Exploring Health Behaviors in Ugandan Adolescents Living in Rural Fishing Communities

2020 ◽  
pp. 105984052094714
Author(s):  
Tom D. Ngabirano ◽  
Melissa A. Saftner ◽  
Barbara J. McMorris

Adolescents in rural Uganda face unique opportunities and challenges to their health. The primary goal of this exploratory cross-sectional survey study was to describe the health behaviors of adolescents of age 13–19 living in four Ugandan fishing communities as a foundation for developing programs to reduce risky health behaviors and HIV/AIDS transmission. The majority of boys (59.6%) and one third of girls reported lifetime sexual intercourse; girls reported earlier sexual debut than boys, as well as higher rates of sexual assault, rape, and/or coerced intercourse. Sexually active youth were more likely to have viewed pornography, be tested for other sexually transmitted infections, and attend boarding schools. Alcohol use was prevalent among both sexes; however, the use of other substances was infrequently reported. Since the majority of adolescents in Uganda attend boarding school, there is an opportunity to expand the school nurse scope of care to include health promotion education and counseling.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoko Matsumoto ◽  
Moeko Nagai ◽  
Dieu An Dang Luong ◽  
Hoai Dung Thi Nguyen ◽  
Dung Thi Nguyen ◽  
...  

AbstractCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and associated social responses may uniquely affect people living with HIV (PLHIV). SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing and a cross-sectional survey on COVID-19’s socio-behavioral impacts were conducted among a large PLHIV cohort in Hanoi, Vietnam. We examined anonymous antibody test results for 1243 PLHIV (99.8%) from whom plasma was obtained and completed surveys were collected in June/July 2020, just after the end of the first COVID-19 outbreak and nationwide lockdown. Three participants (0.2%) tested positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies. HIV treatment was generally maintained without antiretroviral therapy interruption, but COVID-19 had substantial impacts on economic security and risky health behaviors among PLHIV, which may have amplified psychological stress. These findings highlight the need for continuous monitoring of COVID-19’s impacts on PLHIV and for efforts to mitigate these impacts.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S304-S304
Author(s):  
A. Lengvenytė ◽  
R. Strumila

IntroductionUse of prescription psychostimulants and nootropics for non-medical purpose is a growing trend, especially in academic environment. Seeing the risks of neuroenhancement we decided to investigate situation in Lithuania.ObjectiveAnalyze the use of cognitive enhancers among medical students in Lithuania.Aims1. Determine the prevalence of cognitive enhancement. 2. Figure out what drugs are mostly used and reasons for the usage. 3. Evaluate the contributing factors.MethodsA cross-sectional survey study was performed in Vilnius University and Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. Students were asked to fill anonymous paper questionnaires consisting of 13 items concerning prevalence of substance use to enhance cognitive performance, reasons, and correlates during lecture time.ResultsResults are summarized in Table 1. A total of 8.1% of responders indicated that they had used cognitive enhancers. Nootropics were the most frequently mentioned: 59.6%, while psychostimulants were mentioned less frequently: 38.3% (including modafinil, methylphenidate and amphetamine derived drugs), and 23.4% indicated other substances. Improvement of concentration and increased studying time were predominant purposes (55.3% and 48.9% of users). Male students reported 3 times higher prevalence rates than females (14.6% vs. 5.1%, P < 0.05). Prevalence were also higher in students, who knew someone using these substances as compared to those who did not (17.3% vs. 5.1%, P < 0.05); it was the most associated factor with cognitive-enhancing drug taking behavior (Table 1).ConclusionsIn Lithuania, 1 of 12 medical students admits to having used neuroenhancing drugs. Nootropics were the most used drugs. Knowing user was the most important factor for usage.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Winnie Thembisile Maphumulo ◽  
Busisiwe Bhengu

The National Department of Health in South Africa has introduced the National Core Standards (NCS) tool to improve the quality of healthcare delivery in all public healthcare institutions. Knowledge of the NCS tool is essential among healthcare providers. This study investigated the level of knowledge on NCS and how the NCS tool was communicated among professional nurses. This was a cross-sectional survey study. Purposive sampling technique was used to select hospitals that only offered tertiary services in KwaZulu-Natal. Six strata of departments were selected using simple stratified sampling. The population of professional nurses in the selected hospitals was 3 050. Systematic random sampling was used to recruit 543 participants. The collected data were analysed using SPSS version 25. The study showed that only 16 (3.7%) respondents had knowledge about NCS, using McDonald’s standard of learning outcome measured criteria regarding the NCS tool. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the communication and knowledge was r = 0.055. The results revealed that although the communication scores for the respondents were high their knowledge scores remained low. This study concluded that there is a lack of knowledge regarding the NCS tool and therefore healthcare institutions need to commit themselves to the training of professional nurses regarding the NCS tool. The findings suggest that healthcare institutions implement the allocation of incentives for nurses that attend the workshops for NCS.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khanh Ngoc Cong Duong ◽  
Tien Nguyen Le Bao ◽  
Phuong Thi Lan Nguyen ◽  
Thanh Vo Van ◽  
Toi Phung Lam ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND The first nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic was implemented in Vietnam from April 1 to 15, 2020. Nevertheless, there has been limited information on the impact of COVID-19 on the psychological health of the public. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of psychological issues and identify the factors associated with the psychological impact of COVID-19 during the first nationwide lockdown among the general population in Vietnam. METHODS We employed a cross-sectional study design with convenience sampling. A self-administered, online survey was used to collect data and assess psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and stress of participants from April 10 to 15, 2020. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) were utilized to assess psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and stress of participants during social distancing due to COVID-19. Associations across factors were explored using regression analysis. RESULTS A total of 1385 respondents completed the survey. Of this, 35.9% (n=497) experienced psychological distress, as well as depression (n=325, 23.5%), anxiety (n=195, 14.1%), and stress (n=309, 22.3%). Respondents who evaluated their physical health as average had a higher IES-R score (beta coefficient [B]=9.16, 95% CI 6.43 to 11.89), as well as higher depression (B=5.85, 95% CI 4.49 to 7.21), anxiety (B=3.64, 95% CI 2.64 to 4.63), and stress (B=5.19, 95% CI 3.83 to 6.56) scores for DASS-21 than those who rated their health as good or very good. Those who self-reported their health as bad or very bad experienced more severe depression (B=9.57, 95% CI 4.54 to 14.59), anxiety (B=7.24, 95% CI 3.55 to 10.9), and stress (B=10.60, 95% CI 5.56 to 15.65). Unemployment was more likely to be associated with depression (B=3.34, 95% CI 1.68 to 5.01) and stress (B=2.34, 95% CI 0.84 to 3.85). Regarding worries about COVID-19, more than half (n=755, 54.5%) expressed concern for their children aged &lt;18 years, which increased their IES-R score (B=7.81, 95% CI 4.98 to 10.64) and DASS-21 stress score (B=1.75, 95% CI 0.27 to 3.24). The majority of respondents (n=1335, 96.4%) were confident about their doctor’s expertise in terms of COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment, which was positively associated with less distress caused by the outbreak (B=–7.84, 95% CI –14.58 to –1.11). CONCLUSIONS The findings highlight the effect of COVID-19 on mental health during the nationwide lockdown among the general population in Vietnam. The study provides useful evidence for policy decision makers to develop and implement interventions to mitigate these impacts. CLINICALTRIAL


Author(s):  
Kagan Kircaburun ◽  
İrfan Süral ◽  
Evita March ◽  
Sabah Balta ◽  
Emrah Emirtekin ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 617.1-617
Author(s):  
H. Wohland ◽  
N. Leuchten ◽  
M. Aringer

Background:Fatigue is among the top complaints of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but only in part associated with SLE disease activity. Physical activity can help to reduce fatigue and should therefore be recommended to SLE patients. Vice versa, fatigue may arguably lead to reduced physical activity.Objectives:To investigate the extent of physical activity and the perception of fatigue and sleep quality in patients with SLE.Methods:Starting in February 2019, SLE patients were invited to participate in a cross-sectional survey study of fatigue and physical exercise during their routine outpatient clinic visits. Participants filled out a ten-page paper questionnaire focused on physical activity. To evaluate fatigue, we primarily used a 10 cm visual analogue scale (0-100 mm, with 100 meaning most fatigued), but also the FACIT fatigue score (range 0-52). Sleep quality was estimated using grades from 1 (excellent) to 6 (extremely poor).Results:93 SLE patients took part in the study. All patients fulfilled the European League Against Rheumatism/ American College of Rheumatology (EULAR/ACR) 2019 classification criteria for SLE. 91% of the patients were female. Their mean (SD) age was 45.5 (14.3) years and their mean disease duration 12.1 (9.4) years. The mean BMI was 25.2 (5.6). Of all patients, 7.5% had a diagnosis of (secondary) fibromyalgia. The mean fatigue VAS was 32 (27) mm and the mean FACIT fatigue score 35.7 (10.3). As expected, fatigue by VAS and FACIT was correlated (Spearman r=-0.61, p<0.0001). The mean SLEDAI was 1 (1) with a range of 0 to 6. Median glucocorticoid doses were 2 mg prednisolone equivalent, with a range from 0 to 10 mg.Out of 66 patients in payed jobs, 64 (97%) reported details on their working space. One person (2%) worked in a predominanty standing position, 37 (58%) worked in essentially sedentary jobs and 26 (40%) were in positions where they were mildly physically active in part. The mean fatigue VAS was 31 (24) mm for patients with partly active jobs and 27 (30) mm for those in sedentary jobs. Sleep was graded 2.9 (0.9) by those with active and 3.1 (1.3) by those with sedentary jobs.Half of the patients (51%) reported more than one physical recreational activity. 44 (47%) were walking and for five persons (5%) this was the only form of activity. Cycling was reported by 19 patients (20%), 18 of whom also practiced other activities. For transport, 52 (56%) in part chose active modes, such as walking and cycling. Patients who reported any of the above activities showed a mean fatigue VAS of 28 (25) mm, compared to 36 (28) mm in the patient group without a reported activity. Sleep quality was very similar: 3.1 (1.2) and 3.2 (1.1) for more active and more passive patients, respectively.65 (70%) patients regularly practiced sports. Of these, 39 (60%) practiced one kind of sport, 15 (23%) two, 7 (11%) three, and 2 (3%) each four and five kinds of sports. Fatigue VAS of patients practicing sports was 27 (25) mm versus 43 (28) in those who did not (p=0.0075). Sleep quality was 2.9 (1.1) in the sports cohort and 3.5 (1.1) in the no-sports cohort (p=0.0244).Conclusion:A majority of SLE patients in remission or low to moderate disease activity regularly practiced sports, and those doing so reported lesser fatigue and better sleep quality. The absolute values on the fatigue VAS were in a moderate range that made fatigue as the main cause of not performing sports rather unlikely for most patients.Disclosure of Interests:Helena Wohland: None declared, Nicolai Leuchten Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Janssen, Novartis, Roche, UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Janssen, Novartis, Roche, Martin Aringer Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Astra Zeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chugai, Gilead, GSK, HEXAL, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Astra Zeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, GSK, Lilly, MSD, Roche, Sanofi, UCB


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