Pub Date : 2021-09-07DOI: 10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1107
M. K, Ahmadzadeh J
Epidemiology is a scientific discipline, sometimes called “the basic science of public health”. According to what it has done in the last 200 years, epidemiology is the science and practice. One of the areas that are less addressed in the literature is the important role of epidemiology in health management. The authors believed that one of the areas that epidemiologists can work is management debate.
{"title":"The High Importance Role of Epidemiology in Health Management","authors":"M. K, Ahmadzadeh J","doi":"10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1107","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1107","url":null,"abstract":"Epidemiology is a scientific discipline, sometimes called “the basic science of public health”. According to what it has done in the last 200 years, epidemiology is the science and practice. One of the areas that are less addressed in the literature is the important role of epidemiology in health management. The authors believed that one of the areas that epidemiologists can work is management debate.","PeriodicalId":93417,"journal":{"name":"Austin journal of public health and epidemiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41804579","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-07-23DOI: 10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1105
B. Muriithi, Simon Karanja, M. Karama, C. Okoyo, M. Ndemwa, Y. Ichinose, S. Kaneko
Objective: To examine occurrence of Acute Respiratory tract Infections (ARIs) and determine factors associated with ARIs among children under five years attending Kinango Sub-County Hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among mother-child aged between 0-59 month’s pairs attending outpatient care. Participants were recruited using systematic sampling method. Data was collected using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize child, parental and environmental characteristics. Factors associated with ARIs were established using binary logistic regression analysis. Odds Ratio (OR), at 95% Confidence Interval (CI) and p <0.05 significant level was used to describe an association between covariates and the outcome variable. Independent factors associated with occurrence of ARIS were determined by stepwise logistic regression. Results: 385 children participated in this study. 228 children (59.2%) presented with ARIs, of which 90.8% were due to acute upper respiratory tract infections. 9.2% of the cases were due to pneumonia. Female gender aOR 3.39 [1.21-9.46], stunting aOR 3.62 [1.04-12.61], high parity aOR 11.45 [2.38-55.09], low maternal education aOR 3.54 [1.10-11.32] and recent hospitalization aOR 8.19 [1.75-38.43] increased the odds of occurrence of an ARI while normal birth weight aOR0.06 [0.01-0.62] was protective of ARIs. Conclusion: A high prevalence of ARIs among children aged below five years was observed in this study, associated with gender, stunting, parity, maternal education, birth weight and recurring hospitalization. Improvements in literacy levels, child nutrition and maternal and child health at large could help to reduce morbidity due to ARIs in this population.
{"title":"Occurrence of Acute Respiratory Tract Infections among Children Under Five Years Attending Kinango Sub-County Hospital, Kenya","authors":"B. Muriithi, Simon Karanja, M. Karama, C. Okoyo, M. Ndemwa, Y. Ichinose, S. Kaneko","doi":"10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1105","url":null,"abstract":"Objective: To examine occurrence of Acute Respiratory tract Infections (ARIs) and determine factors associated with ARIs among children under five years attending Kinango Sub-County Hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among mother-child aged between 0-59 month’s pairs attending outpatient care. Participants were recruited using systematic sampling method. Data was collected using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize child, parental and environmental characteristics. Factors associated with ARIs were established using binary logistic regression analysis. Odds Ratio (OR), at 95% Confidence Interval (CI) and p <0.05 significant level was used to describe an association between covariates and the outcome variable. Independent factors associated with occurrence of ARIS were determined by stepwise logistic regression. Results: 385 children participated in this study. 228 children (59.2%) presented with ARIs, of which 90.8% were due to acute upper respiratory tract infections. 9.2% of the cases were due to pneumonia. Female gender aOR 3.39 [1.21-9.46], stunting aOR 3.62 [1.04-12.61], high parity aOR 11.45 [2.38-55.09], low maternal education aOR 3.54 [1.10-11.32] and recent hospitalization aOR 8.19 [1.75-38.43] increased the odds of occurrence of an ARI while normal birth weight aOR0.06 [0.01-0.62] was protective of ARIs. Conclusion: A high prevalence of ARIs among children aged below five years was observed in this study, associated with gender, stunting, parity, maternal education, birth weight and recurring hospitalization. Improvements in literacy levels, child nutrition and maternal and child health at large could help to reduce morbidity due to ARIs in this population.","PeriodicalId":93417,"journal":{"name":"Austin journal of public health and epidemiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41620939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-06-30DOI: 10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1104
Bhole V
Objectives: Some of the highest exposures to air pollutants in developing countries occur inside homes where biomass fuels are used for daily cooking. Inhalation of these pollutants may cause deleterious effects on health. Study Design: A total of 450 non-smoking, non-pregnant women aged 15 years and above exposed to domestic smoke from cooking fuels from an early age, working in poorly ventilated kitchen were selected and on investigation presented various health problems. Method: Symptoms were enquired by means of using standard questionnaire adopted from that of the American Thoracic Society (ATS, 1995). Lung function was assessed by the measurement of Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), (FEV1), i.e. volume of air (in liter) that is forcefully exhaled in one second. Using ratio of FEV1 to FVC (FEVI/FVC), expressed as percentage. Results: FVC less than 80% of the predicted was considered as abnormal pulmonary function. Symptoms like chest pain, breathlessness, eye irritation, and blackout were found to be significantly higher in biomass users (P <0.05). Moreover, an increasing trend in the prevalence of symptoms/morbid conditions was observed with increase in exposure. Conclusion Thus women exposed to biomass fuels smoke suffer more from health problems and are at greater risk of respiratory illnesses when compared with other fuel users.
{"title":"Household Air Pollution Risk on Respiratory Health among Women: A Case Study of Indian District after Clean Fuel Programme","authors":"Bhole V","doi":"10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1104","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives: Some of the highest exposures to air pollutants in developing countries occur inside homes where biomass fuels are used for daily cooking. Inhalation of these pollutants may cause deleterious effects on health. Study Design: A total of 450 non-smoking, non-pregnant women aged 15 years and above exposed to domestic smoke from cooking fuels from an early age, working in poorly ventilated kitchen were selected and on investigation presented various health problems. Method: Symptoms were enquired by means of using standard questionnaire adopted from that of the American Thoracic Society (ATS, 1995). Lung function was assessed by the measurement of Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), (FEV1), i.e. volume of air (in liter) that is forcefully exhaled in one second. Using ratio of FEV1 to FVC (FEVI/FVC), expressed as percentage. Results: FVC less than 80% of the predicted was considered as abnormal pulmonary function. Symptoms like chest pain, breathlessness, eye irritation, and blackout were found to be significantly higher in biomass users (P <0.05). Moreover, an increasing trend in the prevalence of symptoms/morbid conditions was observed with increase in exposure. Conclusion Thus women exposed to biomass fuels smoke suffer more from health problems and are at greater risk of respiratory illnesses when compared with other fuel users.","PeriodicalId":93417,"journal":{"name":"Austin journal of public health and epidemiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41469777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-06-16DOI: 10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1103
P. Dhasarathan, E. Mg, Athinarayanan Aj, A. Ranjitsingh
The growing exposure to digital communication system and tools leads to radiation toxicity to the users. Unaware of the safety measures even a kid at the age of one starts operating digital gadgets emitting Radio frequencyelectromagnetic radiations. Radiations from mobile phones laptops, note pad, Wi-Fi or other devices are reported to be harmful beyond the permissible limit. So there is a growing concern for the overall health, reproductive, and hormonal functions. Experimental studies were conducted by using a Wi-Fi network active laptop and live spermatozoa. The exposure of sperms to the source of EMF showed that the activity of the live sperms got reduced and mortality was observed depending on the exposure duration and the distance from EMF sources. After 5h of exposure to RF-EMF source the semen quality changed when compared with control. The vitality of sperm in the control was 95±1.0 after 2 hr and it was reduced to 60±1.5 percent at a distance of 1cm and 55±2.2 percent at a distance of 10 cm. After 5 hour exposure, the vitality was reduced to 63±1.86 at 1 cm distance and 70±1.42 at 10 cm distance. The reduction in vitality of sperm after exposure to RF-EMF source for 2 hour was 35% at 1cm and 40% at 10cm distance.
{"title":"Electromagnetic Radiations on the Functional Potential of Spermatozoa","authors":"P. Dhasarathan, E. Mg, Athinarayanan Aj, A. Ranjitsingh","doi":"10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1103","url":null,"abstract":"The growing exposure to digital communication system and tools leads to radiation toxicity to the users. Unaware of the safety measures even a kid at the age of one starts operating digital gadgets emitting Radio frequencyelectromagnetic radiations. Radiations from mobile phones laptops, note pad, Wi-Fi or other devices are reported to be harmful beyond the permissible limit. So there is a growing concern for the overall health, reproductive, and hormonal functions. Experimental studies were conducted by using a Wi-Fi network active laptop and live spermatozoa. The exposure of sperms to the source of EMF showed that the activity of the live sperms got reduced and mortality was observed depending on the exposure duration and the distance from EMF sources. After 5h of exposure to RF-EMF source the semen quality changed when compared with control. The vitality of sperm in the control was 95±1.0 after 2 hr and it was reduced to 60±1.5 percent at a distance of 1cm and 55±2.2 percent at a distance of 10 cm. After 5 hour exposure, the vitality was reduced to 63±1.86 at 1 cm distance and 70±1.42 at 10 cm distance. The reduction in vitality of sperm after exposure to RF-EMF source for 2 hour was 35% at 1cm and 40% at 10cm distance.","PeriodicalId":93417,"journal":{"name":"Austin journal of public health and epidemiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45515398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-06-14DOI: 10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1101
G. X, Bidulescu A
We enthusiastically read the article entitled “The experiences of health-care providers during the COVID-19 crisis in China: a qualitative study” by Liu and colleagues [1]. Although this study highlights the support needed to protect the physical and mental wellness of caregivers in the COVID-19 pandemic, the potential limitations that existed in its qualitative research methods may undermine the accuracy of data collection indicated by our previous work [2,3]. First, the information gleaned from the participants could have been more productive if the authors used focus group as it leverages the power of the group dynamics to encourage back and forth conversation leading to fully exploring and expanding participant’s true feelings, thoughts, and experiences toward the COVID-19 compared to the in-depth interviews [4]. Even though some researchers claim that in-depth interviews (e.g., phone interview) are better to investigate a sensitive subject like the COVID-19 crisis that participants may feel uncomfortable to share their thoughts in front of a group of people, the recent study confirms that 1) sensitive and intimate disclosures are more likely to occur in the focus group; 2) some certain sensitive themes only happen in the focus group; and 3) neither sensitive themes emerged exclusively nor frequently in indepth interviews compared to focus group [5]. Second, ensuring the homogeneity of interest is way more critical than the general heterogeneity like the demographics of the recruited participants [6,7]. Specifically, the desirable combination of interest consensus and common ground with diverse experience is important to generate rich information. However, the perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic may be different between physicians and nurses based on the duty of these two different professional roles. This is because nurses are more likely to interact with COVID-19 patients directly and more frequently than physicians. Therefore, according to the primary research interest that investigates the experiences of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, the participants should have been limited to nurses as the frontline caregivers to maintain the homogeneity of interest. Third, considering that all participants were recruited from one local hospital, convenient sampling appears better than snowball sampling as the authors can recruit participants based on their availability and accessibility [8]. This is because scheduling participants at a time when they have more energy may yield richer information data than reaching out to them through phone interviews. These suggested changes in data collection and participant enrollment should be implemented in future qualitative research for the investigation of global pandemic crisis to reach more convincing conclusions.
{"title":"A Qualitative Research of Perception Investigations in Caregivers Under the COVID-19 Pandemic","authors":"G. X, Bidulescu A","doi":"10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1101","url":null,"abstract":"We enthusiastically read the article entitled “The experiences of health-care providers during the COVID-19 crisis in China: a qualitative study” by Liu and colleagues [1]. Although this study highlights the support needed to protect the physical and mental wellness of caregivers in the COVID-19 pandemic, the potential limitations that existed in its qualitative research methods may undermine the accuracy of data collection indicated by our previous work [2,3]. First, the information gleaned from the participants could have been more productive if the authors used focus group as it leverages the power of the group dynamics to encourage back and forth conversation leading to fully exploring and expanding participant’s true feelings, thoughts, and experiences toward the COVID-19 compared to the in-depth interviews [4]. Even though some researchers claim that in-depth interviews (e.g., phone interview) are better to investigate a sensitive subject like the COVID-19 crisis that participants may feel uncomfortable to share their thoughts in front of a group of people, the recent study confirms that 1) sensitive and intimate disclosures are more likely to occur in the focus group; 2) some certain sensitive themes only happen in the focus group; and 3) neither sensitive themes emerged exclusively nor frequently in indepth interviews compared to focus group [5]. Second, ensuring the homogeneity of interest is way more critical than the general heterogeneity like the demographics of the recruited participants [6,7]. Specifically, the desirable combination of interest consensus and common ground with diverse experience is important to generate rich information. However, the perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic may be different between physicians and nurses based on the duty of these two different professional roles. This is because nurses are more likely to interact with COVID-19 patients directly and more frequently than physicians. Therefore, according to the primary research interest that investigates the experiences of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, the participants should have been limited to nurses as the frontline caregivers to maintain the homogeneity of interest. Third, considering that all participants were recruited from one local hospital, convenient sampling appears better than snowball sampling as the authors can recruit participants based on their availability and accessibility [8]. This is because scheduling participants at a time when they have more energy may yield richer information data than reaching out to them through phone interviews. These suggested changes in data collection and participant enrollment should be implemented in future qualitative research for the investigation of global pandemic crisis to reach more convincing conclusions.","PeriodicalId":93417,"journal":{"name":"Austin journal of public health and epidemiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45678801","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-06-02DOI: 10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1100
M. Holst, D. Nowak, E. Hoch
Background: SARS-CoV2 has caused over 57 million infections and over 1.3 million deaths within 11 months globally (WHO). Internationally, there is an emerging debate about potential benefits of Cannabidiol (CBD) as treatment of COVID-19. Objective: To assess the beneficial and adverse effects of CBD in the treatment of inflammation from the literature. Methods: We systematically searched Cochrane rCOVID-19 study register, CENTRAL (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO’s International Clinical Trials Registry Platform) for studies testing CBD as inflammation intervention. All types of studies and populations were considered. All pre-clinical, clinical, and pharmacological outcomes were of interest. Results: Of 18 papers found, 9 were included: Five in vivo animal studies, 3 in vitro studies on human tissues and 1 ongoing randomized clinical trial. Outcomes in 4 in vivo animal studies and 3 human tissue studies were immune response markers, which decreased. In 1 in vivo study the outcome of monocytes was enhanced. One human study is ongoing. There was no information on adverse effects or drug-interaction. Conclusion: There is not enough evidence to support or refute CBD as a repurpose drug to treat inflammation and other symptoms of COVID-19. Clinical trials are needed to test its efficacy and adverse effects.
{"title":"COVID-19 and Cannabidiol: Results from a Rapid Review","authors":"M. Holst, D. Nowak, E. Hoch","doi":"10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1100","url":null,"abstract":"Background: SARS-CoV2 has caused over 57 million infections and over 1.3 million deaths within 11 months globally (WHO). Internationally, there is an emerging debate about potential benefits of Cannabidiol (CBD) as treatment of COVID-19. Objective: To assess the beneficial and adverse effects of CBD in the treatment of inflammation from the literature. Methods: We systematically searched Cochrane rCOVID-19 study register, CENTRAL (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO’s International Clinical Trials Registry Platform) for studies testing CBD as inflammation intervention. All types of studies and populations were considered. All pre-clinical, clinical, and pharmacological outcomes were of interest. Results: Of 18 papers found, 9 were included: Five in vivo animal studies, 3 in vitro studies on human tissues and 1 ongoing randomized clinical trial. Outcomes in 4 in vivo animal studies and 3 human tissue studies were immune response markers, which decreased. In 1 in vivo study the outcome of monocytes was enhanced. One human study is ongoing. There was no information on adverse effects or drug-interaction. Conclusion: There is not enough evidence to support or refute CBD as a repurpose drug to treat inflammation and other symptoms of COVID-19. Clinical trials are needed to test its efficacy and adverse effects.","PeriodicalId":93417,"journal":{"name":"Austin journal of public health and epidemiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42434437","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-06-02DOI: 10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1099
S. Dzhugarian, G. Charchoghlyan, Shubrook Jh, Ontario Canada Crossroads North Medical Clinic
The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a variety of changes in people’s lifestyles, including their exercise habits. This study examined changes in exercise habits in individuals of Armenian descent, before and after the emergence of COVID-19, to determine whether significant changes had occurred. Convenience sampling was used by distributing the study throughout Armenian organizations, culturally-relevant social media pages, websites, and email lists. Subjects were required to be at least 18 years of age and of Armenian descent. Survey data was collected between June and August of 2020 from 502 subjects on exercise history, health history, and anthropometry. Disease scores were assigned based on health status. Subjects with higher disease scores were 2.5 and 3.1 times more likely to not exercise prior to and after the pandemic, respectively, compared to subjects with lower disease scores (p<0.001). However, there was no significant difference in change in exercise frequency after the emergence of the pandemic. Additionally, subjects who only exercised in the gym prior to COVID-19 were more likely to decrease their exercise frequency compared to subjects who did not exercise at the gym or did not solely exercise at the gym (p<0.001). Clinicians should place greater emphasis on encouraging Armenian patients with high disease scores to exercise. Armenian patients should also be encouraged to diversify their exercise spaces beyond the gym in order to reduce the risk of decreasing exercise frequency in the event of gym closures due to unforeseen circumstances.
{"title":"Exercise Habits of Armenians Before and After the Emergence of the COVID-19 Pandemic","authors":"S. Dzhugarian, G. Charchoghlyan, Shubrook Jh, Ontario Canada Crossroads North Medical Clinic","doi":"10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1099","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1099","url":null,"abstract":"The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a variety of changes in people’s lifestyles, including their exercise habits. This study examined changes in exercise habits in individuals of Armenian descent, before and after the emergence of COVID-19, to determine whether significant changes had occurred. Convenience sampling was used by distributing the study throughout Armenian organizations, culturally-relevant social media pages, websites, and email lists. Subjects were required to be at least 18 years of age and of Armenian descent. Survey data was collected between June and August of 2020 from 502 subjects on exercise history, health history, and anthropometry. Disease scores were assigned based on health status. Subjects with higher disease scores were 2.5 and 3.1 times more likely to not exercise prior to and after the pandemic, respectively, compared to subjects with lower disease scores (p<0.001). However, there was no significant difference in change in exercise frequency after the emergence of the pandemic. Additionally, subjects who only exercised in the gym prior to COVID-19 were more likely to decrease their exercise frequency compared to subjects who did not exercise at the gym or did not solely exercise at the gym (p<0.001). Clinicians should place greater emphasis on encouraging Armenian patients with high disease scores to exercise. Armenian patients should also be encouraged to diversify their exercise spaces beyond the gym in order to reduce the risk of decreasing exercise frequency in the event of gym closures due to unforeseen circumstances.","PeriodicalId":93417,"journal":{"name":"Austin journal of public health and epidemiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48551407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-05-27DOI: 10.26420/austinpublichealth.2021.1014
Almaki Th
Background: Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) can be defined as “the integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patients’ values”. It is the best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. The growing awareness of the limitations of traditional information on clinical decisions led to a shift in medical practice from unsystematic observations from clinical experience, towards evidence-based medicine. The principles of evidence-based medicine have become core concepts of undergraduate, postgraduate, continuing medical education, courses, and workshops offered to health professionals. Irrational prescription being a global problem leading to ineffective or unsafe treatment and that sometimes resulting from the lack of using the EBM. Objective: To assess awareness, attitude, knowledge of EBM among the ambulatory care physicians and its effect in their prescriptions pattern. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire study was done to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding evidence-based medicine among ambulatory care physicians in 3 hospitals in the Al-Kharj region. In addition, a random sample of ambulatory care prescriptions were collected, then the World Health Organization (WHO) prescription indicators were used to evaluate the physicians prescribing behavior. The prescriptions were collected from the pharmacy department after obtaining approval from the hospital director for each hospital. Result: There was a positive attitude among the ambulatory physicians toward EBM (84%), but there were limit to the basic EBM knowledge (<50 %). Average number of medication encounter was out of the WHO standard value (>1.8%). The Barriers that faced the physicians were included Lack of time (47.7%) and no ready access to EBM (43.1%). The percentage of medications prescribe by generic name was varied between the hospitals, AKFAH (100%), AKMICH (90%) and PSABH (74.05%). Conclusion: In general, there was a positive attitude among the ambulatory physicians toward EBM. The frequent barriers that face the physician to apply EBM included lack of time, no ready access to EBM, and lack of reliable evidence. The attitude and knowledge have a proportion relation to WHO prescribing indicators. It was observed the hospital implement an electronic system were more compliant with prescribing with the generic name.
{"title":"Assessing Awareness, Attitude, Knowledge of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) Among the Ambulatory Care Physicians and Its Reflection on Their Prescriptions Pattern, 3 Centers at Al-Kharj Hospitals, Saudi Arabia","authors":"Almaki Th","doi":"10.26420/austinpublichealth.2021.1014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26420/austinpublichealth.2021.1014","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) can be defined as “the integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patients’ values”. It is the best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. The growing awareness of the limitations of traditional information on clinical decisions led to a shift in medical practice from unsystematic observations from clinical experience, towards evidence-based medicine. The principles of evidence-based medicine have become core concepts of undergraduate, postgraduate, continuing medical education, courses, and workshops offered to health professionals. Irrational prescription being a global problem leading to ineffective or unsafe treatment and that sometimes resulting from the lack of using the EBM. Objective: To assess awareness, attitude, knowledge of EBM among the ambulatory care physicians and its effect in their prescriptions pattern. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire study was done to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding evidence-based medicine among ambulatory care physicians in 3 hospitals in the Al-Kharj region. In addition, a random sample of ambulatory care prescriptions were collected, then the World Health Organization (WHO) prescription indicators were used to evaluate the physicians prescribing behavior. The prescriptions were collected from the pharmacy department after obtaining approval from the hospital director for each hospital. Result: There was a positive attitude among the ambulatory physicians toward EBM (84%), but there were limit to the basic EBM knowledge (<50 %). Average number of medication encounter was out of the WHO standard value (>1.8%). The Barriers that faced the physicians were included Lack of time (47.7%) and no ready access to EBM (43.1%). The percentage of medications prescribe by generic name was varied between the hospitals, AKFAH (100%), AKMICH (90%) and PSABH (74.05%). Conclusion: In general, there was a positive attitude among the ambulatory physicians toward EBM. The frequent barriers that face the physician to apply EBM included lack of time, no ready access to EBM, and lack of reliable evidence. The attitude and knowledge have a proportion relation to WHO prescribing indicators. It was observed the hospital implement an electronic system were more compliant with prescribing with the generic name.","PeriodicalId":93417,"journal":{"name":"Austin journal of public health and epidemiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77422599","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-05-20DOI: 10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1098
J. Skowroń, L. Zapór, K. Miranowicz-Dzierżawska
The article discusses the principles of determining the maximum admissible concentration and intensity values for harmful agents present at workplaces as the basic criteria for ensuring safe and hygienic working conditions in Poland and in the European Union. The role of the Interdepartmental Commission for the Maximum Admissible Concentrations and Intensities of Agents Harmful to Health in the Working Environment is presented in this process. The attention was drawn to the relationship between the occupational health and safety legislation and the EC regulations on chemicals, which together provide both employers and the Member States with the necessary data and instruments to work safely with chemicals and to be able to take appropriate actions and risk management measures.
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Pub Date : 2021-05-20DOI: 10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1097
Kamsang Woo, Timothy Kcy, P. Chook, Y. J. Hu, Y. H. Yin, Changqing Lin, Lau Kha, Lee Pwa, Celermajer Ds
Background: Air Pollution (AP) and metabolic syndrome (MS) are important global health hazards of the 21st century, in mainland China in particular, and AP has been associated with increased prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, and stroke. Methods: To evaluate the impact of metabolic syndrome on AP-related atherogenesis, 1557 Han Chinese adults (mean age 47.2±11.8 years, male 47%) in Hong Kong, Macau, Pun Yu, Yu County (Shanxi coalmine) and 3-Gorges (Yangtze River) were studied. Cardiovascular risk profiles and metabolic syndrome (IDF criteria) were evaluated. PM2.5 (satellite sensor modeling), and atherosclerotic surrogates, brachial reactivity (FMD) and carotid Intima-media thickness (IMT) (ultrasound), were measured. Results: The yearly PM2.5 concentration ranged from 34.0μg/m³ in Hong Kong to 93.8μg/m³ in 3-Gorges Territories. MS was diagnosed in 340 subjects (21.8%). Smoking status, gender and PM2.5 were similar in the MS cohort versus those without MS. Blood pressures (SBP and DBP), waist circumference, triglycerides and glucose were higher, but high-density lipidcholesterol was lower in the MS cohort, compared to the other subjects. Brachial FMD was significantly lower and carotid IMT significantly higher (0.70±0.13 mm, 95% CI 0.68-0.71 mm vs. 0.63mm±0.14mm, 95% CI 0.62-0.64 mm) in the MS cohort than those without (P<0.0001). On multivariate regression, PM2.5 was not related to MS development, but was significantly related to carotid IMT in both no MS (beta=0.234, P<0.0001) and MS cohorts (beta=0.245, p<0.0001), independent of age, SBP, and waist circumference. There was no direct interaction between PM2.5 and MS. Conclusions: Both AP and MS have independent impacts on atherogenic processes in China, with significant implications for atherosclerosis prevention.
背景：空气污染（AP）和代谢综合征（MS）是21世纪全球重要的健康危害，尤其是在中国大陆，AP与心血管疾病和中风的发病率增加有关。方法：对香港、澳门、番禺、蔚县（山西煤矿）和三峡（长江）1557名汉族成年人（平均年龄47.2±11.8岁，男性47%）进行代谢综合征对AP相关动脉粥样硬化形成的影响研究。评估心血管风险状况和代谢综合征（IDF标准）。测量PM2.5（卫星传感器建模）和动脉粥样硬化替代物、臂反应性（FMD）和颈动脉内膜中膜厚度（IMT）（超声）。结果：香港PM2.5年浓度为34.0μg/m³，三峡地区为93.8μg/m²。340名受试者（21.8%）被诊断为多发性硬化症。与其他受试者相比，多发性痴呆症队列中的吸烟状况、性别和PM2.5与无多发性病变队列相似。血压（SBP和DBP）、腰围、甘油三酯和葡萄糖较高，但高密度脂胆固醇较低。在多发性硬化症队列中，臂FMD显著降低，颈动脉IMT显著升高（0.70±0.13 mm，95%CI 0.68-0.71 mm vs.0.63mm±0.14 mm，95%CI 0.62-0.64 mm）。在多变量回归中，PM2.5与多发性痴呆症的发展无关，但在无多发性病变（β=0.234，P<0.0001）和多发性增生症队列（β=0.245，P<0.0001，与年龄、收缩压和腰围无关。PM2.5和MS之间没有直接的相互作用。结论：AP和MS对中国的动脉粥样硬化过程都有独立的影响，对动脉粥样硬化的预防具有重要意义。
{"title":"Independent Effects of Metabolic Syndrome and Air Pollution (PM2.5) on Atherosclerosis in Modernizing China","authors":"Kamsang Woo, Timothy Kcy, P. Chook, Y. J. Hu, Y. H. Yin, Changqing Lin, Lau Kha, Lee Pwa, Celermajer Ds","doi":"10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1097","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26420/austinjpublichealthepidemiol.2021.1097","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Air Pollution (AP) and metabolic syndrome (MS) are important global health hazards of the 21st century, in mainland China in particular, and AP has been associated with increased prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, and stroke. Methods: To evaluate the impact of metabolic syndrome on AP-related atherogenesis, 1557 Han Chinese adults (mean age 47.2±11.8 years, male 47%) in Hong Kong, Macau, Pun Yu, Yu County (Shanxi coalmine) and 3-Gorges (Yangtze River) were studied. Cardiovascular risk profiles and metabolic syndrome (IDF criteria) were evaluated. PM2.5 (satellite sensor modeling), and atherosclerotic surrogates, brachial reactivity (FMD) and carotid Intima-media thickness (IMT) (ultrasound), were measured. Results: The yearly PM2.5 concentration ranged from 34.0μg/m³ in Hong Kong to 93.8μg/m³ in 3-Gorges Territories. MS was diagnosed in 340 subjects (21.8%). Smoking status, gender and PM2.5 were similar in the MS cohort versus those without MS. Blood pressures (SBP and DBP), waist circumference, triglycerides and glucose were higher, but high-density lipidcholesterol was lower in the MS cohort, compared to the other subjects. Brachial FMD was significantly lower and carotid IMT significantly higher (0.70±0.13 mm, 95% CI 0.68-0.71 mm vs. 0.63mm±0.14mm, 95% CI 0.62-0.64 mm) in the MS cohort than those without (P<0.0001). On multivariate regression, PM2.5 was not related to MS development, but was significantly related to carotid IMT in both no MS (beta=0.234, P<0.0001) and MS cohorts (beta=0.245, p<0.0001), independent of age, SBP, and waist circumference. There was no direct interaction between PM2.5 and MS. Conclusions: Both AP and MS have independent impacts on atherogenic processes in China, with significant implications for atherosclerosis prevention.","PeriodicalId":93417,"journal":{"name":"Austin journal of public health and epidemiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42881893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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