Conectar
Menstrual health is essential for gender equity and the well-being of women and girls. Qualitative research has described the burden of poor menstrual health on health and education; however, these impacts have not been quantified, curtailing investment. The Adolescent Menstrual Experiences and Health Cohort (AMEHC) Study aims to describe menstrual health and its trajectories across adolescence, and quantify the relationships between menstrual health and girls’ health and education in Khulna, Bangladesh.
AMEHC is a prospective longitudinal cohort of 2016 adolescent girls recruited at the commencement of class 6 (secondary school, mean age=12) across 101 schools selected through a proportional random sampling approach. Each year, the cohort will be asked to complete a survey capturing (1) girls’ menstrual health and experiences, (2) support for menstrual health, and (3) health and education outcomes. Survey questions were refined through qualitative research, cognitive interviews and pilot survey in the year preceding the cohort. Girls’ guardians will be surveyed at baseline and wave 2 to capture their perspectives and household demographics. Annual assessments will capture schools’ water, sanitation and hygiene, and support for menstruation and collect data on participants’ education, including school attendance and performance (in maths, literacy). Cohort enrolment and baseline survey commenced in February 2023. Follow-up waves are scheduled for 2024, 2025 and 2026, with plans for extension. A nested subcohort will follow 406 post-menarche girls at 2-month intervals throughout 2023 (May, August, October) to describe changes across menstrual periods. This protocol outlines a priori hypotheses regarding the impacts of menstrual health to be tested through the cohort.
AMEHC has ethical approval from the Alfred Hospital Ethics Committee (369/22) and BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health Institutional Review Board (IRB-06 July 22-024). Study materials and outputs will be available open access through peer-reviewed publication and study web pages.
by Bewuketu Terefe, Mahlet Moges Jembere, Nega Tezera Assimamaw, Bogale Chekole
BackgroundIntestinal parasitic infections are the world’s largest public health issue, primarily in developing nations. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends deworming as a preventative or therapeutic measure for all vulnerable people residing in endemic areas. Despite this issue, there is little data on the prevalence and associated factors of deworming drug use among children under five years of age in East Africa.
ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and contributing factors of deworming coverage among children under the age of five in East Africa using the most available national health survey data.
MethodsData from the Demographic and Health Survey, which included 103,865 weighted children between the ages of 12–59 months, were used in this investigation. Our outcome of interest was taking deworming medicine six months before the interview. A logistic regression model was then fitted. A cutoff P value of 0.2 was used in the binary logistic regression analysis. To identify significant variables, a 95% confidence interval and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a value Results
The prevalence of deworming in East Africa was 54.13% (95% CI: 53.83%–54.43%). The maternal age group of 24–34 years, and from 35–49 years (AOR = 1.37, 95% CI, 1.32,1.42), and (AOR = 1.71, 95% CI, 1.62,1.79), employed women (AOR = 1.62, 95% CI, 1.58,1.67), being from rural(AOR = 1.11,95% CI,1.07,1.15), unmarried mothers (AOR = 1.12,95% CI,1.09,1.15), mothers from poorer, middle, richer, and richest households (AOR = 1.16,95% CI, 1.12,1.21), (AOR = 1.23, 95% CI, 1.18,1.28), (AOR = 1.22,95% CI, 1.16,1.27), and (AOR = 1.27, 95% CI, 1.21,1.34) having at least one antenatal care follow up(AOR = 2.90, 95% CI, 2.63,3.16), health facility delivery(AOR = 1.69, 95% CI,1.64,1.75), mass media exposure AOR = 1.32, 955 CI, 1.29,1.36), having of 3–5 children (AOR = 0.89, 95% CI, 0.86,0.93), more than five children (AOR = 0.79, 95% CI, 0.73,0.86), and parity of 2nd or 3rd birth order (AOR = 1.05, 95% CI, 1.01,1.09) as compared to primi mothers were associated with the deworming among under five children in east Africa respectively.
ConclusionThe under-five population in East Africa had a lower prevalence of deworming medication per the most recent DHS findings. Promoting mother and child health services (antenatal care, institutional delivery, family planning), as well as women’s empowerment, should be prioritized.
by Suyi Yang, Germaine Ke Jia Tan, Kang Sim, Lucas Jun Hao Lim, Benjamin Yong Qiang Tan, Abhiram Kanneganti, Shirley Beng Suat Ooi, Lue Ping Ong
The COVID-19 pandemic has exerted a huge emotional strain on mental health professionals (MHP) in Singapore. As Singapore transited into an endemic status, it is unclear whether the psychological strain has likewise lessened. The aims of this study were to investigate the levels of stress and burnout experienced by MHP working in a tertiary psychiatric hospital in Singapore during this phase of COVID-19 endemicity (2022) in comparison to the earlier pandemic years (2020 and 2021) and to identify factors which contribute to as well as ameliorate stress and burnout. A total of 282 MHP participated in an online survey in 2022, which included 2 validated measures, namely the Perceived Stress Scale and the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI). Participants were also asked to rank factors that contributed the most to their stress and burnout. Between-group comparisons were conducted regarding stress and burnout levels among MHP across different demographic groupings and working contexts. In addition, OLBI data completed by MHP in 2020 and 2021 were extracted from 2 published studies, and trend analysis was conducted for the proportion of MHP meeting burnout threshold across 3 time points. We found that the proportion of MHP meeting burnout threshold in 2020, 2021 and 2022 were 76.9%, 87.6% and 77.9% respectively. Professional groups, age, years of experience and income groups were associated with stress and/or burnout. High clinical workload was ranked as the top factor that contributed to stress and burnout while flexible working arrangement was ranked as the top area for improvement so as to reduce stress and burnout. As such, policy makers and hospital management may want to focus on setting clear mental health targets and facilitate manageable clinical workload, build manpower resiliency, optimize resources and provide flexible work arrangements to alleviate stress and burnout among MHP.To explore challenges in everyday life for people with long-term cognitive effects of COVID-19 and whether a rehabilitation programme contributed to the remedy thereof.
Healthcare systems around the world need knowledge about acute COVID-19 treatment, long-term effects exerting an impact on peoples' everyday lives, and how to remedy these.
This is a qualitative study with a phenomenological approach.
Twelve people with long-term cognitive effects of COVID-19 participated in a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme. Individual semi-structured interviews were made. Data were analysed thematically.
Three themes and eight sub-themes emerged with respect to everyday life challenges and experiences of the rehabilitation programme. The themes were (1) Personal insight and knowledge, (2) Changed daily routines at home and (3) Coping with working life.
Participants experienced long-term effects of COVID-19 as cognitive challenges, fatigue and headaches, which affected their everyday lives, that is inability to overcome daily tasks at home and at work, maintaining family roles and relations with relatives. The rehabilitation programme contributed to a vocabulary and insights related to the long-term effects of COVID-19 and the experience of being a different person. The programme contributed to changes in daily routines, organising breaks in everyday life and explaining challenges to family/relatives and the way in which they affected daily routines and their role in the family. In addition, the programme supported several of the participants in finding the right workload and working hours.
We recommend multidisciplinary rehabilitation programmes inspired by cognitive remediation of long-term COVID-19 cognitive effects. Municipalities and organisations could collaborate in the development and completion of such programmes, possibly comprising both virtual and physical elements. This could facilitate access and reduce costs.
Patients contributed to the conduct of the study by participating in the data collection via interviews.
Data collection and processing of data are approved by the Region of Southern Denmark (journal number: 20/46585).
To measure the gap between expectations of patients with cancer for oncology services and their perceptions of the actual service and to identify associated factors at the oncology centre of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia.
An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was conducted using the service quality (SERVQUAL) tool from March to April 2022 on a sample of 256 hospitalised patients with cancer at the oncology centre of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital. A paired Wilcoxon test and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to determine the statistically significant difference between expectation and perception and to quantify the strength of association between the level of gap in the quality of oncology service and dependent variables, respectively.
Out of 256 patients with cancer included in the study, all of them agreed and participated, making the response rate 100%. The overall gap in service quality explained by the mean and SD is –1.42 (±0.41). The overall score for expectation and perception is 4.24 (±0.31) and 2.82 (±0.37), respectively. Being female, age greater than 65, having a college degree and above, being a patient with cervical cancer, patients with stage 4 cancer and patients who waited for more than 12 months for radiotherapy were found to have a statistically significant higher expectation compared with their perceived care in one or more dimensions of the SERVQUAL tool.
Patient perceptions of the quality of service they received were lower than their expectations of the quality of service in all service quality aspects at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital’s oncology centre, implying unmet quality expectations from the oncology service users, with tangibility, assurance and empathy being the dimensions with the highest gap recorded, respectively. Therefore, the hospital and other stakeholders should strive to exceed patient expectations and the overall quality of care.
To investigate the decisional needs in Denmark of people with kidney failure, relatives, and health professionals when planning end-of-life care.
A qualitative interview study.
Individual semi-structured interviews were carried out with people with kidney failure, relatives and health professionals from November 2021 to June 2022. Malterud's systematic text condensation was used to analyse transcripts.
A total of 13 patients, 10 relatives, and 12 health professionals were interviewed. Overall, four concepts were agreed on: (1) Talking about end of life is difficult, (2) Patients and relatives need more knowledge and information, (3) Health professionals need more tools and training, and (4) Experiencing busyness as a barrier to conversations about end of life.
People with kidney failure, relatives, and health professionals shared certain decisional needs while also having some different decisional needs about end-of-life care. To meet these various needs, end-of-life conversations should be systematic and organized according to the patients' needs and wishes.
Non-systematic end-of-life care decision-making processes limit patients' involvement. Patients and relatives need more knowledge about end-of-life care, and health professionals need more competences and time to discuss decisional needs. A shared decision-making intervention for people with kidney failure when making end-of-life care decisions will be developed.
This empirical qualitative research is reported according to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist.
Patients, relatives, and health professionals have been involved throughout the research process as part of the research team and advisory board. The patients are people with kidney failure and the relatives are relatives of a person with kidney failure. For this study, the advisory board has particularly contributed to the validation of the invitation letter for participation, the interview guides and the preparation of the manuscript.
by Desale Bihonegn Asmamaw, Yohannes Ayanaw Habitu, Eskedar Getie Mekonnen, Wubshet Debebe Negash
BackgroundWorld Health Organization (WHO) recommends that every pregnant woman receive quality care throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period. It is estimated that institutional delivery could reduce 16% to 33% of maternal deaths. Despite the importance of giving birth at a health institution, in Ethiopia, according to the Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey report, nearly half of the ANC-booked mothers gave birth at home. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of home delivery among antenatal care-booked women in their last pregnancy during the era of COVID-19.
MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 30 to April 29, 2021. A simple random technique was employed to select 770 participants among women booked for antenatal care. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect the data. A binary logistic regression model was fitted. Adjusted odds ratios with its respective 95% confidence interval were used to declare the associated factors.
ResultsThe prevalence of home delivery was 28.8% (95% CI: 25.7, 32.2). Rural residence (AOR = 2.02, 95% CI: 1.23, 3.34), unmarried women (AOR = 11.16, 95% CI: 4.18, 29.79), husband education (AOR = 2.60, 95% CI: 1.72, 3.91), not being involved in the women’s development army (AOR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.01, 2.65), and fear of COVID-19 infection (AOR = 3.86, 95% CI: 2.31, 6.44) were significantly associated factors of home delivery.
ConclusionEven though the government tried to lower the rate of home delivery by accessing health institutions in remote areas, implementing a women’s development army, and introducing maternal waiting home utilization, nearly one in every three pregnant women gave birth at home among ANC booked women in their last pregnancy. Thus, improving the husband’s educational status, providing information related to health institution delivery benefits during antenatal care, and strengthening the implementation of the women’s development army, particularly among rural and unmarried women, would decrease home childbirth practices.
To assess diabetes knowledge and foot care practices among type 2 diabetes patients.
An institution-based cross-sectional study was undertaken from 1 January to 31 January 2021.
Eastern Ethiopia.
Randomly selected type 2 diabetes patients who were available during the data collection period were included.
Patients’ diabetes knowledge was assessed with the revised diabetes knowledge test questionnaire. Five items were used to evaluate foot self-care practices.
The study population comprised of 549 patients. About 52.5% of the patients had adequate diabetes knowledge (95% CI: 48.2% to 56.7%). Patients with an educational level of secondary school and above (adjusted OR (AOR): 2.04, 95% CI: 1.13 to 3.71), (AOR: 5.28, 95% CI: 2.28 to 12.22), and those with medium and above wealth status (AOR: 3.81, 95% CI: 2.24 to 6.47), (AOR: 3.46, 95% CI: 1.98 to 6.04), were found to have better odds of having adequate diabetes knowledge. However, those aged >55 years (AOR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.99) were found to have lower odds of adequate diabetes knowledge.Of the total included patients, 20.2% (95% CI: 16.9% to 23.8%) had good foot care practices. Knowledge of the target fasting plasma glucose (AOR: 3.18, 95% CI: 1.94 to 5.22) and adequate diabetes knowledge (AOR: 3.40, 95% CI: 1.95 to 5.91) were significantly associated with good foot care practices.
According to this study, about half of individuals with type 2 diabetes have adequate levels of knowledge about the disease. In addition, only one out of every five patients has good foot care habits. Diabetes education should emphasise the significance of rigorous adherence to daily foot care practices.
The present study investigated the antimicrobial and anti-biofilm effects of indigenous Lactobacillus probiotic strains on Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from burn wound infection in laboratory conditions. The effect of 7 probiotic strains isolated from infant faeces on the pathogenicity factors of P. aeruginosa, including protease, elastase, antibiofilm and antipyocyanin was measured. Also, diffusion methods in the well and micro broth dilution were used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of probiotics. All tests were performed in triplicate. A negative control and a positive control were used for each test. SPSS version 22 software was used for statistical analysis, and a p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. A total of 30 clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa were isolated. The elastolytic activity of P. aeruginosa isolates decreased after adding Cell free supernatant (CFS) of each Lactobacillus. L1, L4, L5, and L6 strains had a 100% inhibitory effect on pathogen isolates. L3 and L7 strains had the lowest inhibitory effect. The inhibitory effect of CFS extracted from lactobacilli on protease production by P. aeruginosa. L1, L4, L5, and L6 strains had an inhibitory effect on all tested isolates. L2, L3, and L7 strains had a less inhibitory effect. L4 strain had the highest inhibitory effect on pyocyanin production by P. aeruginosa (50%), followed by L5 (43.3%), L1 (40%), and L6 (23.3%) strains. L3 and L7 strains had no inhibitory effect on the pyocyanin production of P. aeruginosa isolates. It was found that the CFS of 4 isolates (L1, L4, L5, and L6) was the most active extract and had a 100% inhibitory effect against biofilm formation of all P. aeruginosa strains. The L3 strain had the least inhibitory effect against the biofilm formation of pathogens. Overall, this study showed that probiotics could be promising alternatives to combat the pathogenicity of P. aeruginosa in burn wounds.
FreshRSS 