Common Source Of Knowledge Research Articles

Forensic Odontology related awareness, knowledge and attitude among dentist and dental students in two Egyptian Universities: A survey-based study.

This study evaluated the awareness, knowledge, and attitude regarding forensic odontology (FO) among dental students and graduates at Beni-Suef University and Badr University in Cairo, Egypt. This cross-sectional study included 316 dentists and dental students in their final year of undergraduate study. An online self-administered questionnaire in English was used to obtain participants' responses. Less than half of the participants (47.5%) were aware of the branch of dentistry named FO. The highest percentages of correct answers in the knowledge assessment were reported in dental age estimation questions, while the lowest percentages were in items related to the use of FO in confirming sexual abuse and using palatal rugae as a marker in forensic identification. The most common source of knowledge was the internet (52.0%). Only 11.1% of the participants received FO courses in their colleges. Studying FO as a postgraduate course was interesting to 67.4% of the participants. The knowledge score was significantly associated with the participants' gender, graduation status, and educational level. This study revealed a lack of awareness of FO as a branch of dentistry among dental students and dentists in Egypt. Increasing awareness and knowledge of FO could be achieved by integrating FO into the dental curriculum at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Technostress and disengagement from knowledge sharing: insights from pre-pandemic and mid-pandemic data sets

PurposeThis study aims to examine a common failure in knowledge sharing, called disengagement from knowledge sharing (DKS), and investigates how technostress may contribute to this unintentional withholding of knowledge for knowledge workers. The authors apply the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model to explain the dual path of technostress creators and inhibitors on DKS via burnout and job engagement. The authors also examine how the pandemic and the changes in remote work and information and communication technology (ICT)-related stress may have impacted DKS.Design/methodology/approachUsing a time-lag survey, two independent samples of knowledge workers who use information and communication technologies for their jobs were surveyed during early 2020 and mid-2021. Analyses were completed with partial least squares-structural equation modelling.FindingsTechnostress (via the JD-R model) explained DKS. Technostress creators were positively associated with burnout, which was in turn positively related to DKS. Technostress inhibitors were positively associated with job engagement, which in turn was also positively related to disengagement to knowledge sharing. Technostress inhibitors were negatively associated with burnout. Results from the multigroup analysis indicated that technostress inhibitors had a stronger relationship with engagement pre-pandemic than mid-pandemic.Originality/valueThis research addresses a more common source of knowledge sharing failures and illustrates how ICTs may impact this DKS via burnout and job engagement. In addition, this research captures a change in relationships associated with the pandemic.

Nutrition and diet myths, knowledge and practice during pregnancy and lactation among a sample of Egyptian pregnant women: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundGlobally, the burden of maternal malnutrition remains an enormous public health problem; malnourished pregnant women are at increased risk of having low-birth-weight (LBW) infants. Several reports suggest a possible association between malnutrition among lactating mothers and the production of smaller quantities of breast milk. Many women have incorrect nutrition knowledge during pregnancy due to false beliefs derived from popular practices. Our study was conducted to assess nutritional knowledge, myths, and practices among Egyptian women during pregnancy and lactation.MethodologyA pretested 2-page interview questionnaire was used to collect data from the study participants after written informed consent was obtained from them after clarification of the study’s aim. Obstetrics and gynecology experts collected the data from pregnant females who agreed to participate in private and university hospital antenatal care clinics in Cairo, Egypt.ResultsA total of 468 pregnant females completed the interview questionnaire. The mean knowledge score was 5 ± 3, with a median score of 5 and an IQR of 3–7, and the mean holding myths score was 3 ± 2, with a median score of 2 and an IQR of 2–4. Regarding the correct answers to the knowledge questions, more than 70% of the participants correctly answered that during the first six months of life, breast milk is the only food a baby requires, and less than 20% of them correctly answered that caffeine consumption could provoke premature birth. Regarding the holding myths questions, more than half of the participants held the myth that drinking moghat and helba increases the breast milk supply. We found that the most common source of knowledge during pregnancy and lactation among the participants was family and friends’ advice (60%), followed by others (doctors, previous education in school or university) (45%).ConclusionAmong a sample of Egyptian women, more than half held at least one myth about nutrition and diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding, so health education at antenatal outpatient clinics should be directed toward those myths to correct them. Older women with sufficient family income showed significantly higher knowledge scores than others.

Perspective of adults in Saudi Arabia toward complementary and alternative medicine use for autism spectrum disorder: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a high-prevalence neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by communicational, social, and behavioral challenges. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a group of practices and products that fall outside the realm of conventional medicine practiced worldwide. Traditional CAM is a health practice that comes from a particular culture, such as the use of Zamzam water and black seeds in Saudi Arabia. CAM comprises widely utilized practices in Saudi Arabia for children of various ages and adults. In many cases, CAM is used to treat ASD. The aim of this study is to investigate the perspectives of adults in Saudi Arabia toward CAM for treating ASD.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted by distributing an online questionnaire to adults in different regions of Saudi Arabia.ResultsA total of 4,311 adults participated in this study; 66.8% were females and 33.2% were male. Half of the participants reported that they knew about ASD (54.7%). More than half of the participants indicated that CAM—including art therapy (69.0%), physical exercise (67.0%), and limiting the use of electronic (55.4%)—could help in ASD management. Around half of the respondents indicated a belief that traditional treatment cannot help in treating ASD (53.9%). Only 20.0% of the respondents thought that ASD could be entirely treated using CAM therapies. The most common source of knowledge about CAM was social media and the internet (58.6%).ConclusionsThe majority of participants in this study did not believe that ASD could be treated entirely using CAM. In addition, fewer than half of the participants believed that CAM therapies could improve different aspects of ASD, such as behavioral issues. The study highlighted the need for awareness among residents of Saudi Arabia regarding specific treatments for ASD.

Palyatif bakımda, bakım verenlerin geleneksel ve tamamlayıcı tıp uygulamaları hakkındaki görüşleri

Introduction and Aim: The goal of palliative care is to enhance the quality of life for patients and caregivers, focusing on symptom management for patients with conditions where treatment may not be possible. The burden of common symptoms in patients with incurable diseases is increasing, and traditional and complementary medicine (GETAT) practices are being used as a part of palliative care in many countries around the world. The aim of this study is to determine caregivers’ perceptions of traditional and complementary medicine practices and to investigate the factors influencing the demand for GETAT applications in palliative care, considering the conditions of the service. Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive study’s population consists of caregivers of patients receiving treatment in a palliative care service conducted by family physician specialists. A mixed-method approach was utilized, employing face-to-face surveys with Likert-type questions and adding open-ended questions to the survey. Results: During the study period, 67 out of 72 caregivers who were providing care to patients were included. The average age of caregivers was 46.4 ± 13.7, and 55.2% (n=37) were female. As for education, 62.7% (n=42) had completed primary education. When inquired about GETAT knowledge, 56.7% had awareness, with the most common source of knowledge being acquaintances, neighbors, spouses, friends, and relatives at 31.3%, followed by social media at 16.4%. Among the participants who were knowledgeable about GETAT applications, the proportion of those who had previously applied it to a palliative care patient was determined to be 28.9% (n=11). Caregivers’ perspectives on GETAT applications included concerns about causing harm to the patient, individual patient-related factors, and inadequate or incorrect information about GETAT practices.When comparing GETAT knowledge based on gender, it was determined that women had a 24% higher awareness of the applications compared to men. In the group with lower education levels, the primary source of GETAT knowledge was found to be acquaintances, spouses, friends, and relatives (p<0.05). When the caregivers’ knowledge levels of GETAT were compared with the diagnoses of the patients they were caring for, a statistically significant result could not be found. Conclusion: In our study, sociodemographic information and awareness of GETAT applications were found to be similar to the literature. In a study conducted in 2020 with cancer patients receiving palliative care, a usage rate of 30% for GETAT was identified, with herbal therapy being the most frequently applied method. In our study, even though our palliative care service included not only cancer patients but also all patient groups, the rate of GETAT application was found to be 28.9%. The low rate can be interpreted as stemming from the severity of the health conditions of palliative care patients. In Turkey, caregivers have concerns about GETAT applications in palliative care services. Although further research on the subject is needed, obtaining accurate information about GETAT applications from reliable sources can potentially change perspectives.

Level of knowledge about prehospital management of a patient with chest pain among nursing and midwifery students

Aim: To assess the level of knowledge about chest pain and the management procedure in patients with chest pain among nursing and midwifery students. Material and methods: The study was conducted in 276 nursing and midwifery students at the Medical University of Lodz, Poland. Results: First-year first-cycle program students constituted the largest group among the respondents (114 people), whereas the smallest group included third-year first-cycle program students. Classes attended in the course of university studies were the most common source of knowledge about chest pain in the surveyed group (62.7%, 173 subjects), whereas 6.9% of the respondents (19 individuals) reported having no knowledge about chest pain. Depending on their age, the surveyed students most often assessed their level of knowledge about prehospital management of a patient with chest pain as satisfac¬tory - 45.3% (125 respondents), and least frequently as very good - 4% (11 respondents). As regards the characteristic symptoms of myocardial infarction pain, the students most often indicated the correct answer, i.e. retrosternal pain (81.8%, 226 respondents), while 18.2% (50) of the students did not know the right answer. Conclusions: Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death in Poland, therefore, especially students of every medical field at the beginning of the education cycle should acquire knowledge and skills in the field of pre-hospital management of a patient with chest pain.

Women's Knowledge about Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Methods of Pain Relief in Labor.

This study aimed to assess knowledge about non-pharmacological pain-relief methods in labor among women who have given birth at least once. This cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey among 466 adult women. The minimum sample size was estimated based on the number of labor admissions in the year before the study in Poland. The survey included questions about respondents' sociodemographics and knowledge of pain-relief methods. The knowledge score was calculated using the sum of correct answers. Non-parametric Spearman's correlation, Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon variance tests were used. Antenatal classes (313/68.9%) and the Internet (248/54.6%) were the most common sources of knowledge. The most popular pharmacological pain-relief methods included epidural anesthesia (386/85.0%) and nitrous oxide (301/66.3%). Massage and breathing techniques were the most commonly known non-pharmacological methods (405/89.2% and 400/88.1%, respectively). The knowledge score about non-pharmacological methods was significantly higher as compared to the pharmacological methods score (rc = 0.85; p < 0.001). Respondents' age correlated with knowledge about non-pharmacological methods (rs = -0.10,p = 0.026) but did not correlate with knowledge about pharmacological methods. Educational level correlated with knowledge about pharmacological (rs = -0.13,p = 0.007) and non-pharmacological (rs = 0.14, p = 0.003) methods concerning pain relief in labor. No correlation was found between respondents' knowledge and gravidity, number of vaginal or cesarean deliveries, and hospital referral levels for previous deliveries. Our findings support the need to implement educational programs to increase evidence-based knowledge about pain-relief methods during labor in women.

WETM: A word embedding-based topic model with modified collapsed Gibbs sampling for short text

Short texts are a common source of knowledge, and the extraction of such valuable information is beneficial for several purposes. Traditional topic models are incapable of analyzing the internal structural information of topics. They are mostly based on the co-occurrence of words at the document level and are often unable to extract semantically relevant topics from short text datasets due to their limited length. Although some traditional topic models are sensitive to word order due to the strong sparsity of data, they do not perform well on short texts. In this paper, we propose a novel word embedding-based topic model (WETM) for short text documents to discover the structural information of topics and words and eliminate the sparsity problem. Moreover, a modified collapsed Gibbs sampling algorithm is proposed to strengthen the semantic coherence of topics in short texts. WETM extracts semantically coherent topics from short texts and finds relationships between words. Extensive experimental results on two real-world datasets show that WETM achieves better topic quality, topic coherence, classification, and clustering results. WETM also requires less execution time compared to traditional topic models.

Elementary Teachers' Perspectives on Teaching Reading Comprehension.

We report findings from a survey of elementary teachers regarding reading instruction. The purpose was to examine teachers' beliefs about how children in the first 7 years of schooling develop reading comprehension skills and to characterize the self-reported practices and strategies they use to support children to comprehend connected text. A web-based survey was used to collect data from 284 Australian elementary teachers about their beliefs and practices regarding reading comprehension instruction. Selected Likert-scale items were aggregated to determine the degree to which participants held "child-centered" or "content-centered" views of reading instruction. Australian elementary school teachers hold a wide range of beliefs about reading instruction, some of which are in direct opposition to each other. Our findings indicate low consensus about what elements of instructional practice are useful in classrooms or how time should be apportioned to different tasks. Commercial programs had significant penetration in schools, and many participants reported using multiple commercial programs, with varying degrees of pedagogical harmony. Participants indicated that their most common source of knowledge about reading instruction was their own personal research, with few nominating university teacher education as a primary source of knowledge or expertise. Little agreement exists within the Australian elementary teacher community regarding the ways that reading skills can and should be taught. There is significant room for teacher practice to have improved theoretical underpinnings and to develop a consistent repertoire of classroom practices aligned with these.

Knowledge of the Saudi hypertensive individuals towards hypertension: a cross-sectional analytical study

Background: This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the knowledge of hypertension among adults living in Saudi Arabia. This information will be valuable for healthcare providers, public health organizations, and policy makers in developing effective health education programs and interventions to improve the management and prevention of hypertension in Saudi Arabia Methods: The study was conducted during the period from October 2022 to December 2022 and utilized an online survey with a sample size of 1234 adults with a minimum age of 18 years. The survey consisted of questions regarding sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge of hypertension, including causes, symptoms, risk factors, and management. Results: The results showed that most participants had a general understanding of hypertension, with the majority (79.7%) knowing the normal values of blood pressure and 63.7% understanding that it is a treatable condition. The most common source of knowledge about hypertension was through friends and family (53.1%). Conclusions: The study highlights the need for continued education and awareness about hypertension in Saudi Arabia, particularly for those with limited education and older individuals.

Knowledge of Students of Selected Fields at the Medical University of Lodz on Basic Resuscitation Procedures

Abstract Background Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a sudden medical condition in which the mechanical function of the heart is impaired and consequently ceases. It is the most common cause of human death in Europe. In order to increase survival rates, it is essential to spread knowledge among the public about life-saving techniques. Medical students, as a specific health-related group, should be familiar with current life-threatening emergency management regimens. Objective The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge of students of selected faculties at the Medical University of Lodz on basic resuscitation procedures (BLS – Basic Life Support). Material and methods Online survey questionnaire consisting of 25 questions developed by the study authors. The study involved 327 students of selected faculties: medicine, nursing, paramedicine, public health at the Medical University of Lodz. Inclusion criteria for the study: age &gt;= 18 years, status as a student of the aforementioned faculties at the Medical University of Lodz, informed consent to participate in the study. Results 80.7% (264) of the students were familiar with the management algorithm: 85.6% (89) of medical students, 79.8% (67) of nursing students, 81.0% (60) of paramedic students, and 71.6% (48) of public health students; 81.5% (145) of those familiar with the algorithm were female, and 79.9% (119) were male students. 92.3% of medical students, 82.1% of nursing students, 90.3% of paramedic students and 64.1% of public health students had knowledge of AEDs. Among the respondents, the most common sources of knowledge about BLS were the medical school classes (68.5% (224)) and the Internet (24.16% (79)). Conclusions The knowledge of the students of selected courses of the Medical University of Lodz was satisfactory. The majority of students knew the procedure algorithm and emergency numbers. The main source of BLS knowledge for students were classes at the medical university and the Internet. The process of educating medical students and the entire society about BLS should be continuously pursued.

Counseling in Speech-Language Pathology: Perspectives and experiences of Speech-Language Pathologists in India

BackgroundCounseling is important in service delivery in the field of Speech-Language Pathology. The skills required for counseling can be utilised during the assessment and management of all communication disorders. To develop, validate and administer a questionnaire assessing current perspectives and experiences of working speech-language pathologists practising in India towards counseling. MethodsThe questionnaire consisted of 36 questions towards counseling which were completed by 116 speech-language pathologists. Statistical analysis was carried out using Jamovi 2.0.0.0 to determine descriptive statistics and the internal consistency of the questionnaire using Cronbach's Alpha. ResultsThe participants perceived the importance of counseling and were comfortable with providing counseling. The most common source of knowledge on counseling was reported to be discussions with colleagues and friends. The participants considered all the suggested aspects of counseling to be extremely important. The most common area difficult to counsel was reported to be reading and writing disorders. ConclusionsThe questionnaire helped in providing insight into the current perspectives and experiences towards counseling in the field of communication disorders in India.

Knowledge, attitude and practices towards COVID-19 preventive measures among adults in Bhutan: A cross-sectional study.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a major global health challenge. Preventive measures against the spread of COVID-19 require the involvement of all sections of society. Knowledge and attitude towards COVID-19 preventive measures influence human practices. We describe the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of COVID-19 preventive measure in Bhutan. This was a cross-sectional survey using multistage-cluster sampling involving participants from all 20 districts of the country. The knowledge was assessed using 12 items, attitude using 6 Likert items and practice using 10 items. There was total of 1708 respondents. The mean knowledge was 10.7, (SD = 1.5; range 0-12); 86.38% had good knowledge, 10.95% had average knowledge, 2.69% had poor knowledge. The common sources of knowledge were television (84.9%) and family and friends (74.7%). Those younger than 30 years were associated with good knowledge. The fear of contracting COVID-19 was reported by 96% and 86.4% agreed that appropriate preventive measures can help control the spread of COVID-19. Nearly all the respondents (97%) wore mask while going out and majority practiced good hand hygiene (87.9%) and proper cough etiquette (84.1%). The knowledge on COVID-19 preventive measures was good and the majority held positive attitudes and practices.

Awareness and practice of contraceptive measures among multiparous Pakistani women - A multicenter study

Objective: To determine contraceptive knowledge and practices among multiparous women. Study Design: Cross Sectional, Multicenter study. Setting: Gynae Unit I of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Lahore and Gynecology Department of Government Teaching Hospital, Shahdara. Period: 1st July 2019 to 31st December, 2019. Material &amp; Methods: A total of 448 multiparous women were randomly selected from 2 tertiary care hospitals. A structured questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge of women attending antenatal and gynaecology clinics and indoor. Results: Out of 448 women, all were aware of at least one method of contraception and 272 (65%) had used one. The most commonly employed method was male condom (33%) followed by IUCD (24%), oral contraceptive pill (22%) and hormone based injectables (13%). In upper socioeconomic class, 95% were using birth control methods whereas 71% of middle class and 48% of lower class subjects had used any one method of birth control. In the highly educated subjects, 67% had employed a contraceptive method and among the illiterate, only 39% has used any method. Disapproval on part of the husband was the most common (28%) reason of refusing contraceptive services, followed by desire for more children (16%). Health care workers were the most common source of knowledge of contraception (69%) followed by family members (31%) and media (17%). Conclusion: All the subjects were aware of contraceptive methods. The most common used method is condoms followed by IUCD but practices were limited due to high illetracy, lower socioeconomic status, partener refusal, desire for more issues and fear of side effects.

Attitude System Realization of News Texts in Light of Appraisal Theory

Introduction: Journalistic texts, as a common source of knowledge, are meant to be realistic and emotionless. However, the ideologies and emotions of journalists can be traced while representing the same event in various ways using different media. Accordingly, the present study aimed to clarify the evaluative realizations of the news texts using the Appraisal Model. The present study also scrutinized the occurrence of the appraisal sub-categories throughout the text using the sentence as a unit of analysis. Methodology: Having employed Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and drawing on Appraisal Theory proposed by Martin and White (2005), this article examined three semantic regions of meaning, namely affect, judgment, and appreciation. Results: By analyzing aspects of clause grammar relevant to the three dimensions of meanings, the article marked “judgment” as the highest frequent sub-system in the delivered speech, followed by the other two sub-systems of “affect” and “appreciation”. Moreover, results obtained from the analysis of the mentioned aspects corroborated the ideological orientations acting upon the speakers. Conclusion: The interpretations of the delivered speech in this article construed the appraisal system as the path to achieving the interpersonal function of language in light of SFL.

Awareness of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis among men who have sex with men using apps for sexual encounters in Turkiye.

New HIV diagnoses are rising in Turkiye. Men who have sex with men (MSM) are estimated to be the main driver of the epidemic. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) was proven to be effective in reducing new HIV diagnoses and PrEP recently became available in Turkiye. To assess awareness of and willingness to use PrEP and the level of off-licence use among MSM. An anonymous self-completed questionnaire was sent out over the Hornet Gay Social Network from December 2019 to February 2020, available in Turkish and Arabic. It included 20 questions on HIV and STI testing, PrEP awareness, PrEP use, willingness to use, chemsex and sexual happiness level. Overall 4761 respondents who responded to more than 1/3 of the questions were eligible for analyses; 5.5% was Arabic speaking. The mean age was 30.5years, 31.4% had never tested for HIV, 40.5% knew what PrEP was, the most common source of knowledge was the internet (44.5%), 2.5% (120) had used PrEP in the last 12months and 1.7% (83) was current users. PrEP users had accessed drugs over the internet (47.6%), pharmacy (23%), and friends (13.8%). Almost 40% were willing to use PrEP in the following 6months. Younger and Arabic speaking respondents had lower rates of HIV testing (p = .001) and lower awareness for PrEP than comparators (p = .004). Awareness and willingness to use PrEP is high among MSM in Turkiye. The recent availability of PrEP in the country is a big step forward in terms of prevention.

Knowledge and Practice about COVID-19 among Medical Students

Background: Covid-19 pandemic has brought the world to a standstill where the only hope to end this is the prevention and control of the disease. Medical students hold significant importance in this crisis as being the individuals at increased risk as well as future health care providers. Aim: To assess the knowledge and practice regarding Covid-19 Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Lahore Medical and Dental College, Tulspura. The duration of study was three months from Feb 2021 till April 2021 after the approval of synopsis by IRB committee, LMDC. Study Population included final year MBBS students. Sample size was n=113.Sampling technique used was non-probability convenience sampling technique. Data collection was done using a structured questionnaire consisting of three sections viz socio demographic characteristics, knowledge and practice about Covid-19. Data entry and analysis was done using IBM SPSS version 21. Results: Study participants included 48.7% males and 51.3% females. Most of the students 99.1% were aware of the Covid-19 pandemic. About 99.1% students also knew that it is an infectious disease and 96.5% knew that a virus is the causative agent of Covid-19. However, 84.1% had correct knowledge regarding the incubation period of the disease. Maximum respondents 73.5% believed that everyone is equally susceptible to get infected with Covid-19. Fever and cough are the most common symptoms of the disease and internet and electronic media are most common source of information regarding Covid-19. Majority 46% of respondents did not adopt good practice of regular washing of hands. Nearly 63.7% ate healthy food and 73.5% maintained healthy life style focusing on outbreak Conclusion: The medical students had adequate basic knowledge regarding the disease, electronic media and internet being the most common source of knowledge. The practices of mask wearing and adoption of healthy lifestyle were widely adopted yet the practice of hand hygiene and reduced social mobility was poorly conducted. Keywords: Covid-19, knowledge and practice, medical students

Source of Menstrual Knowledge, Reaction, and Restriction during Menstruation in Chinnalapatti, Tamil Nadu: Evidence from a Cross-sectional Survey among Adolescent Schoolgirls

Background: The study aims to determine the factors associated with restriction during menstruation among adolescent girls. To find out the source of knowledge and information regarding menstruation and emotional reaction at the time of menarche. Methods: A Cross-sectional survey was conducted in the Schools of Chinnalapatti, Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu in southern India. A sample size of 116 adolescent girls aged 9–18 years. The questionnaire included questions regarding demographics, socio-category, education, family income, age at menarche, emotion response at menarche, social restriction, source of knowledge, and information. Results: The mean age year of menarche was 11.72 ± 1.27 years. Most adolescent girls (52.59%) informed their mothers first menarche. Furthermore, significant participants responded that mothers and relatives were the common sources of knowledge and information regarding menstruation. Participants were not allowed to go in religious activities (99.14%), not allowed to go near plants (99%), forced to be separated from others (35.34%). Parent qualification had a significant influence on restriction during menstruation. Conclusion: A significant percentage of girls have to face many kinds of restrictions during menstruation. Socioeconomic factors were significantly associated with the types of restrictions during menstruation. The study suggests that elementary knowledge and awareness about menstruation must be dispersed by the schools/NGOs where teachers, students (male and female), and their parents should participate for better awareness, leading to overcoming the efficiency.

Patterns and Factors Influencing Self-Medication among Students of The American International University West Africa (Aiuwa), The Gambia

Aims/Objectives: This study aimed to throw more light on how common self-medication is, among the American International University West Africa (AIUWA), The Gambia’s student population, the common patterns, and the factors that aid or prevent self-medication among the students.&#x0D; Materials and Methods: This study utilized a descriptive cross-sectional design. A sample of 168 AIUWA students was collected online. Qualitative data was hardcoded and data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariable binary logistic regression to determine the correlation between factors for, and outcomes of self-medication.&#x0D; Results and Discussion: 38.9% of the respondents practiced self-medication. The most common rationale for self-medication is the perception of the illness to be mild (42%) and having similar symptoms in the past (36.2%). Other reasons were availability of home remedies (26.1%) or drugs for self-medication (20.3%), emergency use (17.4%), and because self-medication saves time. The least common reasons given for self-medicating were clinic being far away (2.9%) and being a health worker or practicing nurse (1.4%). Knowledge from the past experiences of an illness (51.5%) and online sources (26.5%) were the most common sources of knowledge for self-medication. The most common medications used are Paracetamol (60.9%) and antibiotics (46.4%) and the most common conditions treated are headache (52.2%) and cold symptoms (46.4%). Less than half of the respondents (46.4%) self-medicated according to the recommended duration, 42% were sure that they did not take the medication for the correct duration of time and 11.6% did not even bother to check. Almost all the participants who self-medicated said that the medication solved the health condition they treated. Majority of the students who practiced self-medication preferred orthodox medicines to alternative medicines. By far, the most common source of drugs for self-medication was the drug store (81.4%), followed by friends and family (16.7%), drugs stored at home (15.7%), and home remedies (15.7%). Most of the students sometimes read the prescribing information before using a medication, and 51.2% do not support the idea of self-medication. In addition, self-medication was significantly associated with being a student in the health science center (p&lt;0.001), married (p&lt;0.05) or single (p&lt;0.05), and being in or beyond the third year of studies (p&lt;0.05). &#x0D; Conclusions: Almost half of the respondents admitted to having practiced self-medication because they perceived their illness to be mild. Students who were significantly more likely to self-medicate were those in the health science center, those who are married or single, and those who have reached or passed the third year of studies.

Awareness and Satisfaction About COVAXIN Vaccination Services at an Immunization Clinic in Nagpur: A Cross-Sectional Study

IntroductionInitially, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination was started in India for the elderly above 60 years of age. Adults with any comorbidity have been gradually included in the vaccination drive. It is empirical to gain insight into the satisfaction of these beneficiaries with the vaccination as it may act as an influencing factor for receiving the vaccine.Materials and methodsThis was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out at the COVID-19 vaccination clinic of the Government Medical College and Hospital, Nagpur, among individuals above 60 years of age and those from 45 to 60 years of age with comorbidity. The survey tool was a predesigned structured questionnaire that had close-ended questions on various aspects of awareness about the COVID-19 vaccines and their satisfaction with the immunization center. Interviews were conducted by two interviewers on each day. Data were analyzed using open software Epi Info (CDC, Atlanta, Georgia). The chi-square test was applied as a test of significance.ResultsA total of 290 subjects participated in the study. The majority had correct knowledge about COVID-19 vaccination and appropriate COVID-19 behavior after vaccination. Fever and body ache were known to most of the subjects as adverse effects following immunization. Social media was the most common source of knowledge. The majority of the subjects were satisfied with the services provided at the vaccination center, but there was no difference as per age, gender, or residential status of the subjects.ConclusionDespite mixed rumors about the COVID-19 vaccine, the majority of the study subjects were well satisfied with the vaccination. They were apparently having fair awareness about the vaccine.