scholarly journals Menstrual abnormalities amongst female South African Hajj pilgrims: a cross-sectional study

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
S. Parker ◽  
S. Omar ◽  
O. H. Mahomed

Introduction: Hajj (pilgrimage), the fifth pillar of Islam, is obligatory for every Muslim, male or female, provided that he/she is physically and financially able to do so, at least once in his/her lifetime. One of the rituals of Hajj requires the absence of menstruation. In the current modern era, many females utilise oral contraception to manipulate their menstrual cycle so that the pilgrim can be menses free during the main rituals of Hajj. However, many such females are at risk of breakthrough bleeding. Very little information has been documented concerning the incidence of menstrual cycle abnormalities amongst female Hajj pilgrims in general and South African pilgrims in particular. This study aims to determine the incidence of menstrual cycle abnormalities amongst South African female Hajj pilgrims and the potential factors that predispose to them.Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted amongst South African female pilgrims during the five-day Hajj period. South Africa is usually limited to 5 000 pilgrims annually with a 50:50 gender split. For most of the five days of Hajj, pilgrims, separated by gender, are housed in special tents. Data were collected using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaires were distributed amongst the ladies’ tents in Mina on the last day of Hajj by nursing sisters attached to the South African medical mission. A total of 470 South African female pilgrims participated in the study with 147 excluded as they were either postmenopausal or had had hysterectomies, resulting in a sample size of 323.Results: Of the 318 participants who responded to the question about hormonal menstrual manipulation (HMM), 195 (61%) attempted this and 123 (39%) did not. Of the 308 participants who responded to the question concerning menstrual cycle problems (MCP), 54 (18%) had problems and 254 (82%) did not. Of the 189 participants who attempted HMM and answered the question on MCP, 44/189 (23%) had MCP, whilst 10/108 (9%) of those who did not attempt HMM had MCP. The OR for MCP was 2.97 (CI 1.46–6.04) if HMM was attempted compared with no HMM attempt.Conclusion: Menstrual irregularities occurred more frequently in those who attempt hormonal menstrual manipulation compared with those who do not. Health education on this issue should be integrated into the pre-Hajj classes.

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (spe) ◽  
Author(s):  
María Gabriela Morgado Tapia ◽  
Akwatu Khenti

ABSTRACT Objective: analyze the perception of harm and benefits, and its association with the use of marijuana in high school students, as well as the intention to use it in a context of regulatory changes. Method: a quantitative, exploratory, cross-sectional study was designed, applying a self-administered questionnaire to 268 high school students. Results: The results showed that the declared consumption in the sample is higher than that obtained in previous studies in Chile, which had already warned of the increase in prevalence, compared to previous measurements. There is a low perception of risk associated with consumption and insecurity regarding benefits. In the framework of regulatory changes, no change was observed in the intention of use. Adolescent consumers would continue to do so as before, while those who have not consumed it, 25% would try it, and 60% would still not use it. Conclusions: The current discussion in the country has focused on the effect that the change in the law would have, by itself, on adolescent consumption, however, it is relevant to direct efforts towards the perceptions of risk and benefits that they have, in order to stop the observed increasing in consumption in the country, in the latest studies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 214-219
Author(s):  
Indira Shrestha ◽  
Rita Giri

Background: Premenstrual syndrome is the symptom that occurs prior to the menstrual cycle and includes physical and psychological changes that interfere with the daily activities. There is inadequate knowledge regarding premenstrual syndrome among adolescents and very little information is found regarding it among adolescents in Nepal. Objective: To find out knowledge and prevalence regarding premenstrual syndrome among adolescent students of a selected school in Morang District, Nepal. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 137 female adolescents from 13-19 years having a menstrual cycle. Non-probability purposive sampling was used to select the school and census sampling at the time of data collection for the selection of samples. The data was collected by a self-administered questionnaire and interview method, which was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The study revealed that most (90.5%) of the respondents had inadequate knowledge regarding premenstrual syndrome and 57.7% of the respondents had a prevalence of premenstrual syndrome. Most (73%) of the respondents said that they had experienced fatigue/lack of energy prior to menstruation and many (56.93%) of the respondents said that the prevailing symptoms interfered with their work efficiency and productivity. Statistically, a significant association was found between the knowledge of premenstrual syndrome and ethnicity at (p=0.037). Similarly, a statistically significant association was also found between the prevalence of premenstrual syndrome and family history at (p=0.018); the prevalence of premenstrual syndrome and regularity of menstruation at (p= 0.002). Conclusion: The findings of this study concluded that there was inadequate knowledge and the premenstrual syndrome was present among most of the respondents. The findings highlight the importance of awareness regarding premenstrual syndrome among adolescents.


2020 ◽  
Vol 134 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-23
Author(s):  
R Y Seedat ◽  
R Ehlers ◽  
Y Lee ◽  
C Mung'omba ◽  
K Plaatjies ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the knowledge of first year health sciences students at a South African university regarding hearing loss and symptoms attributable to personal listening devices and their practices concerning the use of personal listening devices.MethodThis was a cross-sectional study carried out using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire.ResultsOf 336 students, 269 (80.1 per cent) completed the questionnaire. While most participants could identify symptoms that could be caused by extensive use of personal listening devices, almost 30 per cent did not know that it could cause permanent hearing loss. Personal listening devices were used by 90.7 per cent of participants, with 77.8 per cent having used them for more than five years. Use was at a high volume in 14.9 per cent of participants and for more than 2 hours per day in 52.7 per cent.ConclusionThe findings indicate the need for an educational programme to inform students as to safe listening practices when using personal listening devices.


Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 866
Author(s):  
Iltaf Hussain ◽  
Nisa Yousaf ◽  
Sana Haider ◽  
Pervisha Jalil ◽  
Muhammad Usman Saleem ◽  
...  

The irrational use of antimicrobials has enormously contributed to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) globally and especially in the developing world. To assess the knowledge and perception regarding AMR and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in university students enrolled in pharmacy, veterinary, and biology programs by using an online self-administered questionnaire. The Chi-square and Fisher exact tests (where applicable) were performed to assess the association of the demographics with the students’ knowledge and perception regarding AMR and AMS. A total of 496 students completed the questionnaire, among which, 85.7% of the participants were familiar with the term AMR and 79.4% of the participants correctly identified a poorly designed dosing regimen as a contributing factor towards AMR. The majority of participants (57.9%) were familiar with the term AMS and 86.5% were aware of the aim of AMS. The participants showed good knowledge regarding AMR and AMS, but to further improve student knowledge and perception of AMS and AMR, it is suggested that dedicated modules on antibiotic use and AMS should be incorporated into the curricula of these undergraduate and postgraduate programs.


Author(s):  
Hasan Saeed Alamri ◽  
Wesam F. Mousa ◽  
Abdullah Algarni ◽  
Shehata F. Megahid ◽  
Ali Al Bshabshe ◽  
...  

Background: This study aims to investigate the mental health of COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia. Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out targeting confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia. Due to travel and time constraints as well as the accessibility of patients, cases were included from East Jeddah Hospital, King Abdulaziz Hospital, and the Oncology Center in Jeddah. The data were collected using a predesigned self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire addressed COVID-19 cases, personal data, medical history, smoking, traveling abroad, and work-related conditions. Additionally, data regarding contact level with COVID-19 cases were considered. The mental health statuses of the patients were assessed using a validated Arabic version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale. The study included 261 COVID-19 patients whose ages ranged from 18 to 65 years. Results: The survey findings revealed that 13% of COVID-19 patients had a borderline level of anxiety, 26.8% were considered anxiety cases, while 60.2% were normal. The findings also revealed that 29.9% had a borderline level of depression, 18.4% were considered depression cases, while 51.7% were normal. Conclusions: This study concluded that COVID-19 patients experience anxiety and depression, and as the COVID-19 epidemic continues to spread, the results of the study are particularly useful in developing a strategy to psychologically support COVID-19 patients.


Author(s):  
Chiara Lorini ◽  
Laura Ricotta ◽  
Virginia Vettori ◽  
Marco Del Riccio ◽  
Massimiliano Alberto Biamonte ◽  
...  

In Western countries, one of the main barriers to entomophagy is repulsion toward insects. Few studies have investigated the factors that influence attitudes toward entomophagy. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study involving a sample of 248 university students, focusing on disgust and other potential attributes that can influence insect consumption, including health literacy. We used a 17-item self-administered questionnaire. Consistent with the literature, two items were chosen as outcome variables to evaluate the predictors of the propensity to consume insects: “Have you ever eaten insects or insect-based products?” and “How disgusting do you find eating insects?” The data analysis shows that having already eaten insects is inversely associated with the level of disgust (OR: 0.1, p < 0.01); and it is positively associated with higher levels of health literacy (OR: 3.66, p > 0.01). Additionally, having some knowledge and information about entomophagy is inversely associated with a higher level of disgust (OR: 0.44, p = 0.03 and OR: 0.25, p = 0.03, respectively), while being female is positively associated with disgust (OR: 3.26, p < 0.01). Our results suggest the potential role of health literacy, in addition to other factors, in influencing the willingness to taste insects. However, further studies involving larger and non-convenience samples are needed to confirm our hypothesis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (11) ◽  
pp. 4505-4509
Author(s):  
Anna Różańska-Walędziak ◽  
Paweł Bartnik ◽  
Joanna Kacperczyk-Bartnik ◽  
Krzysztof Czajkowski ◽  
Maciej Walędziak

Abstract Introduction Obesity is associated with hyperestrogenism along with other hormonal abnormalities affecting the menstrual cycle. The most effective and decisive method of obesity treatment is bariatric surgery. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of bariatric surgery on menstrual cycle, the incidence of menstrual abnormalities, hyperandrogenism manifestation, and contraception use. Materials and Methods It was a cross-sectional study of 515 pre-menopausal women who had undergone bariatric surgery between 1999 and 2017 in a bariatric center. Data was collected via anonymous questionnaire, and the questions covered a 1-year period before the surgery and the last year before questionnaire completion. Results Before the surgery, 38.6% of the patients reported irregular menstruations in comparison with 25.0% after bariatric surgery (RR = 0.65; 95%CI 0.53–0.79). The mean number of menstruations per year did not differ before and after surgery (10.2 ± 3.9 vs 10.4 ± 3.3; p < .45). There were no statistically significant differences in terms of prolonged menstruations, acne, and hirsutism prevalence. A total of 14.4% of patients before surgery reported estrogen-based contraception use in comparison with 15.0% after the surgery (p < .95). There were no significant differences in the frequency of OC use (11.0% before surgery vs 13.6% 12 months after the surgery vs 11.5% at the moment of survey administration; p < 0.46). Conclusion Bariatric surgery improves the regularity of the menstrual cycle in obese women in reproductive age. The lack of any changes in the combined hormonal contraception (CHC) use, especially OC, before and after bariatric surgery may be a result of a possibly low level of contraception counseling.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. e85263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana S. Forcey ◽  
Jane S. Hocking ◽  
Sepehr N. Tabrizi ◽  
Catriona S. Bradshaw ◽  
Marcus Y. Chen ◽  
...  

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e046060
Author(s):  
Alisha N Wade ◽  
Nigel J Crowther ◽  
Shafika Abrahams-Gessel ◽  
Lisa Berkman ◽  
Jaya A George ◽  
...  

ObjectivesWe investigated concordance between haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)-defined diabetes and fasting plasma glucose (FPG)-defined diabetes in a black South African population with a high prevalence of obesity.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingRural South African population-based cohort.Participants765 black individuals aged 40–70 years and with no history of diabetes.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe primary outcome measure was concordance between HbA1c-defined diabetes and FPG-defined diabetes. Secondary outcome measures were differences in anthropometric characteristics, fat distribution and insulin resistance (measured using Homoeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR)) between those with concordant and discordant HbA1c/FPG classifications and predictors of HbA1c variance.ResultsThe prevalence of HbA1c-defined diabetes was four times the prevalence of FPG-defined diabetes (17.5% vs 4.2%). Classification was discordant in 15.7% of participants, with 111 individuals (14.5%) having HbA1c-only diabetes (kappa 0.23; 95% CI 0.14 to 0.31). Median body mass index, waist and hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, subcutaneous adipose tissue and HOMA-IR in participants with HbA1c-only diabetes were similar to those in participants who were normoglycaemic by both biomarkers and significantly lower than in participants with diabetes by both biomarkers (p<0.05). HOMA-IR and fat distribution explained additional HbA1c variance beyond glucose and age only in women.ConclusionsConcordance was poor between HbA1c and FPG in diagnosis of diabetes in black South Africans, and participants with HbA1c-only diabetes phenotypically resembled normoglycaemic participants. Further work is necessary to determine which of these parameters better predicts diabetes-related morbidities in this population and whether a population-specific HbA1c threshold is necessary.


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