Journal of Health Research

Associated factors of hepatitis C infection in pregnant women at Outpatient Department of Peoples Medical University and Hospital District Shaeed Benazir Abad, Sindh province, Pakistan

Akhlaque Hussain Magsi — 2018-12-28

Purpose - This study aimed to explore the risk factors associated with transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in pregnant women attending clinics at Peoples Medical College & Hospital in Shaheed Benazir Abad province, Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach - A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 318 pregnant women, aged from 16 to 45 years, who visited in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics during May to June 2018. Irrespective of gestational age on their first visit of antenatal care were also recruited. A structured questionnaire was used to interview participants using convenient sampling. Descriptive statistic was employed for the data analysis.

Findings - Out of 318 respondents, 26 (8.2%) were reported positive with HCV. Socio-demographic factors and past medical history were significantly associated with no education 10 (38.5%), injection 24 (92.3%), and blood transfusion 15 (57.7%).

Originality/value - HCV is a common infection in pregnant women. The prevalence of HCV was associated with socio-demographic factors including poor literacy rate, low socio-economic status, past medical history. Unsafe injection and blood transfusion were found to be strongly associated with increased of HCV among the pregnant women.

Knowledge attitude and practice (KAP) of long-term care services for the elderly among trained caregivers in Sisaket province, Thailand

Kamonthip Doungjan — 2018-12-28

Purpose - Currently the number of aging population is growing worldwide including Thailand. This study established to assess the association between knowledge, attitude, and practice toward long term care among caregivers in Sisaket province, Thailand.

Design/methodology/approach - A cross-sectional survey of 209 caregivers in Sisaket province was conducted using self-reported questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed based on a long term course training 70 hours from the Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand (IOC=0.89). Pearson’s Chi square test and Fisher's Exact Test were performed to find significant associations among variables.

Findings - Among 209 caregivers (100%), majority of respondents had high level of knowledge in elderly care (90%). Respondents 80% had neutral attitude towards long term elderly care and 53.6% had the moderate practice level in long term care. In addition, the association between variables with the practice of long term care found that number of home bound, caregivers’ relationship with elderly and attitude level were significantly associated with practices of long term care for the elderly among caregivers (p-value <0.05)

Originality/value - It shows that the attitude is significantly associated with the practice of caregivers; therefore, refreshment training and re-training are necessary among caregivers to enhance and maintain positive attitude toward long term care service.

Health status and behavior influencing sleep quality among community-dwelling elderly in Chanthaburi province, Thailand

Chanisa Siripanich — 2018-12-28

Purpose - The trend of sleep disorder is typically common in age changes due to health status and behavior leading to poor quality of sleep. The purpose of this study was to examine the rate and factors associated to sleep quality among community-dwelling elderly in Chanthaburi province, Thailand.

Design/methodology/approach - A cross-sectional study was conducted among 208 elderly by multi-stage sampling. All participants were interviewed by questionnaire. Sleep quality was assessed by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Sleep quality score ≥ 5 indicates poor sleep quality. Chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression models were performed to find significant associations.

Findings - Approximately, 66.3% of respondents had poor sleep quality with score of ≥ 5 PSQI. The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for gender, age, and BMI, and the multivariate logistic regression model showed that elders who had never participated social activities increased poor sleep quality 5.962-fold odds (p-value<0.05; 95% CI 1.459 – 24.361). Elders who had never prayed before sleep increased poor sleep quality 1.478-fold odds (p-value<0.05; 95% CI 0.273 – 0.838). Perception of musculoskeletal problem increased poor sleep quality 2.288-fold odds (p-value<0.05; 95% CI 1.249 – 4.192). Bladder problem perception (p-value<0.05; 95% CI 1.084 – 6.327), depression (p-value<0.05; 95% CI 1.179 - 9.095), and smoking (p-value<0.05; 95% CI 1.062 – 4.340) increased poor sleep quality.

Originality/value - Strategic development by promoting health activities and social participation among elderly should be done in order to prevent chronic diseases, depression and sleeping disorder.

Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice regarding malaria prevention toward internal migrant population in Kawthoung Township, Kawthoung district, Tanintharyi region, Myanmar: A cross sectional study

Sa Aung Hein — 2018-12-28

Purpose - This study aimed to assess and describe socio-demographic factors, knowledge, attitude and practice toward malaria prevention among internal migrants, Kawthoung Township, Kawthoung district, Myanmar.

Design/methodology/approach - A cross-sectional study with 316 respondents, age range from 18 to 65 years old, were interviewed face to face using structured questionnaires. Chi-square and logistic regression were used to analyze association between dependent and independent variables.

Findings - Of all the respondents, 65.5% had good knowledge; 17.4% had good attitude; and 49.1% had good practice for malaria prevention. Practice level was strongly associated with knowledge level and attitude level (p-value <0.001). Factors associated with good practice were respondents with age group of 45 to 54 years (p-value = 0.004, AOR = 7.478, 95% CI: 1.930-28.978, high school or higher education (p = 0.021, AOR = 11.363, 95% CI: 1.454- 88.814) income more than 200000 Kyats per month (p-value <0.001, AOR = 14.242, 95% CI: 3.240-62.608), less than 3 family members (p-value = 0.005, AOR = 4.670, 95% CI: 1.576- 13.834), accessibility to health facility with less than 30 minutes (p-value <0.001, AOR = 122.092, 95% CI: 20.339-732.915), source of information by government health staffs (p-value = 0.010, AOR = 8.293, 95% CI:1.669-41.211) and good attitude level (p-value = 0.017, AOR = 6.089, 95% CI:1.387-26.739).

Originality/value - Community mobilization activities through volunteer malaria workers and government health staff are necessary to improve knowledge, attitude and practice regarding malaria prevention practice.

Prevalence of healthy aging and factors associated in Thai urban elderly, Bangkok, Thailand

Onsiri Pitisuttithum — 2018-12-28

Purpose - Population aging is a global phenomenon affecting many countries including Thailand. Healthy aging is the key to many challenges that come with population aging. This study aimed to estimate prevalence of healthy aging and identify factors related to healthy aging among Thai urban elderly in Bangkok, Thailand.

Design/methodology/approach - This research was a cross-sectional study. Data collection was done by face-to-face interviews using questionnaires at Lumpini Park, Bangkok. A total of 200 older persons (100 males and 100 females) aged 60 years or over were recruited non-randomly. Descriptive analysis including chi-square test, univariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to analyze the prevalence and associated factors of healthy aging. This study defined healthy aging as having totally independent physical function, normal cognitive function, good mental health status, normal nutritional status, and good quality of life.

Findings - The prevalence of healthy aging was 66.0%. There were no differences in prevalence of healthy aging between males and females. After controlling for other covariates, household income, health awareness, physical activity, and sleep were associated with factors of healthy aging.

Originality/value - About two-thirds of the older persons met the criteria of healthy aging. The findings of this study can be used as provisional data for policy makers to help Thailand overcome challenges that come with aging population.

Knowledge and practice regarding bat-borne diseases among local residents in semi-urban area of central Thailand

Takahiro Agari — 2018-12-28

Purpose - Bats can cause serious diseases which impact on public health. However, information on knowledge and practice regarding bat-borne diseases is still lacking generally. This study was conducted to determine the level of knowledge and practice related to bat-borne infections and to assess the potential risk for bat-borne diseases among at risk population.

Design/methodology/approach - A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2018 among individuals, aged at least 18 years old, and living in five villages nearby a flying fox roost in Nakhon Pathom province of the central Thailand. The respondents were recruited through a multi-stage sampling procedure. Face-to-face interview was conducted using a structured questionnaire. Bivariate analyses and multiple linear regression analysis were performed to explore factors associated with knowledge among the samples.

Findings - From the total of 272 respondents participated in this study, there were only 30.5% of respondents correctly answered that bats can transfer diseases; and there were no respondents ever heard of Nipah virus disease. Only five respondents (1.8%) reported a history of practices related to human-bat interaction. Multiple regression analysis showed that a history of seeing bats in or around a house was significantly associated with higher knowledge score (p=0.002).

Originality/value - This study showed that targeted population living in at risk area had limited knowledge on bat-borne infection. Educational intervention should be planned and implemented in the area in order to reduce the future risk of bat-borne disease outbreaks.

The correlation between demographic, health characteristic and medical tourism perception among Chinese tourists in Bangkok, Thailand

Zhuang Liu — 2018-12-28

Purpose - Recently, medical tourism is quietly rising all over the world. Chinese tourists have signed up through travel agencies to participate in overseas medical examinations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between demographic, health characteristic and Medical Tourism Perception (MTP) among Chinese tourists.

Design/methodology/approach - The research was a cross-sectional study. 481 Chinese tourists were recruited to participate in the study in Bangkok in 2018. The 56-item Questionnaire was used as an instrument for measuring Chinese tourists’ perceptions toward medical tourism in Bangkok, Thailand. Data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics and correlation.

Findings - Among variables, gender, age, marital status, occupation, illness history, medical tourism history and insurance, did not have a correlation with MTP. Education had low negative correlation (p-value<0.05) with MTP. As the educational level of Chinese tourists has increased, their choice of Thailand as a destination for medical tourism has declined.

Originality/value - The research can be used as a guideline for tourism stakeholders and medical tourism related organizations in order to establish medical tourism policy more productively and efficiently.

Knowledge attitude and cultural factors toward utilization of insecticide treated nets (ITNS) among Rakhine ethnic group in Ann Township Rakhine State Myanmar: Cross sectional study

Aung Phyo Oo — 2018-12-28

Purpose - Malaria is a life threatening disease; however, it can be prevented by the use of insecticide treated nets (ITNs). It is crucial to understand knowledge, attitudes, utilization of ITNs, and cultural factors in order to eliminate malaria among people. This study aimed to find associations between general characteristics, knowledge, attitudes and cultural factors toward utilization of ITNs among Rakhine ethnic groups, Rakhine State, Myanmar.

Design/methodology/approach - A cross-sectional study was conducted among 420 Rakhine ethnic groups, age from 18 years old and over. They were recruited from 10 villages in Ann Township, and were face to face interviewed in June, 2018. Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test and logistic regression were employed to analyze association between dependent and independent variables.

Findings - Only 3.6% of respondents had good level of knowledge, 19.0% good level of attitude, and 38.8% good level of practice towards utilization of ITNs. Factors associated with good practice were female participants (p-value <0.001, AOR 8.015, 95% CI=3.395-18.923), high school level (p-value <0.001, AOR 14.518, 95% CI=4.642-45.408), married participants (p-value <0.001, AOR 13.753, 95% CI=4.371-43.267), widowed participants (p-value 0.039, AOR 5.403, 95% CI=1.085-26.909), knowledge level (p-value <0.001, AOR 5.125, 95% CI=1.062-6.429). For cultural factors, participants who always worked from dawn to night time (p-value 0.032, AOR 2.203, 95% CI =1.070-4.536).

Originality/value - Government and NGOs should integrate health education and encourage people to use ITNs rather than using a traditional approach.

What healthcare professionals know about medical social work – a quantitative study in Ho Chi Minh City, Oncology Hospital, Vietnam

Quynh Xuan Nguyen Truong — 2018-12-28

Purpose - This study was designed to investigate knowledge of health care professional toward medical social work in Oncology hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

Design/methodology/approach - The descriptive data was collected by face to face interviews with full-time medical staffs who had working in the oncology hospital for more than one year.
A structured questionnaire had been developed and validated by expert reviews to measure the level of knowledge. Stratified random sampling technique was used to draw the samples from two strata: clinical and para-clinical department.

Findings - Among 298 participants including nurses, physicians, pharmacists and medical technicians, 79.9% had poor knowledge level; 19.5% had moderate level; and just only 0.2% had good knowledge. About 32.9% respondents thought that medical social work and charity activities were the same. Moreover, there was a misunderstanding in the roles of medical social work in hospital; and some of common roles were not acknowledged by healthcare professionals.

Originality/value - The study provides a baseline information on the knowledge regarding social work and services for conducting future research as well as designing intervention programs.

Factors influencing practice regarding severe malaria among health workers in Central province, Papua New Guinea

Leonard Nawara — 2019-01-28

Purpose - The objective of this study was to describe the current practice and to investigate factors influencing practice on severe malaria among health workers in Central Province, Papua New Guinea.

Design/methodology/approach - A cross-sectional study, with 142 participants were recruited and completed self-administered questionnaire during May 2018. Pearson chi-square and Fishers exact test were used to identify associations between independent and dependent variables; and logistic regression was used to control confounders and identify predictors on practice regarding severe malaria.

Findings - On-the-job training of health workers 6 months prior to the study was low (18.3%). Most participants (90%) had low-to-moderate knowledge of severe malaria. High knowledge (p=0.001, AOR=42.53, 95%CI=4.239-426.739) and high perceived benefits (p=0.015, AOR=6.25, 95%CI=1.422-27.47) were positive predictors of overall practice compared to low knowledge. Work experience >20 years was a negative predictor of overall practice (p=0.020, AOR=0.181, 95%CI=0.039-0.836). Age >50 years (p=0.001, AOR=0.17, 95%CI=0.062-0.463) and moderate knowledge (p=0.026, AOR=0.26, 95%CI=0.076-0.360) were negative predictors of diagnostic practice. Male sex (p=0.046, AOR=2.28, 95%CI=1.017-5.117) and high perceived benefits (p=0.042, AOR=2.52, 95%CI=1.032-6.187) were positive predictors of treatment practice. Income >K500 was negative predictor of compliant treatment practice compared to income <K500. Being married (p=0.012, AOR=6.325, 95%CI=1.491-26.840), positive attitude to responsiveness (p=0.017, AOR=5.846, 95%CI=1.370-24.943) and positive predictors of following up patients. Unfavorable cues were a strong negative predictor of following up severe malaria patients (p=0.005, AOR=0.153, 95%CI=0.041-0.575).

Originality/value - This is the first study in PNG exclusively focused on severe malaria. The study shows that level of knowledge and level of perceived benefits appear to have more effect on diagnosis and treatment of severe malaria.

Lifetime alcohol consumption and its associations in chronic liver disease patients, Mandalay, Myanmar

Chan Hein Tun — 2018-12-21

Purpose - This study aimed to find the associations of a lifetime alcohol consumption of the chronic liver disease patients with different causes and severity levels in Mandalay, Myanmar.

Design/methodology/approach - This was a cross sectional study. Data collection was performed by face to face interviews; and a secondary data was obtained from hospital records from the total of 280 chronic liver disease patients. Questionnaires consisted of structured interview and medical records. Data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics, Chi- square test, and Fischer Exact test.

Findings - There were male (90.9%) and female (7.6%) patients who had drunk alcohol in their lifetime. The associations were found between lifetime alcohol drinking with age, gender, marital status, education, occupation, income, smoking and betel chewing past 12 months, self-injury and injury to other people within 12 months, taking prescribed closely with alcohol, drinker in family, liver diseases causes, viral hepatitis status, disease severity levels, and diabetes mellitus.

Originality/value - There are still a considerably percentage of patients who are drinking. Moreover, they have other risks for chronic liver disease including smoking, betel chewing, harms and injuries within past 12 months. It is strongly recommended that public health policy, alcohol counselling, harms reduction programs, total abstinence of drinking practices should be considered to control drinking among chronic liver disease patients.

Relationship between workload and obesity among dentists in Regional Health No.8, Northeastern, Thailand

Satianpong Gaysorn — 2018-12-21

Purpose - This research sought to examine the workload of dentists and to establish the nature of links between obesity and observed workload.

Design/methodology/approach - A cross-sectional method was to describe a cohort dentists based in Health Region No.8 area which is a part of the northeastern region of Thailand. There were 209 participants participated in the study. A questionnaire was designed to evaluate the workload of dentists adapted from existing model. Standardized questionnaires were used to assess health-related behaviors and characteristics. Data was analyzed using Spearman correlation analysis, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kruskal-Wallis test with the 0.05 level of statistical significance.

Findings - There was a little positive correlation of BMI and the total time spend working and time spend working in office hours. Dentists who had feeling of being overworked from all appointment requests had an increased probability of becoming obese and exhibiting abdominal obesity.

Originality/value - This research can be used as a guideline to design suitable policy for dentistry profession in order to increase their quality of life.

Environmental determinants of reported diarrhea among under 5-year old children in Mogadishu, Somalia

Omar Dahir — 2018-12-28

Purpose - The objective of this study was to assess the effects of environmental exposure on diarrhea incidence among U5 children in Mogadishu.

Design/methodology/approach - A cross-sectional community-based study was conducted among 195 caregivers of families with U5 children. They were recruited from four districts in Banadir region; and the study was performed from June to September 2016. Binary logistic regression was applied to identify factors associated with the diarrhea. Almost all caregivers were mothers who therefore were the primary interviewees.

Findings - About 17.4% of families with U5 children in the study area reported a case of diarrhea within the previous 30 days. Knowledge of diarrhea among mothers was at poor level (80.5%). Only 38.5 % drank treated water from a vendor tank or private well. The hygiene practices of mothers (77.9%) and food preparation practices (70.3%) were relatively good. Household environmental and latrine sanitation 72.3% were at poor level. The risk of diarrhea among families of U5 children increased 3.11 fold (95%CI 1.12-8.71) among families with poor level of food hygiene practices, also increased with an increasing number of U5 children in the family. The longer the duration of living in the capital of Somalia elevated the risk of family with U5 diarrhea.

Originality/value - The importance of knowledge on diarrhea, hygiene practices along with household environment and latrine sanitation should be strengthened within the community.