Journal of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene最新文献

Out-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a multi-factor disease. Many studies have correlated OHCA with a patient's lifestyle; unfortunately, less evidence highlights the correlation with meteorological factors. Methods: Analysis of 23959 OHCA rescue performed by the emergency medical system (EMS) of Lombardy Region, the most Italian populated region, in 2018 and 2019, the pre-pandemic era through a retrospective observational cohort study. The aim of the study consists on evaluating the probability of Return Of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC) during months to highlight potential seasonal impact in ROSC achievement. In March and April, we highlight an increase of ROSC (OR: 1.20 95% CI 1.04-1.31; p < 0.001) compared to other months. During March and April, we highlight an increase of public access defibrillation (PAD) (3.5% vs 2.5%; p < 0.001), and a reduction of overage time of first vehicle on scene (11.5 vs 11.8; p < 0.001) and age of patient (73.5 vs 74.2; p < 0.01). Finally, we highlight a slight reduction of cancer patient (1.6% vs 1.1%; p = 0.01). We didn't register significant differences in the other variables analyzed as: onset place, sex, rescue team and the patient's death before the rescue arrive. We highlight a difference in ROSC probability during the first month of spring. We register few differences in patient characteristics and EMS rescue, though just PAD use and age clinically impact OHCA patients. In this study, we are unable to fully understand the modification of the probability of ROSC in these months. Even though four variables have a statistically significant difference, they can't fully explain this modification. Different variables like meteorological and seasonal factor must be considered. We propose more research on this item.

Background: Health policy analysis as a multi-disciplinary approach to public policy illustrates the need for interventions that highlight and address important policy issues, improve the policy formulation and implementation process and lead to better health outcomes. Various theories and frameworks have been contributed as the foundation for the analysis of policy in various studies. This study aimed to analyze health policies during the historical period of the almost last 30 years in Iran using policy triangle framework.

Method: To conduct the systematic review international databases (PubMed / Medline, Scopus, Web of Sciences, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase, the Cochran Library) and Iranian databases from January 1994 to January 2021 using relevant keywords. A thematic qualitative analysis approach was used for the synthesis and analysis of data. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme for Qualitative Studies Checklist (CASP) was conducted.

Results: Out of 731 articles, 25 articles were selected and analyzed. Studies used health policy triangle framework to analyze policies in the Iranian health sector has been published since 2014. All the included studies were retrospective. The main focus of most of studies for the analysis was on the context and process of polices as the elements of the policy triangle.

Conclusion: The main focus of health policy analysis studies in Iran over the last thirty years was on the context and process of polices. Although range of actors within and outside the Iran government influence health policies but in many policy processes the power and the role of all actors or players involved in the policy are not recognized carefully. Also, Iran's health sector suffers from lack of a proper framework for evaluating various implemented policies.

Introduction: Ideal health assessment includes physical, mental, and social health measures that measure a person's quality of life. This study aims to develop indicators to measure the quality of life of pregnant women.

Methods: The design of this study was development research with a cross-sectional data collection. The study sites were in six PHC in Ngawi district and Blitar city, East Java Province, Indonesia. The sample size is 800 pregnant women. Data analysis used the second-order Convincatory Factor Analysis (CFA) method.

Results: The indicators to measure the quality of life of pregnant women were all 46, consist of 21 indicators for functional and physical health factors, 6 indicators for mental health and functional factors, and 19 indicators for the social functional and environmental factors. Health factors and physical functions consist of 21 indicators, which are divided into seven aspects. Health factors and mental functions consist of 6 indicators divided into three aspects. The social and environmental function factor consists of 19 indicators divided into six aspects.

Conclusions: The indicators of quality of life for pregnant women that are developed can represent most of the conditions of pregnant women, and if they have been validated, they are expected to be applied easily. Indicators of quality of life for pregnant women have provided a sufficient but straight forward way of calculating and cutting off points to categorize the quality of life status of pregnant women.

Background: In 1922 the famous Italian novelist Giovanni Verga died in Catania (Italy). In Verga's works there are many suggestions to the world of medicine, in particular the diseases described in the poor society of southern Italy of that time. One of the most common diseases described by Verga was cholera.

Methods: The authors researched and reviewed Verga's works, detecting references to public health. These are topical issues in the current period of the COVID pandemic. In Verga's works the theme of hygiene, epidemiology, and infectious diseases occur. There are many hints related to medicine, especially as far as the typical diseases of poor society and the difficult social environments of the time are concerned. One of the most common diseases described by Verga was cholera but also malaria and tuberculosis occur.

Results: It was estimated that 69,000 people died of cholera in Sicily, of whom 24,000 in Palermo. The public health situation in Italy was difficult. Verga denounces people's ignorance and the survival of past beliefs.

Conclusion: Verga describes a culturally and economically humble society, in a region characterized by large class gaps. It draws a difficult picture of the public health situation in the second half of the 19^th Century and people's daily lives. The authors believe that today it is important that the centenary of Verga's death be an opportunity to read his works, also from a medical historical point of view.

Introduction: Climate change, the resulting geographical expansion of arthropod disease vectors, and increasing international mobility are contributing to the emergence of arboviral diseases in Europe. Public interest in vector-borne diseases and a subsequent gain of awareness and knowledge are essential to control outbreaks but had not yet been systematically assessed prior to this analysis.

Methods: Trends, patterns, and determinants of public interest in six emerging and re-emerging arboviral diseases were assessed in a spatio-temporal analysis of Google Trends data from 30 European countries between 2008 and 2020 while controlling for potential confounders.

Results: Only public interest in endemic arboviral diseases in Europe displays seasonal patterns and has been increasing since 2008, while no significant patterns or trends could be determined for public interest in non-endemic diseases. The main drivers for public interest in all six analysed arboviral diseases are reported case rates, and public interest drops rapidly as soon as cases decline. For Germany, the correlation of public interest and the geographical distribution of locally-acquired reported cases of endemic arboviral infections could be shown on a sub-country level.

Conclusions: The results of the analysis indicate that public interest in arboviral diseases in Europe is heavily impacted by perceived susceptibility on a temporal as well as on a spatial level. This result may be crucial for the design of future public health interventions to alert the public to the increasing risk of infection with arboviral diseases.

Background and objective: Impaired self-regulation negatively impacts self-efficacy, self-management, blood sugar control, and quality of life among patients with diabetes. Hence, identifying the predictors of self-regulation is a necessity for healthcare providers. The current study aimed to determine the predictive role of illness perception in treatment self-regulation in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: The current study is a descriptive cross-sectional study. A total of 200 patients with type 2 diabetes, who were referred to the only specialized clinic for endocrinology and diabetes affiliated with Qazvin University of Medical Sciences in 2019-2020, were recruited through a convenience sampling method. For data collection, the brief Illness Perception Questionnaire and the Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire were used. Collected data were analyzed by SPSS v21 using a multivariable regression model.

Results: Mean and standard deviation scores of self-regulation and illness perception were 69.11 ± 17.61 and 36.21 ± 7.05, respectively. Results of the multivariate regression model revealed the significant correlations of self-regulation with illness perception, age, cardiovascular complications, diabetic retinopathy, and diabetic foot ulcers.

Conclusions: In this study, participants presented a moderate level of self-regulation. The results also revealed that illness perception could be a predictor of improving patients' self-regulation. Therefore, providing infrastructure programs such as continuous education and appropriate care programs for diabetic patients to improve their illness perception can effectively improve their self-regulation behaviors.

Introduction: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a serious public health crisis, can affect all ages, even children. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practices of parents living in Lebanon towards the COVID-19 in children.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between June and July 2021, targeting parents living in Lebanon. The questionnaire was divided into 4 parts: socio-demographic, knowledge, attitude, and practices. A score was calculated to evaluate parents' knowledge towards COVID-19 in children. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted. Then, determinants of COVID-19 knowledge were assessed using multivariable linear regression. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: A total of 429 parents were included. The mean knowledge score was 11.28 ± 2.19 out of 15. Knowledge was significantly lower among older (p = 0.022), and single parents (p = 0.035), who don't know if COVID-19 is a serious disease (p < 0.001) and if it will be successfully controlled (p = 0.007), and higher among female parents (p = 0.006). The majority of parents had a positive attitude and good practices towards COVID-19 in children, but 76.7% of them were worried about their child getting coronavirus. About 66.9% of parents expressed their willingness to vaccinate their kids when a vaccine would be available for them, and 66.2% answered that they are sending or willing to send their children to the school or the nursery.

Conclusions: Parents' knowledge about COVID-19 in children was good, but remains lower among older and single parents. Health authorities should conduct awareness campaigns to target specific groups of parents who lacked critical knowledge about COVID-19 in children.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic is having a huge impact on human health with high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. Healthcare Workers (HCWs) are one of the most at risk categories to contract the infection. Effective anti-COVID-19 vaccines were approved in a very short time. Making the 1^st booster dose is essential to induce a good protection against the infection.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective sero-epidemiological survey of already existing data concerning the antibody response of a HCWs sample vaccinated with the primary cycle and the 1^st booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine and, specifically, after three weeks from the third dose of vaccination.

Results: In our analysis, after the primary cycle, a 95.15% efficacy was detected. Among the non-responders, women were significantly more frequent (69.56%). Moreover, we found a significant reverse correlation between the immune response and the age of the sample, especially in women. However, the 1^st booster dose completely cancelled these differences.

Conclusions: Our data are perfectly in line with what has been declared by the conducted studies in terms of efficacy. However, it is important to highlight that people with only the primary cycle are at high risk to contract the COVID-19 infection. Therefore, it is necessary to not consider people vaccinated with the primary cycle completely risk-free and to stress the importance to perform the 1^st booster dose.

Introduction: Increasing people's knowledge of transmission, prevention, early diagnosis, and available treatments is a key step toward HIV control; it means setting the conditions for empowerment and enabling individuals to make aware choices about the prevention strategy best suited to their needs. This study aims to identify unmet needs on HIV knowledge among freshman students.

Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out at the University of Cagliari, which is an Italian public state university. Data were collected by means of an anonymous questionnaire; the final sample included 801 students.

Results: Results offer a detailed picture of students' knowledge and perceptions of HIV. Several topics deserve to be better understood by students, but the main gaps relate to the pre-exposure prophylaxis and the decreased likelihood of sexually transmitting HIV due to early treatments. Students' vision of the quality of life of people living with HIV was negatively affected by perceiving as relevant the effects of HIV on physical health or on sexual/affective domains, while conversely, it seemed positively affected by knowing that current treatments are useful for counteracting physical symptoms and decreasing the possibility of transmitting HIV.

Conclusion: Being aware of the potential benefits of current therapies could favour a less negative view, in line with the current state of the beneficial effects of HIV treatment. Universities are a valuable setting to bridge the HIV knowledge gap and thus also contribute to tackling stigma and actively promoting HIV testing.