scholarly journals The Necessity of Mobile Phone Technologies for Public Health Surveillance in Benin

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaovi M. G. Hounmanou ◽  
Murielle S. S. Agonsanou ◽  
Victorien Dougnon ◽  
Mahougnon H. B. Vodougnon ◽  
Ephraim M. Achoh ◽  
...  

A cross-sectional study was conducted in March 2016 to assess the need of mobile phone technologies for health surveillance and interventions in Benin. Questionnaires were administered to 130 individuals comprising 25 medical professionals, 33 veterinarians, and 72 respondents from the public. All respondents possess cell phones and 75%, 84%, and 100% of the public, medical professionals, and veterinarians, respectively, generally use them for medical purposes. 75% of respondents including 68% of medics, 84.8% of veterinarians, and 72.2% of the public acknowledged that the current surveillance systems are ineffective and do not capture and share real-time information. More than 92% of the all respondents confirmed that mobile phones have the potential to improve health surveillance in the country. All respondents reported adhering to a nascent project of mobile phone-based health surveillance and confirmed that there is no existing similar approach in the country. The most preferred methods by all respondents for effective implementation of such platform are phone calls (96.92%) followed by SMS (49.23%) and smart phone digital forms (41.53%). This study revealed urgent needs of mobile phone technologies for health surveillance and interventions in Benin for real-time surveillance and efficient disease prevention.

Author(s):  
Lubna Farooq ◽  
Akhtar Ali ◽  
Sehrish Mahmood ◽  
Mahnoor Farzand ◽  
Hina Masood ◽  
...  

Introduction:In the era of modern technology mobile phones have becoming popular, especially in teenagers. Besides of its uses there are various undesirable psychological and physical impact on heath. Aims and objectives: The purpose of this study was to access the link among Excessive Use of Smart Phone and there sleep pattern among Pakistani Adolescents. Materials and Methods: A detailed cross sectional study was performed on a total of 500 medical graduates range between 18 and 24 years who were using mobile phone atleast a year. Self-designed Questionnaire is given to them having details of their frequency and pattern of using smart phone. Sleep quality was analyzed by using Pittsburg Sleep Quality index .Chi square test was also perform to check the link between frequency of mobile phone and quality of sleep.P value < 0.005 were considered as significant. Result: Out of 500 participants, the frequency of mobile phone usage was more in males 70% as compare to females30%. Their age varied from 21to 24 with mean age of 20 ± 1.9 years.  Most of students use mobile phone in night 188 (38%)and 202 (40%) participants using mobile phone unlimited. 366 (73%) students mentioned that they start using mobile phone at intermediate level and claimed that no surveillance of the mobile phone being done by the parents . Students who were using unlimited mobile phone reported that they take more than 1 hour to sleep that showed a significant (p-value <0.001) correlation between more mobile phone use and time taken to sleep. Conclusion: The results of our study conclude that excessive mobile phone usage leads to sleep disturbances and poor quality of sleep. That may implement negative effects on student’s mental and physical health along with this it can also affect the students’ educational performance and daily life activities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-45
Author(s):  
Laibah Safdar ◽  
Nayyab Khan ◽  
Mehjabeen Qureshi

Background: Nomophobia is defined as “The discomfort or anxiety felt when out of the mobile phone (MP) or computer contact. It is the fear of becoming technologically incommunicable, distant from the mobile phone or not connected to the web”. The frequency of nomophobia has increased over the past years and this condition has many negative consequences. The objective of our study is to find the frequency of nomophobia among medical students of Rawalpindi Medical University (RMU).Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out at Rawalpindi Medical University (RMU) over the course of one year. The inclusion criteria were medical students of all five years of MBBS studying at RMU. Students who do not own or use a smart-phone were excluded from the study. Our sample size was 350 students, who were recruited by convenience sampling. For this study, The Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q)has been used which has 20 items. Each item is scored on a 7 point Likert scale. The total score ranges from 20 to 140. Results: The mean NMP-Q score of the male students was 82.96 (±21.06) and that of the female students was 78.52 (±23.69), with a p-value of 0.065, which is insignificant. Out of the total 350 students, the number of students with a mild level of nomophobia was 61(17.4%), with a moderate level of nomophobia was 216(61.7%), and with severe nomophobia was 73(20.9%).Conclusion: Measures are needed to be taken on both public and personal level to counter this issue of nomophobia, which is becoming highly prevalent in our society.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-15
Author(s):  
Anu Mishal ◽  
U Giri ◽  
A Rizyal

Mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets are used globally for checking email, internet browsing, watching videos and posting on social media. A recent survey estimated that, by 2020 shipment of mobile phones will add up to 1.71 billion and a total of around 2.53 billion which constitutes almost one third of the world population owning a smart phone. According to American Optometric Association, 90% of employees who use computers for at least three hours a day experience some vision problem. A reflex that closes and opens eyelids is known as blink, which helps in spreading tears over the conjunctiva and thereby keeping it moist. The normal blinking rate at rest is 17 blinks/min, during conversation it increases to 26 blinks/min, and it is as low as 4.5 blinks/min while reading. Prolong use of mobile phone affects the blink rate. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among MBBS students at Nepal Medical College and Teaching Hospital to find out the effect of mobile device use on blink rate. The age of these students were from 19 to 26 year, with an average of 21.34 years. The result of this study shows that for male students, an average 3.8hr/per day use of mobile phone decreases the blink rate by 53.33 % while watching videos and 80% while reading articles. Similarly, for female students, an average 3.5hr/per day use of mobile phone decreases the blink rate by 31.25% while watching videos and 62.50% while reading articles.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1993-2002
Author(s):  
Najam Siddiqi ◽  
Muhammad Humza Kamal ◽  
Faisal Moin ◽  
Mohammad Amir Rafei ◽  
Fatma Al-Shehi ◽  
...  

The use of mobile phones has become increasingly common among general population, but how much has it increased among the young school going population remains to be seen.Our objective was to investigate the prevalence of mobile phone use, during and after school hours, and its ownership in the primary and secondary section students in Oman.We surveyed 414 students in Cycle 1 and 1438 students in Cycle 2 in the city of Sohar, North Al Batinah region of Oman. Students completed a paper-based questionnaire about mobile phone use, the apps they use and whether their parents keep a check on their cell phone use. 86% of primary section students reported using a mobile phone whereas 91% of students in secondary section reported use of mobile phone. Most popular mobile use among the primary section students were playing games on mobile phones whereas, secondary section students mostly used their phones to access internet. 86.7% of primary section students said that their parents were aware of how they used their mobile phones compared to 83.4% students in secondary section. Smart phone ownership and its use in school going students in Oman have increased from the past and is now almost the same in the students of primary and secondary sections. Students now start using mobile at a much younger age;however, the parents are well aware of the contents on their children’s mobile devices and sometimes even take away their mobile phone as punishment.


Author(s):  
. Mufeetha ◽  
G. Sridevi ◽  
S. Preetha

Background: Research shows that smartphones can lead to brain affects which slowly ability and start to store information remotely outside the brain brings mental laziness. When people are given smart- phones they reduce the memory storing. So, the present study planned to evaluate the Emotional disturbances and cognitive functions and language skills among android mobile non-users and users Methods: A study population involved 20 adults in the age group of 50-70 years. They were divided into two groups. Group 1- Subjects who were not using any mobile phone but were using landline Group 2-Subjects on regular use of Smartphones. Battery cognitive tests were assessed using MINI mental state examination and the levels of orientation, memory, attention, language, abstraction and recall was analyzed. The results were tabulated and statistically analyzed using an independent sample t test. The emotional status was assessed based on a cross-sectional study using a depression questionnaire performed among 100 elderly subjects in the age group of patients from private dental colleges. The data was collected and analyzed using SPSS software version 23. Results: As the result of mobile phones as it causes diseases. Apart from cancer, mobile phones influence our brain and nervous system. They may cause decreased attention, sleep disorders, headache, shortness of temper, and depression, mostly among elders. Conclusion: The study concluded an innovative finding that Mobile phone usage causes more cognitive changes in middle aged and they must be educated with the harmful effects of more and frequent usage of mobile phones. And they should impact with their family and relatives


Author(s):  
Manoj B. Patki ◽  
Balaji Arumugam ◽  
Ganesh S. Anusuya ◽  
Recharla Chenchu Karthik ◽  
Ezhilvanan Mani ◽  
...  

Background: Smart phone usage is on the rise in India. Previous studies have attributed mobile phone usage to certain health problems. Not many studies have been done in the community in Chennai pertaining to ill health effects of mobile phone usage.Methods: This was a cross sectional study done on 213 participants of age >14 years of urban and rural field practice area of Tagore Medical College and Hospital in Chennai. The duration of the study period was from January to March 2019. Participants were interviewed by using a pretested questionnaire. House to house survey was done for data collection. Descriptive statistics and chi square test were done to compare the various variables.Results: Nearly 52% were females. Mean age was 30 years. The most common perceived ill health effects were eye symptoms (63%), headache (40%), and feeling irritable (25%).The major differences among urban and rural population in mobile phone usage were, playing games (50% vs 35%: p=0.019), listening to music (77.7% vs 54.5% : p=0.000), taking selfies (48.5% vs 36.4% : p=0.048). Urban people in the study were found to use mobile phones more for internet (77.7%), WhatsApp (77.7%), and Facebook (70%), than rural people which was found to be internet (61.8%), WhatsApp (58.2%), and Facebook (40%) and their respective p values were 0.009, 0.002, 0.000.Conclusions: Authors strongly recommend undertaking health education and health awareness activities regarding the ill health effects of mobile phone usage in the community.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-164
Author(s):  
Rubiane Inara Wagner ◽  
Patrícia Molz ◽  
Camila Schreiner Pereira

O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar a frequência do consumo de alimentos processados e ultraprocessados e verificar a associação entre estado nutricional por adolescentes do ensino público e privado do município de Arroio do Tigre, RS. Trata-se de um estudo transversal realizado com adolescentes, com idade entre 10 e 15 anos, de uma escola pública e uma privada de Arroio do Tigre, RS. O estado nutricional foi avaliado pelo índice de massa corporal. Aplicou-se um questionário de frequência alimentar contendo alimentos processados e ultraprocessados. A amostra foi composta por 64 adolescentes com idade média de 12,03±1,15 anos, sendo 53,1% da escola pública. A maioria dos adolescentes encontravam-se eutróficos (p=0,343), e quando comparado com o consumo de alimentos processados e ultraprocessados, a maioria dos escolares eutróficos relataram maior frequência no consumo de balas e chicletes (50,0%) e barra de cereais (51,0%), de 1 a 3 vezes por semana (p=0,004; p=0,029, respectivamente). Houve também uma maior frequência de consumo de alimentos processados e ultraprocessados como pizza (73,5%; p0,001), refrigerante (58,8%; p=0,036) e biscoito recheado (58,8%; p=0,008) entre 1 a 3 vezes por semana na escola pública em comparação a escola privada. O consumo de suco de pacote (p=0,013) foi relatado não ser consumido pela maioria dos alunos da escola particular em comparação a escola pública. Os dados encontrados evidenciam um consumo expressivo de alimentos processados e ultraprocessados pelos adolescentes de ambas as escolas, destacando alimentos com alto teor de açúcar e sódio.Palavras-chave: Hábitos alimentares. Adolescentes. Alimentos industrializados. ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to compare the frequency of consumption of processed and ultraprocessed foods and to verify the association between nutritional status by adolescents from public and private schools in the municipality of Arroio do Tigre, RS. This was a cross-sectional study conducted with adolescents, aged 10 to 15 years, from a public school and a private school in Arroio do Tigre, RS. Nutritional status was assessed by body mass index. A food frequency questionnaire containing processed and ultraprocessed foods was applied. The sample consisted of 64 adolescents with a mean age of 12.03±1.15 years, 53.1% of the public school. Most of the adolescents were eutrophic (p=0.343), and when compared to the consumption of processed and ultraprocessed foods, most eutrophic schoolchildren reported a higher frequency of bullets and chewing gum (50.0%) and cereal bars (51.0%), 1 to 3 times per week (p=0.004, p=0.029, respectively). There was also a higher frequency of consumption of processed and ultraprocessed foods such as pizza (73.5%, p0.001), refrigerant (58.8%, p=0.036) and stuffed biscuit (58.8%, p=0.008) between 1 to 3 times a week in public school compared to private school. Consumption of packet juice (p=0.013) was reported not to be consumed by the majority of private school students compared to public school. Conclusion: The data found evidenced an expressive consumption of processed and ultraprocessed foods by the adolescents of both schools, highlighting foods with high sugar and sodium content.Keywords: Food Habits. Adolescents. Industrialized Foods.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (CSI) ◽  
pp. 12-18
Author(s):  
Ali Al-Rubaye ◽  
Dhurgham Abdulwahid ◽  
Aymen Albadran ◽  
Abbas Ejbary ◽  
Laith Alrubaiy

Background: There has been a rapid rise in cases of COVID-19 infection and its mortality rate since the first case reported in February 2020. This led to the rampant dissemination of misinformation and rumors about the disease among the public. Objectives: To investigate the scale of public misinformation about COVID-19 in Basrah, Iraq. Methods: A cross-sectional study based on a 22-item questionnaire to assess public knowledge and understanding of information related to the COVID-19 infection. Results: A total of 483 individuals completed the questionnaire. The most frequent age group was 26–35 years (28.2%); there were 280 (58%) males and 203 (42%) females. Of the participants, 282 (58.4%) were with an education level below the Bachelor’s degree, 342 (70.8%) were married, and 311 (64%) were living in districts in Basra other than the central district. Overall, 50.8% (11.8/ 22 * 100%) of individuals had the correct information regarding COVID-19. There was a significant association between the level of COVID-19 related misinformation and participants’ educational levels and occupation (p <0.05). However, there was no significant difference found across sex, age group, marital state, and area of residence. Conclusions: Misinformation related to COVID-19 is widely spread and has to be addressed in order to control the pandemic. Keywords: COVID-19, misinformation, knowledge, Iraq


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pegah Shakib ◽  
Mohammad Reza Zolfaghari

Background: Conventional laboratory culture-based methods for diagnosis of Streptococcus pneumoniae are time-consuming and yield false negative results. Molecular methods including real-time (RT)-PCR rapid methods and conventional PCR due to higher sensitivity and accuracy have been replaced instead traditional culture assay. The aim of the current study was to evaluate lytA gene for detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the cerebrospinal fluid of human patients with meningitis using real-time PCR assay. Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 30 clinical specimens were collected from patients in a period from September to December 2018. In order to evaluate the presence of lytA gene, conventional and real-time PCR methods were used without culture. Results: From 30 sputum samples five (16.66%) isolates were identified as S. pneumoniae by lytA PCR and sequencing. Discussion: In this research, an accurate and rapid real-time PCR method was used, which is based on lytA gene for diagnosis of bacteria so that it can be diagnosed. Based on the sequencing results, the sensitivity for detection of lytA gene was 100% (5/5).


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