scholarly journals Evaluation survey of knowledge, attitude, belief and practices amongst nursing and paramedical students about appropriateness and challenges related to COVID-19 surcease measures

Author(s):  
Rituja Kaushal ◽  
Anand Yadav

Background: COVID-19 pandemic is harassing human beings for about 2 years from now. We are constantly designing and devising remedial modalities to get over it. A massive vaccination campaign is going on all over the world to achieve desired level of herd immunity. Still the key is preventive strategies including COVID-19 appropriate behaviour at the individual level.Methods: A cross sectional study was undertaken amongst paramedical students of a university campus to capture their understanding about different aspects of this pandemic by an 18 items based questionnaire.Results: More than 80% of study participants answered correctly about the asked question except aspects related to COVID-19 in children and about spread of infection via asymptomatic cases.Conclusions: Governments of various states should start multiple educational programs at grass root level to bring about a change. Behaviour change communication (BCC) and information, education, communication (IEC) strategies would be ideal to impart health education to meet the desired goals and objectives of bringing awareness amongst lay public.

Author(s):  
Arunima Saini ◽  
Monika Agarwal

Background: India is facing the surging trend of non-communicable diseases (NCD). Forecasting the burden for NCDs, the Government of India (GOI) initiated a program in 2010 across the country, i.e., National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Stroke. The GOI has envisaged the female health workers (FHW) for the last mile delivery of health services under the programme. Available literature shows that FHWs lack essential knowledge regarding chronic diseases. This study attempts to fill these gaps by studying knowledge and skills regarding NCDs among FHWs in rural Lucknow. Objectives were to explore the knowledge about NCDs among ASHAs and ANMs in rural Lucknow and to assess of skills related to NCD screening among ANMs in rural Lucknow.Methods: It was a cross-sectional study conducted among FHWs of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh from June 2019 to August 2019.Results: Among the FHWs, knowledge about NCDs was found to be higher for those with the age more than 40 years, with the education of higher secondary and above and also amongst those who had received previous training for NCDs.Conclusions: Majority of the respondents were found to have poor knowledge regarding NCDs. Additionally, older age, training and higher education are found to be associated with good knowledge; there is a need of training of grass root level workers for them to correctly identify the symptoms and risk factors of various NCDs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 44-47
Author(s):  
Rahat Bin Habib ◽  
ARM Luthful Kabir ◽  
Md Abdur Rouf ◽  
Md Sk Shahid Ullah ◽  
Md Nazmul Hossain ◽  
...  

In Bangladesh, 4 million students study in 64000 madrasha, which represent 7% of all students, most of these are unregistered. There is little evaluation of helminthic infestation by any authority. It is believed that madrasha students came from vulnerable part of society. : Present Sheikh Hasian government declared on equivalency of their certificate therefore it is important to study on them and evaluate their helminthic infestation. May be this is one of the first study on helminthic infestation on grass root level madrasha students in Bangladesh. We conducted the study to evaluate on helminthiasis to find out current situations, to identify the risk factors and for intervention to control of helminthic infestation.  This cross sectional study was conducted on 164 from 1000 residential students by simple random sampling. Face to face interview and anthropometric measurement were conducted by semistructured open ended questionnaire from those students. Out of hundred-sixty four students all were male, age range from 06-18 years, ova found 75% students in their stool sample, 71% have multiple helminthasis, Ascaris Lumbricoids (AL) was the most (28%) prevalence, in polyparasitism 58% were Ascaris Lumbricoids and Trichuris Trichuria (AL+TT), anal itching found 68% students which indicate pin worm, no antihelminthic intake 76% students within 6 months. Teachers and parent’s health education help to prevent helminthasis. Regular survey, evaluation is needed to identify the risk factors of helminthasis for intervention, monitoring, guidance and training of students and teachers to improve their personal hygiene practice. Moreover need to intake of regular antihelminthic for dewarming  to build a healthy green Bangladesh. Bangladesh Med J. 2019 May; 48 (2): 44-47


Author(s):  
K. C. Verma ◽  
V. Malhotra ◽  
Babu Ram

Background: Prevention of water-borne diseases is important for health and training of Armed Forces (AF) personnel. Although, supply of safe water is being ensured to them in military stations, but their training and frequent travels expose them to situations where water may be contaminated. To ensure prevention of water borne diseases, AF personnel are issued ‘Out-Fit Water Sterilising kit’- a kit containing halogen and chlorine-removing tablets. The present study aims to identify the knowledge-use gap in utilization of this kit by AF personnel. Methods: A cross sectional study among 649 randomly selected AF personnel was carried out in a large military station to identify the knowledge and practices of AF personnel regarding ‘OFWS kit’. The data was collected on structured questionnaire through face-to-face interview, and analyse using SPSS ver 20. Results: The study revealed progressive downward graph from knowledge regarding ‘OFWS kit’ (75.3%) to its availability (54.8%) and its ever-use (47.9%). Relevant service factors associated with use are presented. Conclusions: The study highlights the need to ensure regular training of AF personnel in use of ‘OFWS kit’, its availability at the grass-root level and supervision of its use to ensure positive health of Indian soldier always- a prerequisite for his optimal training. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 337-343
Author(s):  
Priyanka Mary Wilson ◽  
Sunila Sanjeev

Background: ICDS is an integrated program intended for Maternal and Child Care which adopts a holistic, lifecycle approach. Its main focus is on health, nutrition and education. Urban ICDS caters to the vulnerable urban slum population. Despite the program running for four decades its impact on its beneficiaries is still slow. The Anganwadi worker and helper are the grass-root functionaries running this program through Anganwadi centre. Hence this study was conducted to assess the functioning of the Anganwadi centre. Methodology: A Descriptive Cross-sectional study was conducted at all 15 urban-ICDS Anganwadi Centres of Khopoli during September-November 2019. The Anganwadi workers and helpers were interviewed regarding their sociodemographic details, knowledge and challenges perceived to run the centre. Observational Checklist designed based on guidelines and standard proforma for monitoring of the ICDS projects was used to assess infrastructure, equipment and registers. Results: Out of 14, 11(78.57%) Anganwadi workers had more than a decade experience. Indoor space of 600 sq.ft was available in 7(46.67%) centres. Toilets with running water were available in 9(60%) Anganwadi Centres and 6(40%) were linked to the school. Functional Salter’s weighing scale was available in 11(73.33%) Anganwadi centres. All 12 registers were available in 9(60%) Anganwadi centres. The utilization of services by pregnant women was the highest. Partially immunized children were present in 2(13.33%) Anganwadi centres. The service gap was highest (100%) with health check-up. Conclusions: There is a gap in the availability of infrastructure and utilization of some services. Keywords: urban ICDS, Maharashtra, Service gap.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyanka Beniwal ◽  
Chandrakala Singh

Aging is a series of processes that begin with life and continue throughout the lifecycle. It represents the closing period in the lifespan, a time when the individual looks back on life, lives on past accomplishments and begins to finish off his life course. It represents the accumulation of changes in person over time. The study aims to investigate the health status of senior citizens. The present study was carried out in Hisar and Sirsa district of Haryana state. A total of 400 elderly equally representing both males and females of age group 65-70 years were selected randomly for the study. Modified inventory developed by Khan and Lal (2011) was used to assess health status of senior citizens. The results of the study elucidated that health status of senior citizens depicted that 54.25 per cent of the total respondents had average health status followed by good (25.25%) and poor health status (20.50%). The most common health problems reported by the senior citizens were joint pains, back pains, blood pressure, and chest pain etc. Gender wise comparison of total sample further pointed out that females were poor in their health against males.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 835
Author(s):  
Mohammed Noushad ◽  
Mohammad Zakaria Nassani ◽  
Anas B. Alsalhani ◽  
Pradeep Koppolu ◽  
Fayez Hussain Niazi ◽  
...  

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused largescale morbidity and mortality and a tremendous burden on the healthcare system. Healthcare workers (HCWs) require adequate protection to avoid onward transmission and minimize burden on the healthcare system. Moreover, HCWs can also influence the general public into accepting the COVID-19 vaccine. Therefore, determining COVID-19 vaccine intention among HCWs is of paramount importance to plan tailor-made public health strategies to maximize vaccine coverage. A structured questionnaire was administered in February and March 2021 among HCWs in Saudi Arabia using convenience sampling, proceeding the launch of the vaccination campaign. HCWs from all administrative regions of Saudi Arabia were included in the study. In total, 674 out of 1124 HCWs responded and completed the survey (response rate 59.9%). About 65 percent of the HCWs intended to get vaccinated. The intention to vaccinate was significantly higher among HCWs 50 years of age or older, Saudi nationals and those who followed the updates about COVID-19 vaccines (p < 0.05). The high percentage (26 percent) of those who were undecided in getting vaccinated is a positive sign. As the vaccination campaign gathers pace, the attitude is expected to change over time. Emphasis should be on planning healthcare strategies to convince the undecided HCWs into accepting the vaccine in order to achieve the coverage required to achieve herd immunity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdul Rahman Jazieh ◽  
Khadega A. Abuelgasim ◽  
Husam I. Ardah ◽  
Mohammad Alkaiyat ◽  
Omar B. Da’ar

Abstract Background The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is common among cancer patients and it may reflect the individual and societal beliefs on cancer therapy. Our study aimed to evaluate the trends of CAM use among patients with cancer between 2006 and 2018. Methods We included 2 Cohorts of patients with cancer who were recruited for Cohort 1 between 2006 and 2008 and for Cohort 2 between 2016 and 2018. The study is a cross-sectional study obtaining demographic and clinical information and inquiring about the types of CAM used, the reasons to use them and the perceived benefits. We compared the changes in the patterns of CAM use and other variables between the two cohorts. Results A total of 1416 patients were included in the study, with 464 patients in Cohort 1 and 952 patients in Cohort 2. Patients in Cohort 2 used less CAM (78.9%) than Cohort 1 (96.8%). Cohort 1 was more likely to use CAM to treat cancer compared to Cohort 2 (84.4% vs. 73%, respectively, p < 0.0001,); while Cohort 2 used CAM for symptom management such as pain control and improving appetite among others. Disclosure of CAM use did not change significantly over time and remains low (31.6% in Cohort 1 and 35.7% for Cohort 2). However, physicians were more likely to express an opposing opinion against CAM use in Cohort 2 compared to Cohort 1 (48.7% vs. 19.1%, p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion There is a significant change in CAM use among cancer patients over the decade, which reflects major societal and cultural changes in this population. Further studies and interventions are needed to improve the disclosure to physicians and to improve other aspects of care to these patients.


Author(s):  
Keerthana Dhandapani ◽  
Bhagyalakshmi Kodavanji ◽  
Vinodini Nithyananda Madom Anantharaya ◽  
Nayanatara Arun Kumar

Abstract Objectives Infertility has disastrous consequences, particularly for women. Causes of infertility in developed countries have been investigated but there is a significant lack of data among Indian female population. The aim of the present study was to analyze the causes and the proportion of the individual factors contributing to infertility, considering the age factor. Methods The data of 204 infertile women (18–45 years) were collected from the files in tertiary care hospitals. Causes and age of infertile women were grouped. The prevalence of each cause was evaluated. Data analysis was done using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) version 17.0. Results Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) was the most common (14.71%) cause of female infertility. Ovulatory dysfunctions (25.55%) were the foremost cause in primary infertility, whereas in secondary infertility, uterine factors (26.86%) were most common. The incidence of primary and secondary infertility was more evident in patients who were more than 30 years of age. Conclusions Causes of infertility vary according to the age. The causes of female infertility were unexplained infertility, ovulatory disorders and uterine factors most commonly affecting women at ≤30 years.


Author(s):  
Sebastián Videla ◽  
Aurema Otero ◽  
Sara Martí ◽  
M. Ángeles Domínguez ◽  
Nuria Fabrellas ◽  
...  

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic started in December 2019 and still is a major global health challenge. Lockdown measures and social distancing sparked a global shift towards online learning, which deeply impacted universities’ daily life, and the University of Barcelona (UB) was not an exception. Accordingly, we aimed to determine the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic at the UB. To that end, we performed a cross-sectional study on a sample of 2784 UB members (n = 52,529). Participants answered a brief, ad hoc, online epidemiological questionnaire and provided a nasal swab for reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) SARS-CoV-2 analysis and a venous blood sample for SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody assay. Total prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection (positive RT-PCR or positive IgG) was 14.9% (95%CI 13.3 to 17.0%). Forty-four participants (1.6%, 95%CI: 1.2–2.1%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR. IgG against SARS-CoV-2 was observed in 12.8% (95%CI: 11.6–14.1%) of participants. Overall, while waiting for population vaccination and/or increased herd immunity, we should concentrate on identifying and isolating new cases and their contacts.


Author(s):  
Arielle Kaim ◽  
Maya Siman-Tov ◽  
Eli Jaffe ◽  
Bruria Adini

In the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, maintenance of protective behavior is a continued challenge in the effort to contain the spread of the virus. A cross-sectional study via an internet questionnaire was utilized to elucidate changes in compliance to protective behavior among the Israeli population (n = 1120), after the beginning of the vaccination campaign. Comparison was made between individuals who were previously infected with the virus, those who received one dose of inoculation with the vaccine, and individuals that were neither infected or vaccinated. The study results indicate that those who were previously infected with the COVID-19 virus were less careful about mask wearing (18.8%) and social distancing (29.7%), as compared to the other examined groups (regarding mask wearing, 8.2% and 11.6% respectively, and with regard to social distancing 12.8% and 19.2%) and may require targeted risk communication campaigns to address this population. Furthermore, the study revealed that those that were non-Jewish (as compared to Jewish study counterparts) or that were older (19+) were more vigilant in their protective behavior (29.6% vs. 11.2% respectively for social distancing and 29.6% vs. 11.1% respectively for mask wearing). Despite a successful initial vaccination campaign in Israel, public health officials need to engage all members of the public to unremittingly observe compliance to directed health guidelines, to ensure that the results of previous governmental efforts in fighting the pandemic (such as lockdowns) will be effectively sustained, and the road to containment will be hastened.


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