scholarly journals Risk behaviors associated with adolescent pregnancy: contemporary challenges related to the substance use

Author(s):  
Cíntia da Silva Telles Nichele ◽  
Aldo Pacheco Ferreira

Adolescent pregnancy is a worldwide public health problem. The number of this phenomenon is increasing every year. One of the reasons for this worsening is the use of substances. This research aimed to discuss adolescent pregnancy due to chemical health risks by inadequate conduct. The method applied consisted of a cross-sectional,observational design study associated with a survey on knowledge, attitudes, and practices, carried out in 42 pregnant adolescents aged 12-18 years in a large public maternity hospital in Rio de Janeiro. A structured questionnaire was applied at their prenatal visit from November 2017 to October 2018. Descriptive tables were prepared using frequencies in absolute numbers and percentages. 11 pregnant adolescents (26.19%) reported smoking 7 cigarettes per day (SD=4.51), ranging from 5 to 45 cigarettes/day. Concerning alcohol intake, 16 adolescents (38.09%) admitted to drinking at least one occasion during pregnancy, and 8 (19.05%) in abusive form. Regarding other types of drugs (marijuana, cocaine, crack), 12 (28.57%) admitted to having used them during pregnancy, and 3 (7.14%) of these reported injecting drug use. 7 adolescents (16.66%) had a relationship with an injecting drug user partner. The survey results show that the use of illicit drugs by the pregnant adolescents interviewed was 4 times higher than the prevalence recorded in the literature for people aged 12 to 17 years. In the case of cigarette use, this difference was also observed, reaching 20 percentage points.

Author(s):  
Jyothi Veleshala ◽  
Varun Malhotra

Background: Tobacco use is a major public health problem. The prevalence of tobacco use among men has been reported to be high (generally exceeding 50%) from almost all parts of India. “The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply, and Distribution) Act 2003”, which came into effect since 1st May 2004. Information on knowledge, attitudes, and practices of population regarding COTPA is necessary to effectively implement the legislation. Hence the present study was undertaken.Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional community-based survey carried out in urban slums of Nalgonda town. Data was collected using a structured schedule by interviewing 300 participants, aged above 15 years.Results: The current use of any tobacco was reported by 45.7% of the participants. Overall awareness of COTPA was 58.2%. Marital status, type of family, unemployment, Illiterates, lower SES, and age had a significant influence on tobacco use. Television (77.05%) was the major source of awareness regarding COTPA. The majority of smokers were aware of various sections of COTPA (>50%). About 34.8% of the participants had a favorable attitude towards COTPA. The positive attitude was more (53.7%) towards the display of health warnings on tobacco products among smokers. 11.2% had paid penalty for violation of the act and 32.4% have noticed a reduction in their habit to some extent.Conclusions: A concerted effort has to be made to increase the awareness of the act amongst the vulnerable population.


2013 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Timm KVITKO ◽  
Gisele Alsina Nader BASTOS ◽  
Maria Eugênia Bresolin PINTO

Context The hepatitis C is a severe public health problem worldwide because its consequences. Studies which aim at determining the prevalence of risk factors are really important to understand the problem. Objective To estimate the prevalence and factors associated with some risk factors for the disease in a community, called Restinga, located in the city of Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Method This paper is based on a population-based cross-sectional study, with systematic sampling and proportional to the size of census tracts in which 3,391 adults answered a standardized questionnaire. Results The prevalence of blood transfusion among the people who were interviewed was 14.98%, 60.83% of those had it before 1993. A total of 16.16% of the people had a tattoo, 7.23% wore a piercing, 1.09% said they had already injected illicit drugs and 12.39% reported previous hospitalization. Prevalence ratios showed that tattoos were more common among young people, piercings among women and illicit drugs among men. Conclusions To summarize, the recognition of risk factors for hepatitis C enables proper screening of possible carriers of the hepatitis C virus, thus enabling a reduction in virus shedding. However, being only possible if health services are prepared to deal with hepatitis C virus, through education and public awareness.


2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1030-1038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabela Cristina de Miranda Goncalves ◽  
Maria Jacirema Ferreira Goncalves

OBJECTIVE: to identify knowledge, attitudes and practices of physicians and nurses of the Family Health Strategy and a maternity hospital unit about vertical transmission of hepatitis B. METHOD: a cross-sectional study with a self-administered questionnaire applied to professionals. The data were analyzed according to professional category and site of action, whose differences were tested by χ2 and significance <5%. RESULTS: professionals recognize viral hepatitis as a disease of compulsory notification; however, not everyone knows its mechanisms of transmission. A large portion of professionals requested serological tests, specifying the marker, especially physicians. The majority of family health nurses did not indicate hepatitis B vaccine for pregnant women, although they knew the immunization schedule. The majority of physicians on the maternity unit had proper knowledge about prevention of vertical transmission. CONCLUSION: the differences in the knowledge, attitudes and practices about vertical transmission of hepatitis B revealed that the population is at risk, since not all the professionals involved know or properly perform control strategies for vertical transmission of hepatitis B. Nurses dominated vaccination aspects and physicians dominated aspects related to the management of cases with positive serology.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Maira Verónica Vera Saavedra ◽  
Viviana Septimia Gómez Mieles

En la provincia de Manabí en el cantón Sucre Bahía de Caráquez, el Embarazo Adolescente es un problema de salud pública ya que por los últimos resultados dados por  el área de Ginecología del Hospital Miguel H. Alcívar y por las repercusiones biológicas y sociales, son pocos los estudios orientados al enfoque de esta situación. En la actualidad el embarazo en adolescentes es cada día más frecuente en el medio social, siendo un problema muy importante relacionado con la salud pública, ya sea en los países en vías de desarrollo como en el mundo desarrollado, debido a sus repercusiones adversas sociales y de salud, tanto para las madres como para los niños. El embarazo precoz de una adolescente implica múltiples causas como: incomprensión, maltrato emocional, carencia de apoyo, carencia de educación sexual, etc. El embarazo y la maternidad tienen un carácter negativo tanto para la joven como para su hijo o hija e incluso para todos los miembros de su familia. Se ha realizado un estudio descriptivo observacional transversal y retrospectivo en el que se pretende fijar el perfil personal y social de las adolescentes embarazadas, mediante charlas que tengan como enfoque la orientación familiar debidamente programada y organizada, para no sucumbir en embarazos no deseados. PALABRAS CLAVE: Orientación familiar; embarazo en la adolescencia; embarazo de alto riesgo.  FAMILY ORIENTATION OF ADOLESCENTS FROM 12 TO 14 YEARS OF AGE WITH HIGH RISK PREGNANCY  ABSTRACT In the province of Manabí in the Sucre Bay of Caráquez, Adolescent Pregnancy is a public health problem because of the recent results given by the Gynecology area of the Hospital Miguel H. Alcívar and because of the biological and social repercussions, few are the studies oriented to the approach of this situation. Currently adolescent pregnancy is becoming more frequent in the social environment, being a very important problem related to public health, either in developing countries or in the developed world, due to its adverse social and economic repercussions. of health, both for mothers and children. The early pregnancy of a teenager implies multiple causes such as: incomprehension, emotional abuse, lack of support, lack of sexual education, etc. Pregnancy and motherhood have a negative character both for the young woman and her son or daughter and even for all the members of her family. A cross-sectional and retrospective observational descriptive study has been carried out in which the personal and social profile of pregnant adolescents is set, through talks that focus on family orientation, duly programmed and organized, so as not to succumb to unwanted pregnancies. KEYWORDS: Family counseling; pregnancy in adolescence; high risk pregnancy


Biomédica ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 478-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Sarmiento-Senior ◽  
María Inés Matiz ◽  
Juan Felipe Jaramillo-Gómez ◽  
Víctor Alberto Olano ◽  
Sandra Lucía Vargas ◽  
...  

Introduction: Dengue is a public health problem in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Studies on dengue in rural areas are scarce since the disease is considered mainly urban.Objective: To determine the knowledge (K), attitudes (A) and practices (P) of dengue in an endemic area in Colombia.Materials and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with 515 pupils (7-16 years old) in 34 rural schools in Anapoima and La Mesa municipalities during 2011. Each KAP category was evaluated independently by a scoring system and then categorized into high, medium or low.Results: Pupils recognized knowledge variables such as the symptoms (fever, bone pain), transmission route (mosquito bites), and mosquito breeding sites (uncovered water tanks, solid waste). Average scores on attitude were high in both municipalities indicating a well-developed perception of disease severity. Seeking treatment in medical centers and self-medication for fever management and the use of mosquito net and space-spraying of insecticides were the most frequently identified practices.Discussion: This is the first KAP dengue study performed in a rural area in Colombia and as such it contributes to the understanding of dengue perceptions by the inhabitants of these areas. It showed a medium level of knowledge about dengue and a lower level of preventive practices in pupils from rural schools. It also showed that pupils considered space-spraying as crucial for vector control. The presence of the vector in rural areas of the country underlines the need to improve surveillance and education to more effectively control the vector and promote prevention methods including community participation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 117822182110035
Author(s):  
Tewodros Shegute ◽  
Yared Wasihun

Background: Although substance use is a known public health problem and a pressing issue in Ethiopia, its real extent and magnitude are not yet properly explored. The current study aimed to determine the extent and predictors of substance use among regular undergraduate students in the Institute of Technology, Addis Ababa University. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was carried among 794 undergraduate regular students at the Institute of Technology, Addis Ababa University, using a self-administered structured questionnaire filled by study participants. Data entry, cleaning, and coding were performed by EPI-INFO version 3.5.1. Statistical Package for Social Sciences; AOR: Adjusted odds ratio (SPSS) SPSS version 21 software was used to analyze data by performing descriptive statistics, bivariate, and multivariate analysis. Results: 73.7% of the study participants used substances at least once. The lifetime use of each substance includes alcohol (68.2%), khat (53.6%), cigarettes (46.1%), and illicit drugs (23.3%). Loss of family (AOR [95%CI], 34.50 [7.569, 157.263]), pocket money between 500 and 999 Ethiopian birr (AOR [95%CI], 9.978 [1.240, 80.280]), and above 1000 Ethiopian birr (AOR [95%CI], 10.831 [1.333, 87.971]) were identified predictors for khat use. The odds of lifetime alcohol use was higher among students coming from a divorced family (AOR [95%CI], 9.346 [3.162, 27.625]), lost one (AOR [95%CI], 37.406 [11.375, 123.008]), or both of their parents (AOR [95%CI], 18.750 [5.798, 60.633]). Students of urban origin (AOR [95%CI], 3.214 [1.950, 5.296]), and students with anxiety symptoms (AOR [95%CI], 2.655 [1.981, 3.557]) have a higher odds of lifetime cigarette smoking. The lifetime exposure to illicit drugs is higher among students in age groups between 20 and 24 years (AOR [95%CI], 5.963 [1.361, 26.135]), students coming from substance user family (AOR [95%CI], 2.172 [1.161, 4.063]), and students of urban origin (AOR [95%CI], 2.661 [1.202, 5.889]). Conclusion: A higher prevalence of substance use requiring administrative and educational interventions was observed. Awareness creation interventions on the potential impacts of substance abuse should be performed.


Author(s):  
Kaba S. ◽  
Acapovi-Yao G. ◽  
Dagnogo K. ◽  
Kallo V. ◽  
Sevidzem S. L. ◽  
...  

Brucellosis is one of the most common bacterial zoonosis in the world. It is caused by Brucella species and is an infectious and contagious disease transmissible to humans and to several animal species. This disease remains one of the neglected diseases in several countries and represents a real public health problem. A cross sectional study was conducted at the Port-Bouët abattoir in order to determine the seroprevalence as well as to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAPs) of workers. Three hundred and eighty-seven (387) cattle blood samples collected from January 5 to March 30 2019 were diagnosed using the Rose Bengal and indirect Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (i-ELISA) techniques. The seroprevalence was 0.52% (95% CI: 0.06265-1.8542) for i-ELISA and Rose Bengal. Regarding seroprevalence with sex, males recorded 0.3% (95 CI: 0.00776-1.6617), while females had 1.85% (95% CI: 0.04687-9.8991) for both Rose Bengal and i-ELISA tests with no statistically significant difference (X2=2; df=1; p=0.157). Animals >3years old recorded a higher seroprevalence rate eventhough with no statistically significant difference (X2=3; df=2; p=0.223). Also, our findings established that the potential risk of contracting brucellosis at the abattoir by workers is high due to the handling of animal tissues without the use of Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs). This baseline information indicates the neccesity for a more in-depth study on the traceability of animals coming to the abattoir as well as study the occurrence of brucellosis in animals and among abattoir workers following a one health approach in order to contribute to the development of a sub-regional integrated programme for the control of brucellosis. This collective approach will minimize the risk of contamination with brucellosis by workers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (07) ◽  
pp. 584-590
Author(s):  
Eman Y Abu-rish ◽  
Eman R Elayeh ◽  
Michael J Browning

Introduction: Zika virus (ZIKAV) disease is a public health problem of international concern. Recent evidence has documented imported ZIKAV cases into the Middle East and the existence of ZIKAV-transmitting mosquitoes in Jordan. However, limited data exist on the role of physicians in public awareness in this regard. This study aimed to assess ZIKAV knowledge, attitudes and counseling practices (KAP) of general physicians and gynecologists in Amman, Jordan. Methodology: In this cross-sectional study, a structured paper-based questionnaire was completed by 119 participants during 2016-2017. Results: Only 4.2% of the physicians correctly addressed ZIKAV-complication questions. A misconception of considering direct contact between individuals and breastfeeding as modes of ZIKAV transmission was observed. Only one participant correctly recognized that isolation of infected or exposed persons is not recommended. Having at least five years of experience in medical practice was the only factor that was significantly associated with a high knowledge score (P-value=0.011). Although prevention measures are the sole method to control ZIKAV spread, only 50% of participants believed in the efficacy of such measures. Despite a quarter of participants perceiving ZIKAV as a threat to their patients, none of them have counseled a patient in this regard before. The presence of an evidence of ZIKAV in Jordan and health authorities' recommendations were the most important predictors for adoption of counseling practice. Conclusions: General physicians and gynecologists in Jordan had several gaps in knowledge of key aspects of ZIKAV disease, and there is a need for specific training programs of physicians and gynecologists.


Author(s):  
Abdul Haque Khoso ◽  
Khalid Nadeem ◽  
Bashiran Chachar ◽  
Shabnum Bashir ◽  
Bashir Ahmed Pirzado ◽  
...  

Introduction: Scabies is a neglected tropical public health problem around the world. It is caused by the Sarcoptes Scabiei mite that infested under the skin. The prevalence has been noted as per year is 300 million patients over the world wide. Objectives:To determine the frequency of Scabies at PMCH Nawabshah. Methods: A cross sectional study has been carried out on 422 patients at Peoples Medical Hospital Nawabshah at outpatients Department of Dermatology. The technique of sampling was convenience. A structured questionnaire has been used for data collection and analysis. All data has been collected by researcher on diagnosed cases of scabies by skin specialists. Results: The study is showing prevalence 22.4% among skin problem persons. The mean age of participant 60.2.Sabies can occur at any stage of life The comparison of male and female individuals as 6610 (48%) and 6595 (52%). The marital status of the participants as; married, un-married, widower, divorced and widow was 260 (66.3%) ,118(27.9%),2(0.47%),1(0.23%) and 21(4.97%) respectively and high rate found in lower economic condition Conclusion: The prevalence of scabies at peoples Medical Hospital Nawabshah is 22.4% The prevalence of scabies high in developing countries and this found prominent in back ward areas. The high ratio of scabies is associate with limited resources of basic life. Scabies seems to be neglected tropical problem of health.


PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos J. Toro-Huamanchumo ◽  
Sara J. Burgos-Muñoz ◽  
Luz M. Vargas-Tineo ◽  
Jhosuny Perez-Fernandez ◽  
Otto W. Vargas-Tineo ◽  
...  

Background Skin cancer incidence has increased over the last years, becoming a major public health problem. Objective To describe the awareness, behavior and attitudes concerning sun exposure among beachgoers in the northern coast of Peru. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study in the Pimentel beach, Peru. The “Beach Questionnaire” was used and we surveyed all the beachgoers from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from March 5 to March 19. For the statistical analysis, sun exposure habits, sunburns history, knowledge, attitudes and practices were crossed with sex using the chi2 test. Results We surveyed 410 beachgoers, the most frequent phototype was type III (40.5%). Only the 13.66% of the respondents correctly answered the seven knowledge questions related to sun exposure and skin cancer. Men more frequently agreed that “when they are tanned their clothes looks nicer” (p = 0.048). Likewise, regarding the questions “Sunbathing is relaxing” and “Sunbathing improves my mood”, men agreed or totally agreed with more frequency than women (63.64% vs. 46.15%, p < 0.001; and 61.36% vs 49.15%, p = 0.014, respectively). Regarding sun protection practices, women more frequently used sunshade (p = 0.001) and sunscreen (SPF ≥ 15) (p < 0.001) when compared to the male group. Conclusion Sun exposure is a potentially preventable risk factor for skin cancer. Thus, awareness of the risks of UVR overexposure and adequate sun-protective behaviors and attitudes are essential. Our results, however, are not as favorable as expected. Public health efforts should encourage sun-safety precautions and intervention campaigns should be carried out in recreational settings, such as the beaches.


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