Journal of Public Health Research最新文献

Objectives: Despite high rates of gender-based violence in India, there are few theory-based interventions designed to reduce their incidence. In a secondary analysis of the data, we raised research questions pertaining to how harmful gender norms are perpetuated through interpersonal communication and their combined effects on attitudes about gender-based violence and intentions to intervene.

Design and methods: In a cluster randomized controlled trial, longitudinal data were collected at baseline (N = 2048) and end-line (N = 3797) from women of reproductive age (15-49 years old) through one-on-one interviews in the eastern state of Odisha in India. The usual-care control group was only monitored, without the intervention, whereas the treatment group received a 3-year intervention as part of the Reduction in Anemia through Normative Innovations (RANI) Project. This paper uses only the end-line data.

Results: Overall effect sizes were small, but significant interactions emerged in the relationships between norms and attitudes and between norms and intentions, with interpersonal communication and intervention effects as moderators. Strongest intentions were found in treatment communities with high interpersonal communication.

Conclusion: Two intervention implications include the need to (a) consider creative ways of incorporating interpersonal communication as a means of amplifying public health intervention effects (also known as "buzz marketing"), and (b) incorporate gender norms into intervention strategies by, for example, tailoring messages differently for those holding equitable (vs inequitable) gender norms.

Background: Risky sexual behavior (RSB) among youth can lead to serious socio-economic and health problems, such as unwanted pregnancy and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Little is known about RSB among secondary school students in the South Omo zone, South Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of RSB and its determinants among secondary school students in the study area.

Design and methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted in January 2023. A multistage sampling method was used to select 538 students. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine associated factors. The level of statistical significance was declared to have a p-value less than 0.05 in multivariate analysis.

Results: The prevalence of RSB among study participants was 25.9% (95% CI = 22.3, 29.9%). It was significantly associated with having close sexually active close friends (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 3.09; 95% CI: 1.90-5.02), attending night clubs (AOR = 2.56; 95% CI: 1.35-4.86), drinking alcohol (AOR = 1.90; 95% CI: 1.10-3.29), experiencing parental neglect (AOR = 2.10; 95% CI: 1.35-3.29) and poor HIV/AIDS knowledge (AOR = 1.76; 95% CI: 1.12-2.77).

Conclusions: RSB among secondary school students in the South Omo zone was high. It was associated with the presence of sexually active friends, attendance at night clubs, alcohol consumption, parental neglect experience, and poor HIV/AIDS knowledge. Subsequently, it is necessary to strengthen HIV/AIDS education in schools, promote parental engagement in adolescent health, and raising community awareness on the risks of alcohol use and nightclub attendance.

Most, if not all, medical centers have patient registries for quality improvement/quality assurance projects and patient outcome data, which can also be used to conduct population health studies through secondary research. Such registries offer significant public health benefits, such as facilitating better care, guiding resource allocation, and improving patient outcomes. Because patient registries promise possibilities for collecting patient outcome and longitudinal cohort data, researchers in transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) health have advocated for the creation of patient registries to increase the evidence base for the efficacy of gender-affirming care and population health outcomes. However, there is an absence in the literature on the ethical dimensions of creating and using these registries for research. Existing TGD patient registries were likely developed during the Biden administration, a period of expanding legally protections and social acceptance before the current wave of widespread political attacks on TGD healthcare. Using the same patient registries for research now presents different ethical challenges than when they were initially developed. This discussion provides recommendations for conducting ethical research, ultimately advocating for the creation of TGD patient registries in which participants are fully aware of how their data will be used and stored with robust mechanisms in place to ensure confidentiality and security.

Objectives: The study investigated the knowledge, prevalence of hypertension and associated factors among poor urban community dwellers in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that explored non-communicable diseases using the modified World Health Organisation STEPwise approach to noncommunicable disease risk factor surveillance. Data was collected from 500 eligible participants aged 18-65 years from two urban communities in Ibadan, Nigeria. Knowledge was scored on 28-point score with ≤9 classified as poor, 10-19 as fair, and 20-28 as good. Data were analysed using Chi-square statistics and binary logistics regression at p < 0.05 level of significance.

Results: Mean age of the respondents was 35.3 ± 12.2 years, most, (67.9%) of the male respondents were currently married, while most female were self-employed (72.8%) with secondary education (53.1%). Almost two-fifth, (16.2%) had good knowledge of hypertension which was associated with Christianity religion, earning more than #20,000 ($49) monthly and a history of obesity (p = 0.001). Hypertension prevalence was 18.6%, and only 8.4% were aware of their hypertensive status before the survey. Obesity was 14.6% among females and 3.0% among males. The majority of the females (87.0%) and 55.8% of males were physically inactive. More males (64.9%) than females (42.3%) consume alcohol. The logistic regression shows no significant association with the covariates.

Conclusion: The study population has a low level of knowledge, high risky practices and a high prevalence of hypertension. There is a need for concerted health promotion interventions geared towards improving the knowledge and changing the behavioural practices of poor urban community members in southwestern Nigeria.

Background: Fast food consumption is a significant public health concern among university students. Despite their awareness of the health risks, including obesity, they continue to exhibit unhealthy eating behaviors. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to fast-food consumption among university students in Malaysia.

Design and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from February to September 2024 among 397 local and international university students from both private and public universities. Data were collected using a survey assessing demographic characteristics and knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to fast-food consumption. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, employing Fisher's Exact Test, chi-square test, and multiple logistic regression to identify associations with a p-value set at <0.05.

Results: A moderate to high prevalence of fast-food consumption was found, with 375 students (94.4%) regularly consuming fast food. Female students (236 of 397) demonstrated significantly better knowledge about the health impacts of fast food compared to male students (161 of 397, p < 0.001). Students living in the central region showed better knowledge (142 of 190, p < 0.001) toward healthy eating than in other regions. Participants aged between 23 and 27 years old had 1.44 times (adjusted OR = 1.44; 95% CI = 1.22-1.85) more likely to have high knowledge on fast food consumption compared to participants aged between 18 and 22 years old.

Conclusions: The study reveals a high prevalence of fast-food consumption among university students, with notable differences in knowledge, attitudes, and practices based on gender, residence type, and academic year.

Introduction: Personal care products (PCPs), including cosmetics and skincare products, have seen increased usage over the past two decades. Increasing evidence suggests that certain ingredients in PCPs pose health and environmental risks. For instance, parabens, commonly used as preservatives, are associated with increased cancer risks and reproductive toxicity among women. Despite the availability of safer alternatives, many lack the knowledge to identify harmful substances in PCPs and to seek out alternatives. Knowledge translation (KT) tools offer a solution to bridge this gap by simplifying complex information to improve risk perception. This review aimed to identify effective elements of mobile applications as KT tools focused on environmental health, to increase risk perception and promote behavior change.

Methods: A comprehensive scoping review was conducted by searching various databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, Ovid Medline, and CINAHL, yielding 1092 articles. An additional 240 sources related to user-app reviews of 8 mobile apps were identified through a manual Google search. All sources underwent title and (if applicable) screening, followed by full-text review for eligibility.

Results: The review included a total of 16 relevant articles, 7 websites, and 6 user app reviews. Key findings revealed 11 elements categorized into 4 main themes: toolkit accessibility and affordability, simplicity of presented information, personalization of features, and a clear focus on knowledge sharing.

Conclusion: Using the elements identified in this research, future studies should focus on creating and evaluating environmental health toolkits to build capacity for effective knowledge translation that enhances environmental health awareness and health promotion.

Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is a critical component in building trust and trustworthiness, as well as mitigating power differentials - all of which are essential for building and sustaining community-academic partnerships. Since 2017, the University of Rochester Medical Center has co-created and co-facilitated a CBPR Training Program with community partners and academics to address these dynamics through didactic modules and group conversations. Innovations and pivots such as adding additional educational modules on grant writing and dissemination and implementation, plus redefining meeting times and locations have occurred in response to evaluation data and continuous quality improvement. Annual program evaluation, measured through surveys and focus groups, found program participants demonstrated a statistically significant increase in CBPR knowledge, CBPR skills, and ability to partner in a CBPR context before and after the program (<0.05), a result that was sustained when stratified by several program years. Qualitative results highlighted the importance of building and nurturing relationships built on trust, sharing resources, and ensuring students end the course ready to engage in CBPR. This project provides a model of teaching CBPR within a milieu that breaks down barriers to effective and meaningful CBPR.

Introduction: Public stigma of Alzheimer's disease (AD) can delay help-seeking and be a barrier to research participation. This study aimed to understand what, if any, patterns exist among aspects of AD stigma. Knowing this may advance opportunities to reduce AD stigma.

Methods: Adult respondents (N = 317) read a vignette about a man with mild stage AD dementia. Afterward, respondents answered the modified Family Stigma in Alzheimer's Disease Scale (FS-ADS), which measures: Structural Discrimination, Negative Severity Attributions, Negative Aesthetic Attributions, Antipathy, Supportiveness, Pity, and Social Distance. In this correlational study, latent class analyses were used to derive response profiles. Regression models were used to assess correspondence of personal characteristics with profile membership.

Results: Three profiles emerged from latent class analysis of four FS-ADS domains of: Structural Discrimination, Negative Severity Attributions, Supportiveness, and Social Distance. Two profiles characterized about 66.8% of respondents and were similar except for one distinguishing quality: beliefs that a person with AD would receive support from others. Additionally, membership in the "expecting higher support" profile was associated with identifying as White and having lower educational attainment, while membership in the "expecting lower support" profile was associated with relatively higher educational attainment.

Conclusions: Beliefs about a lack of support, worries about discrimination, and expectations of social distance may depict a topic cluster to leverage in public messaging campaigns intended to reduce AD stigma. In doing so, our findings suggest it will be essential to consider the age and education level of the intended audience.

Background: Community-Based Surveillance (CBS) refers to involving community members in the detection and reporting of diseases within their communities for timely and effective response. Hence, it is necessary to study the factors that influence community participation in CBS.

Objective: This study aims to utilize the Health Belief Model (HBM) to identify predictors of community engagement in CBS activities in Kelantan state, Malaysia.

Design and methods: Perceived Benefit (BEN), Perceived Barriers (BARR), Perceived Susceptibility (SUS), and Behavioral Likelihood (BL) were assessed using a validated questionnaire (KAP-CBS-ID). A Covariance-based Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach was used to understand the relationships between the study variables.

Results: The model demonstrated a good fit (RMSEA = 0.048, 90% CI [0.042, 0.054]; CFI = 0.935; TLI = 0.925; SRMR = 0.078) and explained 40.5% of the variance in the behavioral likelihood of engaging in CBS. Self-efficacy (SE) emerged as a strong direct predictor of participation. SUS showed both direct and indirect (mediated) effects on behavioral likelihood to participate in CBS, with the indirect effect occurring through SE. Similarly, BEN influenced BL indirectly through SE. The perceived barriers, on the other hand, had a significant negative direct effect on participation (BL). The effects of SE, BARR, and SUS on participation in CBS were substantial.

Conclusion: Public health interventions should focus on improving community self-efficacy to participate in CBS initiatives, as well as raising awareness of disease susceptibility, highlighting the benefits of CBS, and addressing participation barriers to increase community engagement in surveillance systems.

Background: The transition to motherhood is well-known as a significant event in the life span and improved mental health and emotional wellbeing are known to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes. Maternal mental health is reported to positively impact pregnancy health outcomes, elevating levels of public health overall. However, misalignment exists between women's perspectives and policy frameworks that govern healthcare. This study provides an opportunity to explore perspectives for the first time in Australia. The objective of the study was to explore women's knowledge of recognizing emotional wellbeing and experiences of focused promotion in the perinatal period.

Design and methods: A qualitative descriptive approach was adopted. Twenty-one women who were planning pregnancy, currently pregnant or raising children under 10 were recruited. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted and data analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.

Results: Five themes were generated: Emotional Wellbeing is something we feel; Emotional Wellbeing is a state of being; The Impact of Environment; What Women Want and Perinatal Mental Health Literacy.

Conclusions: Australian women define emotional wellbeing as the absence of illness, multidimensional and heavily shaped by the influence of social media, interpersonal relationships, and antenatal midwifery models of care. Findings show improving perinatal mental health literacy among women, families, and maternity care providers may enable earlier recognition and support for emotional wellbeing in the transition to motherhood. Further research is warranted to target knowledge and awareness of emotional wellbeing to support the development of a mentally healthy vocabulary for pregnant women and mothers.