Prevalence and Risk Factors of Smoking Among Health Care Workers and Non-Health Care Workers in Zambezi Region, Namibia: A Cross-Sectional Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia Kahimbi Mahoto ◽  
Kabwebwe Honoré Mitonga ◽  
Olanrewaju Oladimeji
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Smoking Prevalence ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Bivariate Analysis ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Workers

Smoking is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases and remains a significant public health challenge in many lower- and middle-income countries (LMIC) including Namibia. The purpose of the study was to estimate the prevalence of smoking and its associated risk factors among HCWs and non-HCWs in Zambezi region. An exploratory cross-sectional survey was conducted between March and October 2020 among residents of the eight (8) constituencies of Zambezi region. Four hundred and sixty-one (461) respondents who had been residents of the selected constituencies for over five years and aged between 17-60 years were selected for the study. The main outcome measure was current cigarette smoking status. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. We stratified data analysis by individual being health workers or non-health workers. A bivariate Pearson Chi-square test was used to determine the association between socio-demographic characteristics and the smoking status. Statistically significant variables in the bivariate analysis were used as predictors in the univariate and multivariate models. The response rate of potential participants was 95% (n=434). The mean (±SD) age of participant’s was 32.5 (± 11.34 years). Significant relationships were observed between smoking status and area of residency (constituency), gender, age category, level of education, age of onset of smoking and the daily smoking frequency. The majority of smokers (n=108) were none-HCWs with males being the majority (n=62). Age (p=0.001), education levels (p=0.001) and area of residency (p=0.022) were highly associated with smoking among none-HCW while marital status was associated with smoking among HCWs (p=0.013). In the final multivariate model, the odds of smoking among female non-HCWs were significantly lower (OR: 0.386; 95% CI: 0.228 – 0.655). Furthermore, the odds of smoking among this same group were lower among those who had secondary level education (OR: 0.178; 95% CI: 0.0659 – 0.483), post-secondary (OR: 0.117, 95% CI: 0.0412 – 0.330) and first stage tertiary (OR: 0.306: 95% CI: 0.106 – 0.881) compared to those who had primary school education. In conclusion, smoking prevalence among none HCWs and HCWs working in Zambezi included in the study was similar to that of the general Namibian population but higher than other neighboring countries within SADC. The results showed a need for the establishment of specific smoking related strategies that target HCWs to address smoking use parallel to the running of none HCWs which would ultimately decrease the smoking prevalence and improve health.

scholarly journals Prevalence and Risk Factors of Occupational Health Hazards among Health Care Workers of Northern Saudi Arabia: A Multicenter Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 11489
Author(s):  
Ashokkumar Thirunavukkarasu ◽  
Khaloud Amash Hossin Alrawaili ◽  
Ahmad Homoud Al-Hazmi ◽  
Umar Farooq Dar ◽  
Bashayer ALruwaili ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Occupational Health ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Health Hazards ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Workers

Health care workers (HCWs) working in different health care facilities are exposed to many hazards, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This questionnaire-based cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence, pattern, and risk factors of occupational health hazards faced by 438 randomly selected HCWs from northern Saudi Arabia. The HCWs are commonly exposed to needle stick injuries (34.5%) under the biological hazards category; and work-related stress (69.6%) under the non-biological hazards categories. The significant associated factors were work setting (ref: Primary Health Center: Adjusted OR (AOR) = 2.81, 95%CI = 1.21–4.59, p = 0.017), smoking status (ref.: non-smoker: AOR = 1.73, 95%CI = 1.03–2.91, p = 0.039), and mean sleeping duration per day (AOR = 1.22, 95%CI = 1.04–1.43, p = 0.014) for biological, and smoking status (ref: non-smoker: AOR = 2.16, 95%CI = 1.09–3.29, p = 0.028), and mean sleeping duration per day (AOR = 1.35, 95%CI = 1.07–1.70, p = 0.013) for non-biological categories. This study revealed several risk factors and occupational health hazards that HCWs are exposed to during their work time. Periodic training and follow-up assessments regarding bio-safety measures for the HCWs should be implemented. Finally, future explorative studies are warranted on the feasibility of implementing rotation-based postings for the HCWs in different health care settings.

scholarly journals Assessment of health workers’ concern about COVID-19 pandemic: implication for surveillance activities among Primary Health Care workers in Oyo State, South-Western Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olaniyan Akintunde Babatunde ◽  
Muideen Babatunde Olatunji ◽  
Roseline Oluyemisi Akande ◽  
Joseph Muyiwa Olumoyegun
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Bivariate Analysis ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Care Workers

Abstract Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 has continued to threaten the existence of human race. The novelty and unstable epidemiologic pattern of the virus had generated so much concern among the global health experts. These concerns were found to be escalated among frontline health care workers to the extent of impeding the timeliness of the response activities. To slow down the spread of the already established community transmission through the surveillance activities, the concern of the health workers at the community level needs to be addressed. Therefore, this study assessed the concern about COVID-19 pandemic among the primary health workers in Oyo State, Nigeria.MethodsThis was an online cross-sectional survey conducted among primary health care workers in Oyo State between March and April 2020. Using a two-stage sampling technique, we recruited 284 respondents. A semi-structured questionnaire linked to the Google form was used to collect data. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25; bivariate analysis was done using Chi-square and binary logistic regression was used to identify the predictors of health workers’ concern at 5% level of significance.ResultsThe mean age of respondents was 45.0 + 9.0 years. About 52.5% had goodk knowledge of COVID-19. In the domains of concern, 66.9%, 53.2%, 51.4%, and 46.5% of the respondents expressed government-related concern, self-satisfaction related concern, work-related concern and social status related concern respectively. Male respondents were less likely to express concern about COVID-19 compared with their female counterparts (aOR= 0.39, 95% CI = 0.20 – 0.76). Nurses/midwives (aOR= 0.21, 95% CI = 0.05 – 0.85) had lesser likelihood of expressing concern about COVID-19 while middle staff (aOR= 2.5, 95% CI = 1.18 – 5.39) and income earner of ≥ N200, 000 (aOR= 2.3, 95% CI = 1.34 – 3.92) had higher likelihood of expressing concern about COVID-19.ConclusionThe study revealed an average knowledge of COVID-19 among the respondents. Government-related and self-satisfaction related concerns were majorly expressed by the majority of the PHC workers. Therefore, holistic policy that addresses the welfare and training of the HCWs is recommended.

scholarly journals Isolation measures and protection awareness are significant for latent tuberculosis infection: a cross-sectional study based on T-SPOT.TB among health care workers in China

2019 ◽  
Vol 147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunfeng Deng ◽  
Yun Liu ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Hui Jing ◽  
Yan Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Healthcare Service ◽  
Latent Tuberculosis Infection ◽  
Latent Tuberculosis ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Workers

AbstractThis study aimed to reveal the associated risk factors for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) detected by T-SPOT.TB assay among health care workers (HCWs) at different working locations or job categories in China. This cross-sectional study included 934 HCWs who underwent the T-SPOT.TB assay. Demographic and social characteristics of the participants, including age, sex, job categories, department/ward and duration of healthcare service, were recorded. Among 934 HCWs, 267 (28.5867%) were diagnosed as having LTBI with positive T-SPOT.TB assay. HCWs working in inpatient tuberculosis (TB) (odds ratio (OR) 2.917; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.852–4.596; P < 0.001) and respiratory wards (OR 1.840; 95% CI 1.124–3.011; P = 0.015), and with longer duration of healthcare service (OR 1.048; 95% CI 1.016–1.080; P = 0.003) were risk factors for positive T-SPOT.TB result. Furthermore, longer working duration increased the positive rate of T-SPOT.TB results for physicians and nurses, and physicians had higher risks than nurses for the same working duration. Inpatient TB and respiratory wards were high-risk working locations for HCWs with LTBI, and longer duration of healthcare service also increased the risk of LTBI among HCWs. A complete strategy for TB infection control and protection awareness among HCWs should be enhanced.

scholarly journals Knowledge of Healthcare Workers on Immunization: New and Under-utilized and Perception towards Future Vaccines

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 202-207
Author(s):  
AM Jibo ◽  
RS Karaye ◽  
AU Gajida ◽  
AA Abulfathi
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Good Knowledge ◽  
Cluster Sampling ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Workers

Nigeria is making effort to address the child mortality burden by increasing vaccine coverage rates, yet the vaccine coverage falls short of 90% target. Scaling up of new and under-used vaccines to 90% coverage could save more than 600,000 Nigerian children. Healthcare givers knowledge of vaccine used for immunization is essential to increase the vaccine uptake rates. This study assesses the knowledge of routine, underutilized and future vaccines among health workers. A cross sectional descriptive study was done among health care workers at a tertiary health facility in Nigeria. Using a pre-tested semi structured interviewer administered questionnaire, 220 respondents were selected by cluster sampling technique. The health workers’ knowledge of these vaccines was assessed using a scale developed for the study. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 22.The mean age of the respondents was 31.9 + 5.7 years . Doctors and nurses formed more than half of the respondents, 51.8% (n=114). About three quarters of respondents 72.3% (n=159) had good knowledge of vaccines used in routine immunizations. Knowledge of under-utilized and future vaccine was low with less than a fifth 18.6% (n=41) and one tenth 9.1% (n=20) having good knowledge scores respectively. Similarly, poor perception scores of future vaccines were observed in 90.1% (n=218) of the respondents. Only marital status was associated with knowledge of underutilized vaccines (p<0.05) and no association was observed between other sociodemographic variables and knowledge of these vaccines (P>0.05). The awareness level of health care workers on routine immunization is high. Their knowledge and perception of under-utilized and future vaccines were however low. There is, therefore, need for more training and retraining of health care workers on the vaccines.

scholarly journals Knowledge and Preparedness on Corona Virus Pandemic among Healthcare Workers in Igembe South Health Facilities, Meru County, Kenya

2020 ◽  
pp. 155-164
Author(s):  
P. K. Kubai ◽  
M. P. Ndiba ◽  
L. K. Ikiara ◽  
C. K. Karani
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Health Facilities ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Corona Virus ◽  
Care Workers

Worldwide Corona virus outbreak has cause panic and enormous health and economic effects due to inadequate or lack of appropriate information about COVID -19. Aims: The aim of the study was to determine the Level of knowledge and Preparedness to Corona Virus (COVID –19) Pandemic among Health Workers in Igembe South, Meru County, Kenya. Study Design: This was cross-sectional study was conducted to determine their Knowledge and Preparedness among HCWs on COVID-19 pandemic. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Igembe South Health Facilities between March and June 2020. Methodology: A facility based cross-sectional study was conducted in Igembe South Sub County of Meru County from March 2020 to June 2020 among 87 Health Care Workers to determine their Knowledge and Preparedness on COVID-19 pandemic. Data was collected using structured Likert’s Scale questionnaire. Descriptive analysis was performed to obtain frequencies and distribution of the variables. Results: The results shows that eight seven (87) health care workers with mean age of 34± 9 (SD) years with a minimum age of 19 years and maximum age of 60 years were recruited responded to the questions of the study. Among the 87 participants, 51 (58.6%) had at least a bachelor's degree, 30 (34.5%) participants had a diploma and 6 (6.9%) participants had a certificate. About 32 (36.8%) of the participants were nurses. Other professional disciplines included nutritionists, records officers, supporting staff, social workers among others. Majority of the facilities acknowledged receiving Ministry of Health guidelines and protocols on COVID-19 case management. Regarding knowledge of COVID -19 Almost half (48.3%) of the participants somewhat agreed that health care workers had knowledge of Corona Virus Pandemic, however, most of the respondents (50.6%) strongly disagreed that they are equipped with adequate Knowledge to manage severe Corona Case compared to (8%) respondents who strongly agreed that Corona Virus Incubation period is an average of 7 days and maximum of 14 days. Conclusion: The study concludes that knowledge and preparedness level on COVID - 19 was above average, however, there is need for continuous professional development (CPD) training and support supervision for HCWs to ensure maintenance of appropriate practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study further concludes that those with knowledge and are conversant with their respective areas of practice are at less risk, considering that inadequate knowledge is not only a risk factor for poor delivery of WHO approved COVID -19 guidelines met to prevent the spread of COVID -19, but also increases the occupational risk to health care workers.

scholarly journals Evaluation of QuantiFERON-TB Gold-Plus in Health Care Workers in a Low-Incidence Setting

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 1650-1657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hee-Won Moon ◽  
Rajiv L. Gaur ◽  
Sara Shu-Hwa Tien ◽  
Mary Spangler ◽  
Madhukar Pai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Low Incidence ◽  
Positive Results

ABSTRACT Although launched in 2015, little is known about the accuracy of QuantiFERON-TB Gold-Plus (QFT-Plus) for diagnosis of latent M. tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Unlike its predecessor, QFT-Plus utilizes two antigen tubes to elicit an immune response from CD4 + and CD8 + T lymphocytes. We conducted a cross-sectional study in low-risk health care workers (HCWs) at a single U.S. center to compare QFT-Plus to QuantiFERON-TB Gold in-tube (QFT). A total of 989 HCWs were tested with both QFT and QFT-Plus. Risk factors for LTBI were obtained from a questionnaire. QFT-Plus was considered positive if either antigen tube 1 (TB1) or TB2 tested positive, per the manufacturer's recommendations, or if both TB1 and TB2 tested positive, using a conservative definition. Results were compared using Cohen's kappa and linear regression, respectively. Agreement of QFT with QFT-Plus was high, at 95.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 94.3 to 96.9; kappa, 0.57). The majority of discordant results between QFT and QFT-Plus TB1 (84.8%) and QFT and QFT-Plus TB2 (88.6%) fell within the range of 0.2 to 0.7 IU/ml. The positivity rate in 626 HCWs with no identifiable risk factors and no self-reported history of positive LTBI tests was 2.1% (CI, 1.0 to 3.2) and 3.0% (CI, 1.7 to 4.3) with QFT and QFT-Plus, respectively. A conservative definition of a QFT-Plus-positive result yielded a positivity rate of 1.0% (CI, 0.2 to 1.7; P value of 0.0002 versus QFT-Plus and 0.07 versus QFT). On follow-up testing, of 11 HCWs with discordant QFT-Plus results, 90.9% (10/11) had a negative QFT result. The QFT-Plus assay showed a high degree of agreement with QFT in U.S. HCWs. A conservative interpretation of QFT-Plus eliminated nearly all nonreproducible positive results in low-risk HCWs. Larger studies are needed to validate the latter finding and to more clearly define conditions under which a conservative interpretation can be used to minimize nonreproducible positive results in low-risk populations.

scholarly journals IMPACT OF A SINGLE TUTORIAL SESSION ON THE TECHNIQUE OF USING PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT BY HEALTH CARE WORKERS

2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 1765-70
Author(s):  
Jamal Azfar Khan ◽  
Asif Ali ◽  
Farzana Muneer
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Tutorial Session ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Surgical Masks ◽  
The Impact

Objective: To determine the impact of a single tutorial session on the technique of donning and doffing the personal protective equipment by health care workers. Study Design: Cross-sectional comparative study. Place and Duration of Study: CMH Landi Kotal Cantt, from 1st March 2020 to 10th June 2020. Patients and Methods: The study was conducted on 62 health workers, working in CMH Landi Kotal Cantt. They were asked to demonstrate donning and doffing surgical masks, gowns and gloves and the steps were evaluated as per a standardized checklist. Then, the participants were given a single tutorial of the donning and doffing technique of personal protective equipment. They were asked to demonstrate their technique of personal protective equipment use one week, one month and three months after the tutorial. Any improvement was recorded in the checklist used earlier. Results: The correct donning and doffing technique of personal protective equipment were demonstrated by 22 and 14 participants respectively before the tutorial. When evaluated one week after the tutorial, this number increased to 48 and 38 respectively, showing significant improvement (p<0.05). The technique of personal protective equipment use deteriorated significantly one month of the tutorial and deteriorated further after three months (p<0.05). The most common fault while donning and doffing the equipment was the incorrect donning sequence, and self-contamination while taking off the gloves, respectively. Conclusion: A single tutorial session results in significant improvement in the technique of using personal protective equipment by health care workers but the effect is lost over time.

scholarly journals Latent tuberculosis infection among health-care workers using Quantiferon-TB Gold-Plus in a country with a low burden for tuberculosis: prevalence and risk factors

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 191-199
Author(s):  
Abdulellah Almohaya ◽  
Abdulwahab Aldrees ◽  
Layan Akkielah ◽  
Alshaima Talal Hashim ◽  
Fahad Almajid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Latent Tuberculosis Infection ◽  
Latent Tuberculosis ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Workers

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Health-care workers (HCW) are susceptible to latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). The prevalence of LTBI in HCW in Saudi Arabia has not been reported using the fourth-generation interferon gamma release assay QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus). OBJECTIVE: Determine the prevalence of LTBI in a large heterogeneous HCW population and assess risk factors for LTBI. DESIGN: Cross-sectional and case-control study. SETTING: Tertiary academic hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Medical records of HCWs who had QFT-Plus performed between January to December 2018 were reviewed and included in the cross-sectional study. In a subset analysis, randomly selected positive QFT-Plus cases were compared with controls selected from the same areas of work. Univariate and binary logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the significance of other factors to QFT-PLus positivity. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of LTBI in HCWs and potential risk factors for LTBI. SAMPLE SIZE: 3024 HCWs in the cross-sectional analysis; 294 cases and 294 controls in the case-control analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-four percent (n=733) of the HCWs had a positive QFT-Plus. The median (interquartile range) age was 34.0 (31.0-37.1) years, 71% were female, and only 24.8% were of Saudi nationals. Nursing represented 57.7% of HCWs, and 24.7% were working in a non-clinical area. Only 20.3% worked in TB-related departments. A higher risk of LTBI was present in HCWs who were older than 50 years (OR=1.95), from either Philippines (OR=4.7) or the Indian subcontinent (OR=4.1), working as a nurse (OR=2.7), allied health profession (OR=2.1), radiology technician (OR=3.1), or in the emergency room (OR=2.4) or intensive care unit (OR=2.1). In the binary logistic regression, independent predictors for positive QFT-Plus were age group older than 50 years (aOR=2.96), known TB exposure (aOR=1.97), and not receiving BCG at birth (aOR=3.08). LIMITATION: Single-center, retrospective, possible recall bias for BCG vaccination. CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of LTBI among HCW emphasizes the need to continue pre-employment screening, especially for employed personnel from high endemic areas, with targeted annual screening for the same group and other identified high-risk groups. These findings can aid in the development of national screening guidelines for LTBI in HCW. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.

scholarly journals Working Conditions and Sick Building Syndrome among Health Care Workers in Vietnam

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 3635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cuong Hoang Quoc ◽  
Giang Vu Huong ◽  
Hai Nguyen Duc
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Working Condition ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Large Hospital ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Sick Building

Background: Little is known about risk factors for sick building symptoms (SBS) among health care workers (HCWs) who often face the workload, exposure to chemicals, and biological contaminants in the workplace. This study aims to evaluate the correlation between SBS and the symptoms among HCWs. Methods: A total of 207 HCWs were recruited in a large hospital-based cross-sectional survey between March and June 2017, southern Vietnam. Face-to-face interviews were conducted for collecting data on demographics, SBS-related symptoms, working environments, and conditions. Indoor environmental conditions were measured. SBS scores, ranging from 0 to 24, were determined by a sum of the scores of general symptoms, mucosal irritation, and skin symptoms; multivariate regression analyses and the Lindeman, Merenda, and Gold (LMG) test were used to investigate the predictors and its impact on the SBS. Results: A mean SBS score was 9.7 (range: 1–21). Compared with males, females were more likely to report higher SBS scores (10.2 vs. 7.9, p < 0.001). Being female, atopy, varying temperature room, stuffy “bad” air dust, and dirt had higher SBS scores of 2.0; 1.8; 1.7; 1.9; 3.8, respectively. LMG test showed that dust and dirt, and stuffy “bad” air were the predominant risk factors for SBS. Conclusions: Our study reveals that working conditions are important and significantly associated with SBS. Taken together with our findings, the working condition criteria approach trained for architects, builders, owners, and maintenance of the building is highly recommended for indoor air quality improvement. Furthermore, larger-sample studies about working condition are urgently needed to better manage SBS.

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