Factors Influencing Social-Learning Experience in Nearby Pocket Parks On Campus Ground

Nearby pockets on campus grounds have become necessary learning sustainable settings to improve the academic experience by promoting outdoor social and learning activities. However, many universities still focus mainly on formal indoor learning and lack outdoor education that meets modern academic outcomes. Therefore, the current study aimed to identify the factors affecting students' social-learning experience in nearby pocket parks on campus ground, focusing on the tropical regions. The current study employed a questionnaire survey conducted in three Malaysian universities to collect data from 408 participants. The results showed various types of influencing factors that affect the social-learning experience in nearby pockets on campus ground, including landscape elements and activities, environmental factors, and access to these spaces. The results also indicated that students' demographics, including gender, education status, and university, influenced the outdoor social-learning experience. The current study contributed information to the development of on-campus sustainable settings for integrating nearby pockets in social interaction and learning activities in order to improve the academic social-learning experience.

Parasitic contamination of fresh vegetables sold in open markets: a public health threat

Vegetables eating raw are a leading source of transmission of infective forms of pathogenic internal parasites among human beings. This research was conducted from April to October, 2017 to assess the parasitic contamination of vegetables sold at main vegetable markets in districts Lower Dir and Peshawar, Pakistan. Eight hundred specimens of different vegetables were purchased and soaked in physiological saline solution, shaken with a mechanical shaker for 20 minutes and processed by sedimentation concentration method. Results revealed that only 19.7% (n=158/800) of the vegetables were found to be contaminated with single or multiple parasite species. Ascaris lumbricoides (the large round worm) 12.3% (n=99/800) was the most commonly detected pathogen and Taenia saginata (the beef tapeworm) 1.62% (n=13/800) was the least frequently detected one. Interestingly, significant p value (p>0.05 at 95%CI) between the number of examined and contaminated for all the variables studied including education status of the vendors, markets location, type of vegetables, means of display, washed before display, washing source of water and market type. The findings of this study evidenced that consumption of raw vegetables possesses great risk of getting parasitic infections in Lower Dir and Peshawar districts, Pakistan. Instructing the sellers and the public about parasitic disease transfer and their hygiene can reduce the infection rate of parasites of human origin.

The effect of the socioeconomic status on the measurement of asthma control

Background: The Asthma Control Test (ACT) is a commonly used scoring system for evaluation of asthma control in the pediatric and adult populations. Asthma control has been deemed poor in those economically disadvantaged. Objective: To study whether the ACT is affected by socioeconomic status (SES) as evaluated by the percentage of the federal poverty level and the education level. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study (N = 307), in which the patients were surveyed for demographics data and underwent ACT scoring, spirometry (forced expiratory volume in the first second of expiration) and fractional concentration of exhaled nitric oxide testing. Results: There was a positive correlation of improved mean score on the ACT (p < 0.001) with higher education status and higher federal poverty level status. Conclusion: SES plays a factor in the way patients perceived their asthma control, and therefore affected how they scored on the ACT.

The Impact of Smoking Risk Factors During Pandemic COVID-19

Background: Based on world health organization, the smoking is a reason of death five–six cases per annum. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the age, marital, education, employment, smoking and social statuses on gender in Bahrain population. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, two group: male and female comparative by using questionnaire distributed randomly and collected data to be analyzed via SPSS program. Results: In age status, the female found to be below 30 years whereas the male is above 30 years. In marital status, the single, divorced and widow female found to be more in whereas the married male is more than married female. In education status, the Primary, intermediate and secondary male student found to be more whereas the college female student is more. In employment status, the Employed and Retired status found to be more in male whereas the Employment scholarship program, unemployed and Housewife found to be more in female. In Smoke status, the Smoking duration found to be more in female below 10 years whereas the Smoking duration found to be more male above 10 years. Also, the female Smoker consume found to be more below 20 cigarettes whereas male Smoker consume found to be more above 20 cigarettes. Conclusion: most smokers in both are between 21 to 30 years, college students and employees. Therefore, there are serious age, education and employment phase in both gender life

Evaluation of Cross Infection Control in Dentistry; A Patients’ Perception Study

OBJECTIVE: To assess the perception of patients visiting a dental OPD in Karachi regarding cross infection control measures that should be taken in dental practice. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the OPD of Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine from January to August 2020. A total of 546 patients aged 20-75 years of either gender coming for routine dental check-ups were included in the study using non-probability convenience sampling. A well-structured and validated questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of patients regarding cross infection measures that should be present in dental practices. SPSS-25 was used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics was used to calculate frequency and percentage of qualitative (gender, socioeconomic and education status, knowledge attitude and practice levels of patients) and quantitative variables (age groups). Chi-square test was used to detect the relation of patient's knowledge levels with potential factors like the age groups, gender, socioeconomic and education status. The p-value of (< 0.05) was considered as significant. RESULTS: Out of the total participants, 79.1% had good knowledge about cross infection control measures in dental practice. Majority of the patients (84.6%) agreed that dentists should wear gloves during treatment, though majority were of the opinion that a dentist can treat several patients with the same set of gloves. About 4.9% of the patients said that they ask the dentist to wear face mask and gloves while treating them, and only 3.3% said that they ask the dentist about sterilization of instruments. The knowledge level of patients showed variation with their education status but not with respect to socioeconomic status, age and gender. CONCLUSION: Although overall the patients visiting dental clinics had good perception and showed positive attitudes towards cross infection control, the dental health practitioners need to disseminate basic technical information about the infection-control practices required for safe dental practice to dental patients and the community at large. KEYWORDS: cross infection, knowledge, dentist, dental patients, perception

Parental Perspectives on the Implementation of House Dust Mite Avoidance Measures for Children with House Dust Mite Sensitization

ABSTRACTObjective: The avoidance of house dust mite (HDM) is crucial in the management of HDM allergies. We aimed to demonstrate the implementation and perspective of the parents whose children had HDM allergy/sensitization to HDM avoidance measures. Materials and Methods: Parents of the patients with HDM sensitization were interviewed via telephone questionnaires.Results: One hundred and three patients with asthma (73.8%), allergic rhinitis (AR) (77.7%) and/or atopic dermatitis (AD) (29.1%) aged four to 18 years were included in the study. Seventy-one patients had multiple allergic diseases (68.9%). Of the parents, 39.8% fully adhered to HDM avoidance measures, and their education status was as follows: 41.5% illiterate/elementary/middle school, 31.7% high school, and 26.8% associate’s degree/university. In addition, 32.2% of the mothers who were partially adherent (n=62) were illiterate or had graduated from elementary/middle school, 33.9% had graduated from high school, and 33.9% had an associate’s degree or had graduated from university. Forty-one (39.8%) mothers were working, and most of them (61%) had graduated from university or had an associate’s degree. Nearly half of the mothers who were partially adherent to HDM measures were working (n=32). In the multivariate analysis, the risk factors for partial adherence to measures was to be a working mother [OR:4.072, 95%CI: 1.350-12.882, p=0.013] and to have the belief that the measures were useless [OR:4.886, 95%CI: 1.499-15.923, p=0.008]. However, no relationship was shown between adherence to the measures and the severity of AR or AD, asthma control status and having multiple allergic diseases.Conclusion: Full adherence to HDM avoidance measures was considerably dependent on the mothers’ working status and belief in the ineffectiveness of the measures whereas there was no relationship to the severity of allergic diseases. This study also revealed how the education status of the mothers affected the adherence to allergen avoidance measures in real life.Keywords: Children, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus,Dermatophagoides farinae, house dust mites, avoidance measures, parents, pediatrics, questionnaire

Determinants of Cerebral Palsy in Pediatric Patients in Northern Ethiopia: A Hospital-Based Study

Introduction. Cerebral palsy is the most common neurologic disorder of childhood with lifelong implications in majority of patients. Knowledge of the determinants of cerebral palsy is important for accurate mobilization of resources in obstetric, perinatal, and infant care besides implementation of prevention systems. In Ethiopia, however, this knowledge gap exists as there are no published studies on determinants of cerebral palsy in the country. Objective. To assess the determinants of cerebral palsy in pediatric patients attending Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Referral Hospital between April 2019 and August 2019. Methods. An unmatched case-control study was conducted among 50 pediatric cerebral palsy patients and 100 controls, pediatric patients without cerebral palsy or other motor or central nervous system illnesses, attending Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Mekelle, Ethiopia. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 27. Results. Significant factors were operative vaginal delivery (AOR: 9.49, 95% CI: 1.31–68.88), central nervous system infections (AOR: 0.02, 95% CI: 0–0.58), neonatal admissions (AOR: 0.13, 95% CI: 0.03–0.61), and unknown maternal education status (AOR: 18.64, 95% CI: 2.15–161.73). Conclusion. Operative vaginal delivery, central nervous system infections in infancy, neonatal hospital admissions, and unknown maternal education status were found to be significant determinants for cerebral palsy. This knowledge aids focused hospital and regional health bureau development and implementation of prevention strategies for cerebral palsy, besides improvement of obstetric and neonatal healthcare services, and provides baseline data to the scientific community for further research.

A Case-Control Study on Risk Predictors Associated with Periodontitis in Systemically Healthy Patients; a Regression Analysis

Aim: This case-control study was conducted to analyze the association of periodontitis with risk predictors i.e. age, gender, education status, brushing habits and past dental visits in systemically healthy patients. Materials and Methods: The study included total of 1097 systemically healthy, non-tobacco using patients with age ≥ 18 years that reported to periodontology department from year 2018. The demographic details and dental care pattern of the patients were extracted from the records of periodontology department, and their frequencies were formulated. The association of five study variables i.e. age, gender, education status, brushing habits and past dental visits was assessed using forward step-wise logistic regression analysis. Results: Total of 471(42.9%) patients were diagnosed with periodontitis. Higher frequency of periodontitis was observed in patients who were male and ≥ 50 years of age. Regression analysis showed that the subjects with < 50 years of age, ≥ 12 years of education, regular brushing habits and regular past dental visits had greater odds of being safe from periodontitis. Conclusion: Since the population chosen for this research was systemically healthy, non-tobacco using individuals, a high prevalence (42.9%) of periodontitis was observed indicating the need to analyze the factors other than systemic conditions contributing in prevalence of periodontitis. Furthermore, a positive association between study variables and periodontitis was observed in this research, which will help the clinicians in prediction of periodontitis in systemically healthy, non-tobacco using individuals.

Socio-economic analysis of Baroda branch canal of Som Kamla Amba irrigation project, Dungarpur, Rajasthan

Irrigation system development results in improvements of farmers' economy, followed by livelihood sustainability, standard of living and social attitude. Present analysis focused on socio-economic status of farming families in the command area of Baroda Branch Canal of Som Kamla Amba Irrigation Project. The study considered survey sampling of 10 per cent beneficiaries in the Baroda branch canal command which consisted 150 farming families having 787 persons in numbers. The socio-economic indicators viz., the family structures, employment pattern, education status, livestock ownership, farm asset distribution, cost of cultivation, and cost of returns were analysed. Results indicated that education and living standards are of farmers was low which may be one of the reasons for not adoption of newly farming technologies. Cost of cultivation per hectare for wheat, barley, gram, and mustard crops were found as Rs. 28,503.00, Rs. 26,727.00, Rs. 21,184.00 and Rs. 21,697.00, respectively and net benefits per hectare obtained from these crops were Rs. 13,297, Rs. 13,023, Rs. 14,416 and Rs. 18,303, respectively. The pattern of ownership of livestock showed that the average number of cows in the command area was about 1.97 per family. The productivity in the area is average due to low inputs use.

An investigation of athletes' anxiety of catching Covid-19 and their motivation levels in terms of some variables

This study aims to examine the anxiety levels and motivation levels of athletes about catching covid-19 in terms of some variables. The sample group of the study consists of 204 women (51%) and 196 men (49%) in total, 400 athletes aged 18 and over, who are licensed in various branches. In the study, "Athletes' Anxiety of Catching New Type Coronavirus (Covid 19) Anxiety Scale (AAOCNTCAS)" developed by Tekkurşun Demir et al. (2020) and "Sport-Specific Achievement Motivation Scale" (SSAMS) developed by Willis (1982) and adapted in Turkish by Tiryaki and Gödelek (1997) are utilized. The Skewness-Kurtosis test was used to determine whether the data showed a normal distribution. As a result, t-test and One-Way Anova tests were used to analyze the data. The Post Hoc Tukey test was used for multiple comparisons. As a result of the research, A statistically significant difference was found between the demographic characteristics of the athletes’ anxiety about catching Covid-19 and their achievement motivation by, age, gender, education status, mother's education status, monthly income, athlete license category and total licensed sports year, while no statistically significant was found on paternal education status and type of sport. As a result of the findings, it is predicted that the anxiety levels of catching coronavirus may decrease by providing the necessary motivation to the athletes.