Patricia McGovern - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Patricia McGovern

This study examined factors affecting women's health six weeks after birth. A substudy was al... more This study examined factors affecting women's health six weeks after birth. A substudy was also conducted to identify the extent to which new mothers are aware of their family and medical leave policies by comparing women's reports of their leave benefits to their employers' reports. The study employed a prospective design where women were enrolled at the time of childbirth from three Minnesota hospitals, and information was collected from in-person interviews and medical charts. Women were subsequently interviewed by telephone at approximately six weeks after childbirth. After obtaining women's consent, a random subsample of women's employers was also interviewed by telephone to collect information on the employers' family and medical leave policies. Study findings revealed that at six weeks after birth, 716 women were employed and completed an interview. Women reported an average of six different postpartum symptoms, most commonly breast symptoms, fatigue a...

American Journal of Industrial Medicine

Online Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care

Scientific Reports

Elevated in utero and early childhood exposure to manganese may have adverse effects on neurodeve... more Elevated in utero and early childhood exposure to manganese may have adverse effects on neurodevelopment. We conducted preliminary analyses to evaluate toenails as a matrix for investigating manganese exposure in infants. Infant and maternal toenail and hair samples were collected from 25 infants (7 months old) and their mothers. A subset of mothers was recruited in the third trimester of pregnancy and some also provided pre-natal toenail, hair, and blood samples, cord blood, and additional post-natal samples. Collected samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass-spectrometry. Toenail manganese levels in infants ranged from below the limit of detection (LOD) to 2.80 µg/g. Only 1 toenail sample and 4 hair samples contained levels of manganese below LOD. Associations between infant and maternal biomarkers were not statistically significant. Analysis of multiple post-natal toenail samples from a single infant-mother pair showed an increase in the infant's toenail manganese and a decrease in maternal toenail manganese over the first year of the infant's life. Overall, our findings suggest that toenails may serve as a valuable biological matrix for measuring manganese exposure in newborns and infants; however, additional studies are needed to determine the impact of the timing of toenail sample collection on its utility in assessing early life exposure and health outcomes.

Maternal and child health journal, Feb 2, 2017

Objectives The United States is one of only three countries worldwide with no national policy gua... more Objectives The United States is one of only three countries worldwide with no national policy guaranteeing paid leave to employed women who give birth. While maternity leave has been linked to improved maternal and child outcomes in international contexts, up-to-date research evidence in the U.S. context is needed to inform current policy debates on paid family leave. Methods Using data from Listening to Mothers III, a national survey of women ages 18-45 who gave birth in 2011-2012, we conducted multivariate logistic regression to predict the likelihood of outcomes related to infant health, maternal physical and mental health, and maternal health behaviors by the use and duration of paid maternity leave. Results Use of paid and unpaid leave varied significantly by race/ethnicity and household income. Women who took paid maternity leave experienced a 47% decrease in the odds of re-hospitalizing their infants (95% CI 0.3, 1.0) and a 51% decrease in the odds of being re-hospitalized th...

Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), Dec 6, 2017

The goal of this study was to examine the associations of maternal weight status before, during, ... more The goal of this study was to examine the associations of maternal weight status before, during, and after pregnancy with breast milk C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), two bioactive markers of inflammation, measured at 1 and 3 months post partum. Participants were 134 exclusively breastfeeding mother-infant dyads taking part in the Mothers and Infants Linked for Health (MILK) study, who provided breast milk samples. Pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) were assessed by chart abstraction; postpartum weight loss was measured at the 1- and 3-month study visits. Linear regression was used to examine the associations of maternal weight status with repeated measures of breast milk CRP and IL-6 at 1 and 3 months, after adjustment for potential confounders. Pre-pregnancy BMI and excessive GWG, but not total GWG or postpartum weight loss, were independently associated with breast milk CRP after adjustment (β = 0.49, P < 0.001 and β = 0.51,...

American Journal of Epidemiology

Compared to school violence among students, little is known about violence against teachers. To d... more Compared to school violence among students, little is known about violence against teachers. To determine the magnitude of physical assault (PA) and non-physical violence (NPV) and risk factors for PA in randomly selected state-licensed, working kindergarten-grade 12 educators (n ¼ 6469), a two-phase study was implemented: Phase 1 (mailed 12-month retrospective survey) collected demographics, personal characteristics, and violent occurrences and consequences; Phase 2 (mailed case-control survey) collected exposures: activities, others in the environment, school infrastructure and administration, and community socioeconomic status. Cases (395) reporting at least one PA are questioned about exposures in the month before and during the incident; controls (1185), are questioned about exposures on a randomly selected working month from all months during the study period, before any reported PA. We select potentially confounding variables for multiple logistic regression from directed acyclic graphs and re-weight to adjust for potential non-response and unknown eligibility biases. From initial results (78% response), rates per 100 persons per year were:

Journal of Emergency Nursing

Health care workers suffer higher rates of violence-related injuries than workers in other indust... more Health care workers suffer higher rates of violence-related injuries than workers in other industries, with hospital security officers and ED personnel at particularly high risk for injury. Arming hospital security workers with conducted electrical weapons, such as tasers, has been suggested as an intervention to decrease violence-related injuries in the hospital. A retrospective cohort of all security and ED nursing staff at an urban level 1 trauma center was identified from human resources data for the period 4 years before and 7 years after security workers were armed with conducted electrical weapons. A violence-related rate of injury was calculated as all violence-related injuries incurred by each employee for the numerator and the productive hours worked by each person during the study period as the denominator. The hospital employed approximately 30 security staff and 200 nursing staff at the time, with a total of 98 security officers and 468 nursing staff members over the 11 years of study. During the total nursing study period, 98 security officers contributed 452,901 hours; 265 registered nurses from the emergency department contributed 1,535,044 hours; and 203 health care assistants contributed 624,805 hours. Security officers&amp;amp;amp;#39; violence-related rate of injury was 13 times higher than that of the nursing staff. The risk ratio was 1.0 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.7-1.4) between the 2 examination periods for security officers, with similar results for nurses. However, among security workers, the cost of the injuries decreased in the period after implementation. Carrying conducted electrical weapons by hospital security staff appears to have limited capacity to decrease overall rates of violence-related injury but may decrease the severity of violence-related injuries. The latter could decease costs to health care organizations as well as morbidity of injured staff. Contribution to Emergency Nursing Practice.

Oncology nursing forum, 2017

To develop and test a worksite intervention that protects healthcare workers who handle antineopl... more To develop and test a worksite intervention that protects healthcare workers who handle antineoplastic drugs from work-related exposures. . Intervention study. . A university hospital in a large midwestern metropolitan area and its outpatient chemotherapy infusion clinic. . 163 staff (nurses, pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians) who work with antineoplastic agents. . A self-report survey measured workplace and individual factors to assess use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Wipe samples were tested for surface contamination. An intervention incorporating study findings and worker input was developed. . PPE use was the dependent variable, and the independent variables included knowledge of the hazard, perceived risk, perceived barriers, interpersonal influence, self-efficacy, conflict of interest, and workplace safety climate. . PPE use was lower than recommended and improved slightly postintervention. Self-efficacy and perceived risk increased on the post-test survey. C...

Workplace Health & Safety, 2016

BMC pregnancy and childbirth, Jul 29, 2016

The U.S. continues to have one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the industrialized world. Stu... more The U.S. continues to have one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the industrialized world. Studies have shown that full-time employment and early return to work decreased breastfeeding duration, but little is known about the relationship between leave policies and breastfeeding initiation and cessation. This study aimed to identify workplace-related barriers and facilitators associated with breastfeeding initiation and cessation in the first 6 months postpartum. A prospective cohort study design was utilized to recruit 817 Minnesota women aged 18 and older while hospitalized for childbirth. Selection criteria included English-speaking, employed mothers with a healthy, singleton birth. These women were followed up using telephone interviews at 6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 6 months after childbirth. The main study outcomes were breastfeeding initiation, measured during hospital enrollment, and breastfeeding cessation by 6 months postpartum. Women were 30 years old; 86 % were White, and 7...

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, May 1, 2011

To examine the association of women&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a... more To examine the association of women&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s postpartum health with total workload (TWL), work and personal factors in the year after childbirth. Employed women from Minneapolis and St Paul, Minnesota, were recruited while hospitalized for childbirth. Longitudinal analyses, using fixed effects regression models, estimated the associations of TWL, job satisfaction and stress, social support, perceived control, breastfeeding and infant characteristics with women&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s health at 5 weeks, 11 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months postpartum. Increased TWL over time was associated with significantly poorer mental health and increased symptoms. High TWL--including reduced time for rest, recovery, and sleep--is a risk factor for women&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s mental health and symptoms 12 months after childbirth. Women&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s postpartum health was positively associated with social support, which may help to decrease the negative effects of excess work.

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Feb 1, 2011

Identify the magnitude and risk factors for occupational physical assault (PA) and nonphysical vi... more Identify the magnitude and risk factors for occupational physical assault (PA) and nonphysical violence (NPV) against Minnesota educators. Among 26,000 randomly selected licensed kindergarten to grade 12 educators, 6469 eligible educators reported whether they experienced PA or NPV during the prior year. Multiple logistic regression models were based on directed acyclic graphs. Respective PA and NPV annual rates per 100 educators were 8.3 and 38.4. Work changes resulted among PA (13% to 20%) and NPV (22%) victims. Risks increased for master&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s prepared or education specialists who worked in public alternative schools and special education. Risks decreased for those working for more than 20 years, part time, and in private schools. Physical assault risk decreased when teaching grades 3 to 12 (vs kindergarten to grade 2), but NPV risk increased. Targeted efforts on specific violence risk and protective factors are essential to improve educators&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; work environments.

ABSTRACT Children/youths, as well as adults, are at risk of injury on agricultural operations whe... more ABSTRACT Children/youths, as well as adults, are at risk of injury on agricultural operations where occupational and residential environments overlap. This study was conducted to determine the short- and long-term physical, psychosocial, and economic consequences of injuries occurring among children/youths living in households with agricultural operations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska Midwestern states characteristic of major types of agricultural production in the United States (US). From a random selection of 32,000 agricultural operations, generated from the states' operations by the US Department of Agriculture, 1,474 of 3,443 eligible households with children participated. Baseline and follow-up data on physical and mental health, agricultural and other injury disability, and economic status, were collected by trained interviewers using computerized assisted telephone interview (CATI) data collection instruments; two six-month injury data collection periods followed baseline collection. Among all household members, a total of 584 injuries were incurred with 250 related to their own agricultural operation. Respective child/youth case and control households, identified for these two six-month periods were: 1) 100 cases (122 Injuries), 366 controls; 2) 115 cases (138 injuries), 414 controls. Follow-up evaluation data were collected annually for each set, for the subsequent two years. Analyses focus on short-/long-term consequences, by examining changes between baseline, and follow-up data, comparing case and control households. Confounders are selected for multiple logistic regression analyses using directed acyclic graphs; reweighting adjusts for response and eligibility biases. This effort addresses a serious deficiency in knowledge about the burden of agricultural and other injury consequences.

Pediatrics, 2016

The National Children's Study (NCS) was an ambitious attempt to map children's health and... more The National Children's Study (NCS) was an ambitious attempt to map children's health and development in a large representative group of children in the United States. In this introduction, we briefly review the background of the NCS and the history of the multiple strategies that were tested to recruit women and children. Subsequent articles then detail the protocols and outcomes of 4 of the recruitment strategies. It is hoped that lessons learned from these attempts to define a study protocol that could achieve the initial aims of the NCS will inform future efforts to conceptualize and execute strategies to provide generalizable insights on the longitudinal health of our nation's children.

Currently, limited data are available pertinent to violence against educators. A two-phase study ... more Currently, limited data are available pertinent to violence against educators. A two-phase study was implemented to determine magnitude and consequences of physical assault (PA) and non-physical violence (NPV) and risk factors for PA among sampled Minnesota state-...

Annals of Epidemiology, Jan 10, 2007

Since 1970, women of childbearing age have increasingly participated in the workforce. However, l... more Since 1970, women of childbearing age have increasingly participated in the workforce. However, literature on work-family conflict has not specifically addressed the health of postpartum women. This study examined the relationship between work-family conflict and mental and physical health of employed mothers 11 weeks after childbirth. METHODS: Employed women, 18 years and older, were recruited while in the hospital for childbirth (N Z 817; 71% response rate). Mental and physical health at 11 weeks postpartum was measured using SF-12 version 2. General linear models estimated the associations between the independent variables and health. A priori causal models and directed acyclic graphs guided selection of confounding variables. RESULTS: Analyses revealed that high levels of work interference with family were associated with significantly lower mental health scores. Medium and high levels of family interference with work revealed a dose-response relationship resulting in significantly worse mental health scores. Coworker support was strongly and positively associated with better physical health. CONCLUSIONS: Work-family conflict was negatively associated with mental health but not significantly associated with physical health. Availability of social support may relieve the burden women can experience when balancing work roles and family obligations.

ABSTRACT Purpose: Few school violence policies have been studied with quantitative methods to eva... more ABSTRACT Purpose: Few school violence policies have been studied with quantitative methods to evaluate their impact on workplace violence. This study analyzed nine different written violence policies and their impact on work-related physical assault in educational settings. Methods: Data were obtained from the Minnesota Educators' Study. Of 26,000 licensed educators, randomly selected from the Minnesota Department of Education's database, 6,180 eligible educators were enrolled in the comprehensive study. From this phase, cases (n = 372) who reported physical assaults within the last year, and controls (n = 1116) who did not, were included in the case-control study. Multivariate logistic regression analyses, using Directed Acyclic Graphs, were used to estimate risk of assault. Results: Overall response rates for the full study were: Phase I, 84% (78% full survey); Phase II, 84% (78% full survey). The rate of physical assault per 100 educators per year was 8.3. Results of the adjusted multivariate model indicated decreased risk of physical assault were associated with awareness of policies regarding how to report sexual harassment, verbal abuse, and threat (OR 0.53; 95% CI: 0.30-0.95); assurance of confidential reporting of events (OR 0.67; 95% CI: 0.44-1.04); and zero tolerance for violence (OR 0.70; 95% CI: 0.47-1.04). Conclusions: Awareness of policies, regarding how to report sexual harassment, threats or verbal abuse, assurance of confidential reporting, and zero tolerance for violence, in an educational setting, may help prevent work-related physical assault. This study better informs the quantitative impact that awareness of written violence policies have on physical assault risk.