Enhancing Germination of Seeds of Cassia abbreviata and Senegalia nigrescens Using Pre-Sowing Seed Treatments in Botswana

Cassia abbreviata and Senegalia nigrescens are indigenous trees found in North and Central regions of Botswana. However, inadequate knowledge of their silviculture and decline in population due to deforestation, expanding settlements, infrastructure and agriculture are major threats to most indigenous tree species in Botswana. Like many indigenous tree species, Cassia abbreviata and Senegalia nigrescens are slow-growing and are threatened by overexploitation for numerous uses. Because of the increased demand for medicinal uses, medicinal species such Cassia abbreviata are rapidly disappearing in many habitats and threatened to extinction. This study assessed the response of pre-sowing treatment methods on quiescency and germination of seeds of Cassia abbreviata and Senegalia nigrescens tree species found in semiarid Savanna Ecozone of Botswana. Pre-sowing treatment included immersion in 98% undiluted sulfuric acid (H2SO4) for 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes, submergence in boiling water for one, two, three minutes and submerged in warm water for 24 hours, mechanical scarification of the seed coat and control. ANOVA showed that there is a highly significant difference (P < 0.0001) among the treatments of C. abbreviata in seed germination and no significant difference among the treatments of S. nigrescens. The highest germination percentage of C. abbreviata seeds was 81%, which was found from seeds immersed in H2SO4 for 30 minutes, while for S. nigrescens seeds, the highest germination percentage was 99%, which was found from seeds treated with mechanical scarification and those immersed in H2SO4 for 15 and 45 minutes. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of pretreatment methods on germination of C. abbreviata and S. nigrescens seeds. Based on these results, we recommend sulphuric acid and mechanical scarification as suitable seed pre-sowing treatments for enhancing the germination of C. abbreviata and S. nigrescens, respectively.

Religious Institutions and Poverty Reduction: Evidence from Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

In spite of the numerous poverty reduction policies and programs of successive administrations in Nigeria, the generality of the populace are still in a web of deprivation and hunger. It is apparent that government is unable to stem the tide of poverty and thus the need for surrogate stakeholders to lift the poor out of poverty. Therefore, an empirical study was conducted to estimate the factors influencing the willingness of religious institutions to undertake poverty reduction programs for it members and the constraints limiting their ability to initiate programs that will ameliorate the suffering of poor members in the congregation. A total of 60 churches were sampled through the multistage sampling procedure and information were elicited using questionnaire. Data were analyzed using probit model and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance. Result revealed that the most critical factors influencing the willingness of churches to undertake programs that will lift poor members of the congregation out of poverty were age and educational level of the church leaders, size of congregation, church income and age of the church. Result of Kendall’s coefficient of concordance indicated that there was 54 percent (moderate agreement) between the ranking of constraints associated with the willingness of churches to undertake programs that will lessen the pains of poverty among its members. Findings further showed that the top five most limiting constraints were lack of finance, lack of trained personnel, inadequate knowledge about the programs, unfavorable government policies and low membership strength.

Factors Influencing Knowledge and Attitude of Mothers Towards Immunization of Children Under-Five Years in Farato, Gambia

Globally, immunization coverage dropped from 86% in 2019 to 83% in 2020. An estimated 23 million children under one year did not receive basic vaccines, which is the highest number since 2009. Thus, this study aimed at identifying factors influencing the knowledge and attitude of mothers of under-five children towards immunization in Farato, The Gambia. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the peri-urban community of Farato. A sample of 132 mothers were conveniently sampled and interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as percentages, frequencies, and proportions were used to present the results of this study. The study revealed a low level of knowledge of mothers towards immunization. About 25% of mothers cannot clearly explain immunization; 23% knew that the first vaccine dose should be administered to a child at birth or soon after, and 60% were found to be unaware if their children were immunized. This indicates that the concept of immunization is not even clear to mothers and also showcased inadequate knowledge. However, 70% highlighted that immunization prevents infections and enhances child survival. Inadequate knowledge about immunization, literacy and education level, occupation of mothers, inadequate information from health workers, and limited information among mothers were major influencing factors to drop-out of immunization uptake. The study suggests that mothers need to be taught what immunization is about and its importance to children. At health facilities and clinic sites, health workers need to continue communicating to mothers on the importance of immunization to enlighten them about immunization.

Assessment of the Level of Knowledge on Autism among the Mothers of Toddlers in Selected Village, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu, India

Background: Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by difficulties with social interaction and communication and by restricted and repetitive behavior. Mothers of toddlers should have knowledge on Autism to identify the child in earlier age and to treat the child. Objectives: The study aimed to assess the level of knowledge on autism among the mothers of toddlers. The objectives were to find out the level of knowledge on autism among the mothers and to find out the association between the level of knowledge on autism and selected demographic variables of the mothers of toddlers. Materials and Methods: A non-experimental, descriptive study was conducted. The sampling technique was snow ball sampling technique with the sample of 50 mothers of toddlers and questionnaires were formulated, a structured interview schedule was used to assess the level of knowledge on autism among the mothers of toddlers. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the collected data. The data collection procedure was done for period of 2 weeks. The study was initiated after obtaining prior permission from the concern authorities. Results: The findings of this study revealed that 44% of the mothers of toddlers had inadequate knowledge, 44% had moderately adequate knowledge and only 2% had adequate knowledge on autism. There was significant association between level of knowledge and demographic variables such as age, occupation and previous knowledge on Autism of mothers of toddlers.

A Study to Assess Effectiveness of Instructional Teaching Programme on Level of Knowledge and Practices of Prevention of Pneumonia among Mothers of under Five Children in Selected Villages, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu, India

Back ground: An experimental study was conducted to assess the effects of instructional teaching programme (ITP) on knowledge and practices of mothers regarding prevention of pneumonia in children, Pooncherry, Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu, India.Objectives of the study were to assess the effectiveness of ITP on prevention of pneumonia on level of knowledge and practices among mothers of under five children. Materials and Methods: Non probability purposive technique was adopted for this study. Samples who met inclusion criteria were participated in the study. Self-structured interview schedule for knowledge and structured rating scale for practices were used to collect the data. Results: The study results shows that in the pre test 15.13 % of the mothers had adequate knowledge, 24.34 % of the mothers were had moderately adequate knowledge and 60.53 % of the mothers had inadequate knowledge and and in post test 63.17% of mothers were had adequate knowledge, 28.94% of the mothers had moderately adequate knowledge and very few (8.55% ) mothers had inadequate knowledge. Pre test practices score shows that 63.82 % of the mothers had less desirable practice, 22.37% of the mothers had moderate desirable practices and 13.81% were had highly desirable practices whereas in the post test 63.82% of them had highly desirable practice, 23.03% of them had moderate desirable practices and 13.16% of them had less desirable practices. The mean pretest knowledge score was 5.45 ± 1.47 and the mean posttest knowledge score was 8.49 ± 0.71 and the t value was 15.17, it shows that statistically there was an improvement in the post test knowledge score. The mean pretest practice score was 22.38 ± 2.76, the mean posttest practice score was 43.64 ±1.97 and the t value was 13.35, it shows that statistically there was a significant improvement in the post test practice score. The instructional teaching programme on prevention of pneumonia was statistically effective in promoting the knowledge and desirable practices among mothers.

Assessment of the Level of Knowledge and Practices on Hand Hygiene among School going Children at Selected Districts, Tamil Nadu, India

Background: The practice of hand washing is a simple effective way to prevent infection cleaning of the hands can prevent the spread of germs and micro organisms. Hand hygiene is recognized as a leading measure to prevent cross –transmission of microorganism. Infection due to microbes is a evolving problem in worldwide and horizontal transmission of bacterial organisms to cause a high mortality rate increased. Hand washing with soap and water can prevent a significant proportion of childhood diarrhoea and respiratory infections, the two main global causes of child mortality. Objectives: The objectives were to assess the existing level of knowledge and practice of school going children on hand washing, to find out the correlation between level of knowledge and practice on hand washing among school going children and to find out the association between level of knowledge and practices of school going children on hand washing with their selected demographic variables. Methods: A quantitative evaluative approach with descriptive research design was adopted. 50 school going children were selected by the purposive sampling technique. Results: The collected data was tabulated and analyzed. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used. In the level of knowledge majority of the school going children (52%) had inadequate knowledge, 28% of them were had moderately adequate knowledge and only 20% of them had adequate knowledge. The mean knowledge score on hand washing was 10.4 and the standard deviation was 4.31. The mean practice score on hand washing was 21.52 and the standard deviation was 7.4. Conclusion: The study results shows that most of the school children were having inadequate knowledge and less desirable practices of hand washing. A structured teaching program on hand washing is very important for incorporating the knowledge among school children.

Patients Report Infrequent Counseling by Physicians and Inadequate Knowledge about Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Reproductive Health Issues

Objective Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) reproductive health counseling is associated with higher knowledge, lower voluntary childlessness, greater medication adherence during pregnancy, and improved outcomes of pregnancy. Our aims were to assess counseling and knowledge about IBD and reproductive health in a tertiary care IBD patient population. Study Design We anonymously surveyed women and men ages 18 to 45 cared for at the Stanford IBD clinic about reproductive health and administered the CCPKnow questionnaire. STATA was used to summarize descriptive statistics and compare categorical variables using Fisher's exact test. Results Of the 100 patients (54% women) who completed the survey, only 33% reported prior reproductive health counseling. Both men and women considered not having a child due to IBD (31% women, 15% men) and most (83%) had no prior counseling. A minority of patients had an adequate (>8/17) CCPKnow score (45% women, 17% men). The majority of women with prior pregnancy had pre-existing IBD (67%), yet many did not seek gastrointestinal (GI) care (38% preconception, 25% during pregnancy) and 33% stopped/changed medications, with 40% not discussing this with a physician. Prior counseling was significantly associated with education level (p = 0.013), biologic use (p = 0.003), and an adequate CCPKnow score (p = 0.01). Overall, 67% of people wanted more information on IBD and reproductive health. Conclusion In an educated tertiary care cohort, the majority of patients had low CCPKnow scores and rates of IBD reproductive health counseling. Many patients with IBD prior to pregnancy reported no GI care preconception or during pregnancy and stopped/changed medications without consulting a physician. There is an urgent need for proactive counseling by gastroenterologists and obstetricians on IBD and reproductive health. Key Points

A Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Structured Teaching Programme on Non Pharmacological Management of Pain During First Stage of Labour Among Student Nurses in Selected College of Nursing, Hoshangabad

To Assess the knowledge on ‘‘non pharmacological” pain management during First stage of labour among nursing students in the terms of pre-test. Evaluate the effectiveness of structured teaching programme on pain management during First stage of labour by comparing pre-test score on post-test knowledge score. Find out the association between knowledge scores among nursing students and selected demographic variables. The research approach selected was quantitative in nature and research design was pre experimental with one group pre-test post-test design. Sampling was done using convenient sampling using 60 student Nurses. The study was conducted in St Joseph College of nursing, Hoshangabad. The tools used for generating necessary data were structured knowledge questionnaire on non-pharmacological management of pain. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Majority of nursing students i.e. 36 (60%) have inadequate knowledge score, 24 (40%) had moderate knowledge score and none of them were having adequate knowledge. This study found that majority of nursing studentsi.e. 33 (55%) have gained adequate knowledge whereas 26 (43.3%) have gained moderate knowledge and 1 (1.6%) with inadequate knowledge after administration of structured teaching programme on nonpharmacological methods on reduction of labour pain. The findings of the present study shows that the mean post-test knowledge score (20.6) was apparently higher than the mean pre-test score (11.08). The difference between pre-interventional and post-interventional knowledge was 8.8. The statistical significance between pre and post-test knowledge is evident by‘t’ value of 14.02 at 0.05 level of significance. Hence, there is significant increase in the knowledge level of nursing studentsafter structured teaching programme. The structured teaching program was effective in enhancing the knowledge of the student nurses on non-pharmacological management of pain during first stage of labour.

Assessment of Knowledge, Perception, Attitude, Risk Factors Prevention and Treatment Options of Cancer Among Natives in Elgon Sub-Region, Uganda

Background Globally, cancer is one of the leading cause of morbidity and mortality and most cancers are due to infections and so, are preventable. Studies have shown that cancer prevention has been possible through intensified healthcare education but such information is poorly documented in Elgon sub-region. Therefore, our study was aimed at assessing cancer indigenous knowledge among natives in Elgon sub-region. Method Mixed methods research design were adopted. A total of 73 participants, selected through snowball sampling technique were involved. Data collection was done through pretested questionnaires. MedCalc version, 20.008 was used for data analysis and results were presented in tables and figures. Result Majority of the study participants were males (58%), aged between 46 – 55 years (58%), Ugandans (90%) and married (67%). Most of them had inadequate knowledge about cancer (p<0.05) and highlighted sores that slightly heal at any body parts as well as blood in faeces as putative predictors of cancer infection (p<0.005). A total of nine cancer types were documented and cervical was the most prevalent (p<0.0001). Smoking was the most pronounced cancer associated risk factor (p<0.0001) and avoiding smoking was perceived as the major prevention option (p<0.0001). No cancer treatment options in cancer treatment cited in this area (p<0.172). Conclusion The natives had limited knowledge and poor perception of cancer due low literacy level. Therefore, there is need to intensify on cancer health education programs through the word of mouths and radio talk shows. The plant medicinal plant used in cancer treatment needs to be documented.

A Descriptive Study to Assess the Mental Health Literacy among the Nursing Students (18-20 Years of) in the Selected College at Puducherry

A descriptive study to assess the Mental Health Literacy among the Nursing students (18-20 years of) in the selected college at Puducherry. The objectives of the study was to assess the mental health literacy among the Nursing students. The research approach selected for the study was quantitative research approach and descriptive research design. The study was conducted at MTPG&RIHS at Puducherry. Total 100 B.Sc. Nursing Students who completed the subject mental health nursing were selected based on Non-probability convenient sampling. The researcher used standardized tool, Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) data collection. The findings of the study revealed that 82% of samples had moderate level of knowledge on Mental Health Literacy, 18% of samples had adequate knowledge about Mental Health Literacy and none of the samples had inadequate knowledge regarding Mental Health Literacy. Regarding knowledge, out of 100 samples, 82% of subjects are belongs to moderate knowledge about Mental Health Literacy and Mental illness. Remaining 18% had adequate knowledge about Mental Health Literacy and Mental Illness none of the samples had inadequate knowledge about the Mental Health Literacy and Mental Illness.