Journal of Public Health Research (PAGEPress Publications)
Not a member yet
556 research outputs found
Sort by
Medication understanding and health literacy among patients with multiple chronic conditions: a study conducted in Bangladesh
Get PDFObjectives: Medication understanding is critical for patients who suffer from multiple chronic conditions in order to reduce medication error and is often associated with poor health outcomesand low adherence. This study aims to identify the gap of medication knowledge among multiple chronic condition patients in Bangladesh, in order to aid physicians and other healthcare providers in improving health literacy.Methods: Individual interviews of a convenience sample of multiple chronic condition patients in Bangladesh were heldwhere they were asked a number of questions for assessing medication related literacy.Results: More than 26% patients failed to cite the brand name of all their prescribed medications while the rate of patients not knowing the generic names was far worse (88.1%). Nearly 1 out of every 4 patients did not know the purpose of all their medications and more than half of the participants (55%) did not know the strengths of their drugs. While knowledge about medication routes and regimen was satisfactory, awareness regarding risk factors of medicine was lowest of all. Only 1 out of every 4 patients had a habit of reading drug information leaflet. Patient’s ability to correctly state the purpose of their medication seemed to be positively associated with age (p=0.004) and negatively associated with number of medicines taken (p=0.03).Conclusions: Many patients demonstrated poor health literacy regarding medication. Routine review of medications from physician or health provider can significantly improve their health literacy, leading to better treatment outcome and medication adherence
Ownership of mother and children's health book and complete basic immunization status in slums and poor population
Get PDFBackground: The percentage of complete immunization in urban areas is higher than rural areas. The purpose of the study was to analyze the relationship between ownership of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) books with Complete Basic Immunization (CBI) coverage in slums and poor areas. Design and Methods: A rapid survey was conducted in selected slums and poor groups based on medical records from Public Health Center. Informants were mothers with a sample of 325 infants aged 12 to 23 months. Results: The lowest coverage of CBI for slum and poor residents is Pasuruan, which is 55.4%. The results of statistical analysis showed that there was a significant relationship between ownership of MCH books and the complete coverage of basic immunization in Malang (P=0.000; PR=3.682); Pasuruan (P=0.002; PR=1.854); Sidoarjo (P=0.000; PR=4.042); Surabaya (P=0.000; PR=2.425). Conclusions: It is recommended that the government should improve access to complete immunization programs in slums and poor population
Depression and functional disability in stroke patients
Get PDFBackground: Stroke patients often suffer from depression, a mental disorder that worsens their condition and slows down the recovery process. Depression is the leading cause of functional disability due to inability to cope with daily stressors and to function independently in their activities. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between depression and functional disability levels in post-stroke patients. Design and Methods: This is an analytic observational research with a cross-sectional approach. The population in exam consisted of all 4-12 week post-stroke patient in the hospital (about 139 patients). The study focused on 104 respondents, who were selected using simple random sampling techniques. Results: The results show that 62.5% stroke patients suffered mild depressive episodes after the stroke while 58.7% experienced mild disabilities. Analysis results using the Pearson Product Moment Test obtained P=0,000. This shows there is a relationship between the level of depression and the degree of functional disability in post-stroke patients. Conclusions: It can be concluded that there is a significant relationship between the levels of post-stroke depression and the functional disability. Families are expected to provide a safe, supportive, and comfortable environment to lessen the level of depression
Association of mid sleep time and social jetlag with psychosocial behaviour of Indian population during COVID-19 lockdown
Get PDFBackground: India, being the third worst affected country from COVID-19 pandemic at the time of study, faced complete lockdown to minimize community transmission that confined people to social isolation for extended durations. Design and Methods: Therefore, we conducted an online questionnaire-based survey for the Indian population after 37 days of complete lockdown to assess the integrative effects of such home restriction and social isolation on mid-sleep time, social jetlag, and their associated psychosocial behaviour. From the reports of sleep onset and waking-up times before and during lockdown as obtained from a total of 1511 respondents of ≥18 years, mid-sleep time (MST) and social jetlag (SJL) were calculated. Participants also rated their psychosocial behaviour related variables on a Likert scale. Results: Significantly delayed MST was noted during the lockdown. The majority showed reduced social jetlag; however, younger people and female subjects exhibited more SJL with delay in MST. Also, delayed MST and elevated SJL problems were more clearly demonstrated in people exhibiting more disturbances in sleep quality and daily routine, lower general mood status, irregular feeding habits (snacking frequency), worsened personal relationship, quality of life, and increased daydreaming events.Conclusion: The study emphasizes the importance of maintaining a regular daily routine with respect to sleep-wake patterns and eating habits to minimize the impact of such a crisis situation on sleep behaviour, social jetlag, and associated psychosocial wellbeing
Are young adults with long-standing illness or disability at increased risk of loneliness? Evidence from the UK Longitudinal Household Study
Get PDFBackground: Recent evidence has shown that young adults experience significant levels of loneliness, and those with long-standing illness or disability (LSID) may be particularly vulnerable. This study investigated whether young adults with LSID were more likely to experience loneliness than their ‘healthy’ peers, after accounting for key socio-contextual and health-related factors associated with loneliness.Design and Methods: The sample consists of 4510 16-24-year-old individuals from Wave 9 of the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS). Loneliness was measured using the UCLA 3-item loneliness scale, in addition to a direct indicator of frequency of loneliness. Correlation tests measured associations between both measures of loneliness and LSID. Ordinal logistic regression was used to examine the association between LSID and UCLA loneliness, after accounting for key demographic and socio-contextual variables.Results: Results from the correlation tests demonstrated significant associations between LSID and both measures of loneliness. Results from the ordinal logistic regression models indicated that chronic illness was significantly associated with loneliness, after accounting for various demographic, social, and well-being factors. In addition, individuals with fewer close friends reported higher loneliness, as did those with poorer mental health, and low well-being scores. Younger participants, age brackets 16-18 and 19-21, were found to report higher loneliness than the individuals aged 22-24-year-old.Conclusions: Overall, the study found significant evidence of associations between the presence of LSID and loneliness in young adults (16-24 years old), suggesting these individuals are at an increased risk of loneliness, and could be a focus for future public health interventions
Psychometric of the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory-II in Indonesia
Get PDFBackground: Curiosity is a personality characteristic, which fits with wellbeing and positive functioning. The objective of this study was to assess the construct validity of the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory II (CEI-II) in Indonesia.Design and Methods: The study included 256 undergraduate students who lived in Indonesia, mean age 19.8 years old. The CEI-II measures stretching and embracing using 11 items. The English version of CEI-II was translated into Bahasa. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were addressed to examine internal consistency reliability and the test-retest reliability. To evaluate construct validity, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to assess factor structure and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate the structural model fit of the CEI-II Indonesia version.Results: The study showed Cronbach’s alpha for the internal consistency of the overall CEI-II Indonesia version was 0.77. The ICC for the test-retest reliability ranged between 0.753-0.829. EFA showed adequate with the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value of 0.86 and the Bartlett’s test of sphericity was statistically significant. CFA tested the second-order model with two-order factors and showed a model fit.Conclusions: The CEI-II Indonesia version indicated acceptable construct validity to evaluate curiosity in Indonesia
Demographic variables associated with Covid-19 mortality
Get PDFObjectives: Covid-19 is a betacoronavirus that was initially transmitted to humans from an animal host. It enters the cell by binding its protein S with angiotensin-converted enzyme receptors. It is transmitted through direct contact and respiratory drops. The most affected population so far are older adults and people with chronic conditions. The objective of this research is to analyze the possible association between the structure of the population pyramid, the Gross Domestic Product, the type of isolation and screening used to detect Covid-19 in the countries with the highest and lowest mortality from this disease.Design and Methods: Some variables take part in the Covid-19 mortality worldwide, such as the population structure, expressed in the population pyramid by country, the type of isolation adopted in each nation, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as well as the type of screening that is implemented in the different countries analyzed.Results: After analyzing the mean difference in the countries with a regressive and progressive population pyramid, an association was identified between the regressive population pyramid structure and the higher mortality rate (p<0.001).Conclusions: The countries with a progressive population pyramid are the most benefited by making their population more screened since the mortality rate decreases significantly compared to the countries with less attribution (p<0.036)
Video-based health education to support insulin therapy in diabetes mellitus patients
Get PDFBackground: The improper use of insulin usually leads to some unexpected effects, hence, there is a need for right usage. Lack of knowledge and of understanding are key factors leading to the occurrence of medication errors, which could be avoided with proper education. Therefore, an appealing education alternative, such as video, is needed to improve patient’s knowledge and attitudes towards insulin therapy. Design and Methods: One-group pretest and posttest design were conducted on 100 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who were receiving subcutaneous insulin therapy at Internal Medicine Unit in Universitas Airlangga Teaching Hospital. The patients filled the provided questionnaires to measure their knowledge and attitudes, before and after watching the video on insulin therapy education. Then, data obtained were analysed with SPSS using Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test Method. Results: Based on the results, there was an increase in the value of the patient’s knowledge, with the value of Z=-8.212 and P<0.05. Similarly, there was an increase in the patient’s attitudes with the value of Z=-8.234 and P<0.05. Conclusions: Insuline therapy video increases the knowledge and improves the attitude of diabetes mellitus patients towards insulin therapy
Socio-demographic predictors of adherence to 2019 coronavirus prescribed recommendations and lockdown psychological impacts: Perspectives of Nigerian social media users
Get PDFBackground: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is a highly infectious viral disease that has spread to over one hundred and eight countries, including Nigeria. Governments across the globe have been implementing preventive measures towards curbing the spread and impact of the virus. These measures have continued to interfere with the general lifestyle of the people. Hence, this study was aimed at examining the socio-demographic predictors of adherence to prescribed recommendations and the psychological impacts of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown among Nigerian social media users. Methods: This research implemented a cross-sectional survey using an online Google-based questionnaire to elicit required information from potential respondents via social media channels such as WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram and Facebook. An external link to the questionnaire was shared among Nigerian social media users between 1st and 31st April 2020, and a total of 1,131 respondents participated in the survey. The explanatory and outcome variables were displayed by frequency and percentage distribution while chi-square analysis was used to show the relationship between the explanatory and outcome variables at 5% level of significant. Results: The study showed that 99% of the respondents reported to have been following some of the prescribed recommendations, however, only 40.4% of the respondents followed all the recommendations. More than three fifths (63.4%) of the respondents also reported having experienced stressed during the lockdown. Only respondents’ professional background (p<0.05) was a predictor of psychological impact of lockdown, other selected socio-demographic characteristics were not predictors of the outcome variables as p>0.05. Conclusion: We concluded that majority of Nigerian social media users were complying to the prescribed recommendations and that younger age group, female respondents and respondents who are more educated had higher proportion of psychological impacts of lockdown, while the medical/scientific background is the only socio-demographic predictor of psychological impacts of COVID-19 lockdown
Predictors of cardiac self-efficacy among patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease in tertiary hospitals in Nepal
Get PDFBackground: Cardiac self-efficacy determines how people feel, think, motivate themselves and behave with regards to improving their cardiac health subsequently preventing complications of coronary artery disease (CAD). Given almost one-third of global death is contributed by CAD with 10% of disability adjusted life years lost in low- and middle-income countries (including Nepal), it is important to identify factors that can promote cardiac self-efficacy. There are no studies in Nepal focusing on predictors of self-efficacy. Therefore, we aim to determine the predictors of cardiac self-efficacy of CAD patients in Nepal.Design and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study where we recruited 170 patients (≥30 years) diagnosed with CAD from two tertiary level hospitals. Multiple linear regression model was used to identify the predictors of cardiac self-efficacy.Results: The mean age of the participants was 60.45±10.39 years (range, 31-83). Most of the participants were diagnosed as myocardial infarction (91.2%), rest with unstable angina (6.5%) and stable angina (2.4%). The multivariate analysis shows age (p<0.001), health behaviors (p<0.001) and knowledge of the disease (p<0.001) were statistically significant predictors to cardiac self-efficacy. Every 1-year increase in age was associated with 0.23 units increase in cardiac self-efficacy score. Similarly, every unit increase in health behavior score and knowledge of disease score was associated with 0.432 units and 0.475 units increase in cardiac self-efficacy score, respectively.Conclusion: Age and health behaviors were the strongest predictors of cardiac self-efficacy followed by knowledge of the disease. We conclude that those with poor health behavior are at a greater risk of poorer cardiac self-efficacy compared to those with relatively good level of self-efficacy. Public health interventions such as awareness raising about cardiac disease and health behavior modification along with early screening, diagnosis and appropriate care are essential to improving self-efficacy and cardiac care outcomes