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A new molecularly imprinted polymer modified with restricted access material (a hydrophilic external layer), (MIP-RAM) was synthesized via polymerization in situ in an open fused silica capillary. This stationary phase was used as sorbent for in-tube solid phase microextraction (in-tube SPME) to determine parabens in breast milk samples by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) illustrate MIP surface modification after glycerol dimethacrylate (hydrophilic monomer) incorporation. The interaction between parabens and MIP-RAM was investigated by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The Scatchard plot for MIP-RAM presented two linear parts with different slopes, illustrating binding sites with high- and low-affinity. Endogenous compounds exclusion from the MIP-RAM capillary was demonstrated by in-tube SPME/LC-UV assays carried out with blank milk samples. The in-tube SPME/UHPLC-MS/MS method presented linear range from 10 ng mL(-1) (LLOQ) to 400 ng mL(-1) with coefficients of determination higher than 0.99, inter-assay precision with coefficient of variation (CV) values ranging from 2 to 15%, and inter-assay accuracy with relative standard deviation (RSD) values ranging from -1% to 19%. Analytical validation parameters attested that in-tube SPME/UHPLC-MS/MS is an appropriate method to determine parabens in human milk samples to assess human exposure to these compounds. Analysis of breast milk samples from lactating women demonstrated that the proposed method is effective., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To analyze the use of methodological strategies in qualitative research - Minimum Maps of Social Institutional Network, as proposed to understand the phenomena in the multidimensional perspective., Method: Methodological theoretical essay in which we aimed to reflect on the use of innovative methodological strategies in nursing research, supported in Complex Paradigm fundamentals., Results: The minimum map of Social Institutional External Network aims to identify institutional linkages and gaps for the intervention work of the surveyed institutions. The use of these maps provided important advances in know-how qualitative research in Health and Nursing., Conclusions: In this perspective, the use of minimum Social Intitutional Network maps can be stimulated and enhanced to meet the current demands of the contemporary world, particularly for its flexibility in adapting to various research subjects; breadth and depth of discussion; and possibilities with health services., Objetivo: Analisar o uso de estratégias metodológicas em pesquisas qualitativas - Mapa mínimo da Rede Social Institucional, como proposta para compreender os fenômenos na perspectiva multidimensional., Método: Ensaio teórico metodológico em que buscou-se refletir sobre o uso de estratégias metodológicas inovadoras de pesquisa na enfermagem, sustentada nos fundamentos do Pensamento Complexo., Resultados: O mapa mínimo da Rede Social Institucional Externa tem o objetivo de identificar os vínculos institucionais e lacunas para o trabalho de intervenção das instituições pesquisadas. O uso destes mapas proporcionou avanços importantes no saber-fazer pesquisa qualitativa em Saúde e Enfermagem., Conclusão: Nessa perspectiva, o uso de mapas mínimos da Rede Social Institucional pode ser estimulado e potencializado para responder às atuais demandas da contemporaneidade, em especial pela sua flexibilidade na adequação a diversos objetos de pesquisa; amplitude e profundidade de discussão; e possibilidades de articulação com a prática dos serviços.

Aims and Objectives: To identify the association of antenatal depressive symptoms with intimate partner violence during the current pregnancy in Brazilian women., Background: Intimate partner violence is an important risk factor for antenatal depression. To the authors' knowledge, there has been no study to date that assessed the association between intimate partner violence during pregnancy and antenatal depressive symptoms among Brazilian women., Design: Cross-sectional study., Methods: Three hundred and fifty-eight pregnant women were enrolled in the study. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and an adapted version of the instrument used in the World Health Organization Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence were used to measure antenatal depressive symptoms and psychological, physical and sexual acts of intimate partner violence during the current pregnancy respectively. Multiple logistic regression and multiple linear regression were used for data analysis., Results: The prevalence of antenatal depressive symptoms, as determined by the cut-off score of 12 in the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, was 28·2% (101). Of the participants, 63 (17·6%) reported some type of intimate partner violence during pregnancy. Among them, 60 (95·2%) reported suffering psychological violence, 23 (36·5%) physical violence and one (1·6%) sexual violence. Multiple logistic regression and multiple linear regression indicated that antenatal depressive symptoms are extremely associated with intimate partner violence during pregnancy., Conclusion: Among Brazilian women, exposure to intimate partner violence during pregnancy increases the chances of experiencing antenatal depressive symptoms., Relevance to Clinical Practice: Clinical nurses and nurses midwifes should pay attention to the particularities of Brazilian women, especially with regard to the occurrence of intimate partner violence, whose impacts on the mental health of this population are extremely significant, both during the gestational period and postpartum., (© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aim: To evaluate transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) used to relieve uterine contraction pain during breast-feeding in multiparous women., Methods: A controlled and randomized clinical trial was performed with 32 post-partum multiparous women who were breast-feeding. The participants were randomized into an experimental (EG, n = 16) and a control group (CG, n = 16). Pain was assessed using the Numerical Rating Scale and the descriptors of the Present Pain Intensity (PPI - McGill) during two sequential feeds. In the first assessment, the post-partum women in the EG and CG were monitored while breast-feeding and questioned regarding the degree of uterine contraction pain. In the second assessment, which was performed at the next feed, the EG used TENS while the CG was monitored, with pain being reassessed following. In the EG, the TENS electrodes were placed between T10-L1 and S2-S4, with a frequency of 100 Hz, a pulse duration of 75 μs and amplitude adjusted to produce a strong and tolerable sensation for 40 min. A descriptive analysis of the data and comparative intra- and intergroup analyses were performed by means of a non-parametrical test, with a significance level P ≤ 0.05., Results: The level of basal pain was 5.56 in the EG and 5.50 in the CG. In the intragroup analysis, the EG (P < 0.0001) and CG (P = 0.04) presented significant pain reduction. In the intergroup analysis, the EG had significant pain reduction (P < 0.01) in comparison to the CG. In the PPI analysis, a non-significant decrease in pain intensity was observed in the EG., Conclusion: TENS was found to be effective in reducing post-partum uterine contraction pain during breast-feeding., (© 2014 The Authors. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research © 2014 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.)

This observational, descriptive and analytic study aimed to identify the prevalence of IPV cases among pregnant women and classify them according to the type and frequency; identify the obstetric and neonatal results and their associations with the intimate partner violence (IPV) occurrence in the current pregnancy. It was developed with 232 pregnant women who had prenatal care at a public maternity hospital. Data were collected via structured interview and in the patients' charts and analyzed through the statistic software SAS® 9.0. Among the participants, 15.5% suffered IPV during pregnancy, among that 14.7% suffered psychological violence, 5.2% physical violence and 0.4% sexual violence. Women who did not desire the pregnancy had more chances of suffering IPV (p<0.00; OR=4.32 and 95% CI [1.77 - 10.54]). With regards to the obstetric and neonatal repercussions, there was no statistical association between the variables investigated. Thus, for the study participants there were no negative obstetric and neonatal repercussions related to IPV during pregnancy.

Objectives: to characterise breast feeding practices among Brazilian adolescents and identify their breast feeding needs., Methods: the study was undertaken in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil in two stages. The first stage analysed data from the Second National Survey of Breast-feeding Prevalence, held in August 2008, which included 229 adolescent mothers. The second stage was a qualitative approach, and involved interviews with 10 adolescent mothers in a primary care unit. The data from the first stage were analysed in June 2010 based on descriptive statistics. The data obtained from the interviews were transcribed and organised using thematic content analysis., Findings: breast feeding was reported by 75% of the adolescent mothers. Of the 144 mothers with infants aged <180 days, 84% reported that they were breast feeding: 19% were breast feeding exclusively, 17% were breast feeding predominantly, 49% were providing complementary feeding, and 16% had weaned their infants. Analysis of the interviews led to the identification of three thematic units: concern for the child's health; breast feeding difficulties; and health team and family support., Conclusions: the majority of the adolescent mothers presented conditions that were favourable to breast feeding (e.g. did not work outside the home, only had one child, breast fed in the first hour post partum). However, the practice of breast feeding still failed to meet the recommendations of the World Health Organization. The interviews led to identification of the breast feeding needs and demands of adolescent mothers, many of which were related to the needs of their infants. It is important to know what adolescent mothers think about breast feeding, in order to encourage the establishment of practices to keep breastfeeding as longer as possible in a satisfactory way for both mothers and infants., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: evaluate prenatal care for adolescents in health units, in accordance with the attributes of Primary Health Care (PHC) guidelines., Method: quantitative study conducted with health professionals, using the Primary Care Assessment Tool-Brazil to assess the presence and extent of PHC attributes., Results: for all the participating units, the attribute Access scored =6.6; the attributes Longitudinality, Coordination (integration of care), Coordination (information systems) and Integrality scored =6.6, and the Essential Score =6.6. Comparing basic units with family health units, the attribute scores were equally distributed; Accessibility scored =6.6, the others attributes scored =6.6; however, in the basic units, the Essential Score was =6.6 and, in the family health units, =6.6., Conclusion: expanding the coverage of family health units and the training of professionals can be considered strategies to qualify health care.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of low-frequency TENS (LFT) and high-frequency TENS (HFT) in post-episiotomy pain relief., Method: A randomized, controlled, double-blind clinical trial with placebo composed of 33 puerperae with post-episiotomy pain. TENS was applied for 30 minutes to groups: HFT(100 Hz; 100 µs), LFT (5 Hz; 100 µs), and placebo (PT). Four electrodes were placed in parallel near the episiotomy and four pain evaluations were performed with the numeric rating scale. The first and the second evaluation took place before TENS application and immediately after its removal and were done in the resting position and in the activities of sitting and ambulating. The third and fourth evaluation took place 30 and 60 minutes after TENS removal, only in the resting position. Intragroup differences were verified using the Friedman and Wilcoxon tests, and the intergroup analysis employed the Kruskal-Wallis test., Results: In the intragroup analysis, there was no significant difference in the PT during rest, sitting, and ambulation (P>0.05). In the HFT and LFT, a significant difference was observed in all activities (P<0.001). In the intergroup analysis, there was a significant difference in the resting position in the HFT and LFT (P<0.001). In the sitting activity, a significant difference was verified in the second evaluation in the HFT and LFT (P<0.008). No significant difference was verified among the groups in ambulation (P<0.20)., Conclusions: LFT and HFT are an effective resource that may be included in the routine of maternity wards.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of acupuncture versus placebo acupuncture on anxiety in lactating mothers with preterm infants. A parallel, randomized, patient-assessor blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in a tertiary school hospital in Londrina, Brazil, between 2011 and 2012. Mothers (n = 29) with very low birth weight infants born at this institution were randomly assigned to two treatment groups: acupuncture, AG (n = 14), or placebo acupuncture, PG (n = 15). Treatment sessions occurred once a week, using 5 Chinese auricular points unilaterally. The primary outcome measure was STAI-State scores, and secondary outcome measure was salivary cortisol levels. Both measures were collected before and after treatment and submitted to a blind assessor. Before-after treatment mean difference in STAI-State scores was observed in both groups (AG = 8.71 and PG = 8.20), not statistically significant (P = 0.888), although within group analysis was significant for both groups (P < 0.005). Salivary cortisol levels did not change after treatment in both groups (P = 0.480). There was no correlation between STAI and salivary cortisol results. At infant's hospital discharge, 76% subjects were breastfeeding exclusively. There was no difference between real and placebo acupuncture for anxiety in mothers with preterm infants.

Objective: to understand the meaning of the childbirth experience for Brazilian primiparas in the postpartum period., Design: a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews. Content analysis was used to derive the two themes that emerged from the discourses., Setting: participants were recruited at four primary-level health-care units in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. After providing written informed consent, an appointment was made for an interview at the participants' homes., Participants: 20 primiparas in the postpartum period, aged 15-26 years old, who attended the health-care units to vaccinate their infants and test for phenylketonuria., Findings: two thematic categories emerged from the interviews: the meaning attributed to childbirth (with four subcategories) and perceptions of care. Among the participants, the childbirth experience was marked by the 'fear of death' and 'losing the child'. The pain of giving birth was expected, and the moment of childbirth was associated with pain of high intensity., Key Conclusions: childbirth is considered synonymous with physical and emotional suffering, pain, fear and risk of death., Implications for Practice: this research indicates the need to break the current mechanistic model of care on which health professionals' actions are based. Care during childbirth must be guided by the foundation that women are the subjects of childbirth actions, in an attempt to emphasise actions that grant them with the autonomy and empowerment needed to experience the situation., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The objective of this study was to characterize the practices of breastfeeding promotion developed by nursing professionals of the Family Health Strategy and analyze the correlation between their knowledge of breastfeeding and how often they provided teaching regarding this topic. This cross-sectional, descriptive study was performed at the Family Health Strategy units of Uberaba, Minas Gerais with 85 nursing professionals, using two questionnaires. Data analysis was performed using frequency distribution and Spearman's correlation analysis. Most professionals said that they often addressed breastfeeding in the investigated practices. However, a poor correlation was observed between the frequency of this approach and the mean score on knowledge test. The nursing professionals' statements indicate that breastfeeding recommendations were provided regardless of their knowledge on the topic.

Aim: We evaluated the effectiveness of high-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) as a pain relief resource for primiparous puerpere who had experienced natural childbirth with an episiotomy., Methods: A controlled, randomized clinical study was conducted in a Brazilian maternity ward. Forty puerpere were randomly divided into two groups: TENS high frequency and a no treatment control group. Post-episiotomy pain was assessed in the resting and sitting positions and during ambulation. An 11-point numeric rating scale was performed in three separate evaluations (at the beginning of the study, after 60 min and after 120 min). The McGill pain questionnaire was employed at the beginning and 60 min later. TENS with 100 Hz frequency and 75 µs pulse for 60 min was employed without causing any pain. Four electrodes ware placed in parallel near the episiotomy site, in the area of the pudendal and genitofemoral nerves., Results: An 11-point numeric rating scale and McGill pain questionnaire showed a significant statistical difference in pain reduction in the TENS group, while the control group showed no alteration in the level of discomfort. Hence, high-frequency TENS treatment significantly reduced pain intensity immediately after its use and 60 min later., Conclusion: TENS is a safe and viable non-pharmacological analgesic resource to be employed for pain relief post-episiotomy. The routine use of TENS post-episiotomy is recommended., (© 2012 The Authors. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research © 2012 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.)

Breast engorgement affects breastfeeding and leads to early weaning. The literature presents techniques for treating engorgement, but there is no agreement as to which is the best treatment. The objective of this study is to identify and analyze the evidence found in the literature regarding non-pharmacological treatments to relieve breast engorgement symptoms during breastfeeding. We performed an integrative literature review of studies published since 1990, on MEDLINE and LILACS, using the keywords: breastfeeding, lactation disorder and therapy. We found ten studies: two systematic literature reviews, seven randomized controlled trials and one quasi-experimental study. The analyzed studies show conflicting results and there is not enough evidence to recommend the implementation of the evaluated treatments. Further randomized controlled trials are necessary to determine effective therapies for treating breast engorgement.

This is a descriptive study, involving fifty women after vaginal delivery with episiotomy. The study aimed to measure and to characterize the perineal pain in primiparae who have had a natural childbirth with episiotomy and to verify the activities limited by the perineal pain. For evaluation of perineal pain, a Numeric Scale and the McGill Pain Questionnaire were used, as well as another questionnaire to analyze the activities limited. In the Numeric Scale, the median of perineal pain referred were five. The sensory and subjective evaluation categories were the most selected in the McGill questionnaire. The perineal pain was characterized as pulsing, pulling, hot, stinging, hurting, annoying, troublesome, tight and tense. The most limited activities were sitting, laying down (onto the bed), and walking. In conclusion, it was possible to verify the presence of perineal pain between women in the postpartum period caused by episiotomy and identify the activities of sitting, lying down and walking were limited for this symptom.

This qualitative study assesses how women, in situations of domestic violence and examined at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, deal with this adversity and identifies protection strategies to cope with it, considering the support required and obtained from their relational and institutional environments. Ten women were interviewed and the data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Search for help primarily occurs in the women's social milieu, with family and friends and health and legal services being sought. In such a quest, established bonds may either become an obstacle to coping and make these women vulnerable to violence or protect and strengthen them during coping. In the identification of these women's social and health needs, the aggravating circumstances of violence are only superficially addressed by professionals. New strategies to implement professional actions should be devised in order to provide integral and humanized care.

Objectives: to identify women's feelings after early contact with their newborn infants in the delivery room, and to identify how health professionals involved in mother and infant care behave in the intrapartum setting., Design: a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews and observation. Content analysis was used to derive the three themes that emerged from the interviews., Setting and Participants: 23 postpartum women and their caregivers in a public maternity hospital in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil., Findings: three thematic categories emerged from the interviews: heightened fear, severe pain and intense conflict. The professionals' actions revealed that they have theoretical and practical abilities for humanisation of care, but their actions are fragmented., Final Considerations: women can feel lonely, fearful and conflicted in the delivery room, and they also experience pain. Giving birth is a major event in a woman's life, so it is important to facilitate a positive experience. Health professionals were found to display interventionist and impersonal attitudes; these influenced the potential choices of women at their first contact with their infant., Implications for Practice: the focus of health care needs to extend beyond the institution. This means fewer normative actions performed by health professionals, enabling women to enjoy their early contact with their newborn infants., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The objective this study was to verify the agreement of the guidelines recommended by CDC and WHO to evaluate the nutritional state. This is a cross-sectional study, which counted with the participation of 254 children of ages 3 to 11 months and 29 days from São Paulo and Ribeirão Preto, performed from June 2005 to July 2006. The anthropometric indexes were obtained using the software available on the CDC and WHO websites. The Kappa Test was used for nominal variables (length/age) and weighted-Kappa for ordinal variables (weight/length). It was found that there are differences between the CDC and WHO guidelines regarding the evaluation of child nutrition, with greater differences in the results for children of ages 3 to 6 months.

Iron deficiency anemia is the most common nutritional deficiency among children. This cross-sectional, descriptive and quantitative study is part of a multicenter project, which verified the prevalence of anemia in children aged three to 12 months, treated by a health service unit in Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. Interviews with mothers and determining hemoglobin dosage were carried out with 121 children who participated in the study. Two international criteria were adopted as parameters of anemia according to the children's age. Descriptive statistics, measures of central tendency and associations were used for data analysis. The prevalence of anemia among 69 children aged three to 5 months was 20.2% and 48.0% among 52 children aged six to 12 months. The total prevalence of anemia was 32.2%. There was significant association between anemia and children's age, and anemia and the consumption of liquid cow's milk.

In this study, we described the frequency of attempted suicide among women of reproductive age (10 to 49 years) in a General University Hospital in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil (conducted 2005). Relevant comorbidities associated with the suicide attempt were calculated. Secondary data were obtained through the hospital's records where attempted suicides were reported. Findings revealed 132 attempted suicides; most women took a toxic substance or their own medication. Half of the women previously had attempted suicide. Depression was the most frequent psychiatric diagnosis on discharge from the hospital, specifically borderline personality disorder, personality disorders axis B and depression without association.

It is extremely important to identify women living in a violent situation. However, the health sector has not always offered a satisfactory response for the issue. We sought to identify how the health professionals of a maternity perceive and act in view of a violent situation. This is a qualitative research, in which the data were collected through semistructured interviews and subject to thematic analysis. The study group consisted of 12 health professionals from a philanthropic maternity hospital located in Ribeirão Preto, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. It was observed that health professionals characterize violence against women as a severe and important problem in society, caused by and leading to gender inequality. However, professional practice tends towards a biologistic and reductionist approach, which fragments women's health care,justified bythe lack of professional training, institutional support and a multidisciplinary team.

This is a comparative and descriptive study of adolescent mothers who were attended in three maternities of the public health system and three private maternities in a city in São Paulo, Brazil, between 2000 and 2002. This study aimed to compare the profile of mothers attended in both systems. The database of Ribeirão Preto was used and 5,286 adolescent mothers between 10 and 19 years old were selected according to type of delivery, level of instruction, number of prenatal consultations and parity. We found that the users of the public health system had less prenatal consultations, lower level of education, higher parity and the vaginal delivery was most frequent. The users of the private health system, on the contrary, had more prenatal consultations, higher level of instruction, and primiparity and cesarean sections were more frequent.

This study aimed to identify agents or institutions taken as reference by women when breastfeeding. A qualitative study was carried out on 20 primiparous who were assisted, for reasons not related to breastfeeding, in the five health services selected by this study. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews carried out in the participants' households and were analyzed by content analysis in the thematic mode. We identified that health professionals play a standardize role of breastfeeding based on scientific knowledge. In the daily breastfeeding routine, the family is the first reference for women, transmitting beliefs, habits and behaviors. We believe in the valorization of the family context by the health professional, in which actions and interactions in the breastfeeding issue are developed in order to constitute the foundations for a new care model in breastfeeding. This model should, therefore, consider the practice diversity, adapting actions to the multiple roles of being mother/fortress/wife/worker in the social context.

This study results from a systematic review of scientific publications indexed in Medline between 1993 and 2004, aimed at analyzing scientific knowledge about domestic violence and drugs abuse during pregnancy. Nineteen articles were analyzed. These were published in international periodicals, mainly related to the specialty of child health. Most of these were medical periodicals of American origin and all of them published in English. As to study type, 57.9% were descriptive studies and 42.1% theoretical papers. These deal with subjects related to the woman's psychosocial needs, the importance of paternal responsibility in pregnancy, and the risk factors and implications of domestic violence and drugs use on the health of woman and child. This theoretical foundation allows for interventions in this scenario.

Maternal mortality is one of the health and social development indicators for countries. It is a tragedy for the family, as the death of a mother deprives the child of breastfeeding and maternal contact and also due to the fact that women maintain family unity. This study is aimed at understanding the meaning of death for the family members of women who have died. The population was formed by 10 family members of 7 women who died as a result of maternal problems in the municipality of Ribeirão Preto. The authors visited their homes and collected data through interviews. For analyzing the data the authors used thematic analysis. Three thematic categories were found: the meaning of maternal mortality; living maternal mortality in the family; and living maternal mortality in the health services. The visit confirmed that there are secondary factors that influenced in the occurrence of maternal deaths.

This study aimed to describe what protection factors against alcohol consumption are promoted by pre-school teachers at the department of San Alberto, Córdoba, Argentina. This is a quantitative and descriptive study. An auto-administrated instrumented was applied to 43 teachers. The study variables were submitted to descriptive statistical analysis. It was observed that, in a general and indirect way, the teachers' actions focused on the institutional and sociocultural protection factors, since a large part of the developed activities mainly refer to: Stimulating healthy habits, school climate, recreation, group strengthening and integration, interaction and participation in institutions and society. There is a need for the teachers to implement reformulated direct and concrete actions to solve the alcohol problem among pre-school students, with a view to a greater social impact.

This research aims to understand how basic education teachers perceive factors that protect against alcohol consumption. An exploratory qualitative methodological approach is adopted. Semi-structured interviews and non-structured observation techniques are applied to a sample of 25 teachers. Content analysis of data gave rise to three thematic categories: the Meaning of Alcohol/Alcoholism; The School as an Area of Protection against Alcohol Consumption; the Teacher as a Protective Agent. The first one is interpreted as a harmful substance and a sociocultural problem situation. Protection is linked up with informing, communicating, educating or caring. Thus, the way teachers see their function ranges from guide to adviser or protector. Most teachers do not feel prepared for it, on the basis of psychopedagogical deficits, integral health knowledge, the legal framework and, mainly, their own prejudices on alcoholism.

This paper translates the fourteen-year history of the Research Committee of the College of Nursing at Ribeirão Preto-USP. It shows the tasks, competencies and activities accomplished by their members, emphasizing the Institutional Scientific Initiation Program by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development and the University of São Paulo, the International Scientific Initiation Symposium by the University of São Paulo, the research groups and the research grant resource modalities under the Committee's responsibility or monitoring, highlighting its growing importance in the College of Nursing at Ribeirão Preto-USP.

The authors' disquietudes are related to the structure for supporting women to breastfeed within their family environment. It is a qualitative study aiming at understanding the significance of breastfeeding among mothers and primiparous daughters, as well as identifying how the mother perceive herself as a means of support for her primiparous daughter and vice versa. The historic social construction of women for maternity has been used as a theoretical referential. The sample was made up of 10 women--five primiparous daughters and their mothers. The participation of the mother in her daughter's maternity was "to be along with her", sharing knowledge and life experiences.

The present study has the visibilizar purpose the violence that affects the women, having as main elements precipitants of the aggressor's violent attitude the ingest of alcohol and/or it drugs. The objectives of the present study are: to know the meanings that the woman attributes to the violence; to recognize the different factors related to the occurrence of the family violence and to identify like the consumption of drugs is processed in the couple. The study type is exploratory and descriptive, the qualitative methodology, the empiric cutting was used six women they constituted it who went to carry out its accusation to the police station of women from Lima. The discoveries show that the time of union oscillated between two months and eighteen years, happening the abuse in case the whole time of union. With regard to the type of suffering violence that of more magnitude was the physics; in a subtler way the psychological one, the sexual violence was not referred, the money and jealousy were referred as focuses desencadenantes of the discussions, those that are associated to the use of alcohol and it drugs in the aggressor. The established categories were: the type of violence undergone by the women, the context of the violence, the repercussion of the violence undergone by the women in its health and the reaction of violence undergone by means of the denunciation. As main conclusions we have that the violence against the women is revealed like social and sanitary topic, with repercussions in the morbi-mortality and in terms of warm of the women's life, in the field of the health, it is necessary to recognize the women in situations of violence, to consider as factors of risk for the couple the use of the alcohol and drugs, the women hide for shame the problem that you/they live, the personnel of health it should be able to diagnose the violence in their different forms, expressed by complaints or chronic pains without apparent causes.

In our milieu, postpartum confinement is surrounded by cultural manifestations and taboos which are based on natural, supernatural, and social interpretations. This work has identified the meanings attributed to self-care by puerperae under the theoretical framework of culture. The subjects were women soon after childbirth who attended health units with their children for routine procedures. The results showed that the beliefs revealed a symbolic power in the infrastructure of conducts and behaviors of these women in relation to manifestations and care during the postpartum stage. It is important that health professionals incorporate the values and beliefs of women soon after childbirth into their practice, thus sharing the knowledge involving puerperium and favoring the critical understanding of reality and the promotion of health for mothers and their children.

This study aims to understand the meanings ascribed by a group of women from Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo State, to their experiences with breastfeeding in relation to the sensations and manifestations in their own bodies as well as those they perceive in their children. The phenomenon was viewed as integrated with value systems related to motherhood and the body. The research methodology was qualitative. Participants included twenty primiparous women who had given birth less than 30 days previously who came to primary health care clinics due to various complaints. The analysis of interviews and observations was based on the thematic modality of content analysis. For these women, breastfeeding means to be a good mother and to give the best of oneself to the child. In breastfeeding practice, among limits and possibilities, they measure what they consider a "problem" based on the perceived manifestations in their own bodies and especially in those of their children. Their concerns are based on harm and danger to which they expose the child. Such experiences play out at the limits of being: the body for the child and the body for oneself, thereby establishing a sharp conflict between motherhood and individuality.

The objective of this essay was to reflect about the naturalization of the breastfeeding, inserting the field of the breastfeeding in the range of the women rights, seeking to destroy the paragon that biologizes the female body to the maternal functions, in special to the breastfeeding in the range of the reproductive rights. In discussion we protrude the importance of the actions which estimulate the breastfeeding are embrased in the notion of the reproductives rights, which will allow the health professionals to comprehend the meaning of the breastfeeding in the women's mark of life and their everyday. By the end, we propose that the reproductive rights drive the actions of breastfeeding incentive developed by the health professionals, in the perspective of to redeem the view of the women while the main subject of this practice.

Low back pain is a problem that is faced by 50% of pregnant women and causes important social trouble. In spite of this, the problem is considered to be normal and is expected during pregnancy, which has contributed to the lack of prophylactic and relief measures. This work aims at under standing the historical and conceptual bases that have given rise to such naturalization as outlined by midwifery and by using world literature indexed on the topic from 1987 to 1997 as a theoretical framework. We have apprehended that a deterministic view related to this issue is supported by the biomedical model. Therefore, the adoption of effective solutions requires the incorporation of a new paradigm.

Actions to stimulate breastfeeding are directed to assist children's needs and do not contemplate woman in her specificities. The present study aimed at understanding the meanings women give to their experiences and demands in the practice of breastfeeding. 20 women that were experiencing breastfeeding for the first time were interviewed. Data analysis were based on the feminist theory. Authors found breast feeding as a feminine process socially determined. Women showed accommodation as they felt the act of breast feeding as donation, a sacrifice and dedication as well as resistance when they justified weaning affirming the lack of physiological capacity for breastfeeding.

This investigation is part of a transcultural research project on women and health, which has as its conceptual framework women's life experiences. This research is qualitative in nature, and the methodology utilized is a content analysis of the documented discourses of a group of lower class women in Ribeirão Preto (SP). The results demonstrate that for these women, health is much more than the absence of disease". Their health concerns are biological, interpersonal, social and economic in nature, and are based more upon their personal experiences and social perceptions than on the concept of health and disease. The importance of this research is its relevance for quality nursing care which takes into consideration the many aspects of being a woman.