An Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Birth and Death Registration in Kilifi County in the Coastal Region in Kenya

Background. Countries need vital statistics for social and economic planning. World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least 80% coverage to use registration data on births and deaths for social and economic planning. However, registration remains low in developing countries. National coverage for Kenya in 2014 was 62.2% for births and 45.7% for deaths, with wide regional differentials. Kilifi County in the coastal region in Kenya reported rates below the national coverage at 56% for births and 41% for deaths in 2013. Objective. To determine level of knowledge and practice and reasons for low coverage of birth and death in Kilifi County. Method. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study that employed multistage cluster random sampling procedure to select a sample of 420 households from which household heads and women with children below five years old were surveyed. Results. Out of the 420 households sampled, about all respondents (99%) were aware of birth registration while death was 77%. Their main sources of information were assistant chiefs at 77% for both birth and death registration and family and friends at 67% for deaths and 52% for births. Coverage for birth registration was 85% and death 63%. More deaths occurred at home (55%) than in hospital (44%) while 55% of deliveries occurred in hospital and 44% at home. Main reasons for not registering death were ignorance (77%) and transport and opportunity cost (21%) while for birth registration were ignorance (42%), travel and opportunity cost (41%), lack of identification documents (9%), and home deliveries (7%). Conclusion. Registration of birth and death has improved in Kilifi County. The drivers are legal and requirements to access social rights. Reasons for not registering are ignorance and opportunity costs. Community should be sensitized on the importance of registration, address home deliveries and deaths, and increase efficiency in registration. Further research is recommended to determine the severity of teenage pregnancy and orphanhood in the county.

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Impact of hydroxychloroquin/azithromycin protocol on COVID-19 case-fatality rate reduction in Algeria. (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.20886 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ahmed Youssef Kada

Keyword(s):

Case Fatality Rate ◽

Doubling Time ◽

Case Fatality ◽

World Health ◽

Fatality Rate ◽

Therapeutic Protocol ◽

First Case ◽

The World ◽

The Impact ◽

At Home

BACKGROUND Covid-19 is an emerging infectious disease like viral zoonosis caused by new coronavirus SARS CoV 2. On December 31, 2019, Wuhan Municipal Health Commission in Hubei province (China) reported cases of pneumonia, the origin of which is a new coronavirus. Rapidly extendable around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) declares it pandemic on March 11, 2020. This pandemic reaches Algeria on February 25, 2020, date on which the Algerian minister of health, announced the first case of Covid-19, a foreign citizen. From March 1, a cluster is formed in Blida and becomes the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic in Algeria, its total quarantine is established on March 24, 2020, it will be smoothly alleviated on April 24. A therapeutic protocol based on hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin was put in place on March 23, for complicated cases, it was extended to all the cases confirmed on April 06. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquin/azithromycin protocol in Algeria, in particular after its extension to all patients diagnosed COVID-19 positive on RT-PCR test. We were able to illustrate this fact graphically, but not to prove it statistically because the design of our study, indeed in the 7 days which followed generalization of therapeutic protocol, case fatality rate decrease and doubling time increase, thus confirming the impact of wide and early prescription of hydroxychloroquin/azithromycin protocol. METHODS We have analyzed the data collected from press releases and follow-ups published daily by the Ministry of Health, we have studied the possible correlations of these data with certain events or decisions having a possible impact on their development, such as confinement at home and its reduction, the prescription of hydroxychloroquine/azithromycin combination for serious patients and its extension to all positive COVID subjects. Results are presented in graphics, the data collection was closed on 31/05/2020. RESULTS Covid-19 pandemic spreads from February 25, 2020, when a foreign citizen is tested positive, on March 1 a cluster is formed in the city of Blida where sixteen members of the same family are infected during a wedding party. Wilaya of Blida becomes the epicentre of coronavirus epidemic in Algeria and lockdown measures taken, while the number of national cases diagnosed begins to increases In any event, the association of early containment measures combined with a generalized initial treatment for all positive cases, whatever their degree of severity, will have contributed to a reduction in the fatality rate of COVID 19 and a slowing down of its doubling time. CONCLUSIONS In Algeria, the rapid combination of rigorous containment measure at home and early generalized treatment with hydroxychloroquin have demonstrated their effectiveness in terms of morbidity and mortality, the classic measures of social distancing and hygiene will make it possible to perpetuate these results by reducing viral transmission, the only unknown, the reopening procedure which can only be started after being surrounded by precautions aimed at ensuring the understanding of the population. CLINICALTRIAL Algeria, Covid-19, pandemic, hydroxychloroquin, azithromycin, case fatality rate

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Physical Activity Patterns in India Stratified by Zones, Age, Region, BMI and Implications for COVID-19: A Nationwide Study

Annals of Neurosciences ◽

10.1177/0972753121998507 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 097275312199850

Author(s):

Vivek Podder ◽

Raghuram Nagarathna ◽

Akshay Anand ◽

Patil S. Suchitra ◽

Amit Kumar Singh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

World Health Organization ◽

Rural Areas ◽

World Health ◽

Noncommunicable Diseases ◽

Home Work ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization ◽

Physically Inactive ◽

At Home

Rationale: India has a high prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which can be lowered by regular physical activity. To understand this association, recent population data is required which is representative of all the states and union territories of the country. Objective: We aimed to investigate the patterns of physical activity in India, stratified by zones, body mass index (BMI), urban, rural areas, and gender. Method: We present the analysis of physical activity status from the data collected during the phase 1 of a pan-India study. This ( Niyantrita Madhumeha Bharata 2017) was a multicenter pan-India cluster sampled trial with dual objectives. A survey to identify all individuals at a high risk for diabetes, using a validated instrument called the Indian Diabetes Risk Score (IDRS), was followed by a two-armed randomized yoga-based lifestyle intervention for the primary prevention of diabetes. The physical activity was scored as per IDRS (vigorous exercise or strenuous at work = 0, moderate exercise at home/work = 10, mild exercise at home/work = 20, no exercise = 30). This was done in a selected cluster using a mobile application. A weighted prevalence was calculated based on the nonresponse rate and design weight. Results: We analyzed the data from 2,33,805 individuals; the mean age was 41.4 years (SD 13.4). Of these, 50.6% were females and 49.4% were males; 45.8% were from rural areas and 54% from urban areas. The BMI was 24.7 ± 4.6 kg/m 2 . Briefly, 20% were physically inactive and 57% of the people were either inactive or mildly active. 21.2% of females were found physically inactive, whereas 19.2% of males were inactive. Individuals living in urban localities were proportionately more inactive (21.7% vs. 18.8%) or mildly active (38.9% vs. 34.8%) than the rural people. Individuals from the central (29.6%) and south zones (28.6%) of the country were also relatively inactive, in contrast to those from the northwest zone (14.2%). The known diabetics were found to be physically inactive (28.3% vs. 19.8%) when compared with those unaware of their diabetic status. Conclusion: 20% and 37% of the population in India are not active or mildly active, respectively, and thus 57% of the surveyed population do not meet the physical activity regimen recommended by the World Health Organization. This puts a large Indian population at risk of developing various NCDs, which are being increasingly reported to be vulnerable to COVID-19 infections. India needs to adopt the four strategic objectives recommended by the World Health Organization for reducing the prevalence of physical inactivity.

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Nurses’ Knowledge and Anxiety Levels toward COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia

Nursing Reports ◽

10.3390/nursrep11020034 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 356-363

Author(s):

Fatmah Alsharif

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Care Staff ◽

World Health ◽

Health Issues ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

As Stress ◽

Health Organization

Background: In the battle against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, medical care staff, especially nurses, are at a higher risk of encountering psychological health issues and distress, such as stress, tension, burdensome indications, and, most importantly, fear. They are also at higher risk of becoming infected and transmitting this virus. In Saudi Arabia, it was noticed that the healthcare workforce suffered from anxiety, and that this more evident in women than men. Objective: This study aimed to assess the knowledge of nurses regarding COVID-19 and the level of anxiety toward the COVID-19 outbreak in the current pandemic situation. Design: A cross-sectional design was used and a validated self-administered online questionnaire with a set of questions related to COVID-19 was distributed to 87 participating nurses. Results: The results showed that more than half of the nurses (71.90%) had an adequate and good knowledge about the causes, transmission, symptoms, treatment, and death rate of COVID-19. The main sources of information for the nurses were social media (51.7%) and the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health (36.8%). Conclusions: The results allowed the conclusion that, though the nurses had satisfactory knowledge about COVID-19, more than 50% of them experienced mental health issues such as anxiety. To address this, along with providing more knowledge about COVID-19, nurses should be supported in managing their anxiety.

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Breastfeeding Practices among Adolescent Mothers and Associated Factors in Bangladesh (2004–2014)

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13020557 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 557

Author(s):

Kingsley Agho ◽

Tahmeed Ahmed ◽

Catharine Fleming ◽

Mansi Dhami ◽

Chundung Miner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Adolescent Mothers ◽

Antenatal Clinic ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Bottle Feeding ◽

World Health ◽

Demographic And Health Surveys ◽

Breastfeeding Initiation ◽

Breastfeeding Practices ◽

Health Organization ◽

At Home

Optimal breastfeeding practices among mothers have been proven to have health and economic benefits, but evidence on breastfeeding practices among adolescent mothers in Bangladesh is limited. Hence, this study aims to estimate breastfeeding indicators and factors associated with selected feeding practices. The sample included 2554 children aged 0–23 months of adolescent mothers aged 12–19 years from four Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys collected between 2004 and 2014. Breastfeeding indicators were estimated using World Health Organization (WHO) indicators. Selected feeding indicators were examined against potential confounding factors using univariate and multivariate analyses. Only 42.2% of adolescent mothers initiated breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, 53% exclusively breastfed their infants, predominant breastfeeding was 17.3%, and 15.7% bottle-fed their children. Parity (2–3 children), older infants, and adolescent mothers who made postnatal check-up after two days were associated with increased exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) rates. Adolescent mothers aged 12–18 years and who watched television were less likely to delay breastfeeding initiation within the first hour of birth. Adolescent mothers who delivered at home (adjusted OR = 2.63, 95% CI:1.86, 3.74) and made postnatal check-up after two days (adjusted OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.21, 2.30) were significantly more likely to delay initiation breastfeeding within the first hour of birth. Adolescent mothers living in the Barisal region and who listened to the radio reported increased odds of predominant breastfeeding, and increased odds for bottle-feeding included male infants, infants aged 0–5 months, adolescent mothers who had eight or more antenatal clinic visits, and the highest wealth quintiles. In order for Bangladesh to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2 and 3 by 2030, breastfeeding promotion programmes should discourage bottle-feeding among adolescent mothers from the richest households and promote early initiation of breastfeeding especially among adolescent mothers who delivered at home and had a late postnatal check-up after delivery.

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Developing and evaluating the Teen-Strong life skills programme in Southern Thailand

Health Promotion International ◽

10.1093/heapro/daab147 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Treenut Pummanee ◽

Sopen Chunuan ◽

Yacob G Tedla ◽

Shutiwan Purinthrapibal ◽

Nichara Chupon

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Teenage Pregnancy ◽

Life Skills ◽

Sexual Education ◽

World Health ◽

Control Group ◽

P Values ◽

Sexual Behaviours ◽

Southern Thailand ◽

Strong Programme

Summary Risk sexual behaviours are known as a threat to health and wellbeing of adolescents. Although there are standard sexual education curriculums in Thai schools, most schools use traditional teaching methods rather than participatory teaching activities. This study aimed to (i) develop ‘Teen-Strong’ programme by combining the concept of the World Health Organization’s life skills programme with Thai sexual education curriculum and (ii) investigate the association of Teen-Strong programme with knowledge and decision-making regarding risky sexual behaviours and teenage pregnancy in Thai adolescents. The Teen-Strong programme was developed by means of experts review and cognitive interviewing process and evaluated in 66 adolescents in Grades 7–9 from six schools in southern Thailand. Twenty-six students were assigned to the experimental group (attended Teen-Strong programme and standard sexual education) and 40 to the control group (attended only the standard sexual education). A pre–post-test quasi-experimental design was used and the Teen-Strong questionnaire (TSQ) was administered to measure knowledge and decision-making at three time points: before (T1), immediately after (T2) and 1 month after (T3) attending the programme. A 2 × 3 mixed-design ANOVA was used to analyse the data. TSQ scores in the experimental and control groups were higher at T2 and T3 as compared with T1. Mean increase in TSQ scores at T2 and T3 compared with T1 were significantly higher in the experiment than the control group [T2 vs. T1: t (64) = 4.07, p-values < 0.0001; T3 vs. T1: t (64) = 3.32, p-values = 0.017]. This study showed that Teen-Strong programme could increase adolescent’s knowledge and decision-making skills regarding risk sexual behaviours.

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Aspiration in injections: should we continue or abandon the practice?

F1000Research ◽

10.12688/f1000research.1113.3 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. 157

Author(s):

Yasir Sepah ◽

Lubna Samad ◽

Arshad Altaf ◽

Muhammad Sohail Halim ◽

Nithya Rajagopalan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Association ◽

Simple Procedure ◽

Health Agency ◽

Monitoring Network ◽

Nursing Schools ◽

Global Network ◽

World Health ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Starting Point ◽

The Us

Aspiration during any kind of injection is meant to ensure that the needle tip is at the desired location during this blind procedure. While aspiration appears to be a simple procedure, it has generated a lot of controversy concerning the perceived benefits and indications. Advocates and opponents of aspiration both make logically sound claims. However, due to scarcity of available data, there is no evidence that this procedure is truly beneficial or unwarranted. Keeping in view the huge number of injections given worldwide, it is important that we draw attention to key questions regarding aspiration that, up till now, remain unanswered. In this review, we have attempted to gather and present literature on aspiration both from published and non-published sources in order to provide not only an exhaustive review of the subject, but also a starting point for further studies on more specific areas requiring clarification. A literature review was conducted using the US National Institute of Health’s PubMed service (including Medline), Google Scholar and Scopus. Guidelines provided by the World Health Organization, Safe Injection Global Network, International Council of Nursing, Center for Disease Control, US Federal Drug Agency, UK National Health Services, British Medical Association, Europe Nursing and Midwifery Council, Public Health Agency Canada, Pakistan Medical Association and International Organization of Standardization recommendations 7886 parts 1-4 for sterile hypodermics were reviewed for relevant information. In addition, curricula of several medical/nursing schools from India, Nigeria and Pakistan, the US pharmacopeia Data from the WHO Program for International Drug Monitoring network in regard to adverse events as a result of not aspirating prior to injection delivery were reviewed. Curricula of selected major medical/nursing schools in India, Nigeria and Pakistan, national therapeutic formularies, product inserts of most commonly used drugs and other possible sources of information regarding aspiration and injections were consulted as well.

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Access to information and decision making on teenage pregnancy prevention by females in Tshwane

Curationis ◽

10.4102/curationis.v38i2.1540 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 38 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

J.P.F. Masemola-Yende ◽

Sanah M. Mataboge

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Primary Healthcare ◽

Teenage Pregnancy ◽

Hormonal Contraception ◽

Pregnancy Prevention ◽

Exploratory Research ◽

Access To Information ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Female Teenagers

Background: The increase in the number of teenage pregnancies and its negative consequences has encouraged various researchers to explore the possible causes of teenage pregnancy. Findings from previously-conducted research have indicated different preventable factors that predispose female teenagers to pregnancy, such as staff attitudes and the lack of information resulting from poor access to health facilities.Objective: To explore and describe access to information and decision making on teenage pregnancy prevention by females using a primary healthcare clinic in Tshwane, South Africa.Method: In this study, the researchers used a descriptive qualitative and exploratory research design to explore and describe the verbal reports regarding prevention of teenage pregnancy by females using a primary healthcare clinic in Tshwane, South Africa. Face-to-face semistructured interviews were conducted with 15 female participants aged between 15 and 26, who had been pregnant once or more during their teens.Results: Two themes emerged, namely, access to information and decision making by female teenagers. Five categories that emerged were: access to information on pregnancy prevention; ignoring of provided information; the use of alternative medicine with hormonal contraception; personal reasons for use and non-use of contraception; and decisions made by teenagers to not fall pregnant. Females in this study fell pregnant in their teens, even though they had access to information.Conclusion: Given the complexity of this problem, female teenagers should use their families as primary sources of information for reproductive health promotion and educational institutions should build on this to aid the prevention of teenage pregnancy.

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Contraceptive knowledge, practices among women in Garhwal region

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health ◽

10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20190209 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 793 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ruchita Dixit ◽

Aaradhana Bandhani

Keyword(s):

Family Planning ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Economic Life ◽

World Health ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Modern Development ◽

Planning Methods ◽

Family Planning Methods

Background: Family planning is defined by World Health Organization (WHO) as, “a way of thinking and living that is adopted voluntarily, upon the basis of knowledge, attitudes and responsible decisions by individuals and couples, in order to promote the health and welfare of family groups and thus contribute effectively to the social development of a country”. The extensive acceptance of family planning, in a society, is an integral component of modern development and is essential for the incorporation of women into social and economic life. Therefore the present study as well focused on the women knowledge and participation in family planning. Objectives: This study projected to evaluate the knowledge of the women about various family planning methods and its sources of information.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 200 married women between 15-60 years of age group selected by multistage random sampling. The women were asked to complete the 20 questions including demographic data. Self structured questionnaire was used to evaluate their knowledge about Family planning methods. Subsequently, the data analyzed by using SPSS version 1.2.Results: In this present study knowledge of family planning methods were higher. Female sterilization and use of condom is the most widely known and practiced method of all contraceptive methods followed by oral Pills and IUDs. Health functionaries were found to the more informative as compared to media and others sources of information regarding family planning methods.Conclusions: From the results found in this study it can be accomplish that women’s awareness regarding family planning was higher and found satisfactory.

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Education in times of covid-19: are students learning in ergonomic conditions?

MATEC Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/matecconf/202134201016 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 342 ◽

pp. 01016

Author(s):

Maria-Elena Boatca ◽

Diana Robescu ◽

Romulus Corlan ◽

Nicoleta Mirea

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Online Learning ◽

Learning System ◽

Improve Quality ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

The Impact ◽

Ergonomic Intervention ◽

The Way ◽

At Home

For more than a year, the way people work and learn witnessed dramatic changes on the back of the Covid-19 pandemic. While workers were supported and provided with trainings and a variety of sources of information, students did not benefit from the same ‘privilege’. In Romania, students had to adapt to online learning system since March 2020. To properly assess the impact of online learning on students’ health (both physical and mental), the authors conducted a study on students at Politehnica University of Timisoara. As part of this study, subjects were assessed using ‘Rapid Office Strain Assessment’ (ROSA). While some of them learn in ergonomic conditions, there are others exposed to high postural risk (primarily generated by use of inappropriate furniture). This assessment is part of a larger ergonomic intervention focused on educating students on the importance of creating ergonomic conditions at home with the aim to improve quality of life.

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Second-hand smoking, hypertension and cardiovascular risk: findings from Peru

BMC Cardiovascular Disorders ◽

10.1186/s12872-021-02410-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Antonio Bernabe-Ortiz ◽

Rodrigo M. Carrillo-Larco

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Risk ◽

Public Transportation ◽

Prevalence Ratio ◽

Smoke Exposure ◽

World Health ◽

Risk Scores ◽

Second Hand Smoke ◽

Second Hand Smoke Exposure ◽

Second Hand Smoking ◽

At Home

Abstract Background Second-hand smoking has not been detailedly studied in Peru, where smoking is prohibited in all indoor workplaces, public places, and public transportation. Second-hand smoke exposure may occur at home or any other places. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of second-hand smoking and assess its association with hypertension and cardiovascular risk in Peru. Materials and methods Secondary analysis of a nationally-representative population-based survey including individuals aged 18–59 years. There were two outcomes: hypertension and 10-year cardiovascular risk using the Framingham and the 2019 World Health Organization (WHO) risk scores. The exposure was self-reported second-hand smoking during the 7 days before the survey. The association between second-hand smoking and hypertension was quantified with Poisson models reporting prevalence ratio (PR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI); the association between second-hand smoking and cardiovascular risk was quantified with linear regressions reporting coefficients and their 95% CI. Results Data from 897 individuals, mean age: 38.2 (SD: 11.8) years, and 499 (55.7%) females, were analyzed, with 8.7% subjects reporting second-hand smoking at home and 8.3% at work or any other place. Thus, 144 (15.5%; 95% CI: 12.8%-18.6%) subjects reported any second-hand smoking. In multivariable model second-hand smoking was associated with hypertension (PR = 2.42; 95% CI: 1.25–4.67), and with 1.2% higher Framingham cardiovascular risk, and 0.2% higher 2019 WHO risk score. Conclusions There is an association between second-hand smoking and hypertension as well as with cardiovascular risk, and 15% of adults reported second-hand smoke exposure overall with half of them exposed at home. There is a need to guarantee smoking-free places to reduce cardiovascular risk.

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