scholarly journals The Consequences of Declining Population Access to Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) on Net Use Patterns and Physical Degradation of Nets after 22 Months of Ownership

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zawadi Mageni Mboma ◽  
Charles Festo ◽  
Lena M. Lorenz ◽  
Dennis J. Massue ◽  
William N. Kisinza ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundAs the number of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) in households (access) declines when nets wear out some household-members are prioritised to use the remaining ITNs. This study assessed how nets are allocated within households to individuals of different age categories as ITNs are lost or damaged and as new ITNs are obtained. The study also explored how ITN allocation affects ITN durability. MethodsA cross-sectional household survey and ITN durability study was conducted among 2,875 households across Tanzania to determine the proportion of nets that remain protective (serviceable) twenty-two months after net distribution aiming for universal coverage. Allocation of study nets within houses and re-allocation of ITNs when new Universal Replacement Campaign (URC) nets arrived in study households in Musoma District was also assessed.ResultsOnly 57.0% [95% CI: 53.9-60.1%] of households had enough ITNs for every household member (assuming one net covers every 2 members). In households with enough nets, 77.5% of members slept under ITNs. In households without enough nets, pregnant women (54.6%), children<5 (45.8%) and adults (42.1%) were prioritised, with fewer school-age children 5-14 (35.9%), youths 15-24 (28.1%) and seniors>65 (32.6%) sleeping under ITNs. Crowding ( 3 people slept under nets) was twice as common among people residing in houses without enough nets for all age groups apart from children<5. Nets were less likely to be serviceable if 3 people slept under them (OR=0.50 [95%CI 0.40-0.63]); if nets were used by school-age children (OR=0.72 [95%CI 0.56-0.93]) and if the net product was Olyset®. One month after the URC, only 23.6% [95%CI 16.7-30.6%] had access to an URC ITN in Musoma district. Householders in Musoma district continued the use of old ITNs even with the arrival of new URC nets.ConclusionUsers determined the useful life of ITNs and prioritized pregnant women and children<5 to serviceable ITNs. When household net access declines, users adjust by crowding under remaining nets, which further reduces ITN lifespan. School-age children that commonly harbour gametocytes that mediate malaria transmission are compelled to sleep under unserviceable nets, crowd under nets or remain uncovered. However, they were accommodated by the arrival of new nets. More frequent ITN delivery through the school-net program in combination with mass distribution campaigns is essential to maximise ITN effectiveness.

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zawadi M. Mboma ◽  
Charles Festo ◽  
Lena M. Lorenz ◽  
Dennis J. Massue ◽  
William N. Kisinza ◽  
...  

Abstract Background As insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) wear out and are disposed, some household members are prioritized to use remaining ITNs. This study assessed how nets are allocated within households to individuals of different age categories as ITNs are lost or damaged and as new ITNs are obtained. The study also explored how ITN allocation affects ITN durability. Methods A cross-sectional household survey and ITN durability study was conducted among 2,875 households across Tanzania to determine the proportion of nets that remain protective (serviceable) 22 months after net distribution aiming for universal coverage. Allocation of study nets within houses, and re-allocation of ITNs when new universal replacement campaign (URC) nets arrived in study households in Musoma District, was also assessed. Results Some 57.0% (95% CI 53.9–60.1%) of households had sufficient ITNs for every household member, while 84.4% (95% CI 82.4–86.4%) of the population had access to an ITN within their household (assuming 1 net covers every 2 members). In households with sufficient nets, 77.5% of members slept under ITNs. In households without sufficient nets, pregnant women (54.6%), children < 5 years (45.8%) and adults (42.1%) were prioritized, with fewer school-age children 5–14 years (35.9%), youths 15–24 years (28.1%) and seniors > 65 years (32.6%) sleeping under ITNs. Crowding ($$\ge$$ ≥ 3 people sleeping under nets) was twice as common among people residing in houses without sufficient nets for all age groups, apart from children < 5. Nets were less likely to be serviceable if: $$\ge$$ ≥ 3 people slept under them (OR 0.50 (95% CI 0.40–0.63)), or if nets were used by school-age children (OR 0.72 (95% CI 0.56–0.93)), or if the net product was Olyset®. One month after the URC, only 23.6% (95% CI 16.7–30.6%) of the population had access to a URC ITN in Musoma district. Householders in Musoma district continued the use of old ITNs even with the arrival of new URC nets. Conclusion Users determined the useful life of ITNs and prioritized pregnant women and children < 5 to serviceable ITNs. When household net access declines, users adjust by crowding under remaining nets, which further reduces ITN lifespan. School-age children that commonly harbour gametocytes that mediate malaria transmission are compelled to sleep under unserviceable nets, crowd under nets or remain uncovered. However, they were accommodated by the arrival of new nets. More frequent ITN delivery through the school net programme in combination with mass distribution campaigns is essential to maximize ITN effectiveness.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-153
Author(s):  
Luis Monteiro Rodrigues

The Nutrition and Food Sciences section includes two sequential papers regarding the anthropometric evaluation of pre-school and school age children from the Canarian Islands (Biomed & Biopharm Research, 2019;(16) 2; 154-164 DOI:10.19277/bbr.16.2.207) and from Azores (Biomed & Biopharm Research, 2019;(16) 2; 165-175 DOI:10.19277/bbr.16.2.208). These two cross-sectional studies focus the prevalence of normal weight, overweight, and obesity in those age groups, completing similar information published in the last issue of our journal in reference to the Madeiran Islands. A complete characterization of this condition is now achieved and described for the entire European Macaronesian islands, underlining the originality and interest of these papers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-168
Author(s):  
Yu-Chen Lin ◽  
Yen-Li Chao ◽  
Chieh-Hsiang Hsu ◽  
Hsiao-Man Hsu ◽  
Po-Tsun Chen ◽  
...  

Background. Knowledge regarding the relationship between writing kinetics and the difference among writing tasks is limited. Purpose. This study examined the differences in handwriting performance when doing tasks with different levels of challenge from both temporal and kinetic perspectives among children in four different age groups. Method. The cross-sectional design introduced a force-acquisition pen to detect differences of pen grip and writing kinetics among 170 school-age children doing writing tasks at different difficulty levels. Data were obtained on the force information of the digits and pen tip and the kinetic parameters to examine the coordination-and-control mechanism between the digits and pen. Statistical analyzes were carried out to indicate the differences in writing performance among groups and tasks. Findings. Statistical differences in the pen-grip forces, force fluctuation, and force ratio between grip and pen-tip forces were found when performing different writing tasks and among different age groups. Implications. The study provides an alternative method to explore how writing performance among school-age children can vary according to the difficulty of the writing tasks.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 1311-1315
Author(s):  
Sergey M. Kondrashov ◽  
John A. Tetnowski

Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess the perceptions of stuttering of school-age children who stutter and those of adults who stutter through the use of the same tools that could be commonly used by clinicians. Method Twenty-three participants across various ages and stuttering severity were administered both the Stuttering Severity Instrument–Fourth Edition (SSI-4; Riley, 2009 ) and the Wright & Ayre Stuttering Self-Rating Profile ( Wright & Ayre, 2000 ). Comparisons were made between severity of behavioral measures of stuttering made by the SSI-4 and by age (child/adult). Results Significant differences were obtained for the age comparison but not for the severity comparison. Results are explained in terms of the correlation between severity equivalents of the SSI-4 and the Wright & Ayre Stuttering Self-Rating Profile scores, with clinical implications justifying multi-aspect assessment. Conclusions Clinical implications indicate that self-perception and impact of stuttering must not be assumed and should be evaluated for individual participants. Research implications include further study with a larger subject pool and various levels of stuttering severity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-140
Author(s):  
Qurrotul Aeni ◽  
Andriyani Mustika Nurwijayanti ◽  
Muhammad Khabib Burhanuddin Iqomh

Introduction: anxiety is a condition that will be experienced by children who experience hospitalization and must get attention and management. Anxiety during hospitalization that is not properly addressed will hinder treatment and affect child development. The purpose of the study: to determine the relationship between therapeutic communication nurses and the anxiety of preschool children due to hospitalizationMethod: The study design used descriptive correlation with a cross-sectional approach. The number of samples is 31 with purposive sampling. Collecting research data using a questionnaire.Results: The results showed a majority of therapeutic communication was 61.3%, anxiety in children due to hospitalization of 100% with severe anxiety was 58.1%, there was a relationship between therapeutic communication and children's anxiety (p = 0.001). Suggestions need to be carried out further research on the factors that influence the low therapeutic communication in nurses.Discussion: The results of the statistical analysis using the Spearman's Rho test got p value 0.001 (p <0.05) the relationship between therapeutic communication and the anxiety of pre-school age children who experienced hospitalization, therapeutic communication can be used as an action to prevent anxiety due to hospitalization in pre-school age children.Suggestion: need to do further research on the factors that influence the low therapeutic communication in nurses Keywords: therapeutic communication, anxiety, hospitalization.  


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. e043397
Author(s):  
Austen El-Osta ◽  
Aos Alaa ◽  
Iman Webber ◽  
Eva Riboli Sasco ◽  
Emmanouil Bagkeris ◽  
...  

ObjectiveInvestigate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on feelings of loneliness and social isolation in parents of school-age children.DesignCross-sectional online survey of parents of primary and secondary school-age children.SettingCommunity setting.Participants1214 parents of school-age children in the UK.MethodsAn online survey explored the impact of lockdown on the mental health of parents with school-age children, and in particular about feelings of social isolation and loneliness. Associations between the UCLA Three-Item Loneliness Scale (UCLATILS), the Direct Measure of Loneliness (DMOL) and the characteristics of the study participants were assessed using ordinal logistic regression models.Main outcome measuresSelf-reported measures of social isolation and loneliness using UCLATILS and DMOL.ResultsHalf of respondents felt they lacked companionship, 45% had feelings of being left out, 58% felt isolated and 46% felt lonely during the first 100 days of lockdown. The factors that were associated with higher levels of loneliness on UCLATILS were female gender, parenting a child with special needs, lack of a dedicated space for distance learning, disruption of sleep patterns and low levels of physical activity during the lockdown. Factors associated with a higher DMOL were female gender, single parenting, parenting a child with special needs, unemployment, low physical activity, lack of a dedicated study space and disruption of sleep patterns during the lockdown.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 lockdown has increased feelings of social isolation and loneliness among parents of school-age children. The sustained adoption of two modifiable health-seeking lifestyle behaviours (increased levels of physical activity and the maintenance of good sleep hygiene practices) wmay help reduce feelings of social isolation and loneliness during lockdown.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 251513552110158
Author(s):  
Abdoulreza Esteghamati ◽  
Shirin Sayyahfar ◽  
Yousef Alimohamadi ◽  
Sarvenaz Salahi ◽  
Mahmood Faramarzi

Background: Whole-cell pertussis (wP) vaccine administration is still advocated for children under 7 years of age in Iran. However, there is no recommendation for the administration of a dose of tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine to childbearing age/pregnant women in the Iranian vaccination program and it has increased the risk of infection through waning immunity during women’s childbearing age life. The study aimed to assess the levels of anti- Bordetella pertussis antibodies in childbearing age women of different ages in Iran. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a total number of 360 childbearing age women divided into six age groups, with 5-year intervals from 15 to 45 years old, in 2018–2019. Then, the levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin M (IgM), and immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against B. pertussis were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The IBM SPSS Statistics software (version 16.0) (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) was used for data analysis. Results: The mean age of the participants was 30.01 ± 8.35 years (range 14–45 years). All the cases were IgM negative, but two IgA-positive individuals (in the age groups of 14–19 and 30–34 years) were reported. Overall, 239 (66.4%) cases were IgG positive. The mean age of IgG-positive cases was 30.37 ± 8.37 years. The IgG-positive cases were mostly in the age groups of 30–34 and 35–39 years [43 (71.1%)]. The odds of IgG positivity were 1.97. The highest odds of IgG positivity were seen in 30–34 and 35–39 years groups (2.52) and the lowest odds were seen in the 20–24 and 25–29 years groups (1.60). Using the Jonckheere–Terpstra test, the increasing trend of IgG changes in different age groups was not statistically significant (Tπ=5.78, p = 0.09). Conclusion: The infants of women of childbearing age might be prone to pertussis in countries using the wP vaccination schedule. It is suggested to administer a dose of Tdap to women before or during pregnancy to increase the immunity of their infants against this disease during early infancy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Resham B. Khatri ◽  
Yibeltal Alemu ◽  
Melinda M. Protani ◽  
Rajendra Karkee ◽  
Jo Durham

Abstract Background Persistent inequities in coverage of maternal and newborn health (MNH) services continue to pose a major challenge to the health-care system in Nepal. This paper uses a novel composite indicator of intersectional (dis) advantages to examine how different (in) equity markers intersect to create (in) equities in contact coverage of MNH services across the continuum of care (CoC) in Nepal. Methods A secondary analysis was conducted among 1978 women aged 15–49 years who had a live birth in the two years preceding the survey. Data were derived from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2016. The three outcome variables included were 1) at least four antenatal care (4ANC) visits, 2) institutional delivery, and 3) postnatal care (PNC) consult for newborns and mothers within 48 h of childbirth. Independent variables were wealth status, education, ethnicity, languages, residence, and marginalisation status. Intersectional (dis) advantages were created using three socioeconomic variables (wealth status, level of education and ethnicity of women). Binomial logistic regression analysis was employed to identify the patterns of (in) equities in contact coverage of MNH services across the CoC. Results The contact coverage of 4ANC visits, institutional delivery, and PNC visit was 72, 64, and 51% respectively. Relative to women with triple disadvantage, the odds of contact coverage of 4ANC visits was more than five-fold higher (Adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 5.51; 95% CI: 2.85, 10.64) among women with triple forms of advantages (literate and advantaged ethnicity and higher wealth status). Women with triple advantages were seven-fold more likely to give birth in a health institution (aOR = 7.32; 95% CI: 3.66, 14.63). They were also four times more likely (aOR = 4.18; 95% CI: 2.40, 7.28) to receive PNC visit compared to their triple disadvantaged counterparts. Conclusions The contact coverage of routine MNH visits was low among women with social disadvantages and lowest among women with multiple forms of socioeconomic disadvantages. Tracking health service coverage among women with multiple forms of (dis) advantage can provide crucial information for designing contextual and targeted approaches to actions towards universal coverage of MNH services and improving health equity.


Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1884 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Morales-Suárez-Varela ◽  
Isabel Peraita-Costa ◽  
Agustín Llopis-Morales ◽  
Agustín Llopis-Gonzalez

Iodine deficiency is one of the most important health problems in the world. It intervenes in the synthesis of thyroid hormones, which carry out important functions, so that a deficit of this mineral causes alterations of different kinds such as those related to growth. The objective of the present study was to know the prevalence of iodine deficit in the diet of Valencian children from 6 to 8 years old and their relationship with anthropometry. The analysis of the dietary intake was carried out through questionnaires. Thirteen schools participated in the study. The sample studied consists of 661 school children belonging to the Valencian Community, between 6 and 8 years of age: 298 boys and 363 girls. 79.12% of the children did not meet recommended daily iodine intakes. When comparing the groups of girls and boys with an inadequate intake, in general, girls show worse nutritional adequacy. When comparing the groups of girls and boys with sufficient iodine intake, no statistically significant differences were observed. No immediate effects of iodine deficiency on children’s anthropometry were observed. Intake of dairy products, fish and iodized salt is recommended, since they can contribute to the diet the iodine required to avoid a deficiency.


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