scholarly journals HYPERTENSION

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 1423-1427
Author(s):  
Sheikh Kashif Rahim ◽  
Shaukat Ali ◽  
Zafar Latif

Objectives: To assess awareness about Hypertension among patients. Studydesign: Cross-sectional Survey. Setting: Medical OPD at Rawal General Hospital, Islamabad.Period: Three months from 1st April to 30th June. Materials and Methods: A total of 150 male,female patients attending Medical Out Patient Department at Rawal General Hospital Islamabadwere assessed regarding awareness about Hypertension using a self-constructed mixedquestionnaire (In English and Urdu). Results: Following findings were observed among patientsattending RGH, Islamabad: 82% of patients found to have family history of HTN, while 13%responded negative. 5% of the patients were unaware. 33% of patients found to have diabetesmellitus, while 29% responded negative and 38% of the patients were unaware of having or not.Hypertensive population found to be 51%. 45% found to adhering to anti-hypertensive treatment,while 55% responded negative. 80.6%, 90%, 73%, 82% and 85% considered the obesity, lackof exercise, cigarette smoking, anxiety and high cholesterol respectively as causative factor ofHTN. Excessive intake of salt was considered by 84% as causative factor of HTN. About 82%considered DM as causative factor of HTN. 79%, 73%, 93%, 55% of the patients considered thecardiac disease, renal failure, brain hemorrhage and loss vision respectively as complicationof HTN. 80%, 90%, 73%, 27% consider the regular exercise, reduced salt intake, no smoking,keeping weight under control respectively as preventive measures of HTN. About half and morethan half of the respondents considered frequent use of vegetables, excessive intake of sweets,as preventive measures of hypertension. Conclusions: The assessment of awareness aboutHypertension among population of various areas can be beneficial in effective planning fordisease prevention and control.

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (02) ◽  
pp. 250-255
Author(s):  
Nasim Ilyas ◽  
Kashif Rahim ◽  
Azka Waqar

Hypertension is a common term to define a state of raised blood pressure, and theraised blood pressure is 140 mm Hg mean systolic blood pressure of and mean diastolic bloodpressure of at least 90 mm Hg. Objectives: To assess awareness about Hypertension amongpatients attending Medical OPD at THQ Hospital Hassan Abdal. Materials and Methods: A totalof 150 male, female patients belonging to both rural and urban areas attending Medical OutPatient Department at THQ Hospital Hassan Abdal using a self constructed mixed questionnaire(In English and Urdu). Results: Following findings were observed among patients attendingTHQ hospital, Hassan Abdal: Family history of HTN was found to be 49% and 26% was unawareof family history of HTN. 33% found to have diabetes, 38% were unaware of having or not.29.3% found to have HTN, 48.6% were unaware of having HTN or not. 34% of hypertensivepatients showed compliance to the anti-hypertensive treatment while (66%) showed noncompliance.60.6%, 78%, 62%, 74%, 68% considered the obesity, lack of exercise, cigarettesmoking, anxiety and high cholesterol respectively as causative factor of HTN. Excessive intakeof salt was considered by 56% as causative factor of HTN. 29% considered diabetes Mellitus ascausative factor of HTN. 42%, 31%, 46% and 34% considered the cardiac disease, renal failure,brain hemorrhage and loss vision respectively as complication of HTN. Stroke was consideredcomplication by (54%). 55%, 65%, 53% and 58% considered the regular exercise reduced saltintake, no smoking and keeping weight under-Control respectively as preventive measures ofHTN. Less than half of the respondents considered frequent use of vegetables, excessive intakeof sweets, as the preventive measures of HTN. Conclusions: The assessment of awarenessabout Hypertension among population of various areas can be beneficial in effective planningfor disease prevention and control.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 847-851
Author(s):  
Nithyanandham Masilamani ◽  
Dhanraj Ganapathy

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) induced by new ß coronavirus MERS-(CoV) had first been described in Saudi Arabia in September 2012. MERS-CoV communication inside the population is often identified with clustered households and cramped communal spaces. The purpose of the study is to assess the knowledge and awareness of MERS-CoV among dental students in India. This was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey of 100 dental college students in Chennai. The self-designed questionnaires contained ten questions focused on the knowledge and awareness of MERS-CoV amongst dental college students. Questionnaires were circulated through an online website survey planet. After the responses were received from 100 participants, data were collected and analyzed, .87% are aware of MERS-CoV through media 13% from professional channels. 84%are aware of the clinical manifestation of MERS-CoV. 81%Are aware of the mode of transmission of MERS-CoV. 76%are aware of the preventive measures against MERS -CoV.68%. Are aware of the incubation period of MERS-CoV. 74%aware of PCR as a diagnostic test for MERS-CoV. This study concluded that dental students had strong awareness and knowledge of MERS. Also, there are a few differences in information and behaviours that require change. Large-scale health educational programs on MERS also should be facilitated by professional organizations to expand their reach and to strengthen knowledge to have a positive impact on their behaviour.


Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Katerina Sdravou ◽  
Elpida Emmanouilidou-Fotoulaki ◽  
Athanasia Printza ◽  
Elias Andreoulakis ◽  
Athanasios Evangeliou ◽  
...  

Parental feeding practices and mealtime routine significantly influence a child’s eating behavior. The aim of this study was to investigate the mealtime environment in healthy children and children with gastrointestinal diseases. We conducted a cross-sectional case–control study among 787 healthy, typically developing children and 141 children with gastrointestinal diseases, aged two to seven years. Parents were asked to provide data on demographics and describe their mealtime environment by answering to 24 closed-ended questions. It was found that the majority of the children had the same number of meals every day and at the same hour. Parents of both groups exerted considerable control on the child’s food intake by deciding both when and what their child eats. Almost one third of the parents also decided how much their child eats. The two groups differed significantly in nine of the 24 questions. The study showed that both groups provided structured and consistent mealtime environments. However, a significant proportion of children did not control how much they eat which might impede their ability to self-regulate eating. The presence of a gastrointestinal disease was found to be associated with reduced child autonomy, hampered hunger cues and frequent use of distractions during meals.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Werku Etafa ◽  
Gosa Gadisa ◽  
Shibiru Jabessa ◽  
Tagay Takele

Abstract Background Globally, Coronavirus disease-19 has created unprecedented challenges to public health. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at risk of COVID-19 because of their profession. There are limited studies conducted in Ethiopia among HCWs regarding their compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures. Therefore, this study intended to assess HCWs’ compliance with measures to prevent COVID-19, and its potential determinants in public hospitals in Western Ethiopia. Methods A self-administered, multicenter hospital-based cross-sectional survey was proposed to 422 randomly selected HCWs working in seven public hospitals in Western Ethiopia identified as COVID-19 referral centers. Data were entered into Epi Data version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 24. Binary logistic regression was used to identify potential determinants of outcome variables at p-value < 0.05. Results Out of 422 completed questionnaires, the overall HCWs’ compliance with COVID-19 prevention is 22% (n = 404). In multivariate regression analysis, factors such as spending most of caring time at bedside (AOR = 1.94, 95%CI, 1.06–3.55), receiving training on infection prevention/COVID-19 (AOR = 1.86, 95%CI, 1.04–3.33), reading materials on COVID-19 (AOR = 2.04, 95%CI, 1.14–3.63) and having support from hospital management (AOR = 2.09, 95%CI, 1.20–3.64) were found to be significantly associated with COVID-19 preventive measures. Furthermore, inadequate supplies of appropriate personal protective equipment (83.2%), insufficient supportive medications (78.5%), and lack of provision of adequate ventilation (77.7%) were the barriers to COVID-19 prevention most frequently mentioned by participants. Conclusion Our findings highlight HCWs’ poor compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures. Providing information and refreshing training to improve the level of healthcare workers’ adherence with COVID-19 prevention is as imperative as increasing staff commitment to supply resources necessary to protect HCWs and to reduce healthcare-associated infections transmission of SARS-COV-2.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariame Ouedraogo ◽  
Jaameeta Kurji ◽  
Lakew Abebe ◽  
Ronald Labonté ◽  
Sudhakar Morankar ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In Ethiopia, malaria infections and other complications during pregnancy contribute to the high burden of maternal morbidity and mortality. Preventive measures are available, however little is known about the factors influencing the uptake of maternal health services and interventions by pregnant women in Ethiopia. Methods We analyzed data from a community-based cross-sectional survey conducted in 2016 in three rural districts of Jimma Zone, Ethiopia, with 3784 women who had a pregnancy outcome in the year preceding the survey. We used multivariable logistic regression models accounting for clustering to identify the determinants of antenatal care (ANC) attendance and insecticide-treated net (ITN) ownership and use, and the prevalence and predictors of malaria infection among pregnant women. Results Eighty-four percent of interviewed women reported receiving at least one ANC visit during their last pregnancy, while 47% reported attending four or more ANC visits. Common reasons for not attending ANC included women’s lack of awareness of its importance (48%), distance to health facility (23%) and unavailability of transportation (14%). Important determinants of ANC attendance included higher education level and wealth status, woman’s ability to make healthcare decisions, and pregnancy intendedness. An estimated 48% of women reported owning an ITN during their last pregnancy. Of these, 55% reported to have always slept under it during their last pregnancy. Analysis revealed that the odds of owning and using ITNs were respectively 2.07 (95% CI: 1.62–2.63) and 1.73 (95% CI: 1.32–2.27) times higher among women who attended at least one ANC visit. The self-reported prevalence of malaria infection during pregnancy was low (1.4%) across the three districts. We found that young, uneducated, and unemployed women presented higher odds of malaria infection during their last pregnancy. Conclusion ANC and ITN uptake during pregnancy in Jimma Zone fall below the respective targets of 95 and 90% set in the Ethiopian Health Sector Transformation Plan for 2020, suggesting that more intensive programmatic efforts still need to be directed towards improving access to these health services. Reaching ANC non-users and ITN ownership and use as part of ANC services could be emphasized to address these gaps.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 169
Author(s):  
Fatma Lestari ◽  
Abdul Kadir ◽  
Muhammad Idham ◽  
Fahrul Azwar ◽  
Ganis Ramadhany ◽  
...  

People’s behaviors can affect the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Public behaviors, including proper personal hygiene and healthy life practices, the use of appropriate masks, and the application of good disinfectants, have an important role in human health and protection towards prevention and control of COVID-19 spread. This study aims to perform a survey of public behavior and best practices related to COVID-19 prevention and control among Indonesian communities. A cross-sectional study was designed to collect information using an online survey. Respondents were gathered from 34 provinces in Indonesia through the Indonesia National Safety and Health Council network and Universities network. Respondents voluntarily submitted their response to a predesigned online questionnaire. The collected data was then analyzed using SPSS 24.0. A total of 771 respondent subjects (male 386; female 385) were recruited. The results show that 96% of participants implement positive behavior of personal hygiene, including wearing a mask when going outside their house, and almost 67.3% of respondents sprayed a disinfectant in their house. The majority of participants hold a door handle (37.2%) and desk (28.1%) at a frequency of more than six times a day. There were 8.2% of participants implementing good personal hygiene, including hand-washing at least once a day and maximum of more than six times after going to the toilet. At-risk behaviors were conducted by respondents in which they touched part of their face at a frequency of once during an hour. It was identified that males are less likely to perform better hand hygiene as opposed to females. In conclusion, the study showed that positive behavior of personal hygiene related to COVID-19 has been implemented among Indonesian communities. This result suggests that positive behavior based on community-based prevention and control needs to be continually maintained in order to prevent and control COVID-19 spread.


Author(s):  
M. Sabbir Ahmed ◽  
M. Wahidur Rahman ◽  
Fahmida Fayeza ◽  
Tarana Sharmin

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a serious global public health problem as well as in Bangladesh. The most common liver disease in Bangladesh is viral hepatitis. Bangladesh is an intermediate endemic zone for hepatitis B virus infection. Research shows that about 10 million people in Bangladesh have been suffering from hepatitis B.Methods: The research was a cross-sectional survey and appropriate statistical formula was used to select 341 respondents randomly. The data were collected through a pre-designed, pre-structured questionnaire, which was distributed among the students. All the data was analysed using Microsoft Excel 2013.Results: Most of the respondent 95% knew about hepatitis B and about 87% knew that it is a viral infection. About 69% students respond that hepatitis B can increase liver cancer. Among the respondents, 76% supported that hepatitis B can be transmitted by blood transfusion. Most of the students 82% supported blood transfusion as a causative factor and 67% informed that jaundice is the major sign and symptoms of hepatitis B. More than half of the students 53% reported that they were vaccinated for hepatitis B. The major reasons for not taking vaccination were lack of free time and lack of feeling of necessity for vaccination.Conclusions: The overall knowledge and vaccination status on hepatitis B virus was not satisfactory. Different types of seminars and campaigns on hepatitis B, arranged by university will help to increase the student’s level of knowledge on hepatitis B.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengxiao Ren ◽  
Yongqin Ge ◽  
Jindan Qi ◽  
Shengli Xue ◽  
Miao Miao ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The characteristics of gut microbiota (GM) and its relationship with the Regulatory T Cells (Treg) remains unclear in patients with aplastic anemia (AA). Methods: This study was a cross-sectional survey which included 12 AA patients consisted of 6 with severity aplastic anemia (SAA) and 6 with non-severity aplastic anemia (NSAA) and 6 healthy participants. The GM and its relationship with the Treg cells of AA patients were analyzed. Results: The results showed that the presence of compositional differences in the GM structure between the AA and Control groups. The bacterial communities were depleted of Clostridia class (e.g., Lachnospiraceae ND3007, Lachnospiraceae XPB1014, Lachnolostridium, Ruminococcaceae UCG 013 and Butyricicoccus genus) in AA group, especially in SAA group. Inversely, the relative abundance of Lactobacillus and Streptococcus genus from Bacilli class were increased significantly in patients with SAA. The relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae (r=0.663, p=0.029), Clostridiaceae 1 (r=0.619, p=0.042) and Clostridiales vadinBB60 group family (r=0.674, p=0.023) which from Clostridia class, were positively correlated with the Treg cell counts. Conclusion: We speculated that the decrease of some bacteria from Clostridia class may participate in the pathophysiological process of AA through reducing the Treg cell counts. Notwithstanding the low sample size, our data provided some clues that the treatment strategy of AA could start by adjusting the imbalance of GM, increasing Treg cell counts to improve the suppression of bone marrow hematopoiesis.


Author(s):  
Noushin Mohammadifard ◽  
Atena Mahdavi ◽  
Alireza Khosravi ◽  
Ahmad Esmaillzadeh ◽  
Awat Feizi ◽  
...  

Background: There is little evidence about salt intake and its food sources in the Iranian population, especially in children and adolescents. Aims: To investigate salt intake and dietary sources in Isfahan, Islamic Republic of Iran. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2014–2015. We randomly selected 1384 adults (50.3% female, 49.7% male) aged > 18 years [mean 37.9 (10.6) years], and 786 children and adolescents (50.9% male, 49.1% female) aged 618 years [mean 12.5 (3.4) years]. All participants underwent a dietary assessment for salt intake, using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Results: The total salt intake was 10.9 (3.4) g/day in adults and 10.3 (2.9) g/day in children and adolescents. Added salt was the primary source of salt intake, followed by bread and cheese in both groups. Salt intake was related significantly to being younger, male, a smoker, less educated and physically active in the adult group. In children and adolescents, it was significantly associated with increasing age, male sex, low physical activity and parents’ education level (all P < 0.05). Conclusions: Salt intake in Isfahan was more than twice that recommended by the World Health Organization. The main source of sodium was added salt, followed bread and cheese. Future national studies are warranted to assess the dietary salt intake and its main sources in different provinces in the Islamic Republic of Iran.


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