregnant.
The researchers analyzed data from more than 100,000 pregnancies between six and 19 weeks’ gestation from eight large health systems participating in the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD). The data was collected between Nov. 1, 2021, and June 12, 2022. Researchers found, using a 28- or 42-day window, that receipt of a booster vaccination was not associated with miscarriage.
“COVID infection during pregnancy increases risk of poor outcomes, yet many people who are pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant are hesitant to get a booster dose because of questions about safety. Our data supports the safety of booster vaccination in early pregnancy,” said Elyse Kharbanda, MD, MPH, senior investigator at HealthPartners Institute and lead author of the study.
More safety data to support COVID-19 vaccination
Separate research recently published in Obstetrics & Gynecology – also led by HealthPartners Institute – showed that COVID-19 booster vaccination at any point during pregnancy was not associated with increased risk for serious acute adverse events.
In that study, researchers evaluated data from more than 80,000 pregnancies that occurred between September 23, 2021 and June 30, 2022. Booster vaccination in pregnancy did not increase risks for thrombocytopenia, myocarditis, venous thromboembolism, ischemic stroke, or other serious adverse events within 21 or 42 days after vaccination.
“We continue to find that COVID-19 vaccinations in pregnancy are safe,” said Malini DeSilva, MD, MPH, investigator at HealthPartners Institute and lead author of the study. “Ongoing vaccine surveillance work is important because it provides reassurance and helps people feel confident in their vaccinations.”
Data for both studies came from HealthPartners and seven other large health systems that make up the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD). VSD is a research network funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that conducts post-marketing surveillance of vaccines licensed and used in the United States. Both studies evaluated safety of the monovalent COVID-19 vaccine booster. Future studies will evaluate safety of the bivalent booster.
About HealthPartners Institute
HealthPartners Institute is part of HealthPartners, the largest consumer governed nonprofit health care organization in the nation with a mission to improve health and well-being in partnership with our members, patients and the community. HealthPartners Institute supports this mission through research and education—advancing care delivery and public health around the globe. The Institute annually conducts more than 350 research studies and trains 700+ medical residents and fellows and 1,200+ medical and advanced practice students. Its integration with HealthPartners’ hospitals, clinics and health plan strengthens the Institute’s ability to discover and develop evidence-based solutions and translate them into practice. Visit healthpartnersinstitute.org for more information.
Monday, May 22 marks World Preeclampsia Day. Preeclampsia is a serious condition primarily characterized by high blood pressure during or after pregnancy. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy affect 5-10% of all pregnancies worldwide. In the U.S., Black people are 60% more likely to develop preeclampsia than white people while pregnant. If undetected, preeclampsia can lead to complications for both mother and baby and, in the worst cases, can be fatal.
Sarosh Rana, MD, MPH, University of Chicago Medicine Section Chief of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, is a leading expert on preeclampsia. Her research over the last several years has focused on the use of angiogenic biomarkers for the prediction of preeclampsia-related adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. She was part of the study that led to the recent approval of a biomarker test that can test a pregnant person’s risk of severe preeclampsia. The first-of-its-kind blood test will soon be available in the U.S.
Dr. Rana is available for interviews to discuss this game-changing development in the detection of severe preeclampsia, as well as what pregnant people need to know about preeclampsia, who’s at risk, and treatment options. She can also speak on the steps that UChicago Medicine has taken to reduce morbidity related to preeclampsia and to close the maternal health disparity gap between Black and white patients.
The finding is the result of a survey conducted by the UNICEF Refugee Response Office in Poland, which also revealed that 53 per cent had considered getting, or had already accessed, mental health support since arriving in the country.
‘Not a surprise’
“The psychosocial toll of the war in Ukraine is immense so the results of this survey are not a surprise,” said Dr. Rashed Mustafa Sarwar, who heads the Office, which was established just weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Since then, more than four million Ukrainians have registered for temporary protection across Europe, UNICEF said. More than 1.6 million are in Poland, 90 per cent of whom are women and children, though overall refugee numbers could be much higher.
The survey used a World Health Organization (WHO) self-reporting questionnaire that measures psychological well-being through five simple, non-invasive questions.
Uncertainty and sadness
The results indicated that over 30 per cent of the mothers were exhibiting high levels of distress, and over 30 per cent were experiencing severe levels. Most said they felt helpless and had considered seeking help from a psychologist.
Among the issues contributing to their stress were uncertainty about the future, worries about family or friends in Ukraine or elsewhere, and sadness because of the war. High levels of distress were also related to practical concerns, including money, housing, jobs, language issues, access to healthcare and childcare.
Helping to heal
UNICEF has used the survey results to inform a nationwide online campaign in Poland targeting Ukrainian mothers with information on available psychological support, as well as coping strategies.
“Mental health and psychological support is vital to help families and children heal from the invisible wounds of war and that’s why it’s a huge part of our response and cuts across all of the work we do here in Poland,” said Dr. Sarwar.
Aid delivery in Ukraine
Meanwhile, humanitarians in Ukraine continue to assist frontline communities in the Kharkiv region in the east and the Kherson region in the south, where frequent bombardments are ongoing.
On Wednesday, an inter-agency convoy led by UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, Denise Brown, delivered aid to a community in the very east of the Kharkiv region, where more than 80 per cent of homes are damaged. Shelling also continues to interrupt water, gas, and electricity supply.
The convoy delivered shelter materials, hygiene supplies and solar lamps to some 1,000 remaining residents in a community that had 5,000 inhabitants in February 2022, said Stephanie Tremblay, a UN Spokesperson in New York, speaking on Friday.
“Today, another inter-agency convoy delivered critical aid – including shelter materials, food and water, solar lamps, hygiene kits and clothing – to support nearly 3,000 residents of another front-line community in the Kherson region,” she said. “Almost half of the remaining residents there are older people with limited access to most basic services.”
Landmine challenges
Humanitarians also warned that Ukraine is now one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world, with Kharkiv and Kherson the most impacted regions.
Ms. Tremblay said nearly 300,000 hectares of agricultural land in Kharkiv alone needs demining, according to local authorities.
“Our humanitarian colleagues note that mine risks create additional challenges for repairing damaged houses and critical infrastructure and resuming farming, and both regions had large agriculture industries before the full-scale war,” she added.
Grain export update
Ms. Tremblay also provided an update on the Black Sea Grain Initiative, where operations are partially restarting.
Earlier this week, Russia confirmed that it will continue to take part in the UN-brokered agreement for a further 60 days.
The July 2022 deal allows for grain and other related foodstuffs to be shipped to global markets via three Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea. It is facilitated by the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC), which is based in Istanbul and staffed by representatives from Russia, Ukraine, Türkiye and the UN.
On Friday, the JCC registered six new vessels to participate, out of 15 applications. Three loaded vessels are currently preparing for inspection in Istanbul.
“No ships are currently though loading at any of the three Ukrainian ports under the terms of the Initiative. Teams from the Joint Coordination Centre checked and cleared today three new vessels to proceed to the ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk,” Ms. Tremblay told journalists.
She said the UN “continues to call for the prompt return to a tempo of operations that makes full use of the capacities of the three ports and the Joint Coordination Centre teams.”
Newswise — A new study suggests that increasing rates of induction of labour (IOL) of pregnant women and people in the UK, without considering the accompanying, real-world impact on staffing workloads and patient care, may have unintended consequences.
The study from City, University of London, the University of Edinburgh and others highlights the limited evidence around the delivery of home-based IOL services, which were seen as an important step to reducing maternity staff workload.
It finds large gaps in knowledge on how to deliver home-based care, with workload perceived to be increased in some cases, relative to hospital-based services.
Around one-third of pregnant women and peopleunderwent IOL in the UK in 2021. Rates have surged in recent years due to new evidence on safety and efficacy, and vary considerably between maternity services, with some rates as high as fifty per-cent.
However, earlier this year, a survey reported by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) found that UK senior midwives are relying significantly on the goodwill of staff working extra hours to ensure safe services, amidst plummeting staff retention and recruitment rates that they say have reached “boiling point”.
The RCM said that midwives are leaving the profession “because they cannot deliver the quality of care they so desperately want to because of their falling pay, and because they are exhausted, fragile and burnt-out.”
IOL, or starting labour artificially, is offered when the risks of the pregnancy continuing are believed to outweigh the risks of artificially starting labour. For those deemed at lower risk, maternity services are offering this as an ‘outpatient’ service where the woman returns home in the first stage of induction, despite limited evidence on its acceptability to pregnant women, birth partners and maternity staff, and how different approaches work in practice.
The current study explored IOL from the perspectives of 73 clinicians: including 49 midwives, 22 obstetricians and two other maternity staff from five maternity services across the UK. Specifically, it investigated the recommended first stage of induction known as “cervical ripening” (CR) and the option of the pregnant person to return home from hospital during that process.
CR is either the use of topical medication (prostaglandin) or mechanical means (balloon catheter or osmotic dilator) to help dilate the pregnant person’s cervix. Following this first stage, further steps are generally necessary to stimulate the onset of labour.
In the study, clinicians were either interviewed directly by the researchers or took part in focus groups to elicit their views, which then formed part of a thematic analysis to reveal common themes in their responses.
A wide range of practices and views regarding induction were recorded, suggesting that the integration of home CR into care is far from straightforward, and demonstrating that whether provided at hospital or home, IOL care is complex and represents a significant workload to maternity services staff.
The study follows closely on the heels of findings of a sister study which surveyed 309 women who had undergone IOL in the UK, and which was published earlier this month. The women reported receiving little information about IOL and being routinely impacted by delays at every stage of the care pathway, which they widely attributed to staffing shortages.
Professor Christine McCourt leads the Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research at City, University of London, and co-authored the study. She said:
“This study shows that well-intentioned interventions may have unintended consequences for quality of care and staff workload. Efforts are needed to target induction of labour effectively and ensure genuine informed choice; meanwhile, maternity services must be adequately resourced to ensure safe care.”
The study is published online in the journal, PLOS ONE.
ENDS
City, University of London
City, University of London is a global higher education institution committed to academic excellence, with a focus on business and the professions and an enviable central London location.
City’s academic range is broadly-based with world-leading strengths in business; law; health sciences; mathematics; computer science; engineering; social sciences; and the arts including journalism and music.
City has around 20,000 students (46% at postgraduate level) from more than 160 countries and staff from over 75 countries.
In the last REF, City doubled the proportion of its total academic staff producing world-leading or internationally excellent research.
More than 140,000 former students from over 180 countries are members of the City Alumni Network.
The University’s history dates from 1894, with the foundation of the Northampton Institute on what is now the main part of City’s campus. In 1966, City was granted University status by Royal Charter and the Lord Mayor of London became its Chancellor. In September 2016, City joined the University of London and HRH the Princess Royal became City’s Chancellor.
Newswise — Dr. Sarah Prager, a UW Medicine OB-GYN, offers context to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, which ordered that mifepristone remain available in the United States while legal challenges work their way through the federal courts. Here is that discussion.
Q: What is mifepristone and how does it work?
Prager: Mifepristone works as a progesterone blocker. Without progesterone, the lining of the uterus breaks down and the pregnancy doesn’t continue. The second medicine, misoprostol, makes the uterus contract.
Q: Can I still get mifepristone in Washington state?
Prager: Yes, as of right now, there is access to mifepristone for patients in need of this drug for abortion or miscarriage care.
Q: Can I get it via telehealth? Or do I have to see a doctor in person?
Prager: There are some clinical sites locally which are supplying telehealth, such as Planned Parenthood clinics in Washington, as well as the Cedar River Clinics in Renton. UW Medicine does not offer telehealth visits for medication abortions yet, but we hope to provide these services starting in June of this year. But for now, you have to go to a clinic and see a doctor or nurse at UW Medicine sites.
Q: Can a faculty member or UW clinician dispense an abortion-inducing medication across state lines to a patient in a state that makes abortion illegal?
Prager: No. If a state prohibits abortion by medication, faculty and UW employees must abide by the laws of that state when treating a patient who is physically present in that state.
Q: Can a faculty member or UW clinician dispense an abortion-inducing medication to a patient located in Washington, or who came to Washington to receive abortion services?
Prager: Yes. Washington law allows Washington clinicians to provide abortion services to patients who are located in Washington, regardless of what state they live in. A patient presenting in Washington for services may be treated in Washington, consistent with the laws of Washington. Faculty must dispense abortion inducing medication in Washington and only issue the prescriptions to pharmacies located in Washington.
Our recommendation to patients is that the drugs should be taken in Washington before returning to their home state. If there is a complication, it is preferable for them to still be in a state where abortion is legal.
Q: What do we need to know about post-abortion care?
Prager: While complications from abortion or miscarriage are rare, conditions such as retained pregnancy tissue in the uterus, bleeding and infection can occur. It is critical for patients seeking post-abortion care services to be treated with care and dignity and to have their medical issues addressed upon presentation.
Post-abortion care may happen in a clinic or an emergency department setting and includes: managing residual side effects or complications of abortion, emotional support, and providing comprehensive birth control services without discrimination or coercion.
UW Medicine provides confidential post-abortion care; patient information remains private for post-abortion care services in the same way other services remain private. It is generally not necessary for patients to disclose that they have had an abortion. Moreover, healthcare professionals are unable to determine whether the complications occur from abortion or miscarriage.
The real take-home for me, is that post-abortion care hasn’t changed. We still need to be providing comprehensive care for miscarriage or an abortion. There is no way for clinicians to know the difference, so let’s treat patients with respect in providing this care.
Q: How available is the second drug in the regimen, misoprostol, if mifepristone is banned?
Prager: Misoprostol is widely available and will likely stay that way. Part of reason why mifepristone is targeted for court challenges and bans is that its only FDA [Food and Drug Administration] approval is for use in medication abortion. Misoprostol was approved by the FDA for treating stomach ulcers, and is used off-label for other medical treatments including abortion. Therefore it’s much more difficult to attack misoprostol in the courts or with the FDA.
Q: What is the difference between the two-drug regimen and taking only misoprostol? Is the efficacy different? How does the patient experience differ?
Prager: There are two main differences if you switch from the two-drug regimen to the one-drug regimen using only misoprostol.
When you use mifepristone prior to using the misoprostol, there are exceptionally good success rates, and it helps to minimize side effects. The success rates with mifepristone/misoprostol regimen are about 95% to 98%, and about 78% with a single dose of misoprostol. With multiple doses of misoprostol, the success rate increases to approximately 95%.
When you just use misoprostol, patients have to take more doses of the misoprostol, which increases the side effects such as cramping, gastrointestinal distress, vomiting and diarrhea. Repeated doses of misoprostol mean prolonging the amount of time that somebody is potentially experiencing these side effects.The patient may worry and wonder if they have to go to an emergency department, whether or not they clinically need to do so. It also could potentially increase their need for more pain medications. You might see more patients requesting narcotic medications, and we don’t typically need pain meds for medication abortion. So it really just punishes pregnant people for having a miscarriage or an abortion.
A misoprostol-only regimen is eliminating an evidence-based best practice tool for healthcare providers. Mifepristone has been approved by the FDA for 23 years and has been shown in numerous clinical studies to be both safe and effective.
Q: What advice would you give to pregnant women traveling in the U.S. at this time?
Prager: For anyone who is pregnant, I would be cautious traveling to states where abortion is illegal. In these states, there are a number of pregnancy complications that may not be managed in an evidence-based way that supports the health of the pregnant person. Most people will not experience pregnancy complications while traveling, however this can be something factored into travel decisions.
University of Washington School of Medicine and UW Medicine
Newswise — Patients seeking medication abortion care through telehealth services are just as satisfied, if not more so, with the service they received as patients who visited a clinical facility to receive care, according to a study published this month in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
The study involved 30 patients who sought medication abortion in Washington state from September 2021 to January 2022. Researchers found that the 20 patients who used telehealth to receive the pills for a medication abortion reported feeling more relaxed during their clinical encounters.
Even though they reported overall satisfaction with their care, the 10 who received care in a clinic facility portrayed their consultations as lengthy, chaotic and lacking comfort, the published paper said.
“I listened to all the interviews, and telehealth patients felt very positive about the care,” said lead author Dr. Emily Godfrey, a UW Medicine OB-GYN and family medicine doctor. “That’s because they didn’t have to struggle with transportation, which is a huge benefit. They could have the appointment, live with videos during their lunch hour or in their car, or in a private space at a friend’s home.”
Both groups reported high satisfaction reported with their clinical experiences. In-person patients reported that they relied heavily on printed material for guidance, while online patients relied more on advice during the visit and online information about medication abortion.
This study focused on the patients’ view of their interactions with providers, without distinguishing whether the care professional was a doctor or nurse practitioner. Patient-provider interactions are important to evaluate because they are associated with patient trust, treatment adherence, patient experience, healthcare efficiency and cost, the study noted.
Interviewees were 20 to 38 years old. Average gestational age at time of the visit was about seven weeks, according to the study.
The rate of telemedicine visits for medication abortion increased in 2019 when the Food and Drug Administration rolled back the in-clinic rules because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade in the Dobbs decision last June, the use of telemedicine for medication abortion services has increased by 137%, according to the Society of Family Planning WeCount study.
Patients who participated in the study were from the Cedar River Clinic in Renton, as well as sites in Yakima and Tacoma. More patients seeking telemedicine consults had undergone a prior abortion and tended to live outside the metro areas, compared with in-person patients, Godfrey said.
Soon, an expanded study with data from almost 2,000 patients will more fully illustrate the sociodemographics of patients receiving telemedicine versus in-person medication abortion care, Godfrey noted. Another forthcoming study will examine the decision-making process of why patients chose to travel to the clinic or pursue a telemedicine visit.
“Generally those who were younger or may have had a medical condition were more likely to choose an in-clinic visit,” Godfrey said. She added that patients, during an initial interview, who did not know the date of their last period or who might have been experiencing conditions like an ectopic pregnancy were booked for an in-clinic visit and not included in this study.
Next week, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will consider a reinstatement of the in-person clinic requirement for patients to obtain abortion pills, among other restrictions.
“Such a move would be harmful for patients in light of previous evidence about travel to clinics being a barrier to medical access — and now, coupled with this study suggesting that patients can receive quality, patient-centered care via telemedicine,” Godfrey said.
In general, the study shows that telemedicine abortion can be provided using high-quality patient-provider communication, considered a critical element of patient-centered care.
“Patient-centered care is essential to improving healthcare delivery and helping the nation achieve its goals of providing the best possible care to everyone, and especially those populations in rural settings or with difficulties reaching medical clinics,” she said.
University of Washington School of Medicine and UW Medicine
But, for hundreds of thousands of women globally, this gratitude only goes so far, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said on the occasion of Mother’s Day, observed on Sundays throughout May.
According to recently released data, a woman dies from pregnancy or childbirth every two minutes, with the vast majority of these deaths due to preventable causes like bleeding and infection, the UN reproductive health agency said.
What’s worse, solutions to these problems have existed for decades; but they require immediate investment in family planning and for the world to address its steep shortage of midwives, who UNFPA reports could prevent an estimated two thirds of all maternal and newborn deaths.
“We have the tools, knowledge and resources to end preventable maternal deaths; what we need now is the political will,” UNFPA Executive Director Natalia Kanem said.
Here’s why mothers need support now more than ever before.
Maternal deaths at crisis levels
Between 2000 and 2015, global maternal mortality decreased by more than a third, but the rate of reduction has since stagnated across several regions and even reversed course in others, UNFPA reported.
This has resulted in a staggering 287,000 maternal deaths in 2020 – a death toll that would dominate headlines if it was tied to a natural disaster or other crisis, the agency showed.
“It is unacceptable that so many women continue to die needlessly in pregnancy and childbirth. Over 280,000 fatalities in a single year is unconscionable,” the UNFPA chief said. “We can and must do better.”
As often as not, women and girls do not get to make the decision to become pregnant, UNFPA said.
An alarming four in ten partnered women across 68 countries were unable to exert agency when it came to healthcare, sex or contraceptives. Meanwhile, some data suggests rape-related pregnancies occur at least as frequently as pregnancies arising from consensual sex.
These factors and others drive a neglected global crisis, in which almost half of all pregnancies around the world are unintended, leading to stark negative consequences for many of those affected, the agency said.
Complications from pregnancy and childbirth can be deadly, especially for adolescents and girls, UNFPA said, noting that an estimated half a million births were to girls aged 10-14 in 2021, making hundreds of thousands mothers while still in childhood.
The staggering number of unintended pregnancies represents a global failure to uphold women and girls’ basic human rights,” Ms. Kanem said.
Preferences ignored
In November 2022, the global population hit eight billion. While some met this news with admiration for the advances in health care and poverty reduction that have led to this landmark moment, others wrung their hands, worried about how there are “too many” or “too few” people on earth, according to UNFPA.
This line of thinking implicitly places women’s bodies in a position to be solutions to the supposed problem of population expansion – a dangerous idea. Historically, this reasoning has led to coercive policies designed to influence women’s fertility, which risk their rights while dismissing their desires, the agency said.
Across most sub-Saharan African countries, for example, women report two or more births on average than desired, while a majority of childless women in Japan said they wanted children.
Further, in low and middle-income countries, as few as one in four women are realizing their desired fertility, the report showed.
“What women and mothers want when it comes to their fertility matters,” the agency said. “Unfortunately, too often, no one asks.”
Start with gender equality
Preventable maternal mortality, the denial of rights or demographic change, can all be addressed by making the world a more gender-equal place.
Of course, this is easier said than done, but gender inequality’s role at the root of so many other issues, including those mentioned above, must be recognized, the agency said.
Gender inequality is what keeps women out of the workforce and schools, vulnerable to conflict and violence, and denies them the right to make decisions about their own bodies and health, the agency said, adding that it is also what makes pregnancy a dangerous endeavour, one which hundreds of thousands of women do not survive.
“This Mother’s Day, mean it when you say thank you to the maternal figures in your life by work to save their lives. They will thank you in turn by thriving,” UNFPA said.
Newswise — CHAPEL HILL, NC — Researchers at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center found mailing human papillomavirus (HPV) self-collection tests and offering assistance to book in-clinic screening appointments to under-screened, low-income women improved cervical cancer screening nearly two-fold compared to scheduling assistance alone. Scheduling assistance primarily consisted of helping to book an appointment for in-person screening at a clinic, regardless of whether an at-home test was offered or returned, or whether the HPV test was negative or positive.
The findings from the randomized trial appeared May 11, 2023, in Lancet Public Health.
“My hope going into this study was that mailing kits for home-based collection might increase cervical cancer screening, but we were thrilled to find a nearly two-fold increase in screening uptake,” said UNC Lineberger’s Jennifer S. Smith, PhD, MPH, professor of epidemiology at UNC’s Gillings and corresponding author of this study. “Many hadn’t engaged in the screening system for a while and getting the kit to their homes helped break down a fundamental barrier.”
An estimated 14,000 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in the United States this year, according to the National Cancer Institute, and the cancer will lead to more than 4,300 deaths. Cervical cancer disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic women, with Hispanic women having the highest incidence rates, and Black women having the highest mortality rates for the disease in North Carolina and in the United States. Most cervical cancers occur among under-screened women. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate 22% of eligible adults in the U.S. are overdue for screening.
The My Body, My Test-3 study recruited 665 women, ages 25 to 64, who were uninsured or enrolled in Medicaid or Medicare, from 22 counties across North Carolina. The women had low incomes and most of them lived in urban areas. None had a pap test in four years or a high-risk HPV test in six years, making them overdue for screening.
Two-thirds of the women received mailed HPV self-collection kits followed by assistance with scheduling a screening appointment at a clinic. The other third received screening scheduling assistance alone. The primary outcome was attending an in-clinic screening appointment or testing HPV-negative with self-collected samples within six months of enrollment in the trial.
Screening uptake was 72% among women who received mailed HPV kits compared to 37% for the other group of women. The investigators found that the effect of self-collection outreach on screening uptake didn’t vary across age, race/ethnicity, time since last screening, Medicaid or Medicare insurance coverage, or education.
“Home screening for cervical cancer puts women in control. Most can avoid having to go to a doctor’s appointment. These at-home kits can better reach people without access to screening, who are embarrassed by a cervical exam, or whose religious beliefs include modesty,” said study co-author Noel T. Brewer, PhD, Gillings Distinguished Professor in Public Health and UNC Lineberger member.
“We believe our results are applicable to low-income, under-screened women across the United States,” Smith said. “We’re now working with clinical partners to identify women who might be overdue for screening through electronic medical records. We hope to provide the option of either mailing them a self-collection kit to use at-home to mail back to us or hand a kit directly to them when they come into clinics for other services with the vision to eventually make self-collection a regular clinical provision.”
The UNC researchers also hope their findings, together with previous research findings, will spur the Food and Drug Administration to consider approving HPV self-collection as a primary screening test for cervical cancer in the U.S.
Authors and Disclosures
In addition to Smith and Brewer, the other authors are Peyton K. Pretsch, MPH, Lisa P. Spees, PhD, Michael G. Hudgens, PhD, Busola Sanusi, MA, Eliane Rohner, PhD, Elyse Miller, MPH, Sarah L. Jackson, MPH, and Stephanie B. Wheeler, PhD, MPH, UNC; Lynn Barclay, American Sexual Health Association, Research Triangle Park, NC; and Alicia Carter, MD, Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, Burlington, NC.
The My Body My Test-3 trial was funded by the R01CA183891 grant from the National Cancer Institute. HPV testing reagents, media for self-collected sample preservation and liquid-based cytology media and cervical sample collection brushes were donated by Hologic, Inc. Self-collection brushes were donated by Rovers Medical Devices.
Smith has received research grants, supply donations and consultancies for Hologic, Inc., BD Diagnostics and Rovers Medical Devices in the past five years. Barclay works for the American Sexual Health Association which receives funding from Hologic. Neither Hologic, BD nor Rovers had input into the research design, analysis or interpretation of results. Wheeler receives grant support from Pfizer for unrelated projects. The other authors declared no conflicts of interest.
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
The actor and new mother released her newest album on Friday, along with accompanying visuals written and directed by her.
“Big Boss” gives a look into Palmer’s experiences navigating a male-dominated music industry that pressured her to sacrifice more parts of herself than she was comfortable with. In the 10-track album, the 29-year-old explores her faith and the pressures of growing up “booked and bus.” She gives fans a peek into the personal struggles she has had to overcome in her 20-year career.
Palmer, an independent artist, said she “feels amazing” that this project is her directorial debut.
“It’s a huge thing for me in more ways than one, directing and writing for the first time as well as actually being able to tell my story,” she told HuffPost. In addition, she relished the fact that she “had the final say.”
She continued, “I didn’t budge on any aspect of putting this together. I really was fully sound and clear in my mind and what I wanted for this, and I followed through in a way that I never did before. I think it’s easy to just get sidetracked and just give up. And this time, I didn’t do that.”
The Robbins, Illinois, native released her first album, “So Uncool,” in 2007 under Atlantic Records. Since then, she’s released several other projects, including a two-part EP in 2020 called “Virgo Tendencies.”
In “Big Boss,” produced by Tricky Stewart, Palmer shines as she marries her two worlds of acting and singing in the film that follows her journey growing up as a child star. She was signed to three different labels at separate points in the past, worked on “Big Boss” for over a year, and filmed the visuals before meeting her partner.
She said doing it on her own terms was therapeutic. Though she didn’t go into great detail, Palmer recalls being in music business situations that didn’t feel right to her when pursuing music in the past. (One situation she’s been vocal about, however, has been when she accused Trey Songz of “sexual intimidation,” in which he tricked her into being a music video against her will.) She said she would feel like she had been knocked down after certain encounters, adding that her growth, spirituality and leaning into her “big boss energy” have carried her a long way.
“A lot of that stuff happened when I was like 19, 20, 21, 22. This is a collection of experiences that happened over the course of that time period of my life,” Palmer explained. She recalled feeling alone emotionally. Time and therapy helped her understand what she went through to find healing.
“I think a lot of it was like forgiving self. It’s not like I did something for me to be ashamed of, but it’s like self-betrayal. You don’t realize how it affects you until after the fact,” she said. “I think I had a lot of moments where I betrayed myself unknowingly, and the effects of this stuck with me. Coming to terms with a lot of that and being able to have compassion for myself is also what helped me to grow and move on.”
Palmer highlights her fellow former child stars in the visual album, including Skai Jackson, who plays a young Palmer, Robert Ri’card, and Kyle Massey, who both play creepy music producers. Palmer’s parents also make an appearance in the visuals. Her mom, Sharon Palmer, has an especially poignant scene in which she’s having a heart-to-heart with her daughter in the car about the weight she carries professionally. She said her parents and some introspection allowed her to have better work boundaries while staying true to her own uniqueness.
Musically, Palmer didn’t have a specific sound or inspiration she was aiming for. With “Big Boss,” she did what she felt was right and comfortable, working closely with Stewart. Palmer struts her vocals on upbeat bops like “Right Now,” “Frfr” and “Waiting” and reaches deep for “Lights Out” and “Standards.”
Palmer said “Big Boss” is her “setting the tone, writing the checks, going to the beat of my own drum.” After listening to the album, she hopes others are inspired to do the same.
“To get to this point, I didn’t just arrive here, and I didn’t always know what I know now. I had to go through things,” Palmer said. “When you’re going through stuff, and things aren’t going your way, know that there is something on the other side, and you’ll get through it. You can make it, and you can get the last laugh.”
Keke Palmer gets in her “Big Boss” bag on her new visual album.
Her album’s release isn’t the only thing Palmer has to look forward to. Palmer will be celebrating her first Mother’s Day two months after the birth of her son Leodis Andrellton Jackson. She called her son “the best blessing that I could have ever dreamed of.”
“I love being a mom,” she said. “My son gives me so much joy and so much strength, and it just makes me feel like I can really do the impossible. I just feel like it’s just really magical to be able to have experienced this. I’ve always wanted kids. I’ve always wanted to be a mom, and now the time is here, and I just feel like, honey, I am in the role. This is me. I’m going full method, honey.”
“Big Boss,” the visual album, is now streaming on Palmer’s streaming channel, KeyTV Network, on YouTube and Facebook. The album is also available on music streaming platforms.
This week, Fortune released its Modern Board 25 list that features the most innovative boards of directors among S&P 500 companies. Marie Myers, CFO at HP Inc., is on the board of F5, a Seattle-based cyber security and application delivery firm, which earned the No. 1 spot on the list.
Myers isn’t on HP’s board of directors, which earned the No. 7 spot, but as CFO, she regularly interacts with the board. The Modern Board’s ranking is based on criteria including the expertise, independence, diversity, and tenure of board membership. Myers shares with me her perspective on why both boards work so well.
“I believe leadership and culture are what make F5 and its board so effective, and those traits are what first drew me to joining its board,” says Myers, who joined in January 2019. “CEO Francois Locoh-Donou is a phenomenal leader, as is Alan Higginson, the chairman of the board. Together they have built a board that reflects the company F5 aims to be. It’s not just what it does, but also how it does it.”
She continues, “F5’s human-first and high-performing culture fosters inclusivity and purpose among employees and the board. A lot of companies strive to be inclusive, but at F5 it happens naturally.”
There’s also a high degree of collaboration between the board and the leadership team, and chemistry is a factor, Myers says. “Chemistry is why the board and leadership come together organically outside of the normal schedule of board meetings to discuss evolving situations and tackle complex business matters,” she says.
A combination of her experience, “passion for digital transformation,” and financial acumen, have all been especially useful in the director role, Myers explains. “Similarly, having the opportunity to participate in several large-scale transformations in my career provides a great foundation to navigate the broader environment at the board level,” she says.
‘CFOs need to be knowledgeable about all aspects of the business’
Myers, who has nearly 25 years of experience at HP, became the tech giant’s acting CFO in 2020 and was named CFO in 2021. Before being named CFO, Myers served as HP’s chief transformation officer, where she led the company’s IT and Transformation organizations.
“I’ve always been proud of the fact that HP’s board is one of the most diverse in the technology industry,” Myers says. “There is a broad mix of gender, age, ethnicity, and experience. This brings diversity of thought to every discussion and challenge the board and our company faces.” There’s chemistry among HP’s board and leadership team, as well, she says.
Any advice for CFOs when forging a relationship with the board? “The role of the CFO is evolving beyond traditional finance and accounting boundaries,” Myers explains. “For example, leveraging data and analytics to become more strategic advisors and partners to the business. This is also true of CFO interactions with the board.”
She continues, “I think it’s important to establish a direct and collaborative relationship with board members. Today’s CFOs need to be knowledgeable about all aspects of the business, have a broad and informed view of the company, and share their unique insights with the board, not just financials.”
Her most important advice: “Above all, CFOs need to communicate with transparency and always act with integrity to build trust and credibility with the board,” Myers says.
Enjoy your weekend, and have a Happy Mother’s Day. See you on Monday.
Gallup released a report on Thursday regarding Americans’ perceptions of the best long-term investment, and gold is perceived to have more value than stocks. Real estate came in first as the best bet for a long-term investment (34%). This is down from last year’s record-high of 45%. “Higher interest rates over the past year have cooled the housing market, dampening consumer exuberance about real estate as an investment,” according to Gallup.
The perception that gold is best increased from 15% in 2022 to 26% today. As a result, gold has overtaken stocks for second position. This year, fewer Americans (18%) than in 2022 (24%) see stocks or mutual funds as the best investment due to U.S. stock indices failing to gain ground over the past year. Today’s preference for stocks is on the low end of the 17% to 27% range of Americans choosing it since 2011, the research found. The latest poll was conducted April 3-25.
Cathy R. Smith was named CFO at Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN), effective May 29. Smith joins Nordstrom from Bright Health Group, where she has served as chief financial and administrative officer since 2020. Before Bright Health, Smith worked as the CFO for Target Corporation for five years. During that time, Target achieved double-digit revenue and EPS growth. Before Target, Smith served as CFO for public companies Express Scripts, Walmart International, Gamestop, Centex, Kennametal, Textron, and Raytheon.
James “Jay” Saccaro was named VP and CFO at GE HealthCare (Nasdaq: GEHC), effective June 1. Saccaro succeeds Helmut Zodl who is remaining with the company to lead special projects regarding separation from GE. Saccaro joins GE HealthCare from Baxter International, where he has been serving as EVP and CFO since 2015. Before rejoining Baxter, he was SVP and CFO at Hill-Rom Corporation.
Todd Tuckner was named Group CFO at UBS. Tuckner will take on the role at the close of the acquisition of Credit Suisse. Having joined UBS in 2004, Tuckner is currently CFO and head of business performance and risk management for Global Wealth Management. Tuckner will succeed Sarah Youngwood, who has decided to leave the firm after the transaction closes. Youngwood joined UBS in 2022.
Kapil Agrawal was named CFO at Outschool, an education platform that offers a variety of small-group classes online. Agrawal brings experience in finance and international expansion. Most recently, he served as interim CFO at Poshmark. He was also pivotal in improving Poshmark’s gross margins, unit economics, and profitability. Before Poshmark, Agrawal served as global head of pricing at Uber Technologies, and head of business strategy at Capital One.
Gayle Jardine was named interim CFO at Coda Octopus Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: CODA), a real-time 3D/4D/5D and 6D imaging sonar technology company, effective May 4. The company’s CFO, Nathan Parker, has departed from his role, effective May 3. Jardine joined Coda Octopus Group as its European director of finance in 2015. Before that, she was the owner and director of Pentland Accounting Limited. Jardine also previously served as the operations and finance manager for Wireless Fibre Systems.
Howard Fu was promoted to CFO and treasurer at Procore Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: PCOR), a global provider of construction management software, effective May 8. After four years as CFO and treasurer at Procore, Paul Lyandres is stepping into the newly-created president. Fu most recently served as SVP of finance at Procore for two years. Previously, Fu served as VP of financial planning and analysis at DocuSign. Before that, he led the sales finance and M&A finance teams at Salesforce.
Marcus Glover was named EVP and CFO at Bally’s Corporation (NYSE: BALY). Bobby Lavan, Bally’s current CFO, will be leaving the company to pursue another opportunity. Most recently, Glover served as chief strategy officer for QPSI LLC, a supply chain solutions and contract packaging company. Before that, he served as president and COO of the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa, and president and COO of the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. Glover was also a senior executive with Caesars Entertainment in various positions, including SVP and general manager for the Horseshoe Casino and Thistledown Racino, assistant general manager at Harrah’s/Caesars Entertainment St. Louis, Mo., and VP of operations at Harrah’s/Caesars Entertainment in Biloxi, Miss.
Gary W. Ferrera was named EVP and CFO at Driven Brands Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: DRVN), an automotive services company, effective May 10. Ferrera succeeds Tiffany Mason. Most recently, Ferrera served as the CFO of Skillsoft Corporation, an educational software company. Before Skillsoft, he spent four years as the CFO of Cardtronics, PLC, an owner/operator of ATMs. He also served as CFO at DigitalGlobe, Inc., Intrawest Resorts Holdings, Inc., Great Wolf Resorts, Inc., National CineMedia, Inc., and Unity Media.
Overheard
“Sadly, the Great Resignation is not over for mothers. The fact that a significant percentage of mothers are leaving the workforce or changing jobs due to the lack of affordable childcare and the need to stay at home with their children is concerning.”
—Jill Koziol, Motherly CEO and cofounder, told Fortune in an interview. Motherly’s recent State of Motherhood report surveyed nearly 10,000 mothers. Eighteen percent of mothers changed jobs or completely left the workforce this past year; 28% said they wanted to stay home with the kids, and 15% said they didn’t have childcare options, the research found. For 64% of at-home moms, flexible work schedules would get them to return to the workforce. And 52% said affordable childcare would.
Awe Inspired partners with Sad Girls Club, hosts a panel on motherhood and mental health in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month with Alyssa Milano at their flagship store on Melrose Ave in Los Angeles: May 11, 2023
LOS ANGELES, May 11, 2023 (Newswire.com)
– Celebrity-favored jewelry brand Awe Inspired has partnered with Sad Girls Club, the viral social organization de-stigmatizing mental health for young women of color. This Thursday, Sad Girls Club founder and filmmaker Elyse Fox will moderate a panel at Awe Inspired’s Melrose Avenue flagship “Sanctuary” on the topic of “Moms, Mental Health, and Manifesting Awe.” Panel participants include actress Alyssa Milano, former LA Times and WWD editor Melissa Magsaysay, and influencer/empowerment coach Felicia LaTour. The event will also livestream on Awe Inspired’s Instagram @aweinspired.
Awe and Sad Girls Club will also debut a pendant of the Goddess Erzulie – the Vodou spirit associated with self-love. 100% of product sales will be donated to Sad Girls Club and 100% of the sales from the event will also benefit the organization. Previous charitable collaborators have included Planned Parenthood, NAMI, NAACP, and GLSEN.
Awe Inspired designs ethically sourced fine jewelry as a vehicle for spiritual discovery. With a mission to create empowering jewelry that celebrates the divine feminine, Awe has achieved significant cultural impact since launch in 2018. The brand’s Goddess Collection – medallions depicting iconic women from mythology and history – is cherished by women around the world, including the brand’s legion of celebrity fans from pop stars and actresses to political icons. A portion of proceeds from all sales are donated to causes championed by Awe’s customer community.
Awe Founder Jill Johnson shared: “Pregnancy and motherhood is very demanding; we struggle to find balance, to meet all of the challenges of children/spouse-partner/friends/work – there is no time to compromise your mental health – you need to make it a priority, that’s why at Awe for more than four years, we’ve partnered with NAMI and now Sad Girls Club.”
Awe Co-Founder and CEO Max Johnson notes: “I am honored to partner with my friend Elyse Fox and her tremendous organization. Mental well-being and self-empowerment are core values to the Awe Inspired brand. It is a privilege to use our platform to help amplify the call for mental health awareness.”
For more information, please contact: CMO, Shruti Saini shruti@aweinspired.com
Awe Sanctuary address: 8446 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Linda Hovanessian Larsen, MD, a breast cancer radiologist with Keck Medicine of USC and the director of the Division of Breast Imaging at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, is available to talk about the new guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommending mammography starting at age 40 rather than 50.
According to Larsen:
“The new guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommending mammography starting at age 40 rather than 50 are a significant benefit to patients and physicians that will help better address the disparities in breast cancer screening and treatment among Black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American and Alaskan Native women.
“However, as a breast cancer radiologist, I strongly believe, in accordance with the American College of Radiology, that mammography should be performed annually rather than every other year in women of average risk to detect breast cancer earlier.
“In addition, breast imaging physicians with Keck Medicine often provide supplemental screenings using ultrasounds or MRIs in addition to mammograms for women with dense breasts because they are at a higher risk for developing cancer.
“Nevertheless, these new guidelines are moving in the right direction.”
