scholarly journals Non-Smoker’s Exposure to Second-Hand Smoke in South Africa during 2017

Author(s):  
Senamile P. Ngobese ◽  
Catherine O. Egbe ◽  
Mukhethwa Londani ◽  
Olalekan A. Ayo-Yusuf

Current South African tobacco control law allows for 25% designated smoking areas in some indoor public places. This study investigates non-smokers’ exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) in workplaces, homes, cafés/restaurants, and shebeens (local bars) using data from the 2017 South African Social Attitude Survey. Factors associated with any level of exposure were explored using multiple-variable-adjusted logistic regression analysis. The sample of 3063 participants (16+ years old), comprised 51.7% females and 78.5% Black Africans. The current smoking prevalence from this study was 21.5%. About 47% of non-smokers reported exposure to SHS in at least one location. Females were significantly less likely to be exposed to SHS in all locations except at home compared to males. Adjusted logistic regression analysis showed that females, adults aged 45–54 years, 55–64 years, and 65+ years were significantly less likely to be exposed to SHS (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.63, 0.60, 0.55, and 0.24, respectively) than males and those aged 16–24 years. Those who identified as Coloureds were significantly more likely to be exposed to SHS (AOR = 1.69) than Black Africans. This study found that nearly half of non-smokers reported exposure to SHS. A 100% smoke-free policy consistent with the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control would protect more people from exposure to SHS in South Africa.

2003 ◽  
Vol 93 (3) ◽  
pp. 732-734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl Peltzer

The aim of the study was to investigate the association between fatalism and seatbelt use. The sample included 100 Black and 100 White drivers recruited from shopping complexes and petrol stations in an urban area in the Northern Province of South Africa. Seatbelt use of drivers was recorded unobtrusively, and self-reported seatbelt use and belief in destiny (fatalism) were subsequently obtained by interview. A total of 44% Black and 50% White drivers (47% men and 47% women) were observed wearing their seatbelts. The majority of the drivers (84% of Blacks and 79% of Whites) did not have a fatalistic orientation. A nonfatalistic orientation was significantly associated with observed seatbelt use and self-reported seatbelt use. Logistic regression analysis identified a nonfatalistic orientation as independent predictor for observed seatbelt use.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jong Youn Moon ◽  
Jesang Lee ◽  
Yoon Hyung Park ◽  
Eun-Cheol Park ◽  
Si Hyung Lee

Purpose. To determine the incidence of keratoconus and to determine its possible association with common systemic diseases using a nationwide cohort. Methods. This retrospective nationwide cohort study included 1,025,340 subjects from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort database from 2004 to 2013. Estimates for incidence rates of keratoconus were identified. After 1 : 5 matching using propensity scores, associations between keratoconus and certain systemic comorbidities were determined using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results. The incidence during the same period was 15.1 cases per 100,000 person-years. Adjusted logistic regression analysis after propensity score matching revealed significant associations between keratoconus and allergic rhinitis (odds ratio (OR): 1.86; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.63–2.13; p<0.001), asthma (OR: 1.20; 95% CI: 1.06–1.36; p<0.001), atopic dermatitis (OR: 1.33; 95% CI: 1.13–1.56; p<0.001), and diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.15–1.58; p<0.001). Conclusion. Estimates of the incidence of keratoconus may help in the planning of eye-care policies, and the results of this study determined the associations between allergic diseases and keratoconus. Conflicting results regarding the association between keratoconus and DM should be further evaluated.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongfeng Wang ◽  
Yuan Zhang ◽  
Yunyi Yang ◽  
Lihui Tu ◽  
Jigao Yang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Depression is a potential factor affecting semen quality. However, the relationship between depression and semen quality remains to be fully elucidated. We investigated the association between depression and semen quality in men during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: Cross‐sectional, participants completed a questionnaire assessing lifestyle factors the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to evaluate the psychological depression status of subjects. Semen quality assessment implements the requirements of the fifth edition of the World Health Organization (WHO )manual ,multivariable logistic regression analysis and linear regression analysis were conducted to assess the associations between depression and semen quality.Results: Of the 896 participants, 173 were depressed (19.30%). A Linear regression model was fitted to assess the strength and significant level of the association between depressive symptoms and semen quality. After adjusting for potential confounders, depression was significantly associated with 9.27 (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.39, 15.15), 0.57(95% CI 0.27, 0.87), 62.20 (95% CI 32.93, 91.48), and 12.96 (95% CI 10.55, 15.37) reduction in sperm concentration, sperm volume, total sperm count, and progressive motility, respectively. Which are consistent with the logistic regression analysis results. The semen concentration and total sperm count were linearly correlated with depression scores, whereas the semen volume and progressive motility of sperm were nonlinearly correlated with depression scores.Conclusions: Depression were associated with lower levels of semen concentration, semen volume, total sperm count, and progressive motility, which could affect male reproductive health.


PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12553
Author(s):  
Yanni Wang ◽  
Lingyun Zeng ◽  
Lijuan Chen ◽  
Xin Zhou ◽  
Lijuan Huo ◽  
...  

Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) is common among patients with schizophrenia. However, information on patients comorbid DM and schizophrenia is limited in China. The present study investigated the prevalence of DM and its clinical characteristics in Chinese inpatients with chronic schizophrenia. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed in Chinese inpatients with chronic schizophrenia. Diagnosis of Diabetes was established using World Health Organization diagnostic criteria for diabetes mellitus (persistent fasting glucose levels ≥ 126 mg/dl or 2-h plasma glucose ≥ 200 mg/dL after a 75-g Oral Glucose Tolerance Test). Patients were also measured height, weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, triglyceride level, and cholesterol level. Patients’ psychiatric symptoms were measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the associated demographic and clinical variables in chronic schizophrenia. Results A total of 988 inpatients (64.6% male, average age of 47.19 ± 12.55) was recruited. The prevalence of DM in Chinese patients with chronic schizophrenia was 13.8% (95% CI [11.6–15.9]%). Logistic regression analysis showed that overweight (OR = 1.90, 95% CI [1.20–3.03], p = 0.006), obesity (OR = 1.85, 95% CI [1.07–3.21], p = 0.028), comorbid hypertension (OR = 2.14, 95% CI [1.34–3.42], p = 0.002), and course of schizophrenia (OR = 1.03, 95% CI [1.01–1.06], p = 0.040) were significantly associated with the DM risk in patients with schizophrenia. Conclusion The findings indicated that diabetes mellitus was non-negligible in patients with chronic schizophrenia. Patients with schizophrenia should be regularly monitored for DM. Overweight/obesity, long duration of schizophrenia, and comorbid hypertension possibly were risk factors for diabetes.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0247954
Author(s):  
Tarikuwa Natnael ◽  
Yeshiwork Alemnew ◽  
Gete Berihun ◽  
Masresha Abebe ◽  
Atsedemariam Andualem ◽  
...  

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) has pointed out that urban taxi drivers and their passengers are at higher risk of transmitting coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) due to frequent contact among many people. Facemask wearing is one of the preventive measures recommended to control the transmission of the virus. A lack of evidence of the proportion of facemask wearing among taxi drivers and associated factors in Ethiopia, including Dessie City and Kombolcha Town, hinders the design of targeted interventions to advocate for facemask use. This study was designed to address this gap. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 417 taxi drivers in Dessie City and Kombolcha Town from July to August, 2020. The study participants were selected using a simple random sampling technique after proportionally allocating the sample size from the total number of taxi drivers working in Dessie City and Kombolcha Town. The data were collected by trained data collectors using a structured questionnaire and an on-the-spot observational checklist. The collected data were checked, coded and entered to EpiData version 4.6 and exported to Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 for data cleaning and analysis. Bivariate (Crude Odds Ratio [COR]) and multivariable (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]) logistic regression analyses were employed using 95% CI (confidence interval). From bivariate logistic regression analysis, variables with p-value < 0.250 were retained into multivariable logistic regression analysis. Then, from the multivariable analysis, variables with p-value < 0.050 were declared as factors significantly associated with facemask wearing among taxi drivers in Dessie City and Kombolcha Town. Main findings The proportion of taxi drivers who wore a facemask was 54.68% [95%CI: 50.10–59.7%]. The majority (58.3%) of drivers were using cloth facemasks, followed by N95 facemasks (24.5%) and surgical facemasks (17.3%). Out of the total 417 taxi drivers, more than two-thirds (69.8%) of them had a good knowledge about COVID-19 and 67.6% of taxi drivers had a positive attitude towards taking precautions against transmission of COVID-19. Three-fourths (74.1%) of the taxi drivers believed that wearing a facemask could prevent COVID-19. More than half (52.5%) felt discomfort when wearing a facemask. Almost three-fourths (72.2%) of taxi drivers felt that the presence of local government pressure helped them to wear a facemask. We found that marital status [AOR = 3.14, 95%CI: 1.97–5.01], fear of the disease [AOR = 2.1, 95%CI: 1.28–3.47], belief in the effectiveness of a facemask [AOR = 5.6, 95%CI: 3.1–10.16] and feeling government pressure [AOR = 3.6, 95%CI: 2.16–6.13] were factors significantly associated with wearing a facemask. Conclusion We found that the proportion of facemask wearers among taxi drivers was relatively low in Dessie City and Kombolcha Town. In order to increase that number, government bodies should work aggressively to encourage more taxi drivers to wear a facemask. We also recommend that government and non-government organizations work very closely together to implement strategies that promote facemask use, including increasing the availability of inexpensive facemasks, and monitoring and controlling facemask use.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinting Yang ◽  
jing zhang ◽  
Qingtao Liang ◽  
Liping Pan ◽  
Hongfei Duan ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Recently, Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) is still controversial in differentiating tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE), through recommended by World Health Organization (WHO )for identification of latent tuberculosis infection. OBJECTIVES Aim to qualify the diagnostic efficacy for TPE by IGRA in comparison to Adenosine deaminase(ADA), to clarify its appropriate scene in clinical diagnosis. METHODS A prospective, single-centre study including all suspected pleural effusion patients consecutively from June 2015 to October 2018. Through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, all enrolled participants were determined technical cut-off and the utility of IGRA(T-SPOT)for pleural fluid(PF). Obtain the independent risk factors by logistic regression analysis for TPE, and evaluate the performance of T-SPOT stratified by risk factors, in comparison to ADA. RESULTS A total of 601 individuals were consecutively recruited. The maximum of early secretory antigenic target-6 (ESAT-6) and culture filtrate protein-10 (CFP-10) in PF T-SPOT had the best diagnostic efficiency in our study, with a sensitivity of 83.0% and a specificity of 83.1%, corresponding cut-off value is 466, which was equal to ADA(0.885 vs 0.887, P=0.957) and superior than in PB; Among the TPE patients with low ADA(<40 IU/L), the sensitivity and specificity of PF T-SPOT was still 87.9%, 90.5% respectively. The utility of ADA was negative related to age ascents, but PF T-SPOT had steady performance at any age-stage. The age (<45 yrs; odds ratio (OR) 5.61), gender (male; OR 2.7) and body mass index (BMI)(<22; OR 1.93) was independently associated with the risk of TB by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Stratified by risk factors, notably the PF T-SPOT had superior sensitivity(76.5% vs. 23.5%,P=0.016) than ADA meanwhile had the non-inferior specificity(84.4% vs. 96.9%, P=0.370). CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, the overall potency of PF T-SPOT assay is equal to ADA for diagnosing TPE. In addition, PF T-SPOT can effectively discriminate the TPE patients whose ADA lower than 40IU/L, and extremely superior to ADA in unconventional TPE patients(age>45yrs, female or BMI<22). PF T-SPOT assay is an extremely good choice to supplement ADA to diagnose TPE.


2020 ◽  
pp. 003329412096850
Author(s):  
Supa Pengpid ◽  
Karl Peltzer

Background The goal of the study was to estimate the prevalence and correlates of loneliness among adolescent school children in four Caribbean countries. Methods Nationally representative cross-sectional data were analysed from 9,143 adolescents (15 years=median age) that took part in the “2016 Dominican Republic, 2016 Suriname, 2017 Jamaica and 2017 Trinidad and Tobago “Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS).” Results The prevalence of loneliness was 15.3% in four Caribbean countries, ranging from 12.1% in Dominican Republic to 18.6% in Jamaica. In adjusted logistic regression analysis, female sex, having no close friends, older age, anxiety induced sleep disturbance, frequent bullying victimization (≥3 days/month), having been physically attacked, parental emotional neglect, having sustained multiple serious injuries (past year) and not eating fruit and vegetables were associated with loneliness. In addition, in sex stratified adjusted logistic regression analysis, among boys, daily exposure to passive smoking, and being from Suriname, and among girls, frequent experience of hunger, low peer support, trouble from drinking alcohol and high leisure-time sedentary behaviour (≥8 hrs/day) were associated with loneliness. Moreover, in addition to above results, in unadjusted analysis, involvement in physical fight, parents never check on homework, parental disrespect of privacy, frequent school truancy (≥3 days/month), current tobacco use, having no physical education and drinking frequently soft drinks (≥3/day) were associated with loneliness. Conclusion Almost one in six students reported loneliness and several associated factors were identified which can aid intervention strategies.


Author(s):  
Supa Pengpid ◽  
Karl Peltzer ◽  
Shandir Ramlagan

The study aimed to assess the prevalence and correlates of hazardous, harmful or dependent alcohol use (HHDA) and drug use among persons 15 years and older in South Africa. In a national cross-sectional 2017 survey, 39,210 persons 15 years and older (Median=34 years) responded to a questionnaire on substance and health variables. Logistic regression was used to assess the determinants of HHDA and any drug use. Results indicate that (10.3%) engaged HHDA, 16.5% among males and 4.6% among females, and past 3-month drug use was 8.6%, 13.3% among males and 4.1% among females. In adjusted logistic regression analysis, among men, middle age (25-34 year olds), higher education, urban residence, drug use, and psychological distress were positively and Indian or Asian and White population groups were negatively associated with HHDA. Among women, middle age (25-34 year olds), Coloureds, residing on rural farms and urban areas, drug use and psychological distress were positively and older age (55 years and older), and Indians or Asians were negatively associated with HHDA. In adjusted logistic regression analysis, among men, having Grade 8-11 education, Coloureds, being unemployed, and HHDA were positively and middle and older age (25 years and older) and being a student or learner were negatively associated with past 3-month any drug use. Among women, Coloureds, Indians or Asians, and HHDA were positively and older age (45 years and older) was negatively associated with past 3-month and drug use. About one in ten participants engaged HHDA and any drug use, and several sociodemographic and health indicators were identified associated with HHDA and any drug use.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-141
Author(s):  
Hazmira Yozza ◽  
Ferra Yanuar ◽  
Izzati Rahmi ◽  
Nadya Putri Alisya

Infant mortality is one of the indicators used to measure the quality of life of a nation. The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that one of the main causes of infant mortality is the low birth weight (LBW). Efforts to reduce the incidence of LBW can be done by monitoring risk factors that influence the occurrence of LBW in the prenatal phase. This study aims to identify factors that significantly influence the incidence of LBW babies in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. The analysis was carried out by using Logistic Regression Analysis on the data of maternal births domiciled in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. It was concluded that variables that significantly affect the incidence of LBW are maternal weight, parity, distance from a previous birth, problems during pregnancy, and babies’ gender.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinting Yang ◽  
jing zhang ◽  
Qingtao Liang ◽  
Liping Pan ◽  
Hongfei Duan ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND: Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) is still controversial in differentiating tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE), through recommended by World Health Organization (WHO) for identification of latent tuberculosis infection. OBJECTIVES: Aim to in comparison to Adenosine deaminase (ADA), evaluate the IGRA (T-SPOT.TB) diagnostic efficacy for TPE patients of different characteristics, to clarify its appropriate scene in clinical diagnosis. METHODS: A prospective, single-centre study including all suspected pleural effusion patients consecutively from June 2015 to October 2018. Through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, all enrolled participants were determined technical cut-off and the utility of IGRA for pleural fluid (PF). Obtain the independent risk factors by logistic regression analysis for TPE, and evaluate the performance of T-SPOT stratified by risk factors, in comparison to ADA. RESULTS: A total of 601 individuals were consecutively recruited. The maximum of early secretory antigenic target-6 (ESAT-6) and culture filtrate protein-10 (CFP-10) in PF T-SPOT had the best diagnostic efficiency in our study, with a sensitivity of 83.0% and a specificity of 83.1%, corresponding cut-off value is 466 SFCs/10 6 mononuclear cells, which was equal to ADA (0.885 vs 0.887, P=0.957) and superior than in PB; Among the TPE patients with low ADA(<40 IU/L), the sensitivity and specificity of PF T-SPOT was still 87.9%, 90.5% respectively. The utility of ADA was negative related to age ascents, but PF T-SPOT had steady performance at any age-stage. The age (<45 yrs; odds ratio (OR) = 5.61), gender (male; OR = 2.7) and body mass index (BMI) (<22; OR = 1.93) was independently associated with the risk of TB by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Stratified by risk factors, notably the PF T-SPOT had superior sensitivity (76.5% vs. 23.5%, P =0.016) than ADA meanwhile had the non-inferior specificity (84.4% vs. 96.9%, P =0.370). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the overall potency of PF T-SPOT assay is equal to ADA for diagnosing TPE. In addition, PF T-SPOT can effectively discriminate the TPE patients whose ADA lower than 40 IU/L, extremely superior to ADA in unconventional TPE patients (age>45yrs, female or BMI≧22). PF T-SPOT assay is an extremely good choice to supplement ADA to diagnose TPE.


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