scholarly journals 909Testing ‘hardening hypotheses’ in 30 Global Adult Tobacco Survey countries: an ecological study

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chandrashekhar Sreeramareddy ◽  
Saint His Aye
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Smoking Prevalence ◽  
Linear Prediction ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
Hard Core ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Daily Smoking ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Light Smoking

Abstract Background Evidence from high-income countries suggests “softening” but not “hardening” occurs when smoking prevalence decreases; however, evidence is lacking from developing countries. Methods We constructed heaviness of smoking index (HIS) based on cigarettes smoked per day (CPD) and time-to-first-cigarette (TTFC) and a score of 4-6 was high nicotine dependence; Hardcore smokers (HCS) are daily smokers who smoked within 30 minutes after waking up, smoke ≥10 cigarettes per day, have not made any quit attempts in 12 months, and have no intention to quit at all or during next 12 months; light smokers (<10 CPD or occasional smokers). We plotted two-way linear prediction graphs using country-level data and estimated Spearmańs rank-correlation coefficient. On pooled data multi-level binary logistic regression analyses for HCS, high dependence and light smoker. Results Among men and women range (lowest vs. highest) of rates varied between countries and were lower among women. Daily smoking prevalence was moderately and positively correlated with hard-core smoking (Rsp=0.473), and high dependence (Rsp=0.384) but negatively correlated with light smoking (Rsp=-0.677). HCS and high dependence were associated with socio-economic factors but effect sizes were higher for women. Among GDP and tobacco control score showed protective effect for HCS and high dependence but increased risk for light smoking. Conclusions Positive relationship of daily smoking with HCS and high dependence and its negative relationship with light smoking is contrary to “hardening hypothesis”. Key messages Hardening may not happen in developing countries as well.

scholarly journals The Impact of Client Size and Financial Performance on Audit Opinion: Evidence from a Developing Market

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 228
Author(s):  
Ahmed A. Diab ◽  
Samir I. Abdelazim ◽  
Aref M. Eissa ◽  
Eid Mahmoud Abozaid ◽  
Mona Mohamed Elshaabany
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Company Size ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
Audit Opinion ◽  
Audit Market ◽  
The Impact

This research investigates the effect of audit client size and its financial performance on audit opinion in the Egyptian audit market. A few studies have investigated the association between these factors in the audit context, especially in African developing countries. Data are manually collected from the annual financial reports of firms registered in the Egyptian Stock Market, focusing on a sample of EGX 70 from 2012 to 2016, and binary logistic regression is used in data analysis. We found that the company size is insignificantly, positively, related to a qualified, rather than an unqualified, type of audit opinion. In contrast, the client's financial performance has a significant but negative relationship with the qualified type of audit opinion. This study provides insights for managers and investors in developing countries to understand and perceive audit opinions in these contexts.   Received: 31 October 2020 / Accepted: 12 December 2020 / Published: 17 January 2021

scholarly journals Changes in insomnia as a risk factor for the incidence and persistence of anxiety and depression: a longitudinal community study

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magnus Johansson ◽  
Markus Jansson-Fröjmark ◽  
Annika Norell-Clarke ◽  
Steven J. Linton
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Hospital Anxiety ◽  
Dynamic Risk ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Longitudinal Association ◽  
Development Of Anxiety

Abstract Background The aim of this investigation was to examine the longitudinal association between change in insomnia status and the development of anxiety and depression in the general population. Methods A survey was mailed to 5000 randomly selected individuals (aged 18–70 years) in two Swedish counties. After 6 months, a follow-up survey was sent to those (n = 2333) who answered the first questionnaire. The follow-up survey was completed by 1887 individuals (80.9%). The survey consisted of questions indexing insomnia symptomatology, socio-demographic parameters, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Change in insomnia status was assessed by determining insomnia at the two time-points and then calculating a change index reflecting incidence (from non-insomnia to insomnia), remission (from insomnia to non-insomnia), or status quo (no change). Multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were used to examine the aim. Results Incident insomnia was significantly associated with an increased risk for the development of new cases of both anxiety (OR = 0.32, p < .05) and depression (OR = 0.43, p < .05) 6 months later. Incident insomnia emerged also as significantly associated with an elevated risk for the persistence of depression (OR = 0.30, p < .05), but not for anxiety. Conclusions This study extends previous research in that incidence in insomnia was shown to independently increase the risk for the development of anxiety and depression as well as for the maintenance of depression. The findings imply that insomnia may be viewed as a dynamic risk factor for anxiety and depression, which might have implications for preventative work.

Helminth communities in amphibians from Latvia, with an emphasis on their connection to host ecology

2021 ◽  
Vol 95 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Čeirāns ◽  
E. Gravele ◽  
I. Gavarane ◽  
M. Pupins ◽  
L. Mezaraupe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
Nematode Species ◽  
Bufo Bufo ◽  
Host Size ◽  
Trematode Species ◽  
Ecological Groups ◽  
Food Object ◽  
Linear Discriminant

Abstract Helminth infracommunities were studied at 174 sites of Latvia in seven hosts from six amphibian taxa of different taxonomical, ontogenic and ecological groups. They were described using a standard set of parasitological parameters, compared by ecological indices and linear discriminant analysis. Their species associations were identified by Kendall's rank correlation, but relationships with host size and waterbody area were analysed by zero-inflated Poisson and zero-inflated negative binomial regressions. The richest communities (25 species) were found in post-metamorphic semi-aquatic Pelophylax spp. frogs, which were dominated by trematode species of both adult and larval stages. Both larval and terrestrial hosts yielded depauperate trematode communities with accession of aquatic and soil-transmitted nematode species, respectively. Nematode loads peaked in terrestrial Bufo bufo. Helminth infracommunities suggested some differences in host microhabitat or food object selection not detected by their ecology studies. Associations were present in 96% of helminth species (on average, 7.3 associations per species) and dominated positive ones. Species richness and abundances, in most cases, were positively correlated with host size, which could be explained by increasing parasite intake rates over host ontogeny (trematode adult stages) or parasite accumulation (larval Alaria alata). Two larval diplostomid species (Strigea strigis, Tylodelphys excavata) had a negative relationship with host size, which could be caused by parasite-induced host mortality. The adult trematode abundances were higher in larger waterbodies, most likely due to their ecosystem richness, while higher larval abundances in smaller waterbodies could be caused by elevated infection rates under high host densities.

scholarly journals Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Child BMI—A Study of Prenatal Exposure to Nitrogen Oxides and Body Mass Index in Children at the Age of Four Years in Malmö, Sweden

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 2294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kasper Frondelius ◽  
Anna Oudin ◽  
Ebba Malmqvist
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Prenatal Exposure ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Childhood Overweight ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Traffic Density ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Increased Risk

Traffic-related air pollution could be a danger to the health of children. Earlier studies have linked prenatal exposure to an increased risk of a range of diseases and negative health outcomes, including overweight and obesity. Presently, a knowledge gap exists in investigating the risk of overweight and obesity among children exposed to lower levels of air pollution in utero. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between prenatal traffic-related air pollution (nitrogen dioxides (NOx) and traffic density) and childhood overweight and obesity in Malmö, Sweden. A cohort, based on attendance of a four-year check-up examination at Swedish Child Health Care (CHC) centers, and a parent-assessed questionnaire provided data on body-mass index adjusted for four-year-old children (ISO-BMI) as well as socioeconomic and health variables. We estimated exposure by using traffic density and levels of NOx at the maternal geocoded residential level. Analysis of 5815 children was performed using binary logistic regression models. This study showed no associations of increased risk for childhood overweight or obesity through to prenatal exposure to NOx in this low-exposure setting. We further suggest analysis of risks related to exposure levels ranging between the ones presented here and those proposed in previous literature.

scholarly journals Enhancing national data to align with policy objectives: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smoking prevalence at finer geographic levels

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyson Wright ◽  
Ray Lovett ◽  
Yvette Roe ◽  
Alice Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Survey Data ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Smoking Prevalence ◽  
Geospatial Analysis ◽  
Daily Smoking ◽  
Sample Sizes ◽  
Regional Patterns ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Torres Strait

Objectives The aim of the study was to assess the utility of national Aboriginal survey data in a regional geospatial analysis of daily smoking prevalence for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and discuss the appropriateness of this analysis for policy and program impact assessment. Methods Data from the last two Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) national surveys of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey 2014–15 (n = 7022 adults) and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey 2012–13 (n = 10 896 adults), were used to map the prevalence of smoking by Indigenous regions. Results Daily smoking prevalence in 2014–15 at Indigenous regions ranges from 27.1% (95%CI 18.9–35.3) in the Toowoomba region in Queensland to 68.0% (95%CI 58.1–77.9) in the Katherine region in the Northern Territory. The confidence intervals are wide and there is no significant difference in daily smoking prevalence between the two time periods for any region. Conclusion There are significant limitations with analysing national survey data at finer geographical scales. Given the national program for Indigenous tobacco control is a regional model, evaluation requires finer geographical analysis of smoking prevalence to inform public health progress, policy and program effects. Options to improve the data currently collected include increasing national survey sample sizes, implementing a smoking status question in census surveys, investing in current cohort studies focused on this population or implementing localised surveys. What is known about the topic? The last geospatial analysis of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smoking prevalence was undertaken in 1997. Current national survey data have not been analysed geospatially. What does this paper add? This paper provides new insights into the use of national survey data for understanding regional patterns and prevalence levels of smoking in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. What are the implications for practitioners? The findings of the study suggest caution when interpreting prevalence maps and highlight the need for greater sample sizes in national survey data. The analysis is also an opportunity to assess the use of national survey data in evaluating the policy impact of programs targeted at a regional level.

scholarly journals Does Having a Living Child Increase Women’s Risk of Intimate Partner Violence? Evidence from 2008- 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bola Lukman Solanke ◽  
Femi Monday Ilevbare
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Health Surveys ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Living Child ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Psychosocial Counselling ◽  
Living Children

This study examined the relationship between number of living children and intimate partner violence. This was with the view to ascertaining whether having living children or not having a living child was associated with increased risk of intimate partner violence among currently married women in Nigeria. The study analyzed data from 2008-2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys. The binary logistic regression was applied. Results showed that women who had two or more living children were 20.5% more likely to experience intimate partner violence compared with women who had no living child (OR=1.205; CI: 0.993-1.461). The study concluded that having living children increase women’s risk of intimate partner violence in Nigeria. Women experiencing intimate partner violence should seek psychosocial counselling to reduce the incidence of intimate partner violence that may arise from childbearing.

scholarly journals Will Musculoskeletal Conditions of Shoulder Affect the Hand Function and Hand-Eye Coordination? A Cross-Sectional Analysis

2020 ◽  
pp. 17-20
Author(s):  
Senthil Kumar B ◽  
Subbaiah S ◽  
Arunachalam Ramachandran ◽  
Mohammad Sidiq ◽  
Mahendra Yadav ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Shoulder Pain ◽  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Hand Function ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Shoulder Pathology ◽  
Hand Eye Coordination ◽  
Spearman Rank Correlation Analysis ◽  
Sectional Analysis

Objective: To analyze the Hand Function (HF) and Hand-Eye Coordination (HEC) among subjects with shoulder conditions resulting in pain and disability. Methodology: In these cross-sectional 47 subjects with selected shoulder pathology between 30 to 60 years participated. Shoulder pathology was measured in terms of pain and disability using the SPADI scale. These values were correlated with Purdue pegboard and Balloon tossing task and Wall Ball Bounce task. Results: Spearman rank correlation analysis of SPADI pain component revealed that there was a negative correlation with HF (R= -0.596, p<0.001), but there was significant correlation with HEC1 (R= -0.260, p= 0.078) and HEC2 (R= -0.217, p= -0.144). Though there was no correlation a negative relationship was observed between the variables. In the correlation of SPADI disability component there was a perfect negative correlation with HF (R= -0.870, p<0.001), with HEC1 (R= -0.588, p<0.001) and HEC2 (R= -0.541, p<0.001). Conclusion: This study concludes that shoulder pain negatively influences the Hand Function, whereas the shoulder disability negatively influences both Hand Function and Hand-Eye Coordination. The therapist should consider assessing and treating HF and HEC in patients with shoulder pain and disability in the future.

scholarly journals Inequality in institutional delivery of the recent birth among married women in Nepal: a trend analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramesh Adhikari ◽  
Aakriti Wagle
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Maternal Mortality ◽  
Rural Women ◽  
Institutional Delivery ◽  
Maternal Mortality Ratio ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Bivariate Analysis ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Safe Delivery

Abstract Background The huge discrepancy in health statistics between developed and developing countries occur in the area of maternal mortality, with developing countries contributing most of the figures. Nepal has higher maternal mortality ratio than its South Asian neighbors. This study assesses the trend of institutional delivery of recent birth and compared the inequalities with associated factors that affect institutional delivery in Nepal.Methods The data for this study was obtained from three sequential Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys [NDHS] of 2006, 2011, and 2016. The information was collected from mothers having a child within last five years preceding the survey years. The total number of such mothers was 4066, 4148, and 3998 respectively in the survey of 2006, 2011, and 2016.The association between institutional delivery and the explanatory variables was assessed via bivariate analysis (chi-square test) and multivariate analysis (binary logistic regression).Results The utilization of health service during delivery stepped up from 21% in 2006 to 62% in 2016.Although the proportion of delivery in health facility increased among poorest over the period of 10 years, the disparity between richest and poorest still persisted from 2006 to 2016 and the association was highly significant in all the surveys. Although, government of Nepal has launched the maternity incentive scheme through safe delivery incentive program in 2005, poor women are still deprived from utilizing the service. Poorest and poorer women were 78 percent (aOR=0.22, 95% CI 0.17-0.27) and 71 Percent (aOR=0.23, 95%CI 0.23-0.35) respectively less likely to have institutional delivery than the richest women after controlling the other socio-demographic and culture factors. Furthermore, this study found that education, place of residence, women’s autonomy, religion, number of ANC visits, exposure to newspaper and TV were significant predicators for place of delivery. Conclusion Although there has been three-fold increment in utilization of health services during delivery over the period of 10 years, the discrepancy between rich and poor, educated and uneducated and urban and rural area is highly evident. Overall, our study highlights the necessity of interventions to promote institutional delivery with greater focus on poor, uneducated, and rural women.

scholarly journals The Impact of Diabetes on Hippocampus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeed Vafaei-Nezhad ◽  
Masood Vafaei-Nezhad ◽  
Mehri Shadi ◽  
Samira Ezi
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Child Mortality ◽  
Maternal Diabetes ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Diabetic Mothers ◽  
Lines Of Evidence

Maternal Diabetes is one of the most common metabolic disorders resulting an increased risk of abnormalities in the developing fetus and offspring. It is estimated that the prevalence of diabetes during pregnancy among women in developing countries is approximately 4.5 percent and this range varies between 1 to 14 percent in different societies. According to earlier studies, diabetes during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of maternal and child mortality and morbidity as well as major congenital anomalies including central nervous system (CNS) in their offspring. Multiple lines of evidence have suggested that infants of diabetic women are at risk of having neurodevelopmental sequelae. Previous studies reveal that the offspring of diabetic mothers exhibit disturbances in behavioral and intellectual functioning. In the examination of cognitive functioning, a poorer performance was observed in the children born to diabetic mothers when compared with the children of non-diabetic mothers. Therefore, it is important to study the possible effects of maternal diabetes on the hippocampus of these infants.

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