scholarly journals Prevalence, correlates and help-seeking behaviour for depressive symptoms in rural Uganda: a population-based survey

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Ssebunnya ◽  
G. Medhin ◽  
S. Kangere ◽  
F. Kigozi ◽  
J. Nakku ◽  
...  

Background.Depression is a common disorder characterized by delayed help-seeking, often remaining undetected and untreated.Objectives.We sought to estimate the proportion of adults in Kamuli District with depressive symptoms and to assess their help-seeking behaviour.Methods.This was a population-based cross-sectional study conducted in a rural district in Uganda. Sampling of study participants was done using the probability proportional to size method. Screening for depression was done using Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The participants who screened positive also reported on whether and where they had sought treatment. Data collected using PHQ-9 was used both as a symptom-based description of depression and algorithm diagnosis of major depression. All data analysis was done using STATA version 13.Results.With a cut-off score of ⩾10, 6.4% screened positive for current depressive symptoms and 23.6% reported experiencing depressive symptoms in the past 12 months. The majority of individuals who screened positive for current depression (75.6%) were females. In a crude analysis, people with lower education, middle age and low socio-economic status were more likely to have depressive symptoms. Help-seeking was low, with only 18.9% of the individuals who screened positive for current depression having sought treatment from a health worker.Conclusion.Depressive symptoms are common in the study district with low levels of help-seeking practices. People with lower levels of education, low socio-economic status and those in middle age are more likely to be affected by these symptoms. Most persons with current depression had past history of depressive symptoms.

2018 ◽  
Vol 95 (5) ◽  
pp. 682-690 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Asadi-Lari ◽  
Y. Salimi ◽  
M. R. Vaez-Mahdavi ◽  
S. Faghihzadeh ◽  
A. A. Haeri Mehrizi ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 320-323
Author(s):  
Samar Hossain ◽  
Sharma Priyanka ◽  
Talib Hossain ◽  
Surendra Mohan Mathur

Objective: The last two decades have witnessed an increase in health care costs due to obesity and related issues among children and adolescents. Childhood obesity is a global phenomenon affecting all socio-economic groups, irrespective of age, sex or ethnicity. The study was done to find the the prevalence of obesity and overweight and their association with socioeconomic status (SES) and the risk factors. Materials and Methods: School based cross sectional study carried out over a period of 4 months in three schools of East Delhi. The study was carried out in 629 school children of 10–18 years of age and belonging to different socioeconomic statuses in schools in East Delhi. The obesity and overweight were considered using an updated body mass index reference. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to determine the Socio-economic status and life style factors. Results: The prevalence of overweight among children was higher in middle socioeconomic status groups as compared to high socioeconomic class in both boys and girls whereas the prevalence of obesity was higher in high Socio economic status group as compared to middle socioeconomic group. The prevalence of obesity as well as overweight in low SES group was the lowest as compared to other group. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that the prevalence of overweight and obesity varies remarkably with different socioeconomic development levels.


1970 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 180-184
Author(s):  
BJ Brown ◽  
AO Adeleye

Background: Socioeconomic factors are known to affect health quality, disease occurrence as well as health-seeking behaviors in several ways.Objectives: To determine the influence of socio-economic factors on awareness of cancer, healthseeking behaviors among parents of children with cancer in a developing country and occurrence of cancer using Burkitt lymphoma as index malignancy.Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study that involved children with cancer seen over a 2-year period in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. Information was obtained by interview through administration of a questionnaire and retrieval of clinical data from patients’ case notes.Results: The caregivers of 91 children (46 boys, 45 girls) were interviewed including 86 biological parents. Majority (84.6%) of the children belonged to the low socio -economic classes 3-5; 45 of 86 parents (52.3%), more likely in parents from higher socioeconomic classes, were aware of cancer but only 7 (8.1%) knew it could occur in children. There was no association between Burkitt lymphoma and socio-economic class. Twenty-eight (30.8%) parents of the 91 children visited alternate sources of health care, most commonly traditional healers, followed by religious centers. There was no association between visits to such centers and the parents’ socio-economic status or with presentation with metastatic disease.Conclusions: Awareness of childhood cancer is low among this cohort of parents; their socioeconomic status seems to impact on this level of awareness but not on their health-seeking behaviors for their affected children. Focused health education is needed to increase childhood cancer awareness and appropriate healthseeking behavior among the population studied.Key words: socio-economic; childhood; cancer; health-seeking; behaviour; awareness


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Getnet Kassa ◽  
Addisalem Mesfin ◽  
Samson Gebremedhin

Abstract Background In low- and middle-income countries routine vitamin A supplementation (VAS) is a key strategy for reducing vitamin A deficiency and mortality and morbidity of preschool children. However, in Ethiopia, there is paucity of evidence regarding the level and determinants of the uptake of the supplement. This study was designed to assess the coverage and predictors of VAS among preschool children in Humbo district, Southern Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in April 2016. A total of 840 mothers/caregivers having children 6–59 months of age were selected using multistage cluster sampling technique from six rural villages implementing routine VAS program. Data were collected using interviewer administered questionnaire. Possible predictors considered in the study include distance from the nearby health facility, household socio-economic status, type of the household (model vs non-model), maternal access to health education on VAS, and knowledge on vitamin A and VAS. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of uptake of VAS. The outputs are presented using adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with the respective 95% confidence interval (CI). Results The coverage of VAS was 75.0% (95% CI: 72.1–77.9). Better knowledge of mothers about the importance of the supplement (AOR: 1.49, 1.02–2.17), obtaining VAS related information from frontline community health workers (AOR: 1.51, 1.34–2.72) than health professionals and being from households in the “rich” wealth tertile (AOR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.07–3.03) were positively associated with uptake VAS. Conclusion The VAS coverage of the area was approaching the expected national target of 80%. However, the uptake can be enhanced though awareness creation and improving socio-economic status of the community.


2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 1879-1889 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lena Hallström ◽  
Carine A Vereecken ◽  
Idoia Labayen ◽  
Jonatan R Ruiz ◽  
Cinzia Le Donne ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveTo describe breakfast habits at food group level in European adolescents and to investigate the associations between these habits and sociodemographic factors.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingSecondary schools from nine European cities participating in the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) Study. Breakfast habits were assessed twice using a computer-based 24 h dietary recall. Adolescents who consumed breakfast on at least one recall day were classified as ‘breakfast consumers’ and adolescents who did not have anything for breakfast on either of the two recall days were considered ‘breakfast skippers’. A ‘breakfast quality index’ to describe breakfast quality was created based on the consumption or non-consumption of cereals/cereal products, dairy products and fruits/vegetables. The sociodemographic factors studied were sex, age, region of Europe, maternal and paternal education, family structure and family affluence.SubjectsAdolescents (n 2672, 53 % girls) aged 12–17 years.ResultsThe majority of the adolescents reported a breakfast that scored poorly on the breakfast quality index. Older adolescents, adolescents from the southern part of Europe and adolescents from families with low socio-economic status were more likely to consume a low-quality breakfast.ConclusionsThe study highlights the need to promote the consumption of a high-quality breakfast among adolescents, particularly in older adolescents, adolescents from southern Europe and adolescents from families with low socio-economic status, in order to improve public health.


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