Community-based Strategies Research Articles

Barriers to Physical Activity Participation in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Background: Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders tend to participate in less physical activity. The purpose of this study was to identify barriers to physical activity participation in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) based on parental reports. Methods: The sample comprised 370 children and adolescents with ASD, aged 8–20 years. Simple random sampling was selected. We designed a questionnaire and used the survey method for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The results revealed several barriers to physical activity participation: interpersonal barriers were the top priority, followed by friends and peers as well as psychological factors as the second and third priorities. Additionally, family, cognition, management and planning, social and cultural factors, and skills were identified as the fourth through eighth barriers, respectively. Conclusions: Understanding these barriers is crucial for developing effective school- and community-based strategies to promote physical activity participation.

Interventions for HIV prevention and treatment among people of Haitian descent: a scoping review

BackgroundPeople of Haitian descent were initially blamed as a cause of the HIV epidemic. Although progress has been made, people of Haitian descent have been disproportionately affected by both HIV...

Gender equality advocacy and socio-economic inclusion: A comparative study of community-based approaches in promoting women’s empowerment and economic resilience (2022)

This review examines community-based approaches to gender equality advocacy and socio-economic inclusion, focusing on strategies to promote women’s empowerment and economic resilience. As global discourse on gender equality gains momentum, community-driven initiatives have emerged as pivotal agents of change, particularly in marginalized communities where structural, cultural, and socio-economic barriers persist. This provides a comparative analysis of grassroots movements, local advocacy groups, and capacity-building programs that seek to enhance women’s roles in economic and social domains. Through a qualitative approach, including case studies from various regions, this study explores how community-based strategies such as microfinance initiatives, vocational training, and entrepreneurial support networks have been instrumental in improving financial independence and workforce participation for women. Findings indicate that localized initiatives have achieved notable success in challenging traditional gender roles, expanding women’s access to resources, and fostering economic resilience. Financial inclusion mechanisms, such as savings groups and access to credit, emerged as critical factors in enhancing women’s economic stability, particularly in settings where formal financial systems are inaccessible. Additionally, the study highlights the impact of social empowerment initiatives that focus on health, education, and altering perceptions of gender roles, thereby creating a supportive environment for sustainable change. Challenges remain, particularly regarding the sustainability and scalability of community-based models, as well as cultural resistance to gender equality. The review concludes with policy recommendations to strengthen partnerships between governments, private sectors, and community organizations, promote adaptable models for broader implementation, and improve monitoring frameworks. This comparative analysis underscores the significance of community-based approaches in advancing gender equality, advocating for their expanded role in global efforts toward socio-economic inclusion and resilience for women.

Vaccination Communication Strategies and Uptake in Africa: A Systematic Review

Background: African countries experience high rates of infectious diseases that are mostly preventable by vaccination. Despite the risks of infections and other adverse outcomes, vaccination coverage in the African region remains significantly low. Poor vaccination knowledge is a contributory factor, and effective communication is crucial to bridging the vaccination uptake gap. This review summarises vaccination communication strategies adopted across African countries and associated changes in vaccine uptake. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in five bibliographic databases between 2000 and 2023 and supplemented with an additional Google Scholar search. Studies with data on vaccination communication and uptake in the English language were considered. A narrative synthesis was performed, and findings were presented in text and tables. Findings: Forty-one studies from fourteen African countries met the inclusion criteria. Several communication strategies were implemented for 13 different vaccines, mainly childhood vaccines. Mass campaigns and capacity building were the most common strategies for the public and health workers, respectively. Community-based strategies using social mobilisation effectively complemented other communication strategies.Overall, vaccination uptake increased in all countries following vaccination communication interventions. Barriers and facilitators to optimising vaccination communication at systemic and individual levels were also identified. Key barriers included lack of vaccine information, access issues, and high cost, while facilitators included improved vaccine education, reminders, trust-building initiatives, and community involvement. Conclusions: This review highlights effective vaccination communication strategies implemented across Africa as well as systemic and individual barriers and facilitators influencing vaccination uptake. The findings can inform strategies for vaccination communication and campaign planning to improve vaccination coverage in Africa.

Pacific Water Security and Drought. Fostering Traditional Knowledge Concerns in the South Pacific amidst a Climate Crisis

The Pacific region faces increasing challenges of water security and drought due to a current and irreversible climate crisis. This paper examines the impacts of rising temperatures, changing weather patterns, and extreme weather events on freshwater resources across Pacific Island communities. These challenges are exacerbating water scarcity and threatening the basic needs of these vulnerable populations. Traditional knowledge and community-based adaptation strategies have long played a vital role in mitigating water-related risks. However, the severity of the current climate crisis demands an integrative approach that combines scientific research, policy action, and traditional ecological knowledge. This study explores how the integration of Indigenous practices with modern scientific approaches can enhance resilience to drought and freshwater scarcity. It underscores the importance of traditional knowledge systems in sustainable water management, while also recognizing the need for greater focus on how Pacific communities experience climate impacts and respond through local community-based adaptation. By combining local knowledge with scientific data, it is possible to develop culturally appropriate, adaptive water management strategies. This approach aims to build long-term resilience in the Pacific, ensuring communities' access to clean water and safeguarding their overall well-being.

Assessing community participation in anti-human trafficking in Edo State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT The ineffectiveness of the state-centric legal/institutional approach has marked a paradigm shift in the practice and literature on the global anti-human trafficking efforts to embrace community-based strategies. An understanding of the local contexts of human trafficking is critical to developing a meaningful response to its scourge. Thus, this paper aims to assess community participation in anti-human trafficking efforts in Nigeria. The study adopted the qualitative research design and drew its data from semi-structured interviews with purposively selected 25 stakeholders in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. The findings indicated that legal/institutional response has not been effective against human trafficking in Edo State as well as Nigeria due largely to corruption and other vices. Furthermore, while engagement in anti-human trafficking was very high among FBOs, CBOs and NGOs, it was low among ordinary members of the communities. To address the challenges hindering community participation in anti-human trafficking the study recommends the empowerment of local communities and FBOs, CSOs, NGOs, survivors of human trafficking, and other non-state actors. The study concludes that improved community participation will bridge the gaps in the legal/institutional approach, which will result in the effectiveness of the fight against human trafficking in Nigeria.

Experience with Dog Sterilization Campaigns for Surveillance of Zoonotic Diseases in Ecuador: Building Bridges with Animal Organizations to Improve One Health Research.

The extensive population of free-roaming dogs poses significant public health risks in low- and middle-income countries because of their potential role in spreading infectious and zoonotic diseases. This article discusses the successful collaboration between academia and nonprofit animal welfare organizations in Ecuador to enhance One Health surveillance despite limited research resources. This collaborative model could serve as a valuable example for other countries in the Americas and globally, where community-based strategies may improve One Health policies.

Universal Crisis Information Design: A Multi-Case Study.

This paper presents a multi-case study on universal crisis information design, focusing on individuals with communication disorders, the elderly, and immigrants. Using a research-through-design approach and various qualitative data collection methods, the study explores accessible information solutions by examining the accessibility of crisis information design and developing universal crisis information design guidelines based on the findings. The findings highlight the necessity for simplified crisis messages, multimodal communication, and the involvement of community facilitators. This leads to a set of guidelines for universal crisis information design, including integrating adaptive technologies and multiple communication channels to enhance trust and inclusivity in crisis management. The study underscores the importance of community-based strategies and the role of personalized, clear, and trustworthy information in improving crisis preparedness and response among vulnerable groups.

Awareness of community-led total sanitation and its impact on sanitation among residents of Kilifi and Marsabit Counties, Kenya

Background: Community-based strategy known as community-led total sanitation (CLTS) is frequently employed to address open defecation and the health issues it causes. Inadequate sanitation is one of the biggest health and environmental problems in the world, contributing to approximately 775,000 deaths per year. This study aimed to assess the level of awareness of community-led total sanitation (CLTS) and its impact on sanitation among communities in Kilifi and Marsabit Counties in Kenya. Methods: The study adopted a comparative study design. Purposive and multistage sampling were used to recruit study respondents in this study. Fischer's formula was used to determine the sample size for this investigation where 811 study participants were enlisted for the research. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to estimate the impact of CLTS intervention on sanitation status. A significance level of 0.05 was employed as the threshold for all tests conducted in this study. Results: From this study, Among those fully conversant with CLTS, 98% resided in Kilifi County; 77% in Marsabit were fully aware of CLTS. The majority(87.7%) of the study respondents were fully aware of CLTS. Despite CLTS intervention resulting in a 42% increase in households owning a sanitation facility, There was no significant statistical association between CLTS intervention and sanitation status (t=0.42, p=0.0835). Conclusion: The study established that the level of awareness of CLTS in both counties was high. The results from this study demonstrated that CLTS intervention programs had an impact on sanitation levels in Kilifi and Marsabit counties.

Harm reduction techniques among cisgender gay, bisexual, and queer men using anabolic androgenic steroids: a qualitative study

BackgroundAnabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are synthetic forms of testosterone frequently used as performance enhancing drugs among gay, bisexual, and queer (GBQ) men. Despite widespread use, associated harms, and the likely existence of an AAS use disorder, there is no medical consensus on standards of care for people who use AAS, with most medical providers focusing exclusively on abstinence. Individuals using AAS have developed community-based harm reduction strategies to mitigate these harms.MethodsThis paper is a sub-analysis of qualitative data obtained through semi-structured interviews with GBQ men using AAS for 8 or more weeks recruited through convenience and snowball sampling from clinical sites and LGBTQ + venues in New York City as well as through social media. Interviews were coded with themes developed using reflexive thematic analysis. Data related to harm reduction techniques were then re-analyzed through a prevention strategies framework lens of primary, secondary, and tertiary harm prevention.ResultsThematic saturation was reached at twelve interviews in the primary analysis, with men reporting frequent use of multiple harm reduction techniques. For primary prevention, men avoided oral steroids and simultaneous substance use, tried to obtain AAS from reputable sources, used “cycling” to dose steroids, and practiced sterile injection techniques. Secondary prevention methods included patient-directed lab testing for hematocrit, liver and kidney function, cholesterol, prostate specific antigen, testosterone, and self-performed blood pressure checks. Tertiary prevention included donating blood and the use of medications without a prescription, including aromatase inhibitors, selective estrogen receptor blockers, aspirin, statins, angiotensin receptor blockers, clomiphene, and human chorionic gonadotropin.ConclusionsDespite many GBQ men experiencing harms from anabolic androgenic steroids, community members have often sought harm reduction techniques in lieu of abstinence. Though many of these techniques embrace clinical reasoning and may be more broadly applicable, additional research is needed to understand the impact of each intervention on the overall health of individuals using AAS.

The Comprehensive Resilience-building psychosocial Intervention (CREST) for people with dementia in the community: a feasibility and acceptability study

BackgroundA dementia diagnosis can lead to a decline in cognitive, social, and physical health, but people with dementia can live meaningful lives and participate actively in society with psychosocial support. This single-arm, non-randomised feasibility study explored the feasibility and acceptability of a Comprehensive REsilience-building psychoSocial intervenTion (CREST) for people with dementia, their caregivers, General Practitioners (GPs), and the public.MethodsNine people with dementia and their primary caregivers living in the community (n = 9 dyads) completed the CREST intervention which had three components (cognitive stimulation therapy [CST], physical exercise, and dementia education). Quantitative secondary outcomes were assessed at baseline and following the 15-week intervention; qualitative interviews were conducted during and post-intervention. All study components were assessed against pre-defined criteria, to determine the feasibility of conducting a future definitive trial.ResultsRecruitment of people with dementia and their caregiver was a significant challenge and led to considerable delays to the onset and conduct of the intervention. Only 13% of eligible GP practices agreed to assist in recruitment and achieved a 6% enrolment rate; a community-based recruitment strategy proved more effective, yielding a 29% enrolment rate. However, once recruited, participants maintained high attendance and adherence to the content of each component with average adherence rates of 98% for CST, exercise sessions and caregiver education. Adherence to secondary exercise measures was lower, with home exercise diary completion at 37% and Fitbit wear adherence at 80% during the day and 67% at night. The people with dementia felt their concentration and fitness had improved over the 15-week intervention and particularly enjoyed the social aspects (e.g. group classes, exercising with partners from the community). Caregivers felt they had better knowledge and understanding following their education component and reported that the social aspects (interacting and sharing experiences with each other) were important. Overall, participants reported that the three components of the intervention were feasible and acceptable. In addition, the quantitative measures and health economic tools employed were feasible. However, the secondary elements of the exercise component (recording home exercise diaries and Fitbit use) were not considered feasible. Overall, pre-defined criteria for progression to a definitive intervention were fulfilled in terms of acceptability, retention and fidelity but not recruitment.ConclusionWhile overall, the CREST intervention was feasible and acceptable to participants, significant difficulties with recruitment of people with dementia and their caregiver through GP practices impacted the viability of delivering the intervention. Recruitment through community-based groups proved a more feasible option and further work is needed to overcome barriers to recruiting this cohort before a larger-scale trial can be conducted.Trial registrationISRCTN25294519.

What factors influence women's empowerment in Ethiopia? A multilevel analysis of Ethiopia's demographic and health survey data.

Women's empowerment has been a global priority, as countries can achieve significant growth and economic development by empowering women. Understanding the individual and community-level factors that influence women's empowerment is crucial for policymakers to develop effective policies and to improve women's empowerment. A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in 11 administrative regions of Ethiopia. The analysis included a weighted sample of 7,108 married women of reproductive age (15-49 years) from the 2,016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). A multilevel mixed-effect binary logistic regression analysis was used to examine the individual and community-level factors associated with women's empowerment. In the final model, significant variables were identified using a p-value of <0.05 and an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). The overall magnitude of women's empowerment was 23.7% (95% CI: 22.7-24.7). Only 30.9% of women reported participating in household decision-making, and 32.5% disagreed with all the reasons justifying wife-beating. At individual-level, factors positively associated with women's empowerment included secondary (AOR: 2.72 (1.77-4.23), and higher (AOR: 3.65 (1.81-7.34) education. However, belonging to the Muslim religion was negatively associated with women's empowerment (AOR: 0.63 (0.47-0.85). At the community level, wealthy communities were positively associated with women's empowerment (AOR: 1.60 (1.05-2.44). Conversely, residing in rural areas (AOR: 0.49 (0.29-0.83), and living in the Afar (AOR: 0.35 (0.17-0.70), Amhara (AOR: 0.45 (0.26-0.79), Oromia (AOR: 0.43 (0.26-0.73), South Nation Nationalities, and Peoples (SNNP) (AOR: 0.42 (0.24-0.75), and Gambella (AOR: 0.36 (0.20-0.66) regional states were negatively associated with women's empowerment. The overall magnitude of women's empowerment in this study was low. Factors that positively influenced empowerment included attending secondary and higher education, as well as residing in communities with higher wealth status. On the other hand, being Muslim, residing in rural areas, and living in the Afar, Amhara, Oromia, SNNPR, Gambella, and Tigray regions were negatively associated with women's empowerment. As a result, the government of Ethiopia needs to design community-based women's empowerment strategies and involve women in income-generation activities that improve their participation in household decision-making to empower them.

A randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of a community-based rabies vaccination strategy.

Approximately 60,000 people die from dog-mediated rabies annually. Low and heterogeneous coverage reduces the effectiveness of dog vaccination campaigns that can eliminate rabies. Campaigns typically involve teams travelling annually to villages to deliver cold chain stored vaccines from centralized headquarters. Thermotolerant vaccines enable novel decentralized delivery of locally-stored vaccines by communities throughout the year. We compared the effectiveness of annual team-based versus continuous community-based dog vaccination strategies. We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial across Mara region, Tanzania. Trial clusters were administrative wards (112, on average four villages each). For the team-based arm vaccinators hosted annual static-point clinics, whilst for the community-based arm, a ward-based animal health officer with a village community leader managed vaccinations using vaccines stored within the ward. We measured vaccination coverage, the primary outcome, twice annually per cluster (month 1 and 11) through household surveys over three years (November 2020 to October 2023) and examined spatial and temporal coverage variations as secondary outcomes. Community-based delivery achieved significantly higher coverage (49-62%) than team-based delivery (22-46%), and consistently exceeded the critical threshold for herd immunity (40%), Odds ratio (OR): 1.48-3.49. The lower less uniform coverage achieved through team-based delivery had a higher monthly probability of falling below the critical threshold (0.6, 95% CI: 0.38-0.81) vs 0.18 (95% CI: 0.04-0.40). Greater declines in coverage over the year were recorded in the team-based arm compared to the community-based. Community-based mass dog vaccination achieves higher more consistent coverage than team-based delivery across settings typical of many sub-Saharan African countries. This approach could play an important role in national rabies elimination programmes aiming to end human rabies deaths by 2030 as part of the global 'zero by 30' strategy. Department of Health and Human Services of the National Institutes of Health (R01AI141712), Wellcome Trust (207569/Z/17/Z, 224520/Z/21/Z) and MSD Animal Health. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Educating lifestyle modification to diabetic patients

The burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is steadily increasing, making them a major health concern. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the major non-communicable diseases that affects the public health and the community. DM is a chronic, complex disease that requires multi-factor risk reduction strategies apart from its maintaining blood glucose level. One of the community-based strategy is to educate diabetic patients about life style modifications. Keeping that as a guideline, a nurse-led intervention was carried out to ring about a change in life style in these patients. About 60 diabetic patients with equal number of control subjects were taken for the pilot study. Data were collected through interviews with a semi-structured questionnaire before (pre-test) and after nurse-led intervention (post-test) The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics; the calculated data were tabulated and graphed. The results of the study show that diabetic patients included in the study have improved their knowledge of life style modification. The community nurse intervention improved their perspective and understood the importance of life style medication (from 16.19 to 24.98%). This was tested using the student paired t test. Outcome of the test before the intervention showed significant change. Pre-test value was (53.97%) and the post-test intervention was 83.27%. The effect of such intervention was influenced the age, gender, education, and family structure. The intervention was found to be more effective in male patients of the age group 30-40 years with educational background and stable family structure having a joint family. The awareness created by nurse led intervention is effective and is significant taking age, sex, education level and the family structure. The pilot study indicates that further studies may be carried out in the community with general population and then specifically in patients with diabetes.

Improving racial/ethnic health equity and naloxone access among people at risk for opioid overdose: A simulation modeling analysis of community-based naloxone distribution strategies in Massachusetts, United States.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a surge in opioid overdose deaths (OODs) in Massachusetts, USA, particularly among Black and Hispanic/Latinx populations. Despite the increasing racial and ethnic disparities in OODs, there was no compensatory increase in naloxone distributed to these groups. We aimed to evaluate two community-based naloxone expansion strategies, with the objective of identifying approaches that could mitigate mortality and racial and ethnic disparities in OODs. Individual-based simulation model. We measured naloxone availability using naloxone kits per OOD and evaluated scenarios of achieving higher benchmarks for naloxone availability (i.e. 40, 60 and 80 kits per OOD) from 2022 levels (overall: 26.0, White: 28.8, Black: 17.3, Hispanic/Latinx: 18.9). We compared two naloxone distribution strategies: (1) proportional distribution: achieving the benchmark ratio at the overall population level while distributing additional kits proportional to the 2022 level for each racial/ethnic group (at 40 kits per OOD benchmark: overall: 40, White: 44.3, Black: 26.6, Hispanic/Latinx: 29.1), and (2) equity-focused distribution: achieving the benchmark ratio among each racial/ethnic group (at 40 kits per OOD benchmark: 40 for all groups). Massachusetts, United States. People at risk of OOD. Annual number and rate of OODs, total healthcare costs of increasing naloxone availability. Both naloxone distribution strategies yielded comparable predicted reductions in total OODs in 2025 and incurred similar incremental costs. However, the relative reduction in the rate of OODs differed across groups. For achieving an 80 kits per OOD benchmark, proportional distribution resulted in a projected 6.7%, 6.5% and 7.1% reduction in annual OODs in 2025 among White, Black and Hispanic/Latinx populations, respectively. In contrast, equity-focused distribution achieved a reduction of 5.7%, 11.3% and 10.2% in the respective groups. In all scenarios, the cost per OOD averted was lower than the generally accepted thresholds for cost per life saved. An equity-focused naloxone distribution strategy designed to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in naloxone availability could improve health equity among racial and ethnic groups while potentially improving overall population health at lower healthcare costs per opioid overdose death averted than a proportional distribution strategy.

Association Between Diet and Mental Health Outcomes in a Sample of 13,887 Adolescents in Canada.

The high prevalence of mental disorders among adolescents calls for community-based and population-level prevention strategies. Diet is an important intervention target for primary prevention of mental disorders among adolescents. We used data from a large longitudinal study of Canadian adolescents (aged 14-18 y) to examine prospective associations between diet and mental health outcomes. We estimated the effect of diet (ie, consumption of vegetables and fruit and sugar-sweetened beverages [SSBs]) at baseline on depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and psychological well-being (measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 scale, and Flourishing Scale, respectively) and at 1-year follow-up in a sample of 13,887 Canadian secondary school students who participated in the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 cycles of the Cannabis, Obesity, Mental health, Physical activity, Alcohol, Smoking, and Sedentary (COMPASS) behavior study. We applied linear mixed-effects methods informed by a directed acyclic graph. Sensitivity analyses assessed the robustness of the effect estimates to unmeasured confounding variables. Baseline SSB consumption was associated with greater severity of depressive (β = 0.04; 95% CI, 0.01-0.06) and anxiety (β = 0.02; 95% CI, 0-0.05) symptoms, particularly among male students, and poorer psychological well-being (β = -0.03; 95% CI, -0.05 to -0.01) at follow-up. Baseline vegetables and fruit consumption was positively associated with psychological well-being (β = 0.06; 95% CI, 0.03-0.10) but not other mental health outcomes at follow-up. Our results support the notion that diet should be part of comprehensive mental health prevention and promotion interventions to reduce the prevalence of mental health disorders among adolescents.

Betel Quid Use and Tuberculosis Transmission: A Neglected Focus Area for Tuberculosis Control in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Habitual betel quid consumption and spitting contribute to tuberculosis (TB) transmission due to direct exposure to pathogens, immunosuppression, and social contact. Despite betel quid being classified as a group 1 human carcinogen and a high prevalence of betel quid consumption in patients with TB, there exists a knowledge gap in the relationship between quid use and TB, which presents as a neglected opportunity to address the global burden of TB in low- and middle-income countries. Understanding such a knowledge gap is crucial when taking measures at various levels, including research prioritization, behavior change communication, and legislation to address the availability and access of quid products, coupled with community-based interventional strategies. This article thus presents empirical evidence on quid use and its effects on TB spread and identifies feasible, applicable changes required at various levels to curtail the spread of TB among betel quid users.

A Pilot Feasibility Study of Delivering a Quit & Win Tobacco-Free Contest in Community Mental Health Programs.

Quit & Win contests are a community-based tobacco cessation strategy that has demonstrated success in supporting tobacco cessation efforts in the general population. However, such contests have not been implemented and evaluated among people living with mental illnesses (MIs). This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of implementing Quit & Win contests in terms of program delivery, engagement, and cessation outcomes among people with MIs. A single-group posttest design to evaluate the feasibility of Quit & Win contests conducted at three community mental health programs. Flyers introducing the contest were posted at study sites 2 weeks prior to recruitment. Recruitment occurred on 2 days over a 2-week period. Eligible participants received a pamphlet with information about tobacco treatment resources. At the follow-up, postsurveys and expired CO levels were obtained. Participants (N = 28) were mostly male, Non-Hispanic White, with a high school or higher education, unemployed, and 46.4% had a primary substance use disorder diagnosis. Among those who engaged in the program, seven (25.0%) returned for the follow-up, of which three (42.9%) successfully stopped cigarette use. Four (57.1%) described using nicotine replacement therapy in their attempt to stop using cigarettes. Challenges to cessation included difficulty finding available tobacco treatment programs, limited access to treatment medications, and experiencing nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Our findings suggest the feasibility of Quit & Win interventions in community mental health settings. Further efforts are required to enhance recruitment, engagement, and retention, and to support access to community-based tobacco treatment resources.

Assessment of Practices on Purchase of Packaged Foods and Utilization Patterns of Food Labels among Adults in Puducherry

Abstract Background: There is an increase in the manufacture and consumption of prepackaged foods as a result of widespread urbanization, long working time, and adaption to a sedentary lifestyle. The majority of these prepackaged foods contain food labels. Food labeling is a community-based strategy that informs customers about a food’s nutritional composition, empowering them to choose healthier foods. To assess the practices on the purchase of packaged foods and utilization patterns of food labels among adults in Puducherry. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional survey in the field practice area of a private medical college at Puducherry was carried out for two months including adults residing for &gt; 6 months in selected villages/wards. A sample size of 460 with a multistage sampling technique was considered. Data collection using a semi-structured questionnaire incorporated into Epi-collect software and was analyzed using SPSS16. Ethical clearance was obtained from Institutional Ethical Committee. Written informed consent was sought from participants. Results: Around 271 (58.91%) and 189 (41.08%) respondents were residing in urban and rural regions, respectively. Purchase of packages was seen in 297 (64.57%) people. Only one-fourth of the subjects had the practice of reading the food labels, with urban residents having a better practice when compared with rural population (P value &lt; 0.05). Conclusion: The study reveals a low level of utilization pattern of food labels among consumers of packaged food products. The findings of this study would be helpful for concerned authorities in creating and improving awareness among consumers and ensuring that their usability is improved.

Anthropogenic effects and ecosystem services of tropical highland forests in Ethiopia

Despite the significant direct and indirect benefits that forests, particularly tropical highland forests, provide to local communities, they are facing severe degradation primarily due to population growth and rapid land-use changes. This has made it difficult for policymakers to effectively manage these forests due to a lack of comprehensive current forest research data. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to examine the anthropogenic impacts on forest ecosystems and the ecosystem services (11ecosystem services,ESs) they provide, as well as to understand local perspectives on management of natural forests. For collecting disturbance indicators and other environmental data, 12 transect lines by 150 meter interval between each of the two consecutive parallel transects and 40 quadrats (20 m x 20 m size each) by 100 m interval were laid out in 145 ha total forest land size of the five study sites of three districts. However, for questionnaire-based data, 266 respondents were participated. As revealed in the results, the majority of households (about 78 %) relied on mixed farming and had ≤ 1 ha of land with 5.6 average family size. Besides, 74.3 % of the households used forest products for cooking food and getting energy to their homes due to little or no electricity, or other energy sources in rural communities. Nearly 85 % of the households also obtained timber from natural forests. Tree cutting, grazing, cultivation, and fires were the major anthropogenic factors leading to deforestation and loss of ecosystem services and biodiversity of the studied forest ecosystems. Disturbance assessment indicated that almost all forest patches, excluding one in the eastern subregion of the study area, were severely impacted. This suggests a widespread degradation of Ethiopia's forests. However, various ESs, mainly regulating and habitat services, followed by provisioning ones, were delivered from these sites. Hence, soil erosion controlling, flood protecting, and soil fertility regulating services were some of the most services provided by the forests. Likewise, being shelter and nursery sites for biota were the other most important habitat service. The raw materials including grass for fodder, medicinal plants, timber, fuel wood, and water for livestock watering and domestic uses were the major provisioning services provided. Thus, more than 93 % of the households had a great interest for the protection and continuity of the present forest patches in the future. Briefly, despite being heavily degraded due to anthropogenic factors, these natural forests still provided various ecological, social, and economic services to the local people; thereby the people were interested in protecting and conserving them. Thus, for restoring degraded forest areas of the zone, community-based participatory conservation strategies were recommended.