Adequate Practices Research Articles

Ability to Maintain and Improve Health and Socio-Demographic Correlates among Children in Albania.

Our aim was to assess the level and socio-demographic correlates of the ability to maintain health among children in Albania, a post-communist country in the Western Balkans. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Albania in September 2022. The study population consisted of a nationwide representative sample of 7,831 schoolchildren (≈54% girls) aged 12-15 years. A structured self-administered and anonymous questionnaire inquired about the children's attitudes toward health promotion (ability to maintain and improve health) and a range of key dimensions on knowledge and practices regarding healthcare services. Socio-demographic data were also collected. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the socio-demographic correlates of children's ability to maintain health. Overall, about 71% of schoolchildren exhibited the best attitudes toward health promotion (ability to maintain and improve health). In the multivariable adjusted logistic regression models, poorer attitudes toward health promotion (ability to maintain and improve health) were significantly related to older age (OR=1.2, 95% CI=1.0-1.3), middle/low maternal education (OR=1.2, 95%CI=1.1-1.3), poor/very poor economic situation (OR=1.5, 95%CI=1.2-1.8), lack of appropriate knowledge about rights to healthcare (OR=1.3, 95% CI=1.1-1.5), lack of knowledge about obtaining healthcare services (OR=1.7, 95%CI=1.4-2.2), and lack of consultations/visits with health professionals excluding vaccinations (OR=1.2, 95%CI=1.1-1.4). Almost 1/3rd of Albanian schoolchildren included in this study did not exhibit the best attitudes toward health promotion (ability to maintain and improve health). The best attitudes were related to a higher socioeconomic level and adequate knowledge and practices regarding healthcare services. There is thus a need to increase health literacy levels among children in order to ultimately induce sustainable healthy behavioural/lifestyle practices.

Student’s Challenge Speaking Skill Toward Merdeka Curriculum By Using Project Based Learning In Juniour High Skill

This study explores the challenges and opportunities associated with developing speaking skills among junior high school students within the framework of the Merdeka Curriculum through Project-Based Learning (PBL). The purpose of this research is to know the character building of student’s speaking skill and to find out the student ability who are able in speaking. This study employs a descriptive qualitative research to explore the challenges faced by junior high school students in developing their English-speaking skills through Project-Based Learning (PBL) under the Merdeka Curriculum. The observation is doing in the second grade of Juniour High School. The data collection was carried out by observation and using video to test the speaking ability. The findings reveal that while students showed notable improvement in their speaking skills when engaged in PBL, several challenges hindered its full effectiveness. These challenges include students' initial reluctance to participate in speaking activities due to anxiety and a lack of confidence, particularly among those with lower English proficiency. Additionally, time constraints within the school curriculum made it difficult for teachers to balance content coverage with providing adequate speaking practice.

Dietary practice and associated factors among elderly people in Northwest Ethiopia, 2022: Community based mixed design.

The planet's population is aging at an incredible speed. Poor dietary practices are a major problem among the elderly. However, literature is scarce on dietary practices among elders in the study area. Therefore, the results of this study may give information to decision-makers. This study aimed to assess dietary practices and associated factors among elderly people in Northwest Ethiopia, in 2022. A community-based mixed study design was employed among elderly people from May 20 to July 2, 2022. Systematic random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were used for selecting study participants in quantitative and qualitative studies, respectively. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire for the quantitative part and an interview guide for the qualitative part. Binary logistic regression analysis was used. A P-value less than or equal to 0.05 was used to declare statistically significant variables. A crude odds ratio and an adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval were used to measure the strength of the association. Thematic analysis was used for qualitative data analysis. A total of 422 participants were recruited for the study. Twenty-six in-depth interviews were done. The prevalence of adequate dietary practice was only 54.5% [95% CI: (49.8, 59.2)]. It was significantly associated with being aged between 65 to 74 years (AOR: 8.32; 95 CI: 3.9, 18.1), being aged between 75 to 84 years (AOR: 2.90; 95% CI: 1.1, 7.9), eating sometimes alone (AOR: 1.86; 95% CI: 1.03, 3.4), eating always with family members (AOR: 4.96; 95% CI: 2.6, 9.4), and food security (AOR: 3.13; 95% CI: 1.8, 5.4). Thematic analysis revealed three themes that interfere with the dietary practices of elders. A majority of in-depth interviewees mentioned that there were taboos and cultural beliefs which favor inadequate dietary practices of the elderly; the study participants reported that individual, economic, societal, and physiological factors are barriers affecting the dietary practices of the elderly, and all respondents have no experiences regarding elderly dietary practices. The prevalence of adequate dietary practice was low. It was significantly associated with age, with whom feeding, and household food security status. Taboos and cultural beliefs, barriers, and experiences hampered the dietary practices of elders. Therefore, improving the dietary practices of elders focusing on advanced age, loneliness, food security, taboos, cultural beliefs, barriers, and experiences regarding dietary practices should be done.

Evaluating diabetic foot care knowledge and practices at education level.

Diabetic foot is one of the complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Adequate knowledge and practice are an important aspect to control further deteriorating conditions such as ulcers and amputations. Thus, the objective of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the impact of the education levels of diabetic patients on diabetic foot care knowledge and practice. This cross-sectional study with a convenient sampling technique was conducted on 534 patients with diabetes mellitus from public and private care hospitals. The data was collected using a validated, pretested and structured bilingual (Arabic, English) questionnaire. There were 534 patients interviewed, 39.1% of whom were males and 60.9% of whom were females and 61.4% of the patients had had T2DM for over 10 years. There was a significant difference in education levels between the male and female patients (53.8% and 46.2%, P = .001). Furthermore, 83.9% patients were married. The difference in education between the married and the single, divorced, and widowed patients was significant (P = .007). Patients with uncontrolled HbA1c were 2.43 times more likely to have hypertension (RR = 2.43, P = .03), while patients with highly uncontrolled diabetes had 3.1 times more chances of hypertension (RR = 3.1, P = .009). Heart disease prevalence was 3.27 times higher in diabetes patients with uncontrolled HbA1c and 3.37 times higher in patients with highly uncontrolled HbA1c. Patients with diabetes who have been diabetic for more than 10 years have a greater risk of heart disease (RR = 2.1; P = .03). Patients with lower education levels exhibited more diabetic complications compared to patients with higher education levels (P < .05). The present study highlights the importance of education and awareness campaigns targeting diabetic patients, especially those with lower education levels, to improve diabetes control and prevent, or manage, comorbidities. Healthcare providers should also prioritize patient education and medication adherence to improve diabetes management and reduce the risk of complications.

Collaborating for co-researching: A multi-stakeholder case narrative of student nurses co-researching technology-supported care

AimEvaluate the impact of LS@H project participation on stakeholders. BackgroundAs populations age and workforces decline, care technology in nursing is becoming increasingly commonplace. Collaboration between nurse academia, education and practice can result in practice-based research and meaningful learning for nursing students and staff. However, little is known about the factors influencing effective collaboration. Based on the knowledge that narratives can be an effective vehicle for healthcare practice change, a Dutch school of nursing and its practice partners collaborated on the Living Longer and Safe at Home! (LS@H) project. This project aimed to explore a more person-centred approach to the use of technology in nursing care. Having gathered data from multiple sources to construct case narratives on the use of technology in older persons care, students nurses were able to contribute to practice development as their narratives were fed back to local and regional teams. DesignTo evaluate the impact of the LS@H project, we employed the same methodology used in the project: mixed data gathering methods to construct a case narrative. LS@H project students, supervisors, mentors and higher management shared their experiences and the research team constructed the case narrative. MethodsQualitative data were gathered via individual, duo and group interviews and supplemented with a survey among students. Transcription and thematic analysis followed, with multiple rounds of critical peer review before the thematic framework was agreed, survey results integrated and the case narrative constructed. ResultsAccording to stakeholder participants, the LS@H project led to an unfreezing of the status quo in both education and practice. The approach was new and guidelines with community support was needed to allay fears. The project design enabled a sense of shared ownership, across individuals and organisations for improving practice. Perspectives on the use of technology and older persons nursing were transformed. Critically dialoguing case narratives encouraged purposeful action to improve practice and fostered reflective practice among students and teams. ConclusionsCollaborative practice-based research can be a valuable learning experience for student nurses, positively influencing their view of nursing practice as well as enabling them to actively contribute to practice development. Adequate preparation, supervision and practice mentorship is vital, alongside practice (leader) commitment to ensure continued student assignments with subsequent critical dialogue of the multi-stakeholder case narratives produced. Registration numberAt point of submission put this on title page

An Evaluation of the Land Available for Sustainable Sugarcane Cultivation and Potential for Producing Ethanol and Bioelectricity in Angola

With a predominantly humid tropical climate and a large area for expanding agricultural activities, Angola has in principle favorable conditions for bioenergy production. The focus of this study was to evaluate the availability of suitable land for producing sugarcane. This crop is highly efficient in converting solar energy into biomass for energy purposes in Angola. To this end, this paper outlines a method for data collection, processing, and analysis divided into three sections. The first section uses the GAEZ (Global Agroecological Zones) database and QGIS (Quantum GIS) software (version 3.22.5) to assess land availability for sugarcane cultivation in Angola, classifying the regions’ suitability into four levels. The second section supplements this with data from the FAOSTAT database, systematically excluding areas with restrictions, such as protected zones, land already used for other crops, and regions unsuitable for sugarcane. Finally, the third section employs an agricultural yield model to estimate the potential yield of sugarcane based on climatic parameters and the amount of bioenergy (ethanol and bioelectricity) able to be produced in the available land. Under these criteria, this study identified the existence of 6.3 Mha in lands of good agricultural suitability, with water resources, corresponding to 5% of the Angolan territory, distributed in seven provinces of the country, especially in the provinces of Cuando Cubango and Cunene, where 85% of the very suitable land under irrigation is located. Adopting a model of agricultural productivity, assuming irrigation and adequate agricultural practices, such area could produce approximately 956 million tons of sugarcane annually, which is significantly higher than the current production in this country. This amount of feedstock processed using current technology could potentially produce 81.3 GL of ethanol and 176.9 TWh of electricity with low GHG emissions per year, which is able to mitigate, as a whole, circa 60.3 MtCO2-eq/year by displacing gasoline in light vehicles and diesel and natural gas consumed in power generation.

Intended legacies of transgender women who transitioned at 40+ years old: supporting younger transgender people and inspiring a trans-friendly society

Purpose This study aims to identify and characterize the intended legacies of transgender women from Spain and Portugal who embarked on their gender transition at 40+ years. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews focusing on intended legacies were performed with seven participants (three Portuguese and four Spanish), aged 52–66 years. The interviews were submitted for thematic analysis. Findings The main findings show that all participants reported intended legacies: personal, to be remembered as a good person; broader, to support younger transgender persons to come out earlier in life and to guide and mentor other transgender persons; and composite, to contribute by being a positive role model and being happily engaged in contributing to others. Originality/value This understanding may help in developing adequate practices that promote involvement of transgender persons who are in middle to late life in supporting transgender persons rights and well-being.

AWARENESS AND PRACTICES OF ANTENATAL CARE AMONG PREGNANT FEMALES

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to determine the awareness and practice levels regarding antenatal care among pregnant females visiting Arif memorial teaching hospital, Lahore. Methods: It was a cross sectional study done in 350 pregnant women with singleton pregnancy presented at a tertiary care center using purposive sampling technique. The predesigned questionnaire was used to collect information regarding socio-demographic factors as well as knowledge and practice questions regarding ANC. Scoring was designed with &gt;70% designated as adequate knowledge or practice levels. Information was entered and results were obtained using SPSS 24.0. Results: Among total 350 respondents, mean age was 28.54±5.26 years. The mean knowledge and practice scores were 27.56±6.11 and 12.33±3.14 and there were 110 (31.4%) and 50 (14.3%) women having adequate knowledge and practice respectively. Respondent’s literacy was significantly associated with knowledge (p=0.015) and working women have better practices than house wives (p&lt;0.001). Conclusion: It was concluded that the adequate knowledge and practices regarding ANC was considerably low. To improve community awareness on ANC community campaign and mass media should use. Family support and government support both should be parallel provided to pregnant female in order to improve maternal health. Key words: Antenatal Care, Knowledge, Practice, Reproductive age women, Tertiary Care Hospital.

Dry Powder Inhaler Use in Primary School Aged Children with Asthma: A Systematic Review

ObjectiveAsthma is the most common chronic disease in children. Dry powder inhalers (DPI) are effective for medication delivery in adults and adolescents, and provide a lower environmental footprint and more portability when compared to metered dose inhaler (MDI) with spacer. They require specific technique, and it is necessary to ascertain whether they can be used in younger age groups. We aimed to assess evidence regarding whether primary school aged (5–11 years) children can use DPI with adequate technique both during stable and acute asthma.DesignOvid MEDLINE, Embase and PubMed were searched for studies assessing DPI use in children aged 5–11 years with asthma or wheeze. Results of studies were synthesised by study design and outcome measure.ResultsThirty-eight studies were identified for analysis. These were analysed in three groups: (1) 25 studies assessing children's ability to use DPI by peak inspiratory flow measurement, (2) 10 studies assessing children's ability to use DPI by physician assessment, and (3) three studies measuring efficacy of DPI compared to gold standard (MDI with spacer). Five studies included children during acute exacerbations.ConclusionThe majority of primary school aged children have the ability to use a DPI with adequate training, support and practice. Some younger children may have difficulties, and clinician assessment and ongoing review is crucial in determining which children are likely to benefit from a DPI. Consistent correct use and adherence remains a challenge, but this is also an issue with MDI plus spacer and does not appear to be significantly worse with DPI. Evidence of the use of DPI during acute illness is limited, and more studies are required in this setting.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices on leprosy among dermatology residents in the Philippines

Introduction: leprosy is a chronic bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis, primarily affecting the skin and peripheral nerves. Dermatologists play an important role in diagnosing and treating patients affected with leprosy and are equipped with adequate knowledge about the clinical presentation and management of patients with leprosy. Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of leprosy among dermatology residents in the Philippines using a selfadministered online questionnaire. The study was conducted in two phases: Phase I was the development of the questionnaire, and Phase II was the survey proper, where the questionnaire was administered to dermatology residents in the Philippines via convenience sampling. Descriptive statistics appropriate for the study variables were used. Results: in Phase I of the study, a questionnaire was validated by three leprosy and infectious disease experts and pilot-tested on ten dermatology graduates in the year 2022, showing that items had high scores for validity and reliability. Phase II involved administering the survey to dermatology residents. Data showed that overall, 46 of 118 participants (38.98%) obtained a satisfactory score of 80% and higher on knowledge, 101 of 118 (85.59%) exhibited a positive attitude, and 116 of 118 (98.31%) had adequate practices. Moreover, first-year residents exhibit lower attitude scores than those in higher years, and no significant differences in knowledge and practices were found based on the practice setting. Conclusion: results of the study show that less than half of the included resident dermatologists had satisfactory knowledge of leprosy. However, we identified gaps in these physician’s knowledge, mainly in peripheral assessment nerve function, doses, and duration of treatment for leprosy peoples. On the other hand, participants were noted to have an overall positive attitude towards leprosy and adequate practices.

Survival of Twelve Pathogenic and Generic Escherichia coli Strains in Agricultural Soils as Influenced by Strain, Soil Type, Irrigation Regimen, and Soil Amendment

Biological soil amendments of animal origin (BSAAO) play an important role in agriculture but can introduce pathogens into soils. Pathogen survival in soil is widely studied, but data are needed on the impacts of strain variability and field management practices. This study monitored the population of 12 Escherichia coli strains (generic, O157, and non-O157) in soils while evaluating the interactions of soil type, irrigation regimen, and soil amendment in three independent, greenhouse-based, randomized complete block design trials. Each E. coli strain (4–5 log10 CFU/g) was homogenized in bovine manure amended or nonamended sandy-loam or clay-loam soil. E. coli was enumerated in 25 g samples on 0, 0.167 (4 h), 1, 2, 4, 7, 10, 14, 21, 28, 56, 84, 112, 168, 210, 252, and 336 days postinoculation (dpi). Regression analyses were developed to understand the impact of strain, soil type, irrigation regimen, and soil amendment on inactivation rates. E. coli survived for 112 to 336 dpi depending on the treatment combination. Pathogenic and generic E. coli survived 46 days [95% Confidence interval (CI) = 20.85, 64.72; p = 0.001] longer in soils irrigated weekly compared to daily and 146 days (CI = 114.50, 184.50; p < 0.001) longer in amended soils compared to unamended soils. Pathogenic E. coli strains were nondetectable 69 days (CI = 39.58, 98.66, p = 0.015) earlier than generic E. coli strains. E. coli inactivation rates demonstrated a tri-phasic pattern, with breakpoints at 26 dpi (CI = 22.3, 29.2) and 130 dpi (CI = 121.0, 138.1). The study findings demonstrate that using bovine manure as BSAAO in soil enhances E. coli survival, regardless of strain, and adequate food safety practices are needed to reduce the risk of crop contamination. The findings of this study contribute data on E. coli concentrations in amended soils to assist stakeholders and regulators in making risk-based decisions on time intervals between the application of BSAAO and the production and harvest of fruits and vegetables.

Bridging the Gap: Deep Learning Techniques for American Sign Language Recognition

Abstract: Communication stands upon the pillars of verbal and non-verbal conversations, and hence it holds the basis of human social relationships. Along with words, gestures are another component of nonverbal communication that achieves the purpose of conveying the intended sense and bridging the gab of the languages and cultures. People with speech or hearing problems usually read manual or verbal signs that often don't make sense to a hearing-challenged person. Gestures are the first sign of instruction that overcomes the speech gap. A kaleidoscopic patchwork of facial expressions comprising of facial movements and body language! Such variations occurring in linguistic areas overall are not surprising, as community cultures and tongues around the planet typically shape their language. In the United States and Canada, American Sign Language (ASL) is common and is an independent language from what is heard in the surrounding community but is also used as a way of communication between individuals and in groups that are deaf and hearing alike. There are some restrictions. Common language review and adequate practice are of crucial importance here, that is why it is so hard for deaf people to work outside. The accessibility of the translation tools decreases radically, which means it will be difficult to communicate, and it will further be hard to understand and to be understood. By integrating the AI technologies as neural networks and deep learning into the goals, the system will proceed to bridging various communication channels from manual writing to voice operation. The task goes with webcam installation together with gesture capture and then as an input it goes to the system. The proposed model will be divided into several stages namely, data acquisition, pre-training to the neural network, testing and the post-testing phases. This research project will do that through developing digital technology which in turn will enhance accessibility, encourage integration and let people who are film-blind or deaf to associate with the environment.

Study of prevalence of minimum acceptable diet and associated factors among children aged 6-24 months in rural Gurugram, Haryana, India

Background: Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) is the key area to improve survival of child and promotion of growth and development of the child. For assessing the IYCF for children aged 6-24 months, minimum acceptable diet (MAD) is one of the core indicators. A community based cross sectional study was done to assess the MAD and its associated factors among children aged 6-24 months in rural Gurugram, Haryana. Methods: A sample of 200 mother-child dyads were interviewed. Majority of children (90.1%) did not receive MAD. Results: The proportion of children who has received minimum diet diversity (MDD) and minimum meal frequency (MMF) were 14% and 61% respectively. More than three fourth (77.5%) of children consumed junk food in last 24 hours dietary recall. Conclusions: Counselling of mothers, encouraging involvement of fathers and extended family members in adequate feeding practices was done.

Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding medical waste management among operation room personnel in a tertiary hospital.

Medical waste management (MWM) is of concern to the medical and surgical communities in the hospital. Adequate knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding the management of healthcare waste are important for the proper handling and disposal by physicians and healthcare workers. The aim of this study was an assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding medical waste management among operation room personnel in a tertiary hospital. This study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey conducted at a single-center government Comprehensive Specialized Hospital operation room from 1-30 September 2022. All specialty operation room healthcare personnel consenting to cooperate and participate were included in the study. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS. The results were presented in texts, tables and graphs. From 130 operation room personnel, the results revealed that the majority of the total respondents were male (83.1%). Only 30 (23.1%) of the respondents were involved in training, whereas 100 (76.9%) of the study participants have not participated in training. It was found that 86 (66.2%) of the respondents had good knowledge, 113 (86.9%) of the respondents had a good attitude, and 27 (20.8%) of the respondents had good practice. The authors' study reveals that the majority of study participants have a moderate level of knowledge, a good level of attitude, and poor levels of practice, according to Bloom's cut-off point. The institution should more fully implement the training for operation room personnel to improve their level of knowledge and practice of medical waste management.

A Study to Assess the Practice of Incentive Spirometer Among Postoperative Patients at a Selected Hospital.

The current study was aimed to assess the practice of incentive spirometer among postoperative patients at selected hospital. A descriptive observational study design with nonprobability purposive sampling was adopted to conduct a study among 60 postoperative patients of general surgery in patient department. Data were gathered by structured questionnaires using demographic variables and biological parameters. Confidentiality was maintained throughout the procedure. Collected data were analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results revealed that the Day 1, 27 (54%) had inadequate practice, 20 (40%) had moderately adequate practice, and 3 (6%) had adequate practice. On Day 2, 20 (40%) had adequate practice, 20 (40%) had moderately adequate practice, and 10 (20%) had inadequate practice. On Day 3, 36 (72%) had adequate practice, 8 (16%) had moderately adequate practice, and 6 (12%) had inadequate practice. The demographic variables did not shown statistically significant association with level of practice of flow-oriented incentive spirometer among the postoperative patients on Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3.

Socioeconomic factors and constraints on food safety practices in locust bean processing in Southwest Nigeria

Properly processed locust bean (Parkia biglobosa) is very important, especially in countries where the need for protein supplementation is high for both adults and infants. However, in the past there have been some inexcusable failures in the processing of the locust bean seed condiment, such as poor processing practices. Therefore, this study seeks to investigate how socioeconomic factors lead to constraints on the food safety practices of locust bean processors (LBP) in Southwest Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 277 respondents from a list of LBPs obtained from states with a high prevalence of locust bean processing activities. The primary data for the study were collected using a well-structured questionnaire and were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results show that 99.3% of the respondents were female with an average age of 42 years and an average processing experience of 17 years. 50.4% of the respondents' processing activities were unsafe, while 49.6% had adopted adequate food safety practices. Marital status, social association, household size, year of processing and various constraints were significant factors that influenced food safety practices. The results further show that the respondents were faced with major constraints like the difficulty of processing locust bean seed and inadequate credit facilities which prevented them from adopting appropriate food safety practices. The study concludes that processors are faced with challenges related to equipment and finance. Therefore, intervention to help them overcome some of the challenges which interfere with their ability to engage in food safety practices, such as the lack of sufficient financial resources to purchase modern equipment, could enhance safe food processing practices.

Analysis of basic shooting technique abilities in soccer games

This study was conducted for several reasons. Some students have bad experiences understanding and applying the correct basic shooting techniques. Moreover, a lack of adequate practice or understanding of the technique can cause it. Besides, students have trouble maintaining consistency when implementing basic shooting techniques. Some factors, such as physical fatigue, lack of concentration, or lack of regular exercise, can cause it. Thus, this research aimed to analyze basic shooting technical abilities in soccer games. This research applied quantitative research involving 30 high school students actively participating in extracurricular activities as the research participants. The instrument was the shooting test. The data analysis technique used descriptive statistics entered predetermined categories. The categorization was grouped into 5: excellent, good, fair, poor, and very poor. Then, the data were entered into the data processing technique in percentages. The results show that students' basic shooting technical abilities were in a good category, with a percentage of 40%, and the lowest is 3%. From the results of research on basic skills in soccer shooting techniques, several main points were concluded, namely that from the sample size, most students (53%) were still in the category of basic skills in good shooting techniques. Students who fall into the poor and very poor categories need special attention and extra guidance to improve their abilities in basic shooting techniques.

Factors associated with age at menarche, menstrual knowledge, and hygiene practices among schoolgirls in Sharjah, UAE

ABSTRACT Age at the onset of menarche is affected by several factors. However, the characterization of such factors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) remains partly elusive. We investigated the factors influencing the mean menarcheal age in schoolgirls from Sharjah, UAE. We also evaluated the menstrual knowledge and hygiene practices in the study population. We recruited 410 schoolgirls aged 8–17 years in this cross-sectional study. Data were obtained via a self-administered questionnaire. The mean age at menarche was 11.5 years (±1.17 SD) in the study population. A significant correlation was found between lower household income and delayed age at menarche (p = 0.005). Students who were less than 12 years old attained menarche earlier than older students (p = 0.001). Among the participants, 57.7% had good knowledge about menstruation and 54.7% adopted adequate hygiene practices. The mean age at menarche in the UAE is lower than in other Gulf regions. Earlier implementation of menstrual education programmes at schools is recommended.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of health care professionals regarding dengue fever: need for training and provision of diagnostic equipment in Togo in 2022, a cross-sectional study.

Health statistics on dengue are virtually non-existent, despite the fact that the virus is circulating in Togo. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of health professionals in the Kara health region. A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2022 among healthcare professionals who had worked in the Kara region of northern Togo were selected using an exhaustive recruitment method. Data were collected by trained resident doctors with a face-to-face interview using a standardized, pretested questionnaire based on the WHO 2009 dengue guide. Three multivariate regression models were utilized to investigate factors associated with knowledge, attitudes and, and practices. A total of 464 respondents (37.1% female), median age 35 years, interquartile range (29-43 years) were included. Only (3.0%) of the participants had received training on dengue fever diagnosis, treatment and prevention in the last 3 years, and 10.3% had dengue rapid diagnostic tests available at their hospital. Half of the respondents (49.1%) had good knowledge of dengue fever, compared with 30.0% who had positive attitudes. Of a total of 256 professionals who had encountered a case of dengue fever in their practice, only 24 (9.4%) had appropriate practices for diagnosing and treating dengue fever. In multivariate analysis, the healthcare professionals who had taken part in ongoing training on dengue fever were more likely to have adequate dengue diagnosis and treatment practice aOR = 8.1; CI 95% = [1.7-36.0]. Strengthening healthcare professionals' dengue-related skills through ongoing training and the provision of dengue diagnostic tests could help improve early detection practices and management of dengue fever in Togo.

Knowledge, attitudes, practices, and risk perception of waterborneand foodborne diseases: a study with food handlers from food services

Introduction: Foodborne diseases (FBD) occur due to inadequate food handling; therefore, studies to evaluate the hygienic-sanitary aspects of food production are important. Objective: To evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, self-reported practices (KAP), and risk perception of DTHA from the perspective of food handlers in food services. Method: Questionnaires were administered through interviews, containing questions about the sociodemographic profile, KAP, and the risk perception of DTHA. The sample consisted of 30 handlers from 20 small food service establishments in Laranjeiras do Sul-PR. All participants signed an informed consent form. Results: Only 66.7% of the participants had participated in Good Practices training. The general average of knowledge was 84.7%, which was considered sufficient. All attitudes evaluated were above 70.0% for positive attitudes. Some handlers had negative attitudes toward hand hygiene (26.7%), food thawing (10.0%), and fruits and vegetables sanitation (10.0%). The interviewees showed adequate practices for most questions and inadequate practices, mainly for thawing (53.3%), wearing a uniform (20.0%), and temperature of perishable foods (10.0%). Handlers had a low-risk perception of DTHA in the food handled by them (93.3%), as well as for thawing at room temperature (53.4%) and use of non-potable water (30.0%). Conclusions: Knowledge and attitude were not translated into practice. It is necessary to conduct training in good practices to improve the knowledgeof food handlers about the correct handling of food and, above all, to increase risk perception and motivate positive attitudes and appropriate practices to produce safe food.