Journal of preventive medicine and hygiene最新文献

Introduction: Childhood obesity is a social health problem in the Western World and an important goal is to analyze and correct risk factors. However, part of the problem could be determined by a different perception of the weight.

Material and methods: In October 2019, we conducted a cross-sectional study in which a questionnaire was administered to the parents of primary and secondary school children in South-East Tuscany, Italy. The aim was to determine the association between children's Body Mass Index (BMI) and the parent's perception.

Results: Analysis was carried out on 1,405 complete questionnaires. We found that most parents wrongly perceive the weight of their children. 88.3% of parents with obese children believe that their children are of normal weight or only "a little overweight". 67.6% of parents who have overweight children think that their children are of normal weight (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Our results show a misperception of the weight of the children in the parents eyes. The acquisition of healthy behaviour during childhood is extremely important for health in adulthood and for avoiding the onset of associated diseases. Therefore, food education becomes a crucial objective. Children and parents need to increase consciousness of the correct weight and diseases resulting from bad nutrition.

Introduction: The severity of COVID-19 infection is affected by several risk factors such as Diabetes Mellitus (DM). The current study aimed to determine the effect of single-point HbA1c on the severity and mortality of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among hospitalized moderate and severe COVID-19 patients in Baharloo Hospital in Iran between December 23^rd and February 23rd, 2021. The patients have been diagnosed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Chest Computed Tomography (CT) imaging as COVID-19. Demographic data, clinical presentation, laboratory results, and treatments along with the HbA1c data were included.

Results: 165 COVID-19 cases were included in this study; 126 (76.4%) of which were severe cases. 89 (53.9%) patients were male, with a mean age of 59.89 ± 16.59 years. Severe COVID-19 patients were more prone to a longer hospital stay, and a higher level of inflammatory mediators, compared to the moderate COVID-19 patients (p < 0.05). No significant association was found between single point HbA1c, FBS, and severity and mortality of COVID-19 cases (p > 0.05).

Conclusions: Single point HbA1c was not a reliable mediator for the prediction of severity or death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Objective: Obesity is a known risk factor for diabetes, but the effect of weight changes on the incidence of diabetes is not yet determined. This study aims to evaluate the long-term effects of weight change [based on body mass index (BMI)] on the incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in a middle eastern population.

Method: In the Isfahan Cohort Study (ICS) 6504 adults equal or greater than 35 years of age were recruited at 2001 and were followed until 2013. Absolute BMI changes (ΔBMI) were calculated by subtracting the baseline BMI from the BMI measured at follow-ups. To compare participants with different baseline BMI easier, relative changes in BMI were quantified as the percentage of changes from baseline. DM was assessed based on standard definitions. Multivariable Cox regression was used to determine the association between ΔBMI and the incidence of diabetes.

Results: During follow-ups, 261 new cases of diabetes were recorded, with an IR of 3401.29 per 100,000 P-Y. The highest number of new cases of type 2 DM belongs to participants with overweight and obesity who had minimal BMI changes (less than 5% of their baseline BMI limits; 42 and 38 new cases, respectively). Participants who were obese at baseline and had lost more than 10% or gained 5-10% of baseline BMI were in the groups with the highest IR [360.05-95% CI (239.3-541.8) and 322.39-95% CI (178.5-582.1) respectively]. There was no significant association between BMI changes and the incidence of DM in the participants with normal BMI, overweight, and obesity at baseline in cure and adjusted models.

Conclusions: This study showed there was no significant association between diabetes mellitus incidence and BMI changes.

Introduction: Burnout syndrome represents the pathological outcome of a stressful process that mainly affects the "helping professions". During the COVID-19 pandemic, pressure on healthcare systems has led to an increase in psychological distress among healthcare workers. The aim of this study is to verify whether the practice of relaxation techniques in healthcare workers can improve emotional balance and stem burnout.

Methods: A small sample of 40 female rehabilitation therapists were divided into two groups (20 experimental group subjects and 20 control group subjects). The Maslach Burnout Inventory was administered to both groups, after informed consent, to highlight the correlation between working hours exceeding 30 hours per week and burnout, by subjecting the experimental group to mindfulness sessions between T0 and T1.

Results: The data analysis highlighted a decrease in burnout in the experimental group after the mindfulness sessions.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that these relaxation techniques can be effective in stemming burnout and promoting psychological well-being. It is therefore possible to hypothesize that such increased and prolonged activities could show a more evident and statistically significant improvement.

Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic has exerted a huge impact on different aspects of public health. Mandatory notifications are a fundamental tool to have a general picture of infection disease spread in a population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on infectious disease epidemiology.

Methods: We collected and analyzed all the infectious disease notifications made in the pre-pandemic (2017-2019) and the pandemic (2020-2022) three-years periods in the provincial territory of Messina, Italy.

Results: The total number of notifications significantly decreased by 41% in the pandemic period compared to the pre-pandemic one, with very high reduction of certain disease notifications such as measles and varicella. Similarly, other airborne infections, such as meningococcal meningitis and tuberculosis, underwent an important decrease. Conversely, an increase was found for some infections such as syphilis and, especially, scabies that reported a percentage value of +159.9%.

Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic, reducing the possibility of microbial spread following to the lockdown and, in addition, to the constant use of face masks and other personal protective equipment, the frequent hand-washing, more ventilation of the living locals, and less gathering, surely reduced the occasions and the possibility to get many infections. On the other hands, the pandemic had a negative impact on scabies diffusion probably due to different causes among which the worsening of some poor realities, the restrictions that forced people to live in strict contact and, especially, the worsening of the conditions of the elderly living in care homes.

Background: Unwanted pregnancy is an important public health concern that can have significant health, social, and economic effects on the mother, the baby and her family. The establishment and enhancement of maternal-fetal attachment (MFA) play a role in the promotion of emotional communication between the mother and the child in the future. This study aimed at investigating the effect of cognitive-behavioral counseling on maternal-fetal attachment among pregnant women with unwanted pregnancy.

Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 60 eligible pregnant women with unwanted pregnancy and gestational age of 22-28 weeks who had referred to health centers in Mashhad, a city in the northeast of Iran, were selected and they were through random block assignment divided into two groups of counseling with the cognitive-behavioral approach (n = 30) and the control group (n = 30). In addition to the routine pregnancy care, the cognitive-behavioral counseling group received four group counseling sessions on a weekly basis, while the control group only received the routine pregnancy care from healthcare providers. Maternal-fetal attachment before and after intervention in the two groups was assessed through Cranley's Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale. Comparison of mean scores within and between the two groups was performed using SPSS 21 through independent and paired t-tests.

Results: At the end of the study and after the intervention, the mean scores of maternal-fetal attachment in the intervention and control groups were 94.06 ± 11.73 and 80.16 ± 10.09, respectively, and the difference between the groups was significant. Although the difference between the mean scores of each group at the beginning and the end of the study was significant, this difference between the two groups was also noticeable (21.56 ± 12.16 vs 7.40 ± 12.39) and statistically significant.

Conclusions: Cognitive-behavioral counseling can be effective in enhancing the maternal-fetal attachment in unwanted pregnancies; therefore, it is recommended to be integrated into pregnant women's healthcare programs.

[This corrects the article on p. E178-E187 in vol. 64, PMID: 37654848.].

Introduction: According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), in the last year cholera has re-emerged in various areas of the planet, particularly in Africa. The resurgence of this disease is closely linked to poor hygiene, which is sometimes the result of wars or environmental disasters, as in Lebanon and Syria since autumn 2022 and today in Libya.

Discussion: The spread of cholera is chiefly caused by the presence of contaminated water, in environments with inadequate hygiene and sanitation. Another cause, however, is the lack of access to adequate vaccination and treatment campaigns.

Method: In this short paper, the authors highlight the possibility of a resurgence of epidemic cholera in Libya, especially in light of the consequences of the devastating cyclone Daniel and the simultaneous collapse of two dams upstream of the city of Derna. They also highlight the concern that cholera and other infectious diseases may also spread in Morocco, which was hit by a severe earthquake on 8 September last. The focus of the paper is the awareness that the spread of epidemic diseases is very often linked to human actions, which may trigger or exacerbate the effects of natural disasters.

Conclusions: Since these events have devastating effects both on the environment and on people and their psychophysical balance, it is evident that we need to devote greater attention to the health of the planet, to which the health and survival of the human species is strictly and inextricably linked. Indeed, disasters related to phenomena of anthropization facilitate the spread of infectious diseases, placing a heavy burden on local and global health organizations and the health of entire populations. A change of course is therefore essential, in that human actions must be aimed at limiting rather than aggravating the spread of diseases.

Objective: The cross-sectional study was intended to evaluate the oral health and nicotine dependence among tobacco users.

Material & methods: Fagerstorm Test for Nicotine Dependence estimated nicotine dependence and clinically oral examination was performed in recording the dentition status, oral hygiene, gingivitis and periodontal health. Descriptive statistics was computed using mean, percentage and standard deviation. Association was estimated using Independent T Test. Binary logistic regression and multiple regression analysis was used in inferential statistics.

Results: In general, 55.3% had dental caries, followed by 92.6% having gingivitis and 7.4% had clinical attachment loss. Mean DMF was 2.60 (± 3.88) and the subjects mean oral hygiene score was 3.49 (± 1.11). The mean DMF score of tobacco users worsened with increasing age. Current smokers were 1.07 times more predisposed to get dental caries than former smokers and smokeless tobacco chewers had higher odds of 1.060 times to fall susceptible to dental caries than those smoking tobacco. Dependence on tobacco substantially worsened oral hygiene.

Conclusions: Tobacco cessation practices shall be effectively enforced to minimize the burden of nicotine dependence.