Journal of Public Health Research最新文献

Background: Despite its high prevalence (6% and 26%), PCOS is undiagnosed and thus takes longer to identify.

Objective: To assess knowledge about the risk factors of polycystic ovary syndrome among healthcare professional students and to identify the association between demographic data and the knowledge scores concerning the risk factors for polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Design and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 400 female healthcare professional students from Udupi Taluk, South India. The participants were recruited through a simple random technique. The baseline data and knowledge of risk factors for PCOS were measured using a validated and retested structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS version 16.

Results: The mean age of the study participants was 20.31 ± 1.37 years. The study demonstrated that 18.8% were overweight, 11.3% were suffering from PCOS, and 11.3% had a family history of PCOS. Approximately 75.5% of the participants had an average knowledge of PCOS, and 2.3% had poor knowledge. Sixty-six percent of the participants were not aware that dietary practices influence PCOS, various risk factors (66%), preventive measures (83.5%), risks associated with pregnancy due to PCOS (81.2%), measures to control the complications of PCOS (66.2%), complications of PCOS (57.5%), and the type of food used as a risk factor for PCOS (55%).

Conclusions: Adolescents and young women are not very aware of various risk factors, complications, and measures to control the complications of PCOS. Periodic screening and successful awareness programs will facilitate improved understanding, increased diagnosis, and effective management of PCOS.

Introduction: Cervical cancer is a major public health problem, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the primary cause of cervical cancer and constitutes an increased risk for women living with HIV (WLHIV). The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with cervical cancer screening among women with HIV followed at Bonassama District Hospital, Cameroon, in order to improve the coverage and quality of prevention programs.

Methodology: The study was conducted in the Bonassama health district over a period of 9 months from November 2023 to July 2024 with a collection period of 4 months. A quantitative, cross-sectional, and analytical approach was adopted, targeting 283 women living with HIV aged 21 and over. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using R software version 4.4.2 and included both descriptive and multivariate analyses to identify factors associated with screening.

Results: Screening uptake was low, with 18.7% of participants reporting previous cervical cancer screening. The screening was significantly associated with being divorced (AOR = 8.82, p = 0.024), having received a screening prescription at the HIV Management Unit (AOR = 6.79, p < 0.001), having consulted a gynecologist for another reason (AOR = 2.79, p = 0.015), knowing the symptoms of cancer (AOR = 2.86, p = 0.009) and having received advice from a healthcare professional (AOR = 14.70, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: This study highlights the low coverage of cervical cancer screening among women living with HIV in Cameroon. The results highlight the importance of information and support from healthcare professionals to encourage screening. It is crucial to integrate cervical cancer screening into HIV follow-up programs and to improve access to healthcare services for this vulnerable population.

Tens of thousands of people suffered serious, life-altering injuries as a result of the humanitarian and health crises caused by the fighting in the Gaza Strip (Palestine) (October 2023-October 2025). The rehabilitation system is on the verge of collapse due to the majority of rehabilitation facilities collapsing, the scarcity of assistive technology, and the severe lack of qualified personnel. As a key element of Gaza's recovery, this brief report emphasized the urgent need for concerted international action to develop rehabilitation capability. It suggests creating a task force headed by the UN and co-chaired by the World Health Organization and an impartial donor. The task force would be organized around four operational pillars: workforce development, infrastructure and sanitation, logistics and supply chains, and clinical rehabilitation services. Restoring trauma and wound care services, reopening facilities for orthotics and prosthetics, tele-rehabilitation, and growing community-based rehabilitation programs are among the priority initiatives. Using focused strategies to engage the Palestinian diaspora could improve sustainability and capacity building. Resolving the interrelated problems of functional disability, public health decline, and infrastructure destruction calls for a coordinated, transparent, and data-driven strategy. Therefore, in order to restore autonomy, dignity, and long-term resilience for Gaza's damaged population, rehabilitation must be integrated into larger humanitarian, rebuilding, and public health efforts.

Background: Quality of care doesn't only include the delivery of care, but also the experience. Experience encompasses aspects like respect, communication, and emotional support, which are particularly important to mothers because childbirth is one of the most significant life experiences with long-lasting effects on self-perception as a woman and mother. The study aims to assess the quality of care for women's childbirth experiences in the maternity department of Kasr Alainy Medical Hospital in Cairo.

Design and methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Egypt over a period of 4 months. Around 200 women who were inpatients at the maternity department during the study period agreed to participate. A researcher-administered questionnaire covering demographic characteristics, birth information, and intrapartum care experience was used. This was adapted from the validated ReproQ questionnaire, which is based on WHO standards, using systematic random sampling from the hospital delivery register.

Results: Out of 201 respondents, around 45% were below 25 years old, and the majority (65%) were between 20 and 35 years old. The average score for overall satisfaction was 4.1 out of 5, with more than 80% giving a score of 4 or 5, indicating satisfaction or very satisfaction. The highest scores were in dignity, while the lowest were in choice and autonomy.

Conclusion: The only sociodemographic factor showing a significant association was the place of health service provision. Women receiving full maternal service at the same hospital were generally more satisfied.

Background: The Government of India has made significant efforts to promote AYUSH to the public, resulting in an increase in its use in urban areas, contrary to previous studies, which warrant further investigation. This study explored the factors associated with AYUSH usage and the subsequent reasons.

Design and methods: This cross-sectional study used a secondary dataset from the NSSO's AYUSH survey, in which 621,230 respondents were selected. GEE logistic regression and chi-squared tests were used to test the association between various factors affecting AYUSH usage.

Results: Awareness of AYUSH had the largest effect size among all variables, with an odds ratio of 24.17. Higher education, Hindu religion, backward castes, higher consumption, and urban residence were associated with higher AYUSH use. Cross-tabulations revealed that people used AYUSH to treat chronic illnesses, citing reasons such as safety, low pricing, and culture.

Conclusion: Although people are aware of AYUSH services, they lack understanding of the safety of medications, leading to unsupervised use for chronic illnesses. This unawareness stems from AYUSH's cultural lineage, which may result in poor health outcomes for patients. The integration of AYUSH with allopathic medicine is needed to minimize casualties. AYUSH's popularity in urban areas shows the success of government efforts, but the increase in private institutions may raise the prices of treatments. Future studies should longitudinally examine awareness, culture, and AYUSH use.

Originality/novelty: This study uses the latest NSSO AYUSH 2022-23, and no studies explored user perceptions of it. The study used GEE logistic regression, adjusting within correlations, and minimized sampling bias.

Objectives: To investigate and highlight the factors associated with smoking relapse and to demonstrate the withdrawal symptoms related to smoking cessation.

Methods: This study is part of a larger historical cohort involved 490 participants who attended smoking cessation clinics in primary health care settings. A total of 143 relapsed after they initially quit smoking and included in this study. The participants were interviewed by phone using a structured questionnaire after obtaining informed consent. Frequency distribution tables and proportions were used to describe the study results.

Results: More than half (55.9%) of participants who initially quit smoking by attending the smoking cessation clinics reported that relationships with smokers were the main reason for smoking relapse. Emotional or social problems led to relapse among 38.5% of the participants. Withdrawal symptoms were relatively low (14.7%). An increase in appetite was prevalent among 74.8% of smoking quitters as the main withdrawal symptom. This was followed by weight gain in 72%, craving for cigarettes/smoking in 71.3%, and feelings of anger in 53.1%. All the tested sociodemographic variables, namely: age, sex, nationality, income, education, and marital status, failed to show a statistically significant association with early timing of relapse (1-6 months).

Conclusion: The study identified various factors linked to smoking relapse among individuals using smoking cessation services. Relationships with smokers and emotional or social problems were the most common reasons. Additional research is needed to investigate strategies and interventions specifically targeting early smoking relapse to attain the desired health outcomes from smoking cessation services.

Objective: The study investigates the mediating role of job crafting on the relationship between workplace social support and employee mental health.

Method: The research utilized a survey method to obtain data from respondents in selected government departments operating within the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. A total of 289 usable responses were obtained for analysis with the ordinary least squares regression-based path analysis being conducted using the Hayes Process Macro to quantify the direct effects of the hypothesized relationships.

Results: The direct relationships show support for the relationships between (a) workplace social support and job crafting and (b) workplace social support and employee mental health. In terms of the mediation results, job crafting was observed to partially mediate the association between workplace social support and employee mental health.

Conclusions: The study establishes that job crafting is the preeminent antecedent of employee mental health compared to workplace social support. This suggests that employees who take proactive steps to modify their work environment tend to experience greater mental well-being. The findings call for an urgent need to promote organizations that not only encourage job crafting but supportive workplace behaviors in promoting mental health.

Objective: To investigate the different contributions made by nurses in the management of patients with post covid-19 condition (PCC) within the French healthcare context.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative study among healthcare professionals in France and enrolled 17 nurses from different care sectors, including private practice, hospitals, schools, and research settings. Semi-structured interviews were conducted between October 2022 and June 2023. The inclusion criteria were: "be a nursing professional" and "having taken care of a patient with PCC." A content thematic analysis was carried out using NVIVO software with advanced pattern recognition analysis, applying the French nursing competency framework to categorize findings.

Results: Five main themes emerged: (i) the diversity of nurses' contributions and responsibilities, (ii) psychological support: an essential nursing contribution, (iii) screening and referral activities for PCC patients, (iv) care coordination and inter-professional collaboration responsibilities, and (v) therapeutic patient education and clinical research participation. Nurses demonstrated expanded competencies in PCC symptom recognition, adapted traditional tasks to meet novel patient needs, and integrated evolving Long Covid knowledge with existing chronic disease management expertise.

Conclusion: The results offer important perspectives for the organization of the healthcare system and for the nursing profession in the management of chronic diseases. An important aspect of our findings concerns the coordination of care pathways, which raises the issue of task delegation to nurses, particularly in a context of healthcare professional shortages.

Background: Vaccination is one of the most effective public health interventions, preventing millions of deaths globally. However, vaccine hesitancy persists, not only among the public, but also among healthcare professionals (HCPs), who serve as key sources of vaccine information. This study assesses HCPs' vaccination attitudes and estimates the prevalence and determinants of vaccine hesitancy in the UAE.

Design and methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive study surveyed HCPs across the UAE from March to October 2024 using a 57-item questionnaire adapted from previous literature. Univariate, bivariate (chi-squared test), and multivariate (logistic regression) analyses were conducted.

Results: HCPs demonstrated generally positive attitudes towards paediatric vaccinations, with 84.29% expressing confidence in vaccine safety and efficacy. However, significant knowledge gaps were identified, particularly regarding vaccine adjuvants and long-term safety. Hesitancy was highest among mid-level professionals, including nurses, dentists, and pharmacists, with concerns about vaccine safety (47.87%) and adverse effects (57.67%) being major drivers. Additionally, 85.77% exhibited caution towards newly introduced vaccines, preferring to wait for broader community uptake. Time constraints limited vaccine discussions, and 71.9% of HCPs had never received formal training on addressing hesitancy.

Conclusion: While HCPs generally support paediatric vaccinations, knowledge gaps and hesitancy towards new vaccines persist. Targeted professional education, particularly in vaccine safety and communication strategies, is crucial to strengthening vaccine advocacy. Addressing these gaps through tailored training programmes may enhance HCPs' ability to effectively counter vaccine hesitancy and sustain high immunization coverage.