Journal of Public Health Research (PAGEPress Publications)
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Prevalence of coronary artery disease risk factors in firefighters in the city of Cape Town fire and rescue service – A descriptive study
Get PDFBackground: Over 45% of firefighter deaths are attributable to sudden cardiac death related to coronary artery disease (CAD), with many of these deaths attributed to comorbidities. The purpose of the study is to determine the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors in firefighters in the City of Cape Town (CoCT).Design and Methods: The study used a quantitative, cross-sectional and descriptive design. A total of 124 full-time firefighters were conveniently recruited between September and November 2019 from the City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service. Results: The most prevalent CAD risk factors among firefighters were hypertension (33.1%), obesity (37.1%), cigarette smoking (39.5%) and dyslipidaemia (40.3%). A total of 41.9% of firefighters were categorized as low-risk, 54.8% as moderate-risk, and 3.2% as high-risk for CAD.Conclusion: The majority of firefighters had at least one CAD risk factor, with older males having the highest prevalence of multiple CAD risk factors. Compared to other regions of the world, the (CoCT) firefighters have higher prevalence of dyslipidaemia and cigarette smoking. Preventative behavioural strategies and education on CAD should be promoted to mitigate the development of CAD
COVID-19 and university admission exams: A Bangladesh perspective
Get PDFBackground: Educational institutions have been closed in Bangladesh due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and board exams like Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams, as well as university admission exams have been suspended. Secondary school students have been promoted based on past performance. As the time has come for students to take admission into universities, educational authorities must make decisions about the logistical and public health arrangements that could allow universities to conduct admission exams.Design and methods: The public health and lockdown policies were analyzed during the timeframe of 25th March to 15th October. Time series models of the trend of COVID-19 were prepared for the near future using the ARIMA technique, for the lockdown phase and the post lockdown phase. This was evaluated in juxtaposition with the restrictions relating to travel, work, schools, public gatherings, face masks, etc. The models were then used to forecast positivity rates for two weeks into the future.Results: The curve was not bent during the strict lockdown phase, but the post lockdown phase eventually saw a decline in positivity rates. The best models selected were ARIMA(0,1,7) for the lockdown stage, and ARIMA(7,1,0) for the post lockdown stage. AIC, BIC, RMSE, MAE, and MAPE criteria were used for model selection.Conclusions: Many restrictions of the lockdown phase have been continued until the present time, and disease case positivity rates have declined. However, the resumption of work and domestic travel has not prevented the control of the spread of the disease. It may therefore be possible to conduct in-person admission test exams for universities, while maintaining social distancing, face masks and other public health measures
Quantitative determination of EPA and DHA in fish oil capsules for cardiovascular disease therapy in Indonesia by GC-MS
Get PDFBackground: The consumption of EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid), and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), from fish oil, in the long run, has been observed to have a positive impact on patients with coronary heart disease. Fish oil products, with so much EPA and DHA content are available, and have very variable prices. Therefore, as a therapy to be used for long-term treatment, the cost factor is to be considered.Design and methods: This study analyzed the content of EPA and DHA, using GC-MS. The sample to be analyzed was the fish oil that has the lowest price (Product A1), and that of the highest (Product A2). Furthermore, the macroscopic analysis was performed, by observing the physical form including organoleptic and qualitative tests, by reading the fragments identified by EPA and DHA.Results: Clinical trials were conducted on patients (about 46 people), with risk factors and dyslipidemia. Product A1 showed EPA at tR= 15.574 min (relative%= 88.49%, similarity= 95%), and DHA at tR= 21.714 min (relative%= 88.92%, similarity= 93%). Product A2 showed EPA at tR= 28.719 min (relative%= 22.58%, similarity= 89%), and DHA at tR= 32.327 min (relative%= 22.87%, similarity= 90%), which meant that both had EPA and DHA contents, in accordance with their labels. Both products were confirmed to reduce total cholesterol in 4weeks (p=0.000, p= 0.000), with no significant difference in their effectiveness (p=0.652).Conclusion: The results showed that both the A1 and A2 products, had the EPA and DHA contents in accordance with their respective labels. However, with the A2 product having a percentage relatively higher than that of the A1 brand, both are equally very effective
Developing a vocational social rehabilitation model to increase the independence of the instrumental activity of daily living (ADL) among people with severe mental illness
Get PDFBackground: One of the efforts made to return people with severe mental illness to the community is to prepare with sufficient skills so then they can return to a productive life. The purpose of this study was to develop a vocational social rehabilitation model to increase the independence of the instrumental activity of daily living (ADL) among people with severe mental illness.Design and Methods: The study was conducted in 2 stages. Phase 1 used an observational design with a cross sectional approach. It was conducted at the Menur Mental Hospital from March to July 2020. The population of this study were all people with severe mental illness with a psychotic degree scoring ≥ 30. The total sample was 100. The data was analyzed using the Partial Least Square. The second phase was carried out by compiling modules from strategic issues and conducting expert consultations.Results: The results of phase 1 showed that the instrumental ADL independence was directly influenced by perceived behavior, memory phase, motivation phase, skills and intention. Additionally it is indirectly influenced by socio-demography, mental illness severity, attitude towards behavior, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, attention, retention, motor reproduction, motivation and skill. The results of the phase 2 carried out were used to compile modules based on the stages of vocational rehabilitation consisting of determining eligibility, preparatory counseling, implementing rehabilitation, evaluation and ongoing support.Conclusion: The vocational social rehabilitation model is related to the independence of the Instrumental ADL among people with severe mental illness
The emergence of scholarly literature on physical/social distancing related to Coronavirus: A bibliometric analysis
Get PDFBackground: The world is witnessing new public health crises due to the emergence of the novel coronavirus. This study aims to present a bibliometric analysis of research on coronavirus-related physical/social distancing.Design and Methods: In this study, a bibliometric analysis was applied to see the research productivity and its impact on coronavirus-related physical/social distancing. For this purpose, Scopus was used to retrieve the data for the analysis. A total of 2900 records was downloaded from the database for analysis.Results: The findings revealed that the top four authors published their research in the year 2020. The study ranked the British Medical Journal (BMJ) at the top position on publishing the research on the topic. Similarly, the USA took the lead in all countries in producing research on the topic. The researchers preferred the document type ‘Article’ for sharing their research, and a single authorship pattern was dominated on all other patterns.Conclusion: Plenty of bibliometric studies are available on coronavirus, but not a single study is found on coronavirus-related physical/social distancing. This study will be valuable in identifying different bibliometric dimensions on the topic
Future anxiety in students of communication and Islamic broadcasting program: The correlation with resilience
Get PDFBackground: Anxiety becomes a mental health problem that students experience most frequently. One of the anxiety disorders in students is future anxiety. A high level of unemployment becomes the most significant stressor of this anxiety. In 2019, the department of communication became the department with the highest unemployment rate in the world. The students at Communication and Islamic Broadcasting Department feel this phenomenon and find difficulties in finding a job. This condition triggers the students' concerns about the future. In this case, future anxiety can be influenced by one of the protective factors, namely resilience. This study aims to identify the correlation between resilience and future anxiety of the Communication and Islamic Broadcasting Department’s students.Design and Methods: This study was conducted by employing a cross-sectional design and involving students at the Communication and Islamic Broadcasting Department (n=238) of Universitas Ibn Khaldun, Bogor. This study used the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 10 questionnaire to measure the resilience and Future Anxiety Scale to measure future anxiety. Meanwhile, the bivariate analysis between resilience and future anxiety was conducted by employing the Pearson product-moment correlation.Results: This reveals a negative correlation between resilience and future anxiety (-0.379) with a moderate correlation.Conclusions: This study recommends several efforts to increase resilience for stress management, possibly guided by nurses. Moreover, higher education institutions can facilitate students by providing counseling and training in time management, enhancing adaptive coping, and developing the alumni association as media of future planning discussion for students. 
A cross-sectional analysis of snacking habits, eating habits, physical activity, and indicators of obesity among high school students in Jakarta, Indonesia
Get PDFBackground: Changes in the lifestyle and eating habits of people in large cities in Indonesia have increased the risk of obesity. In Indonesia, the prevalence of obesity in adolescents increased from 1.6% in 2013 to 4.0% in 2018; in Jakarta, it increased from 4.2% in 2013 to 8.3% in 2018. Obesity is closely related to health behavior in adolescence, and it is a risk factor for the occurrence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This study aimed to describe the snacking habits, eating habits, physical activity, and indicators of obesity among adolescents in Jakarta. Design and Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design involving 170, 10th–12th grade public high school students in Jakarta Province, recruited using purposive sampling technique. Using standardized instruments, the following surveys were delivered online: The Beverage and Snack Questionnaire, the Eating Habits Questionnaire, and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey Questionnaire (Q78). The Chi-squared test was used to determine the correlation between the study’s variables.Results: The majority of the 170 respondents were female (81.2%). Among the respondents, 11.2% were obese and 6.5% were overweight. Of the 170 respondents 52.4% had the habit of snacking, 64.1% had healthy eating habits, 73.5% engaged in physical activity ≤3 days/week, 79.4% watched TV <3 hours/day, and 61.2% played video games and spent time on computers ≥3 hours/day. The bivariate analysis results showed that there was no significant relationship between snacking habits, eating habits, and physical activity with indicators of obesity (p>0.05).Conclusions: In general, the respondents in our study were found to have a healthy lifestyle, thus helping to prevent the development of an NCD. However, a number of the respondents were overweight and obese
The socio-demographic factors correlated with financial toxicity among patients with breast cancer in Indonesia
Get PDFBackground: Breast cancer is one of the major cancer types found among Indonesian women. This cancer diagnosis and its treatment causes perpetual financial burden for the women and their family. This study aims to identify the correlation between socio-demographics with financial toxicity among women with breast cancer in Indonesia.Design and methods: This study design was cross-sectional with 109 respondents of Indonesian breast cancer survivors who were recruited using consecutive sampling. Quantitative data were collected with a demographic and a Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST) questionnaires, then analyzed using Chi-Square test and linear regression method.Results: The majority of the women were 18 to 55-years-old (75.2%), married (91.7%), employed (80.7%), and having moderate income (58.7%). Logistic regression analysis indicates that survivor’s family as a primary wage earner (p=0.042), low-high income (p=0.043), and dependents number (p=0.012) are significantly associated with financial toxicity.Conclusions: The financial toxicity among women with breast cancer was mainly correlated with the number of survivor’s dependent and the household income. This study encourage related parties to establish socio-economic safety net for women with breast cancer, including their families
Motivation of male adolescents to become perpetrators of violence: a study of phenomenology
Get PDFBackground: Violence committed by adolescents is a serious public health problem. More than ten percent of youth violence have been subjected to violence and more than fifty percent attacks and serious violence.Design and Methods: A qualitative study with a phenomenological study design in which semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants who were once challenged by violence and are now kept in LPKA Class II Jakarta.Results: This qualitative study explores adolescent motivation to become violent perpetrators. This study discusses four major themes, namely, i) Unsafe environmental conditions; ii) Unpleasant past experiences; iii) Childhood trauma; and iv) Peer group solidarity or friendship.Conclusions: Adolescent motivational advice provides protection for students in Indonesia to participate in discussions about children related to challenges or assistance that can be given to adolescents so as not to offend again
The prevalent anxiety disorders among elementary students in Bandung, Indonesia
Get PDFBackground: Anxiety constitutes one of the most prevalent childhood mental health problems. It affects social functions, academic functions and increases the risk of mental health problems at the next stage of development among elementary school children. Besides, psychopathologic disorders in teenagers appear in form of emotional symptoms. Early anxiety screening is important for elementary students as anxiety disorders incur huge financial treatment costs, meanwhile, related data are needed to provide early and adequate interventions. This study is expected to be the basis for developing mental health programs at the elementary school level. Furthermore, aims to identify types of anxiety disorders among grade 4 and 5 students at the elementary level. Design and Methods: The study was conducted using a quantitative method with a descriptive design. Meanwhile, the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) model consisting of 41 questions was used, while the instrument’s Reliability and Validity was 0.81 and 0.67 respectively. A total of 135 students from the private elementary schools participated in this study.Results: Among the 135 elementary students aged 10 to 11, 48.9% were males while 51.1% were females, 79.3% had anxiety consisting of generalized anxiety 40%, panic disorder 48.1%, separation anxiety 40%, social anxiety 65.9%, while 28.9% experienced school avoidance.Conclusions: Based on the results, health workers, teachers and parents need to work together to manage anxiety in elementary students. In addition, nurses as health workers at community primary health need to work together with counselling and guidance teachers to provide preventive and promotive interventions through the school's mental health services