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Monkeypox (Mpox) is an emerging public health concern globally as well as in Pakistan, with over 100 000 confirmed cases reported across 120 countries as of July 2024.
To assess healthcare professionals’ knowledge and preparedness regarding Mpox and examine its association with demographic factors.
Quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study.
Conducted in tertiary care public sector hospitals of Rawalpindi district, Pakistan, from October 2024 to February 2025.
A total of 230 healthcare professionals of either gender, aged over 18 years, currently working in the public sector tertiary care hospitals of Rawalpindi district for at least 6 months were included.
The mean age of the respondents was 29.13±6.55 years. The majority were women (147, 63.9%), post-graduate trainees (106, 46.1%), with 1–5 years of experience (184, 80%) and from medicine and allied disciplines (131, 57%). Most participants had an average level of knowledge regarding Mpox (137, 59.6%), with only a few demonstrating good knowledge (40, 17.4%). Half of the participants reported that their healthcare facilities lacked proper protocols for managing Mpox cases (97, 42.2%). Significant associations were observed between Mpox knowledge scores and participants’ field of specialty (p=0.007); notably, respondents from basic sciences had a higher proportion of good knowledge scores.
Overall, the level of knowledge and preparedness regarding Mpox among healthcare professionals was average. There is an urgent need for standardised Mpox preparedness protocols, outbreak response planning and comprehensive training programmes to enhance readiness for future outbreaks.
To explore the barriers and facilitators to physical activity engagement among people with young-onset type 2 diabetes.
A qualitative research design using individual semi-structured interviews.
A purposive sampling technique was used to recruit individuals with young-onset type 2 diabetes through social media, based on: age, gender, diabetes duration, diabetes complication and physical activity level. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using Framework analysis integrating the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behaviour model.
Twenty-three individuals with type 2 diabetes (median age 29 years; 13 women; median diabetes duration 1 year) were interviewed. Nineteen subthemes were identified across all domains of the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behaviour model. The most common domains and the related subthemes were psychological capability (physical activity knowledge, self-monitoring); social opportunity (stigma, family commitments, guidance from professionals, interactive physical activity, emotional support); and reflective motivation (perceived physical impact of physical activity, perceived mental impact of physical activity, social role & responsibility, perceived self-efficacy). Interactions were also observed between the different domains of the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behaviour model.
This study revealed in-depth and novel information on the barriers and facilitators to physical activity in people with young-onset type 2 diabetes. Future interventions would require multimodal approaches to enhance physical activity motivation in this population by addressing these underpinning psychological and social barriers.
This study highlighted the need for a multimodal strategy that addresses psychological capability, social opportunity and reflective motivation for increasing physical activity in people with young-onset type 2 diabetes.
This study was reported using the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist.
An advisory group including six individuals with young-onset type 2 diabetes contributed to the design of the interview topic guide.
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