Association between Smoking and Academic Performance among Under-Graduate Students of Pakistan, A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Background Prevalence of smoking is on the rise and its harmful effects on every organ of body are well known. Smoking is a growing concern due to adverse effects on health, its association with academic performance is not well studied. Objectives This study aims to assess the prevalence of smoking among undergraduate students of age 18-24 years in a public sector university of Islamabad, association between smoking and academic performance and also to assess the reasons of smoking initiation among undergraduate students. Methods The study included 500 undergraduate students. A self-report structured questionnaire was used to assess smoking, dietary habits, physical activity, parent’s smoking, friend’s smoking, time spent on mobile and TV and academic performance for collection of data. Logistic regression was used for association between smoking and academic performance. Results Results of study show that 112/500 (22.4%) students were smokers among them 93/112 (34.6%) were males and 19/112 (8.2%) were females. The mean age of study participants was 21.50 years (SD: 1.72. Prevalence of smoking was higher in students belonging to rural areas 23.5% to that of urban areas 21.9%. Three major reasons of smoking initiation; 25% students stated peers and friends, 21% stated easy availability while 14% said it was fun and enjoyment they started smoking. High academic performance was found to be inversely proportional to student’s smoking; at p-value 0.000 smokers had 2.5 (1.77, 3.74) odds of lower academic performance, boys having 2.17 (1.56, 3.03) odds of lower academic performance in last semester exams. Conclusion Findings highlighted extensive cigarette smoking among undergraduate students of Islamabad. Smoking is significantly and negatively associated with academic performance.

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ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL, MARIJUANA, AND COCAINE AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FROM RIBEIRÃO PRETO - BRAZIL

Texto & Contexto - Enfermagem ◽

10.1590/1980-265x-tce-cicad-3-15 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (spe) ◽

Author(s):

Jacqueline de Souza ◽

Hayley Hamilton ◽

Maria da Gloria Miotto Wright

Keyword(s):

Academic Performance ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Self Report ◽

Chi Square ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Exact Test ◽

Cocaine Use ◽

Other Substances ◽

Chi Square Test

ABSTRACT Objective: to determine alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine use, abuse, and dependence, and to identify the association between the use of these substances and the academic performance of undergraduate students. Method: a cross-sectional study with 275 undergraduate students from health and humanities courses at a university in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. The instruments used were the Questionnaire for Screening the Use of Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Substances and the student’s self-report on their performance considering a scale from zero to 10. For analysis, Fisher’s Exact Test and Pearson’s Chi-square test were used. Results: the pattern of alcohol and cocaine use in the sample studied was similar to the national average; however the prevalence of marijuana abuse was higher than the average. The use of marijuana was associated with the students’ academic performance in this study. Conclusion: the same association between abuse of and dependence on marijuana was not identified in the sample studied.

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Prevalence Of Refractive Errors In School Going Children In Rural And Urban Areas -A Cross-Sectional Study

Tropical Journal of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology ◽

10.17511/jooo.2021.i02.01 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 22-27

Author(s):

Dr. Chimata Triveni ◽

◽

Dr. Tirumuru Divya ◽

Dr. Ponna Rama Devi ◽

Dr. N. Lakshmi Chowdary ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Refractive Error ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Study Groups ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

P Value ◽

Refractive Errors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Rural And Urban Areas ◽

Rural And Urban

Introduction: Visual impairment affects students’ routine schoolwork and day-to-day activities.Hence, the aim is to study the prevalence of various refractive errors and their comparison amongschool children of 5-15 years in rural and urban areas. Methods: This cross-sectional studyexamined 998 students from both rural and urban schools. After obtaining ethical clearance andinformed consent, students were examined for refractive errors. The students with the refractiveerror were given a socio-demographic questionnaire and questionnaire regarding their usage oftelevision, computer, and family history of refractive errors. A Chi-square test was used to test thestatistical significance of proportions. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant, anddata were analyzed by using coGuide software, V.1.03 Results: The prevalence of refractive errorwas found to be 6.41 %, with a prevalence of 7.61% in urban and 5.21% in rural areas. Thedifference in the type of refractive error between the study groups was found to be insignificant,with P= 0.897. Conclusion: Prevalence of refractive errors was more in urban school children thanrural. Refractive error was more prevalent in 13-15 years age group in both rural and urban schoolchildren. The most common refractive error was myopia, followed by astigmatism andhypermetropia.

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Association between emotional intelligence and academic performance among students in Gandaki Medical College, Pokhara

Journal of Gandaki Medical College-Nepal ◽

10.3126/jgmcn.v14i1.32622 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 29-32

Author(s):

Rami Shrestha ◽

Nirmala Shrestha ◽

Sapana Koju ◽

Ratna Keshari Tako

Keyword(s):

Academic Achievement ◽

Emotional Intelligence ◽

Academic Performance ◽

Medical Students ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Strong Relationship ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

P Value ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Exact Test

Introduction: Recent studies in last few decades are revealing that Intelligence Quotient (IQ) alone is not a reliable factor of students’ academic achievement. It has been claimed that only 20% of a person’s success can be attributed to IQ and rest 80% to Emotional Quotient. Since, many researchers had claimed the influence of emotional intelligence on academic performance; the aims of this study were to find out the level of emotional intelligence and its relation with academic performance among Nepali undergraduate students. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out in 280 medical students (120 male, 160 female). The data of this research was obtained through the use of a questionnaire which elicits information about their Emotional Intelligence level and academic performance. The obtained data was analyzed by SPSS. The degree of relationship between marks obtained and emotional intelligence were established by Correlation coefficient and Fischer exact test. The level of significance was set at p-value less than 0.05. Results: The mean level of emotional intelligence was high (5.055±0.798) among Nepalese medical students. The respondents were reported to have high level of emotional intelligence with (5.544±0.929) for Self- awareness, (5.035±1.01) for Social awareness, (5.394±1.11) for Social skill and moderate level of emotional intelligence (4.24±1.37) for Self-management. Conclusion: There was a positive and strong relationship between the respondents’ overall emotional intelligence and their academic achievement which means that the higher their level of emotional intelligence, the better they perform academically.

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The Romanian Version of Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire 12 for Chronic Otitis Media. The Socio-Economic Status Impact Significance

ROMANIAN BIOTECHNOLOGICAL LETTERS ◽

10.25083/rbl/26.2/2455.2463 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 2455-2463

Author(s):

ALMA AURELIA MANIU ◽

◽

CRISTIAN FLETAN ◽

VLAD ANDREI BUDU ◽

VIOLETA NECULA

Keyword(s):

Otitis Media ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Economic Status ◽

Chronic Otitis Media ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Primary Objective ◽

P Value ◽

Life Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional

Objective: Our primary objective was to translate and validate Chronic Otitis Media (COM) Questionnaire-12 (COMQ-12) in Romanian. The secondary objective was to investigate the effect of the socioeconomic status on the preoperative COMQ-12 scores in individuals with a similar stage of disease. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Patients diagnosed with different stages of (COM) with cholesteatoma, scheduled for the first surgery, filled in the Romanian translated version of the COMQ-12. The patients were divided according to the stage of the disease and the environment of origin: rural versus urban areas. Results: The internal consistency of the Romanian COMQ-12 proved excellent, with a Cronbach’s alpha equal to 0.959. The correlation of the 24 randomly split-half reliability analysis varied from 0.904 to 0.917, with a mean of 0.908. Significantly higher COMQ-12 scores are obtained by patients from urban (mean = 42.14, SD =9.04) as compared to those from rural (mean = 30.44, SD = 5.88) only for those with stage III disease (P-value=0.0292). Conclusions: Romanian version of COMQ-12 proved to be a valid instrument that can be use in clinical practice to provide suitable information in COM patients, which contributes to the development of an international common otology dataset. Patients from rural areas tend to disregard their symptoms, being more predisposed to potential complications related to COM rather than urban patients at the same stage of the disease.

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Willingness and Perception of Dental Interns towards Working in Rural Areas in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia- A Cross-sectional Study

JOURNAL FOR CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH ◽

10.7860/jcdr/2020/44687.13889 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sanjeev Balappa Khanagar ◽

Khaled Mubarak Alfaran ◽

Yaser Basher Alenazi ◽

Abdulrahman Majed Aloqayli ◽

Abdulmalik Hesham Alsahhaf ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Multiple Logistic Regression Analysis ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Dental Students ◽

P Value ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Population Ratio

Introduction: The shortage of dental workforces in rural areas is a major concern in Saudi Arabia, which affects the delivery of oral health care services. Although there is an improvement in the dentist to population ratio, there still a wide disparity in dentist to population ratio in rural and urban areas. Aim: To assess the perception of dental interns to work in rural areas in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and to know their willingness to serve rural population and factors associated with their decision. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 dental interns from 6 dental colleges located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia over a period of October to December 2019. Data was collected using a self-administered structured close ended questionnaire. Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis were applied to measure the association of age, gender and marital status on their responses. A p-value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Out of 400 participants, 58% were willing to work in rural areas. Close proximity to hometown, in need for a job, rural placement program, fees and loan forgiveness and having rural background were the most favouring factors for working in rural area, whereas unfavourable working condition, lack of transportation facilities, poor accommodation, less scope for professional development and lack of necessary infrastructure were the main factors for reluctance. The male participants, Saudi nationals, rural residents, and the one whose fathers are less educated, were more likely to work in rural areas. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study a comprehensive human resource strategy be designed by health or medical educators in order to encourage dental students to take up jobs in rural areas.

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Coping Style as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Depressive Symptoms and Deliberate Self-Harm

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000083 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 32 (5) ◽

pp. 272-279 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Allison S. Christian ◽

Kristen M. McCabe

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Self Report ◽

Hierarchical Regression ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Deliberate Self Harm ◽

Self Blame ◽

Self Harm ◽

The Relationship

Background: Deliberate self-harm (DSH) occurs with high frequency among clinical and nonclinical youth populations. Although depression has been consistently linked with the behavior, not all depressed individuals engage in DSH. Aims: The current study examined maladaptive coping strategies (i.e., self-blame, distancing, and self-isolation) as mediators between depression and DSH among undergraduate students. Methods: 202 students from undergraduate psychology courses at a private university in Southern California (77.7% women) completed anonymous self-report measures. Results: A hierarchical regression model found no differences in DSH history across demographic variables. Among coping variables, self-isolation alone was significantly related to DSH. A full meditational model was supported: Depressive symptoms were significantly related to DSH, but adding self-isolation to the model rendered the relationship nonsignificant. Limitations: The cross-sectional study design prevents determination of whether a casual relation exists between self-isolation and DSH, and obscures the direction of that relationship. Conclusions: Results suggest targeting self-isolation as a means of DSH prevention and intervention among nonclinical, youth populations.

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Does Dispositional Mindfulness Predict the Development of Grit?

Journal of Individual Differences ◽

10.1027/1614-0001/a000252 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 39 (2) ◽

pp. 76-87 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Buaphrao Raphiphatthana ◽

Paul Jose ◽

Karen Salmon

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Students ◽

Online Survey ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Self Report ◽

Dispositional Mindfulness ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Report Data ◽

Self Report Data ◽

Acting With Awareness ◽

Mindfulness Facets

Abstract. Grit, that is, perseverance and passion for long-term goals, is a novel construct that has gained attention in recent years ( Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007 ). To date, little research has been performed with the goal of identifying the antecedents of grit. Thus, in order to fill this gap in the literature, self-report data were collected to examine whether mindfulness, a mindset of being-in-the-present in a nonjudgmental way, plays a role in fostering grittiness. Three hundred and forty-three undergraduate students completed an online survey once in a cross-sectional study, and of these, 74 students completed the survey again 4.5 months later. Although the cross-sectional analyses identified a number of positive associations between mindfulness and grit, the longitudinal analysis revealed that the mindfulness facets of acting with awareness and non-judging were the most important positive predictors of grit 4.5 months later. This set of findings offers implications for future grit interventions.

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Several Components of the Lebanese Mediterranean Diet and Particular Sociodemographic, Medical and Lifestyle Factors may be Associated with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Adults: A Cross-sectional Study in a Middle Eastern Setting

Current Nutrition & Food Science ◽

10.2174/1573401316999200518095448 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 82-93

Author(s):

Mary-Joe Youssef ◽

Antoine Aoun ◽

Aline Issa ◽

Lana El-Osta ◽

Nada El-Osta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Logistic Regression ◽

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Lifestyle Factors ◽

P Value ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Gerd Symptoms

Background: The prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is increasing worldwide and the related chronic symptoms can be associated with morbidity and poor quality of life. Objective: The objective of this study was to identify foods and beverages consumed by the Lebanese population, dietary habits, socio-demographic and lifestyle factors, health parameters and perceived stress, implicated in increasing GERD symptoms. Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was carried among Lebanese adults in 2016. A convenient sample of 264 participants was equally divided into a GERD group and a control group. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle, health status and dietary habits including Lebanese traditional dishes were collected. The perceived stress scale (PSS) was also used to assess the participants’ perception of stress. Logistic regression analyses were conducted with GERD symptoms (presence or absence) being the dependent variable. Results: The GERD symptoms were significantly associated with age (-p-value=0.017), family history of GERD symptoms (-p-value<0.001), smoking (-p-value=0.003) and chronic medical conditions (-p-value<.001). Regarding the dietary factors, participants who ate three meals or less/day, between meals and outside homes were 2.5, 2.9 and 2.4 times at a higher risk of experiencing GERD symptoms than others, respectively. Moreover, the logistic regression model showed that the GERD symptoms were significantly associated with the consumption of coffee (-p-value=0.037), Lebanese sweets (-p-value=0.027), fried foods (-p-value=0.031), ‘Labneh’ with garlic (-p-value<0.001), pomegranate molasses (-p-value=0.011), and tomatoes (-p-value=0.007). Conclusion: Some specific lifestyle factors and components of the Lebanese Mediterranean diet could be associated with GERD symptoms.

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Acute food insecurity and short-term coping strategies of urban and rural households of Bangladesh during the lockdown period of COVID-19 pandemic of 2020: report of a cross-sectional survey

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043365 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. e043365

Author(s):

Subhasish Das ◽

Md. Golam Rasul ◽

Md Shabab Hossain ◽

Ar-Rafi Khan ◽

Md Ashraful Alam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Insecurity ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽

Rural Households ◽

P Value ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Food Insecure Households

IntroductionWe conducted a cross-sectional survey to assess the extent and to identify the determinants of food insecurity and coping strategies in urban and rural households of Bangladesh during the month-long, COVID-19 lockdown period.SettingSelected urban and rural areas of Bangladesh.Participants106 urban and 106 rural households.Outcome variables and methodHousehold food insecurity status and the types of coping strategies were the outcome variables for the analyses. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were done to identify the determinants.ResultsWe found that around 90% of the households were suffering from different grades of food insecurity. Severe food insecurity was higher in urban (42%) than rural (15%) households. The rural households with mild/moderate food insecurity adopted either financial (27%) or both financial and food compromised (32%) coping strategies, but 61% of urban mild/moderate food insecure households applied both forms of coping strategies. Similarly, nearly 90% of severely food insecure households implemented both types of coping strategies. Living in poorest households was significantly associated (p value <0.05) with mild/moderate (regression coefficient, β: 15.13, 95% CI 14.43 to 15.82), and severe food insecurity (β: 16.28, 95% CI 15.58 to 16.97). The statistically significant (p <0.05) determinants of both food compromised and financial coping strategies were living in urban areas (β: 1.8, 95% CI 0.44 to 3.09), living in poorest (β: 2.7, 95% CI 1 to 4.45), poorer (β: 2.6, 95% CI 0.75 to 4.4) and even in the richer (β: 1.6, 95% CI 0.2 to 2.9) households and age of the respondent (β: 0.1, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.21).ConclusionBoth urban and rural households suffered from moderate to severe food insecurity during the month-long lockdown period in Bangladesh. But, poorest, poorer and even the richer households adopted different coping strategies that might result in long-term economic and nutritional consequences.

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Examining the Dietary Diversity of Children in Niger

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13092961 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 2961

Author(s):

Nafissatou Cisse Egbuonye ◽

Ariun Ishdorj ◽

E.L.J. McKyer ◽

Rahma Mkuu

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Dietary Diversity ◽

Descriptive Analysis ◽

Age Groups ◽

Wealth Index ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Health Concern ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Child Factors

Malnutrition is a major public health concern in Niger. The stunting rate in children in Niger is over 50%, one of the highest in the world. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine children’s dietary diversity (CDD) and the maternal factors that impact CDD. A total of 1265 mother–child pairs were analyzed. Descriptive analysis was conducted to present maternal and child characteristics. To compare the mean scores of CDD in relation to the region, an independent sample t-test was conducted. A one-way ANOVA test was conducted to evaluate the CDD score by different age groups. A linear regression model was estimated to identify household, maternal and child factors that affect the CDD score. Our results indicate that most of the participants of our survey resided in rural areas and the majority (80.7%) of the mothers had no education. Factors such as region, children’s age, woman’s empowerment, vitamin A intake and wealth index were significant predictors of CDD (p < 0.05). The children residing in rural areas were more likely to have lower CDD scores (p < 0.05) than the children in urban areas, therefore becoming more susceptible to malnutrition.

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