scholarly journals Female authorship of covid-19 research in manuscripts submitted to 11 biomedical journals: cross sectional study

BMJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. n2288
Author(s):  
Angèle Gayet-Ageron ◽  
Khaoula Ben Messaoud ◽  
Mark Richards ◽  
Sara Schroter

Abstract Objective To describe prominent authorship positions held by women and the overall percentage of women co-authoring manuscripts submitted during the covid-19 pandemic compared with the previous two years. Design Cross sectional study. Setting Nine specialist and two large general medical journals. Population Authors of research manuscripts submitted between 1 January 2018 and 31 May 2021. Main outcome measures Primary outcome: first author’s gender. Secondary outcomes: last and corresponding authors’ gender; number (percentage) of women on authorship byline in “pre-pandemic” period (1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019) and in “covid-19” and “non-covid-19” manuscripts during pandemic. Results A total of 63 259 manuscripts were included. The number of female first, last, and corresponding authors respectively were 1313 (37.1%), 996 (27.9%), and 1119 (31.1%) for covid-19 manuscripts (lowest values in Jan-May 2020: 230 (29.4%), 165 (21.1%), and 185 (22.9%)), compared with 8583 (44.9%), 6118 (31.2%), and 7273 (37.3%) for pandemic non-covid-19 manuscripts and 12 724 (46.0%), 8923 (31.4%), and 10 981 (38.9%) for pre-pandemic manuscripts. The adjusted odds ratio of having a female first author in covid-19 manuscripts was <1.00 in all groups (P<0.001) compared with pre-pandemic (lowest in Jan-May 2020: 0.55, 98.75% confidence interval 0.43 to 0.70). The adjusted odds ratio of having a woman as last or corresponding author was significantly lower for covid-19 manuscripts in all time periods (except for the two most recent periods for last author) compared with pre-pandemic (lowest values in Jan-May 2020: 0.74 (0.57 to 0.97) for last and 0.61 (0.49 to 0.77) for corresponding author). The odds ratios for pandemic non-covid-19 manuscripts were not significantly different compared with pre-pandemic manuscripts. The median percentage of female authors on the byline was lower for covid-19 manuscripts (28.6% in Jan-May 2020) compared with pre-pandemic (36.4%) and non-covid-19 pandemic manuscripts (33.3% in Jan-May 2020). Gender disparities in all prominent authorship positions and the proportion of women authors on the byline narrowed in the most recent period (Feb-May 2021) compared with the early pandemic period (Jan-May 2020) and were very similar to values observed for pre-pandemic manuscripts. Conclusions Women have been underrepresented as co-authors and in prominent authorship positions in covid-19 research, and this gender disparity needs to be corrected by those involved in academic promotion and awarding of research grants. Women attained some prominent authorship positions equally or more frequently than before the pandemic on non-covid-19 related manuscripts submitted at some time points during the pandemic.

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 205031212110245
Author(s):  
Getu Mosisa ◽  
Bikila Regassa ◽  
Bayise Biru

Introduction: Hypertension remains an emerging public health problem globally, particularly in developing countries. Age, income level, obesity, alcohol consumption, smoking, vegetables and fruit consumption, physical activity and chat chewing were some risk factors of hypertension. However, there are limited data on the epidemiology of hypertension in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess Epidemiology of Hypertension among the community of selected towns of Wollega zones. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 to 30 June 2019 in selected towns of Wollega zones. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 840 study participants. Data were collected using the WHO STEP wise approach. The data were coded and entered into EpiData 3, and exported to SPSS version 20.0 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted. Statistical significance was declared at p-value < 0.05. Results: The study included a total of 838 respondents with a response rate of 99.7%. The prevalence of hypertension was found to be 189 (22.6%) (95% confidence interval = 19.9%–25.2%). Of this, 108 (12.9%) and 81 (9.7%) of female and male were hypertensive, respectively. Age groups of 30–44 years (adjusted odds ratio = 2.65 (1.43, 4.89)), 45–59 years (adjusted odds ratio = 3.55 (1.79, 7.04)), above 60 years (adjusted odds ratio = 2.97 (1.43, 6.18)), having history of alcohol consumption (adjusted odds ratio = 4.29 (2.4, 7.66)), involving in vigorous physical activity (adjusted odds ratio = 0.096 (0.028, 0.33)), not walking to and from the work (adjusted odds ratio = 13.12 (8.34, 20.67)), being overweight (adjusted odds ratio = 1.98 (1.21, 3.25)), inadequate fruits serving per day (adjusted odds ratio = 2.93 (1.75, 4.88)) were significantly associated with hypertension. Conclusion: The prevalence of hypertension was found to be high in the study area. Older age, alcohol consumption, not engaging in vigorous activity, physical inactivity, being overweight and inadequate intake of fruits were found to be risk factors for hypertension. Therefore, health care providers should provide extensive health education and promotion on recommended lifestyle modification to tackle the burden of hypertension.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sisay Shine ◽  
Sindew Muhamud ◽  
Solomon Adnew ◽  
Alebachew Demelash ◽  
Makda Abate

Abstract Background: Diarrhea is responsible for 525,000 children under-five deaths and 1.7 billion cases globally and is the second leading cause of death among children under-five every year. It is a major public health problem in low income countries like Ethiopia. The main aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of diarrhea and associated risk factors among children under-five in Debre Berhan Town, Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 420 parent or caretaker/children pairs in Debre Berhan town between 13–18 April 2018. A multi-stage sampling strategy was used to select the study participants. Data were collected using pre-tested and structured questionnaires. Data were entered in Epi-info computer software version 3.5.1 and exported to SPSS Window Version-16 for analysis. Adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals were used to assess the level of significance. Results: The two week prevalence of diarrhea among children under-five was 16.4% (69/351). Children aged 7-11 months (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 4.2, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.2 - 15.3), being the second-born child (AOR: 3.9, 95%CI: 1.8 - 8.5), not vaccinated against rotavirus (AOR: 10.3, 95%CI: 3.2 - 91.3) and feeding children by hand (AOR: 2.5, 95%CI: 1.1 - 6.1) were significant predictors of diarrhea. Conclusions: This study revealed that the two weeks period prevalence of diarrhea among children under-five years was 16.4%. Education programs on the importance of vaccination against rotavirus, increasing breast feeding frequency with complementary food after six months and the critical points of hand washing are recommended.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 204800401986323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dina Eufemia D San Gabriel ◽  
Julia Slark

Background There is a paucity of data relating to the association of gout with the occurrence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus in patients with stroke. This study aimed to determine the association of gout with the risk of hypertension and diabetes mellitus in a cohort of stroke patients from Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among stroke survivors in South and East Auckland, New Zealand from the years 2010 to 2014. Electronic health record data were collected and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science version 23. Multivariate logistic regression modelling adjusted for age, gender, and ethnicity was conducted to determine the association of gout with the risk of hypertension and diabetes mellitus in patients discharged with a diagnosis of stroke. Results The age-, gender-, and ethnicity-adjusted odds ratio for having hypertension and diabetes mellitus among stroke survivors with gout history were 3.25 (95% confidence interval 1.32–8.03) and 1.94 (95% confidence interval 1.12–3.36), respectively. Māori stroke survivors with gout history had the highest risk of having diabetes mellitus with age- and gender-adjusted odds ratio of 5.10 (95% confidence interval 1.90–18.93). Conclusion The findings from this study suggest gout may be independently associated with an increased risk of hypertension and diabetes mellitus in patients with stroke. Māori who are the indigenous population of New Zealand show a greater risk of diabetes mellitus associated with a gout diagnosis compared to other populations. This finding highlights the importance of the need for further research with Māori stroke survivors and other indigenous populations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Soo Hwan Byun ◽  
Dae Myoung Yoo ◽  
Minwook Chang ◽  
Hyo Geun Choi ◽  
Seok Jin Hong

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the association between periodontitis and glaucoma. This prospective cohort study used epidemiological data from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study performed between 2004 and 2016. Among 173,209 participants, 9572 patients with periodontitis and 115,332 controls (nonperiodontitis) were selected. We analysed the history of glaucoma in periodontitis and control participants. The participants were interviewed regarding their history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidaemia, periodontitis, glaucoma, smoking, and alcohol consumption by trained interviewers. A logistic regression model was created to analyse the odds ratio of having a history of glaucoma among patients with periodontitis. Two-tailed analyses using chi-square and independent t-tests were used for statistical analysis. The adjusted odds ratio of periodontitis as a risk factor for glaucoma was 3.44 (95% confidence interval = 2.99–3.97, p < 0.001 ). This study demonstrated that glaucoma was associated with periodontitis.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Umesh Ghimire ◽  
Binod Kumar Aryal ◽  
Ankush Kumar Gupta ◽  
Suman Sapkota Sapkota

Abstract Background: Despite consistent efforts to enhance child nutrition, poor nutritional status of children continues to be a major public health problem in Nepal. This study identified the predictors of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) among children aged 6-59 months in the two districts of Nepal. Methods: We used data from a cross-sectional study conducted among 6 to 59 months children admitted to the Outpatient Therapeutic Care Centres (OTCC). The nutritional status of children was assessed using mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) measurement. To determine which variables predict the occurrence of SAM, adjusted odds ratio was computed using multivariate logistic regression and p-value <0.05 was considered as significant. Results: Out of 398 children, 5.8 percent were severely malnourished and the higher percentage of female children were malnourished. Multivariate analysis showed that severe acute malnutrition was significantly associated with family size (five or more members) (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]: 3.96; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.23 - 12.71). Children from severely food insecure households (AOR: 4.04; 95% CI: 1.88-10.53) were four times more likely to be severely malnourished. Higher odds of SAM were found among younger age-group (AOR: 12.10; 95% CI: 2.06 - 71.09) children (0 - 12 vs. 24 - 59 months). . Conclusions: The findings of this study indicated that household size, household food access, and the child’s age were the major predictors of severe acute malnutrition. Engaging poor families in kitchen gardening to ensure household food access and nutritious diet to the children, along with health education and promotion to the mothers of young children are therefore recommended to reduce child undernutrition.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 3729
Author(s):  
Fuyuko Takahashi ◽  
Yoshitaka Hashimoto ◽  
Ayumi Kaji ◽  
Ryosuke Sakai ◽  
Yuka Kawate ◽  
...  

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the association between the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) and the prevalence of sarcopenia in people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Having both low handgrip strength (<28 kg for men and <18 kg for women) and low skeletal muscle mass index (<7.0 kg/m2 for men and <5.7 kg/m2 for women) was diagnosed as sarcopenia. GNRI was estimated by the formula as below: GNRI = (1.489 × serum albumin level [g/L]) + (41.7 × [current body weight (kg)/ideal body weight (kg)]). Participants were dichotomized on the basis of their GNRI scores (GNRI < 98, low; or GNRI ≥ 98, high). Among 526 people (301 men and 225 women) with T2DM, the proportions of participants with sarcopenia and low GNRI were 12.7% (n = 67/526) and 5.1% (n = 27/526), respectively. The proportion of sarcopenia in participants with low-GNRI was higher than that with high GNRI (44.4% [n = 12/27] vs. 11.0% [n = 55/499], p < 0.001). The GNRI showed positive correlations with handgrip strength (r = 0.232, p < 0.001) and skeletal muscle mass index (r = 0.514, p < 0.001). Moreover, low GNRI was related to the prevalence of sarcopenia (adjusted odds ratio, 4.88 [95% confidence interval: 1.88–12.7], p = 0.001). The GNRI, as a continuous variable, was also related to the prevalence of sarcopenia (adjusted odds ratio, 0.89 [95% confidence interval: 0.86–0.93], p < 0.001). The present study revealed that low GNRI was related to the prevalence of sarcopenia.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Abdulaziz Alamri ◽  
Suliman Shahin ◽  
Eman A. Bakhurji ◽  
Ahmed A. Alsulaiman ◽  
Zainah Salloot ◽  
...  

Objective. To assess the prevalence of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and its association with text anxiety among undergraduate medical, dental, and pharmacy students in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Material and Methods. This cross-sectional study included health professions students who responded to Fonseca’s questionnaire and Test Anxiety Inventory by Spielberger to evaluate TMD and test anxiety, respectively. TMD score was compared in different categories of students, and bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses evaluated the influence of test anxiety on TMD. Results. The study included 884 participants (44.8% males and 55.2% females) with a mean age of 21.46 ± 1.36 years. Regarding items of Fonseca’s questionnaire, most students reported being tense/nervous (65.7%) and had headaches (57.5%). About 45.8% of the participants reported no TMD, and remaining had mild (40.4%), moderate (11.3%), and severe (2.5%) TMD. The mean TMD score was significantly higher in students with high test anxiety (25.6 ± 18.32) than those with low test anxiety (20.25 ± 16.97) ( P < 0.001 ). Mean test anxiety scores significantly differed among TMD categories ( P < 0.001 ) with the lowest score in the no TMD group and the highest in the moderate TMD group. Female gender (adjusted odds ratio 1.4, P 0.039) and high test anxiety (adjusted odds ratio 1.92, P < 0.001 ) were significantly associated with increased odds of having TMD. Conclusions. The study revealed a high prevalence of TMD among students. There was a significant association between test anxiety and TMD. The data obtained may guide preventive policies and program on test anxiety and TMD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 205031212110424
Author(s):  
Azmach Dache ◽  
Aregahegn Dona ◽  
Amanuel Ejeso

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the inappropriate use of antibiotics, its reasons and contributing factors among communities of Yirgalem town, Sidama regional state, Ethiopia. Methods: The study was conducted in Yirgalem town from 1 March to 30 March 2019. A cross-sectional study with interviewer administered structured and pretested questionnaire was used. A multistage sampling procedure was employed involving a total of 568 participants who used antibiotics in the past 1 year prior to the study period. Data were entered into Epi data version 3.1, and then exported to statistical package for social science version 20 for analysis. Descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were done. p-value < 0.05 was used to consider significant variables. Results: The magnitude of inappropriate use of antibiotics was 37.9% (95% confidence interval (34.0, 41.5)). Main reason(s) for inappropriate use were long delays in health facility, cost-cutting and busy day’s program. Being employed (adjusted odds ratio = 3.45, 95% confidence interval (1.98, 6.02)), age 25–34 years (adjusted odds ratio = 2.89, 95% confidence interval (1.43, 5.84)), being male (adjusted odds ratio = 1.90, 95% confidence interval (1.20, 3.02)), seeking modern healthcare in private clinic (adjusted odds ratio = 2.54, 95% confidence interval (1.20, 5.36)), delayed waiting time in healthcare facilities (adjusted odds ratio = 4.87, 95% confidence interval (2.17, 10.91)), experienced with similar symptom/disease (adjusted odds ratio = 3.02, 95% confidence interval (1.89, 4.83)) and family size above five (adjusted odds ratio = 8.92, 95% confidence interval (3.56, 22.38)) were predictors positively associated with inappropriate use of antibiotics. Conclusion: The magnitude of inappropriate antibiotics use was high. Attention should be given to community education through involvement of the private health sector and healthcare providers about rational use of antibiotics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 205031212110662
Author(s):  
Mohamed Ebrahim ◽  
Dawit Tamiru ◽  
Behailu Hawulte ◽  
Tadesse Misgana

Introduction: Depression is one of the most common comorbid psychiatric disorders among diabetic patients. Depression among diabetic people has led to poor treatment adherence, defective treatment outcomes, and consequently worsened quality of life. However, there is a limited study conducted to assess the magnitude and factors associated with depression among diabetic patients in Ethiopia including this study area. Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with depression among adult diabetic outpatients attending diabetic clinic in Eastern Ethiopia. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 407 adult diabetic outpatients on treatment in Ethiopia in 2020. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was used to assess depression among randomly selected samples. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was fitted to identify factors associated with depression among diabetic outpatients. A p value less than 0.05 with a 95% confidence interval was considered statistically significant. Results: The overall prevalence of depression among diabetic outpatients was found to be 48.9% (95% confidence interval: 44.2%, 53.4%). Being female (adjusted odds ratio = 1.50, 95% confidence interval: 1.39, 2.73), Khat chewing (adjusted odds ratio = 1.88, 95% confidence interval: 1.22, 2.93), having poor and moderate social support (adjusted odds ratio = 1.79, 95% confidence interval: 1.07, 2.98 and adjusted odds ratio = 1.90, 95% confidence interval: 1.14, 3.17, respectively), taking both oral hypoglycemic agents and insulin medication (adjusted odds ratio = 1.33, 95% confidence interval: 1.13, 2.80) and duration of diabetes mellitus for more than 6 years (adjusted odds ratio = 5.40, 95% confidence interval: 3.42, 8.14) were significantly associated with depression. Conclusion: This study revealed a relatively high prevalence of depression in diabetic outpatients. A lesser level of social support, taking oral and insulin treatment regimes, longer duration of illness, using Khat, and being female were associated with depression among diabetic outpatients. Therefore, early screening and identification of such factors could help ameliorate some of the deleterious effects of depression in diabetic outpatients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 205031212110384
Author(s):  
Shewangizaw Hailemariam ◽  
Besufekad Mekonnen ◽  
Nigusie Shifera ◽  
Biruk Endalkachew ◽  
Molla Asnake ◽  
...  

Objective: Ethiopia is planning to vaccinate 20% of its population against the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic by the end of 2021—however, there is no single piece of evidence regarding pregnant women’s intention to be vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019; hence, the objective of this study was to investigate predicting factors of intention to be vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 among pregnant women in Bench-Sheko Zone, southwest Ethiopia. Methods: Facility-based cross-sectional study was undertaken from 1 February to 1 March 2021 in southwest Ethiopia. The study was carried out among pregnant women who came for antenatal care service in the selected public health facilities. Interviewer-administered structured tool was used to collect the data. Data were entered into EpiData (version 3.1) and then analyzed using SPSS (version 20). Results: The study revealed that only 31.3% (95% confidence interval: 26.7–35.2) of the participants had an intention to be vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 when the vaccine will be made available in Ethiopia. Participants’ intention to be vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 was significantly associated with attaining secondary school and above (adjusted odds ratio = 4.24, 95% confidence interval: 2.23–9.32), residing in urban areas (adjusted odds ratio = 2.57, 95% confidence interval: 1.22–5.40), being compliant with coronavirus disease 2019 guidelines (adjusted odds ratio = 5.86, 95% confidence interval: 3.40–10.09), and having good perception toward coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine (adjusted odds ratio = 3.04, 95% confidence interval: 1.64–5.62). Conclusion: Above all, in this study, pregnant women’s intention to vaccinate against coronavirus disease 2019 was very low when compared with previous studies. Hence, before commencing the coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination program in Ethiopia, it is essential to launch a widespread public health education campaign that could improve people’s perception of the vaccine. Besides, the upcoming public health intervention programs better put special emphasis on community members with lower educational attainment backgrounds and rural residents.


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