Analysis of public perception about ionizing radiation

This study assessed the level of public knowledge regarding ionizing radiation, the sources of information available to the public, and the preferred sources of education. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A 15-question survey was distributed to participants who attended a radiation awareness activity held for the public. Participants were asked to rank their confidence regarding ionizing radiation knowledge on a Likert-style scale. They also answered questions on their perception of risks, the source from which they received health information, and their preferred method of education. Only 3% of the 244 participants were “knowledgeable” about ionizing radiation. Nine percent stated they were confident about their ionizing radiation knowledge, and they were more knowledgeable than unconfident individuals (p = 0.041). Age, gender, and education level played no role in ionizing radiation knowledge (p = 0.746, p = 0.245, and p = 0.060, respectively). Among those who had undergone a medical imaging investigation during the past year, only 24% received an explanation of the risks and benefits. Participants overestimated the risk of nuclear plants, as this was selected as the source with the greatest risk to health, followed by medical sources. Most of those who had prior knowledge searched for the information on the internet (34%), however, more participants would prefer to receive education from their healthcare providers (36%).

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Baseline assessment of therapeutic injection practices in Pakistan in 2020: a cross-sectional study

Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association ◽

10.47391/jpma.0003 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 16-21

Author(s):

Syed Sharaf Ali Shah ◽

Safdar Pasha ◽

Nikhat Iftikar ◽

Altaf Ahmed Soomro ◽

Nazia Farrukh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Sector ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Health Facilities ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Injection Equipment ◽

Public And Private ◽

Healthcare Facilities ◽

The Public ◽

Injection Safety

Objective: To assess the magnitude of the problem of injection safety in public and private health facilities in two districts of Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted between October and December 2020 among public and private health facilities of two districts of Pakistan: Gujarat in Punjab and Larkana in Sindh provinces. A convenient sample size of 60 healthcare facilities (30 from each district) was taken due to time and resource constraint. Six data collection tools were used which included structured observations and interviews with injection prescribers and providers based on WHO Revised Tool C, which were finalised after piloting. Results: Reuse of injection equipment was not observed in any of the 60 health facilities. In exit interviews of 120 patients, it was found that 27 (22.5%) patients reported receiving an injection, while 11 (9.2%) were prescribed intravenous (IV) drips. More injections and drips were prescribed in the private sector (n=15; 25.0%) in comparison with the public sector (n=12; 20.0%). Slightly higher proportion of IV drips were prescribed by the private providers when compared to public sector healthcare providers: 6 (10.0%) vs 5 (8.3%) respectively. Most of the prescribers (n=58; 96.7%) reported that patients who attended public and private health facilities demanded injectable medicines. Used syringes and drips were noted to be visible in open containers and buckets for final disposal in 20 (33.3%) assessed health facilities. Continuou...

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Acceptance and Attitudes Toward COVID-19 Vaccines: A Cross-Sectional Study from Jordan

10.1101/2020.12.22.20248676 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Tamam El-Elimat ◽

Mahmoud M. AbuAlSamen ◽

Basima A. Almomani ◽

Nour A. Al-Sawalha ◽

Feras Q. Alali

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Public ◽

Awareness Campaigns ◽

Health Authorities ◽

Public Acceptability ◽

Public Health Authorities

AbstractBackgroundVaccines are effective interventions that can reduce the high burden of diseases globally. However, public vaccine hesitancy is a pressing problem for public health authorities. With the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, little information is available on the public acceptability and attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccines in Jordan. This study aimed to investigate the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines and its predictors in addition to the attitudes towards these vaccines among public in Jordan.MethodsAn online, cross-sectional, and self-administered questionnaire was instrumentalized to survey adult participants from Jordan on the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines. Logistic regression analysis was used to find the predictors of COVID-19 vaccines’ acceptability.ResultsA total of 3,100 participants completed the survey. The public acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines was fairly low (37.4%) in Jordan. Males (OR=2.488, 95CI%=1.834–3.375, p<.001) and those who took the seasonal influenza vaccine (OR=2.036, 95CI%=1.306–3.174, p=.002) were more likely to accept Covid-19 vaccines. Similarly, participants who believed that vaccines are generally safe (OR=9.258, 95CI%=6.020–14.237, p<.001) and those who were willing to pay for vaccines (OR=19.223, 95CI%=13.665–27.042, p<.001), once available, were more likely to accept the COVID-19 vaccines. However, those above 35 years old (OR=0.376, 95CI%=0.233-0.607, p<.001) and employed participants (OR=0.542, 95CI%=0.405-0.725, p<.001) were less likely to accept the COVID-19 vaccines. Moreover, participants who believed that there was a conspiracy behind COVID-19 (OR=0.502, 95CI%=0.356- 0.709, p<.001) and those who do not trust any source of information on COVID-19 vaccines (OR=0.271, 95CI%=0.183 – 0.400, p<.001), were less likely to have acceptance towards them. The most trusted sources of information on COVID-19 vaccines were healthcare providers.ConclusionSystematic interventions are required by public health authorities to reduce the levels of vaccines’ hesitancy and improve their acceptance. We believe these results and specifically the low rate of acceptability is alarming to Jordanian health authorities and should stir further studies on the root causes and the need of awareness campaigns. These interventions should take the form of reviving the trust in national health authorities and structured awareness campaigns that offer transparent information about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines and the technology that was utilized in their production.

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Acceptance and attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines: A cross-sectional study from Jordan

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0250555 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. e0250555

Author(s):

Tamam El-Elimat ◽

Mahmoud M. AbuAlSamen ◽

Basima A. Almomani ◽

Nour A. Al-Sawalha ◽

Feras Q. Alali

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Public ◽

Awareness Campaigns ◽

Health Authorities ◽

Public Acceptability ◽

Public Health Authorities

Vaccines are effective interventions that can reduce the high burden of diseases globally. However, public vaccine hesitancy is a pressing problem for public health authorities. With the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, little information is available on the public acceptability and attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccines in Jordan. This study aimed to investigate the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines and its predictors in addition to the attitudes towards these vaccines among public in Jordan. An online, cross-sectional, and self-administered questionnaire was instrumentalized to survey adult participants from Jordan on the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines. Logistic regression analysis was used to find the predictors of COVID-19 vaccines’ acceptability. A total of 3,100 participants completed the survey. The public acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines was fairly low (37.4%) in Jordan. Males (OR = 2.488, 95CI% = 1.834–3.375, p < .001) and those who took the seasonal influenza vaccine (OR = 2.036, 95CI% = 1.306–3.174, p = .002) were more likely to accept COVID-19 vaccines. Similarly, participants who believed that vaccines are generally safe (OR = 9.258, 95CI% = 6.020–14.237, p < .001) and those who were willing to pay for vaccines (OR = 19.223, 95CI% = 13.665–27.042, p < .001), once available, were more likely to accept the COVID-19 vaccines. However, those above 35 years old (OR = 0.376, 95CI% = 0.233–0.607, p < .001) and employed participants (OR = 0.542, 95CI% = 0.405–0.725, p < .001) were less likely to accept the COVID-19 vaccines. Moreover, participants who believed that there was a conspiracy behind COVID-19 (OR = 0.502, 95CI% = 0.356–0.709, p < .001) and those who do not trust any source of information on COVID-19 vaccines (OR = 0.271, 95CI% = 0.183–0.400, p < .001), were less likely to have acceptance towards them. The most trusted sources of information on COVID-19 vaccines were healthcare providers. Systematic interventions are required by public health authorities to reduce the levels of vaccines’ hesitancy and improve their acceptance. We believe these results and specifically the low rate of acceptability is alarming to Jordanian health authorities and should stir further studies on the root causes and the need of awareness campaigns. These interventions should take the form of reviving the trust in national health authorities and structured awareness campaigns that offer transparent information about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines and the technology that was utilized in their production.

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PERSEPSI MASYARAKAT KECAMATAN TOMPASO TERHADAP PEMAKAIAN GIGI TIRUAN

e-GIGI ◽

10.35790/eg.3.2.2015.10347 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Maureen M. Mamesah ◽

Vonny N. S Wowor ◽

Krista V. Siagian

Keyword(s):

Tooth Loss ◽

Public Perception ◽

Sampling Method ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

The Body ◽

Age Group ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Public ◽

Study Population ◽

Level Of Knowledge

Abstract: Teeth become one of the important parts of the body,and thereforeone can not be said to be healthy as a whole if the teeth and mouth are in problems. Tooth loss should be handled with the use of dentures because of loss of teeth are not replaced soon will interfere with the mastication, speesh function and aesthetic. However, not all people who have lost their original teeth using the dentures. The decision on a person’s actions are influenced by perception, such as when someone decided to use or not the denture. Perceptions about the use of denture is the stimulus in interpreated by individuals regarding the use of denture and the level of knowledge about the importance of the denture.This research is a descriptive study with cross sectional approach and using questionnaire. This study population is people in the age group 30-50 years in Tompaso and then totaling 2,031 people. Method of sampling in this research is purposivesampling method and sample size in this study was 64 people.The results of this study indicate the public perception of district Tompaso to the purposes and functions of the use of denture quite enough. With a percentage 54,15%.Keywords: Perception, Society, DentureAbstrak: Gigi menjadi salah satu bagian tubuh dengan fungsi yang penting, oleh sebab itu seseorang tidak dapat dikatakakan sehat secara utuh bila gigi dan mulutnya bermasalah. Kehilangan gigi seharusnya ditangani dengan pemakaian gigi tiruan karena hilangannya gigi yang tidak segera diganti akan menimbulkan gangguan terhadap fungsi pengunyahan, fungsi bicara maupun estetik. Akan tetapi saat ini tidak semua orang yang telah kehilangan gigi aslinya menggunakan gigi tiruan.Pengambilan keputusan terhadap tindakan seseorang dipengaruhi oleh persepsi, demikian halnya ketika seseorang memutuskan untuk menggunakan atau tidak gigi tiruan. Persepsi tentang pemakaian gigi tiruan adalah proses stimulus yang diinderakan oleh individu mengenai pemakaian gigi tiruan serta tingkat pengetahuan masyarakat mengenai pentingnya pemakaian gigi tiruan.Penelitian ini merupakan suatu penelitian deskriptif dengan metode pendekatan cross-sectional study dan menggunakan kuesioner. Populasi penelitian ini adalah masyarakat pada kelompok usia 30-50 tahun di Tompaso yang berjumlah 2.031 orang. Metode pengambilan sampel dalam penelitian ini yaitu Purposive Sampling Method, dan jumlah sampel pada penelitian ini adalah 64 orang.Hasil penelitian menunjukan persepsi masyarakat kecamatan Tompaso terhadap tujuan dan fungsi pemakaian gigi tiruan tergolong cukup, dengan persentase 54,15%.Kata kunci : Persepsi, Masyarakat, Gigi tiruan.

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Cord Blood Banking: Antenatal Care Provider’s Roles and Responsibilities

Stem Cells International ◽

10.1155/2019/3598404 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Vishal Gupta ◽

Lipisha Agarwal ◽

Priya Ballal ◽

Deeksha Pandey

Keyword(s):

Cord Blood ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

The Self ◽

Current Status ◽

Blood Collection ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Cord Blood Collection ◽

Cord Blood Banks

Background. Umbilical Cord Blood (UCB) banking done either for private storage or for donation to public cord blood banks involves active participation of obstetricians. Counseling the expectant parents, providing them with unbiased and balanced information, and collecting the UCB with diligence confer a lot of social as well as moral responsibility upon obstetricians. This makes it even more important that the obstetricians in current practice stay well-informed and updated with UCB collection and its storage guidelines. The present study was conducted to assess the current status of obstetricians about UCB banking in terms of their awareness, attitude, and expectations from it. Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted across three hospitals. A self-administered 22-item questionnaire was given to obstetricians to assess their awareness, attitude, and expectations about UCB banking. Finally, 154 completed questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS software (version 15.0). The awareness, attitude, and expectations were assessed and reported as primary endpoints and the self-rated knowledge levels, and sources of information were reported as secondary endpoints. Results. Overall, the awareness was poor, but the attitude was favorable for UCB banking amongst obstetricians. Around 74% felt that obstetricians must be well-informed about UCB banking-related counseling and collection protocols. However, 55% felt it to be an additional burden for the obstetrician, and 57% believed that financial compensation must be given to obstetricians involved with cord blood collection procedures. The majority remained unclear about their expectations from UCB banking. The self-rated knowledge was poor and very poor for 75% obstetricians. 89.6% derived their information from representatives of private cord blood companies. Conclusion. Although poor in awareness levels, obstetricians possessed a favorable attitude towards UCB banking. Continuing medical education needs to focus more on such current issues of public importance to keep professionals updated. This is one way to minimise percolation of wrong facts and figures by the industries with conflicting interest to the healthcare providers.

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Knowledge and intake of folic acid among teachers of childbearing age in the State of Qatar: a cross-sectional study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025005 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. e025005 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Al Mannai Lolowa ◽

Nagah Selim ◽

Mohammad Alkuwari ◽

Mansoura Salem Ismail

Keyword(s):

Folic Acid ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Arabic Language ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Childbearing Age ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Awareness Campaigns ◽

Validated Questionnaire

ObjectivesTo assess the knowledge and intake of folic acid among teachers of childbearing age and to identify barriers to folic acid intake.SettingGovernmental schools, which included 14 primary models, 29 primary, 14 preparatory and 16 secondary schools. The proportion of teachers in each stratum was then determined, and a stratified random sampling design had been used with proportional allocation.Study designCross-sectional studyParticipantsA total of 406 non-pregnant teachers of childbearing age enrolled in the study. A validated questionnaire in the Arabic language was used.ResultsThe overall response rate was 98%. About 34.6% reported the optimal period in which they should take folic acid, 28.3% reported the correct intake duration and only 29.5% could name food rich in folic acid. Friends and healthcare providers were the main sources of information for the participants; however, 44% said that they did not receive enough information from their healthcare providers.ConclusionThere is a lack of knowledge and poor intake of folic acid among the participants. In particular, they lacked information about the appropriate time to start folic acid supplementations, the duration of intake and the folic acid-rich food. The most common reason being the limited advice given by their healthcare providers.Awareness campaigns are recommended to emphasise the role of healthcare providers in counselling women about the proper use of folic acid before pregnancy.

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A Cross-Sectional Study On The Acceptance Of COVID-19 Vaccine

10.21203/rs.3.rs-992845/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Adetayo Olaniyi Adeniran ◽

Oluwadamisi Tayo-Ladega ◽

Taye Mohammed Abdullahi

Keyword(s):

Online Survey ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Vaccine Acceptance ◽

The Media ◽

The Developed Countries

Abstract Background Studies on the level of acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines and the perception of COVID-19 were most prevalent in the developed countries while scarcity of such studies in developing countries and Nigeria in particular. Because the level of acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines and the perception of COVID-19 differs among citizens of different countries, this study examines the acceptance of Nigerians to the usage of the COVID-19 vaccine. Methods An online cross-sectional study was conducted, with the use of an e-questionnaire which was administered to respondents (Nigerians) in a form of an online survey with emphasis on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Logistic regression analysis was employed to achieve the study. Conclusions The Nigerian public COVID-19 vaccines acceptance was fairly low in Nigeria. The educated male respondents are most likely to accept the usage of the vaccine. Similarly, respondents who believed that vaccines are generally safe and those who were willing to pay for vaccines, after becoming widespread, were more likely to accept the COVID-19 vaccines. However, those above 35 years old and respondents who are employed were not likely to accept the vaccines except been mandated by the employers. Moreover, respondents that believed in the rumors surrounding the dynamics of COVID-19 as well as those that do not have assurance in any source of information regarding COVID-19 vaccines, may not accept the usage of the vaccine. This study found that the most reliable sources of information regarding the COVID-19 vaccines were reports from the media and reports from healthcare providers.

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Sources of information, trust, and protective health behaviors during COVID-19 pandemic: A UAE cross-sectional study

10.31234/osf.io/fsyxn ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Maria J. Figueiras ◽

Jihane Ghorayeb ◽

Mariana Coutinho ◽

João Marôco ◽

Justin Thomas

Keyword(s):

Health Care Professionals ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Protective Behavior ◽

Protective Behaviors ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Gender And Education ◽

Different Types ◽

Information Trust

The present study has two aims (1) to identify the type of sources of information mostly used to obtain information about COVID-19 and the level of trust in those sources according to sociodemographic variables in the context of the COVID-19 in UAE and (2) to explore if the level of trust on sources of information, and citizenship are predictors of the adoption of protective behaviors to reduce the risk of being infected, considering age, gender and education as covariates. Participants (N = 1585) were recruited in April 2020 via announcements in the UAE media and through email networks. The findings indicated that the most used sources were Websites, social media, government sources, and family and friends. The sources considered more trustworthy were personal doctors, health care professionals, and government. There were differences in the use of sources and levels of trust according to age, gender, and education. Concerning the adoption of protective behaviors, there were no gender differences; however, age, education, and citizenship were significant, younger groups reported lower scores on protective behaviors, and higher educated participants reported higher adoption of protective behavior. National citizens reported lower scores on the adoption of protective behavior. The level of trust in sources of information and citizenship were predictors of the adoption of protective behavior. The use of sources of information and the level of trust vary from traditional to newly-developed sources, which can influence the adoption of protective behaviors for COVID-19. The findings suggest that the COVID-19-related contents need to be adjusted to different types of medium, considering the characteristics of the population and culture, to ensure that it is helping individuals to understand risks and develop their knowledge and skills to face the pandemic by adopting protective behaviors.

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Association Between Actual and Perceived U.S. COVID-19 Policies and Preventive Behavior

Annals of Behavioral Medicine ◽

10.1093/abm/kaab021 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Meng Li ◽

Helen Colby

Keyword(s):

Public Perception ◽

State Level ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Actual State ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Gender And Education ◽

The Usa ◽

Different Levels ◽

Better Than

Abstract Background COVID-19 related policies in the USA can be confusing: some states, but not others, implemented mask mandates mid-pandemic, and states reopened their economies to different levels with different timelines after initial shutdowns. Purpose The current research asks: How well does the public’s perception of such policies align with actual policies, and how well do actual versus perceived policies predict the public’s mask-wearing and social distancing behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic? Methods We conducted a preregistered cross-sectional study among 1,073 online participants who were representative of the U.S. population on age, gender, and education on Monday–Tuesday, July 20–21, 2020. We asked participants which locations they visited in the past weekend, and their mask-wearing and social distancing behaviors at each location. We also measured participants’ beliefs about their state’s policies on mask mandate and business opening and obtained objective measures of these policies from publicly available data. Results Perception about the existence of mask mandate was 91% accurate in states with a mask mandate but only 46% accurate in states without one. Perception of state reopening level did not correlate with policy. It was the perceived but not actual state mask mandate that positively predicted both mask-wearing and social distancing, controlling for state COVID-19 cases, demographic factors, and participants’ numeracy and COVID-19 history. Conclusions The public’s perception of state-level mask mandates erred on the side of assuming there is one. Perception of reopening is almost completely inaccurate. Paradoxically, public perception that a mask mandate exists predicts preventive behaviors better than actual mandates.

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Public Perception and Attitude toward Community Pharmacists in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Journal of Health Systems Research ◽

10.1159/000515207 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Omar A. Almohammed ◽

Sary Alsanea

Keyword(s):

Pharmaceutical Care ◽

Public Perception ◽

Online Survey ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Community Pharmacists ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Public ◽

Study Population

Background: The Saudi healthcare system is undergoing a major transformation, and pharmacists will assume more responsibilities in providing healthcare services. The current study aims to determine the current perception and attitude of the public toward pharmacists, as well as the public satisfaction with pharmacists’ practices and services in the community pharmacy setting. Methods: A cross-sectional, online questionnaire-based study was conducted between February and April 2019 and included adult participants (≥18 years) who could read and complete an Arabic online survey. χ2 and correlation tests were used to investigate differences in perception and attitude toward community pharmacists based on study population demographics and characteristics and assess the association between public perception and attitude. Statistical analysis was conducted using SAS software, version 9.4. Results: A total of 387 participants completed the survey. The overall Saudi public’s perception and attitude toward community pharmacists were positive in the study population, scoring 81.4% for perception and 69.8% for attitude, with female participants having a more favorable perception of community pharmacists than male participants (89.3 vs. 77.7%, p < 0.01). A strong and positive correlation between public perception and attitude was recognized in the study (r = 0.71, p < 0.01). The participants were found to be mostly satisfied with pharmacists’ commitment and communication skills, but not, however, with the level of pharmaceutical care services provided. Conclusion: The current positive perception and attitude toward community pharmacists among the Saudi public create an opportunity for pharmacists to assume expanded roles as healthcare providers. However, their pharmaceutical care skills should be improved in order to gain their patients’ trust and provide them with valuable services.

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