Authors:Noor Edi Widya Sukoco Abstract: Underweight in infants and under-five children may cause growth and developmental disorders and it remains one of the major factors causing child mortality, illness and disability. Underweight is still one of the nutritional problems in Indonesia and the government is undertaking all efforts and drawing up effective strategies to reduce the prevalence of underweight in Indonesia. The purpose of this study was to see what factors were associated with underweight in under-five-year-old children in Lebak Regency and Tangerang City, Banten Province. The study applied the logistic regression method using the 2013 Basic Health Research. Underweight in children was calculated by converting the anthropometric measurements into a standardized value (Z-score), which was then presented in the index of body weight for age. The results obtained among 492 infants revealed there were 28.5% (about 75 children under five) with underweight status. Children from families who did not apply good sanitation by disposing of garbage in an unsanitary manner had a risk of 15.2 folds (OR = 15.2, 95% CI = 4.69-49.65) to be underweight compared with those who had good sanitation behaviors. Children under five from families with a low socioeconomic status had a risk of 2.5 folds (OR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.12-5.53) to suffer from underweight compared to those who had a high socioeconomic status. The conclusion is sanitation and socioeconomic status are related to the underweight status of children under five in Lebak Regency and Tangerang City. PubDate: Tue, 24 Aug 2021 06:28:32 +000
Authors:Kwame Adu-Bonsaffoh Abstract: Globally, unintended pregnancy represents an important public health challenge with significant social, economic and clinical repercussions which are worse in low-income and middle-income countries. Appropriate use of modern contraceptives averts significant proportions of unintended pregnancies and pregnancy complications. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and determinants of unintended pregnancy and explore modern contraceptive use among pregnant womenA cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women receiving antenatal care at Korle-Bu Teaching hospital in Ghana using a face-to-face structured interview. Descriptive analysis was performed and multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the determinants of unintended pregnancy.Among the included 450 pregnant women receiving antenatal care, 155 (34.4%) had unintended pregnancy out of which 33 (21.3%) were using contraceptives prior to conception. In all, 14.2% (64/450) were using modern contraceptives. There was a significant difference between women and their partners regarding the perception of their index pregnancy as unintended (34.4% versus 31.6%, p-value PubDate: Tue, 24 Aug 2021 02:24:46 +000
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Recent attention over the health, wellbeing and nutritional intake of children below five years of age has grown tremendously. This is mainly because these years are crucial to a child’s survival, growth and development; and if not handled properly could unfavorably affect the well-being status and efficiency of the child in later adult life. The study focused on malnutrition of children under the age of five in relation to their socio-economic status. It was measured by stunting, wasting and underweight. METHODOLOGY: Data from the Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS)/General Household Survey (GHS) 2015/2016 Nigeria was used for analysis. Malnutrition was measured using the three anthropometric measures which are expressed in terms of Z-scores namely: Stunting: height-for-age (HAZ), Wasting: weight-for-height (WHZ) and Underweight: weight-for-age (WAZ). The socioeconomic disparities in malnutrition were checked according to gender, place of residence and geo-political zones in Nigeria. While the concentration index and curves were used to check for the magnitude of inequality in malnutrition ascribable to the socio-economic status.RESULTS: The percentage of children stunted was the highest with 37.8 percent, followed by the percentage of children underweight to be 20.25 and children wasted was 9.63 percent. The percentage of stunting, wasting and underweight were considerably greater in male children compare to the female children. Stunting and underweight were responsive to the household socioeconomic status. A higher percentage of children below five years of age who were stunted, wasted and underweight lived in the rural areas of Nigeria compare to the children living in the urban areas. The rate of stunting was highest in the North West with a 52.91 percent, followed by North East with 43 percent, and lowest in the South South with 20.67 percent. The concentration indices analysis revealed that stunting, wasting and underweight all had negative signs signifying concentration among the poor household children. Finally, as one moves up the ladder of the socioeconomic status, a significant fall in the rate of stunting is witnessed. Therefore, increasing the income of the poorest in a society is a sound strategy to curb the high rates of stunting in the socio-economically deprived segments of the country. PubDate: Mon, 16 Aug 2021 12:45:51 +000
Authors:Chukwuemeka O Eze Abstract: BACKGROUND: Electroencephalography (EEG) remains the most important investigative modality in the evaluation of individuals with epilepsy and other neurological disorders. The pattern of EEG done in a tertiary hospital at Abakaliki Nigeria is not known. It is against this background that we embarked on this retrospective observational study on the EEG pattern and patient characteristics in Neurophysiology laboratory at Abakaliki Nigeria.METHOD: This is a retrospective observational hospital based study where the attendance register of the Neurophysiology laboratory was used to extract information on the demography, clinical characteristics and EEG reports of patients seen at the Laboratory from November 2018 to April 2021. RESULTS: A total of 125 (Male- 69, Female- 56) persons did EEG over the study period, and 75.2% had epileptiform waves (generalized- 16.8%, focal- 57.6%). CONCLUSION: EEG services are been utilized at Abakaliki in evaluation of seizure disorder and other paroxysmal neurological events with more prevalent focal epileptiform waves. PubDate: Wed, 11 Aug 2021 21:30:47 +000
Abstract: Preeclampsia is one of the main causes of maternal mortality in Indonesia and in the world. The exact cause of preeclampsia is not known at this time. Aerobic exercise as an effort to prevent preeclampsia. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of aerobic exercise on maternal outcome in primigravidas with a history of hypertension.This research was a quasy experimental research with pre and post control group. Aerobic exercise was carried out for 15 weeks in the second trimester of pregnancy, then blood pressure measurements were taken in both groups. The data will be analyzed using the t-test, and a p value PubDate: Tue, 03 Aug 2021 09:01:33 +000
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Vision attributes to about 95% of the sensory requirements for driving. When driving, impaired visual functions will undoubtedly result in a delayed response to obstructions. The regulations governing the issuing and renewal of a driver’s license in Trinidad make no provision of a visual requirement assessment. The study was prompted by an upsurge in road traffic accidents in Trinidad and Tobago, a twin-island nation. AIM: This pilot study investigates the relationship between defects in visual functions and traffic accidents among drivers on the island of Trinidad.METHODOLOGY: This descriptive cross-sectional study utilizes a non-probability purposive sampling approach to enroll licensed drivers who had been driving within the island’s districts for the past five years, the study conducted at a Multi-Health-Training Facility in Trinidad’s Central Area. After completing a semi-structured questionnaire, participants were given a full eye examination. RESULTS: 128 licensed drivers, both male and female, were enrolled for this study with ages ranging from 20 to 70 years with a mean age of 40.9 years ± 13.3 years, in which majority (83.6%, n = 107) of the drivers did not perform an eye exam before obtaining/renewing their driver’s license. About 32% (n = 41) of these drivers were involved in an RTA in the last five years. There was a statistically significant association between colour vision defect (x² = 15.94, p = 0.00), contrast sensitivity with a logCS score of less than 1.52 (x² = 25.05, p = 0.00, Cramer’s V= 0.442) and the occurrence of road traffic accident. CONCLUSION: According to this study, one-quarter of drivers have been involved in a road traffic accident within the last five years, and three-quarters have never had an eye examination before obtaining or renewing their driver’s license. The relevance of designing and developing a screening protocol that can be easily applied to driving safety licensing policies were established in this study. Based on these findings, prospective driver’s license applicants must undergo a complete eye examination, to drastically reduce RTAs. PubDate: Wed, 28 Jul 2021 00:49:55 +000
Authors:David Majuch Kunjok Abstract: BACKGROUND: Reducing vaccine-preventable diseases mortality and morbidity in non-industrialized countries requires the enforcement of robust immunization strategies aimed at increasing coverage and reducing dropouts and missed immunization opportunities. Attaining high (>80%) immunization coverage with a low drop-out rate in South Sudan has been challenging because of the program’s high defaulting rates. This study aimed to determine the reasons for poor accessibility and utilization of immunization services in counties earmarked for Fragility, Emergency and Refugees (FER) in South Sudan.METHODS: A descriptive phenomenological study design was conducted across four counties of Northern Bahr El Ghazal, South Sudan, between May 2019 and December 2020 in which 42 focused group discussions and key-informant interviews involving the community and primary healthcare centers and units were conducted. Relevant EPI (Expanded program on immunization) tools were reviewed and data were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: The main reasons identified were negative attitudes towards healthcare workers and immunization services, competing priorities of the caregivers, delayed opening of the immunization sessions, insufficient cold chain facilities, inadequate knowledge and information about immunization services, and non-availability of vaccines at the health facility.CONCLUSIONS: A plan to supply adequate vaccines and related supplies to the counties by identifying stock levels in time must be a priority. Health facility micro-plan development and implementation should be supported by increased funding for the implementation of outreach and mobile sessions to reach missed children, intensified door-to-door health awareness, and regular community meetings to increase vaccine uptake. PubDate: Tue, 27 Jul 2021 15:21:23 +000
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Willingness of healthcare workers to be vaccinated is an important factor to be considered for a successful COVID-19 vaccination programme. This study aims to understand the willingness of health workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and its associated concerns across 10 countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted in January 2021 among healthcare workers in EMR using an online survey. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS software package version 20.0.RESULTS: A total of 2806 health workers (physicians, nurses and pharmacists) completed and returned the informed consent along with the questionnaire electronically. More than half of the respondents (58.0%) were willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, even if the vaccination is not mandatory for them. On the other hand, 25.7% of respondents were not willing to take COVID-19 vaccine while 16.3 % were undecided. The top three reasons for not willing to be vaccinated were unreliability of COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials (62.0%), fear of the side effects of the vaccine (45.3%), and that COVID-19 vaccine will not give immunity for a long period of time (23.1%). CONCLUSION: Overall, the study revealed suboptimal acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine among the respondents in the EMR. Significant refusal of COVID-19 vaccine among healthcare professionals can reverse hard-won progress in building public trust in vaccination program. The findings suggest the need to develop tailored strategies to address concerns identified in the study in order to ensure optimal vaccine acceptance among healthcare workers in the EMR. PubDate: Sun, 25 Jul 2021 23:46:05 +000
Authors:Ashraf A’aqoulah Abstract: Minimizing the gap and ensuring agreement between patients’ perceptions and expectations is an indication of a better quality of hospital services. This study aimed to examine the agreement between patients’ perceptions and expectations of the quality of hospital services. A cross-sectional design was adopted, and quantitative methods were employed for data collection. The SERVAQUAL tool was used. The sample size was 415 participants. This study was conducted in Jordanian teaching hospitals. The study population was patients who used outpatient clinics in these hospitals. The study found that there is very low agreement between patients’ expectation and their perceptions. Overall, the perceived service quality was significantly lower than the expected service quality across all of the dimensions used to measure the service quality gap (reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles). The results suggest regional variation, where patients who sought care at hospitals in Amman have a four-fold higher perception of the quality of services than patients who visited Irbid hospitals. Also, patients who are more highly educated (Diploma, Bachelor, or Higher Studies) have a higher perception than patients who have less than secondary education. Age and gender were found to have no significant association with patients’ perceptions. The findings of this study suggest that there is a gap between patients’ perceptions and expectations. Thus, there is a need to close this gap by improving patient satisfaction with the quality of services. PubDate: Sun, 25 Jul 2021 21:45:23 +000
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: The high cost and associated adverse effects of conventional therapy make the patients seek complementary and alternative medicine. Complementary and alternative medicine use may contribute to the delay the patients have before seeking orthodox care.OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence, pattern, factors responsible for complementary and alternative medicine use and if complementary and alternative medicine use causes delay in seeking orthodox care among gynaecological cancer patients in Enugu. MATERIAL & METHODS: A pretested, semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire -based cross-sectional survey of 396 eligible gynaecological cancer patients recruited from both University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu and Enugu State University of Science and Technology Teaching Hospital, Enugu between January, 2018 and June, 2020. The data was analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences version 23 (IBM SPSS, Chicago, IL).RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 57.3 years and it ranged from 41 to 77 years. Cervical cancer (76%) was the most common type of gynaecological cancer. A total of 283(71.5%) of the respondents used complementary and alternative medicine. Herbs (65%) were the most common type of complementary and alternative medicine used. Majority (56.9%) of complementary and alternative medicine users rarely used it. A total of 178(62.8%) complementary and alternative medicine users presumed that it would cure them while 105 (37.1%) presumed that it would relieve the symptoms of their cancer. However, 197 (69.6%) complementary and alternative medicine users stated that there was no actual benefit from its use. The low educational status has a statistically significant influence on complementary and alternative medicine use among the respondents(P-value= PubDate: Sat, 24 Jul 2021 02:00:54 +000
Authors:John Damiao Abstract: OBJECTIVES: Smartphone addiction is a growing concern that can impact social, psychological, and health, while contributing to functional impairments. This study aimed to determine the relationship between smartphone addiction and the grade point average (GPA) of undergraduate college students in the U.S.METHODS: This descriptive study consisted of 53 undergraduate college students. The Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS) and overall grade point average (GPA) was gathered via survey. The data was analyzed through Pearson’s correlation to demonstrate the association between these variables.FINDINGS: While not statistically significant at the α = .05 level, the results suggest an almost statistically significant negative correlation (r = -0.210, p = .066) indicating a weak but noteworthy association between smartphone addiction and GPA.CONCLUSION: Smartphone addiction is a growing concern that has shown to impact quality of life in Asian countries. These results suggest further research with larger samples in the U.S. is needed to inform college students of the risks smartphone addiction can have on academic success. PubDate: Sat, 24 Jul 2021 01:38:22 +000
Authors:Sukjai Charoensuk Abstract: When the COVID-19 outbreak spread across the globe, Thailand was the first country to report a COVID patient outside of China. We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study to examine the mental health condition and the risk factors associated with the mental health problems of people in state quarantine. Our study sample included 4,069 people who were in state quarantine in the eastern region of Thailand. We administered a stress assessment test, a depression screening questionnaire, a suicidal risks screening tool and a COVID-19 anxiety screening scale, which were developed by the Department of Mental Health, Thailand. We found that most people in state quarantine reported a moderate level of COVID-19 anxiety, a mild level of stress, and no current risk of suicide. The risk factors associated with stress were female gender (OR = 2.290, p < 0.001, 95% CI [1.687, 3.109]) and having chronic diseases (OR = 2.443, p < 0.001, 95%CI [1.720, 3.470]). The factor associated with depression was female gender (OR = 1.380, p < 0.001, 95%CI [1.201, 1.586]). The factors associated with risks for suicide were female gender (OR = 2.059, p < 0.001, 95%CI [1.553, 2.729]) and having chronic diseases (OR = 2.128, p < 0.001, 95%CI [1.510, 2.998]). The factors associated with COVID-19 anxiety were female gender (OR = 1.469, p < 0.001, 95%CI [1.294, 1.669]) and having chronic diseases (OR = 1.329, p = 0.011, 95%CI [1.066, 1.657]). A system to screen for mental health problems and rapid assistance offered to people in state quarantine who are at risk of mental health problems are recommended to reduce the severity of the problems. PubDate: Sat, 24 Jul 2021 01:10:20 +000
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