Health Counseling Research Articles

Reception of health data using the Australian Burden of Disease study as an example

Abstract Background Health data, especially on Burden of Disease (BoD), are vital for evidence-based health promotion and effective dissemination is crucial due to resource intensiveness. Germany’s national BoD study is currently transitioning to permanence. Analysing the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s (AIHW) well-established collaboration with stakeholders and their reception of health data at national and regional level offers insights for improved knowledge translation. Methods To follow the path of stakeholder engagement, this 3-month project involved scientific exchanges with the AIHW and Department of Health, Western Australia. It compiled communication strategy examples and documents stating examples of BoD data use. A quantitative online survey accompanied by a series of 18 qualitative 45-minute interviews was conducted. The survey implemented via Swift Digital has been running for 20+ days. Interview partners originated from the fields of health research, politics, planning and advocacy for patients or population groups. Results were analysed, illustrated digitally as a booklet and refined in a participatory workshop. Results Communication strategies such as embargoed press and stakeholder releases as well as regular online formats were identified. The survey and interviews displayed the required technical and content-detail level from key facts to raw data and visualisation needs. Noteworthy are the demand to link data to economic aspects like disease expenditure, trends and future scenarios. It elucidated how diverse target groups utilize data to place disease significance and preventive public health measures, aiding dissemination. Alongside, it shows examples of knowledge translation by emphasizing impact over indicators when targeting communities. Conclusions Prioritizing target group identification and employing tailored communication strategies regarding data format and detail level are essential when utilizing new data. Key messages • Analyzing a well-established collaboration with stakeholders offers insights for improved knowledge translation and reveals leveraging engagement strategies for others. • Understanding stakeholder needs is essential for promoting broader health data use in policy and practice, fostering evidence-based decision-making, and enhancing public health outcomes.

Fairer Training in public health, the UK FPH example

Abstract Background Public Health (PH) advocates for health equity and social justice. The UK Faculty of Public Health (FPH) is committed to tackling inequalities across the public health career pathway. The Fair Training project is a multi-phased programme which focuses on fair recruitment into PH, reducing differential attainment during PH training and postgraduate examinations. Objectives • Analyse available data from various sources; • Identify gaps in fair training culture and any biases; • Identify where support or interventions may best be focussed to minimise disadvantages; • Identify improvements in data that could be used to monitor actions; • Identify areas of good practice. Variables explored were demographic characteristics e,g, age, sex, ethnicity, disability status, professional background, candidate status (UK or overseas), place of primary qualification. Results Results show that candidates from ethnic minority backgrounds, those who are older, from international medical graduate backgrounds and backgrounds other than medicine are under-represented at the end of recruitment. Multivariable analysis of the diplomate exam shows that an attainment gap exists across increase with age, and those from black, Asian or white other ethnicity, professional background other than medicine, and overseas candidates. For the membership exam, multivariable analysis shows the attainment gap persists across those of increasing age and black ethnicity. Conclusions Recognising differential attainment as a structural problem requires organisational and individual leadership. Recommendations include an action plan to ensure: • Equality of opportunity for learning and career progression; • Collaborative working to eliminate discrimination in the design of education; • Ensure that training and the working environment are inclusive and diverse; • Inform future PH workforce planning; • Share good practice. FPH will implement the recommendations and share with other organisations and countries. Key messages • Structural causes of differential attainment during recruitment and training in public health do exist and should be mitigated. • FPH aims to promote Fair Training and excellence in public health practice.

11.H. Round table: Making the case for public investment in health

Abstract Across the European Union (EU), public budgets are facing pressures and policy makers are becoming increasingly concerned about how to adequately and sustainably fund their health systems to keep up with need and demand. In recognition of this, in 2022 a Technical Support Instrument (TSI) project funded by the Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM) was launched together with three European Union (EU) Member States with the goal of strengthening capacity to make the case for public investments in health. To support these efforts, the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (OBS) conducted an exercise to map relevant analytical approaches and tools for making the case for public investment in health. As a contribution to this workshop, OBS will present the key results from this exercise, including a framework that has been designed to support health policy makers, advisors and advocates by providing five key lines of argument and selected examples of tools, data, indicators and methods that can be used to successfully make the case for public funding for health. This will be complemented by two presentations on country experiences (in Austria and Malta) of navigating negotiations between health and finance and securing public funding for health. These will highlight both successes and challenges in practice. By looking at examples from MS on making the case for public investment in health, these presentations will frame the panel discussion that follows. The chairs will facilitate a discussion closely engaging the audience on how to build better narratives and exchanges which facilitate trust and alignment between health and finance stakeholders in the pursuit of strengthening the capacity to make the case for public investment in health. The workshop will highlight five lines of argument and practical examples of tools, data, indicators and methods that can be used to support the case for public investment in health. It will also focus on the important enablers (e.g. cooperation, communication, transparency, accountability, trust) for successful budget negotiations and discuss how these can be facilitated. Key messages • Budget cases for public funds for health tend to be most successful when they align well with the goals and objectives of finance stakeholders, and certain narratives and arrangements can foster this. • Data and evidence can help steer decision makers to make good choices (or at least avoid bad ones), but other factors serve as the fuel to push the budget case for health forward successfully. Speakers/Panelists Rebecca Forman European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, London, UK Jonathan Cylus European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, London, UK Stefan Eichwalder Ministry of Health, Vienna, Austria Neville Calleja Department of Health Information and Research, G’Mangia, Malta

INCREASING PUBLIC AWARENESS IN DRUG USE THROUGH SMART COMMUNITY MOVEMENT USING DRUGS (SCMUD)

The community tends to try to overcome health problems through easier and more cost-efficient methods. This triggers the tendency of the community to self-medicate. Self-medication is the use of drugs by individuals, not based on a doctor's prescription, but based on the individual's initiative. This community service aims to increase awareness of using drugs through Smart Community Movement Using Drugs (SCMUD) in the Bulakdawung community, Parang village, Banyakan district, Kediri regency. The activity was carried out on May 17, 2024, by providing Health Counseling to mothers who accompany their children to study groups, with lecture and question and answer methods, the media used was the leaflet of awareness of using drugs. The results of the activity were 21 mothers with most elementary school education backgrounds (80.95%), work as housewives (95.23%), less knowledge about awareness of using drugs (71.42%), good attitudes awareness of using drugs (66.67%) and drug use behavior in the family (80.9%) and those lacking 19.1%. After being given health education regarding the safe use of drugs through the Smart Community Movement Using Drugs, the community increasingly understands and carries out awareness to avoid the negative impacts of self-medication and provide appropriate treatment for family members who are sick and utilize health service centers appropriately. It was concluded that the activity can increase public awareness in the use of drugs through health counseling.

Context and practices of health advocacy role by nurses in Ghana: A qualitative study

Background & Aim: Nurses play a crucial role in health advocacy, which is both morally obligatory and has significant consequences for the clinician. However, there is a paucity of empirical evidence regarding its context and practices. The location, method, and rationale behind nurses fulfilling their health advocacy duties are crucial in hospital settings. This study explored and described where and under what circumstances nurses fulfill their health advocacy responsibilities in Ghana. Methods & Materials: The study employed an inductive qualitative exploratory descriptive design to gather and analyze data from 24 nurses and midwives. Using a semi-structured interview guide, participants were selected from three regional hospitals in the upper, middle, and southern zones of Ghana, and qualitative content analysis was performed. Results: Nurses and midwives carried out their health advocacy roles both inside and outside of healthcare institutions, using both proactive and reactive advocacy practices to initiate their role performance. Although reactive advocacy roles were reported more, the nurses and midwives identified unfair client treatment, health professionals' errors or omissions of procedure, and social injustice as the driving forces behind their advocacy. Conclusion: Although health advocacy is performed by both nurses and midwives in hospitals and outside the hospitals, they are mostly reacting to situations. Teaching biopsychosocial assessment techniques to students during training and providing them with coaching and mentoring during clinical practice may enhance their ability to assess clients for unmet advocacy needs, enabling them to be proactive in their role performance.

Informing Psychosocial Care for Young Couples Coping with Early-Onset Breast Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Examination of Unmet Service Needs and Their Association with Psychological Distress in the First Year Post-Diagnosis.

Objective: Young women diagnosed with breast cancer report greater psychological and physical morbidity than both older women and healthy peers. Similarly, young partners experience elevated cancer-related distress. Psychosocial oncology programs are not frequently attuned to the needs of young adult patients and may exclude their social networks. This marks a critical gap in psychosocial care delivery. The study investigated unmet service needs, psychological distress, and care preferences of young couples managing breast cancer in the first year post-diagnosis. Methods: Forty dyads (n = 80) of women aged 18-45 and their partners completed measures of anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), and a service use questionnaire adapted from previously published Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) literature. The resulting 25 items assessed perceived care needs and service utilization across three domains: informational, emotional/supportive, and practical issues. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations, and bivariate correlations were computed. Actor and partner effects of unmet needs on mental health outcomes were investigated with generalized estimating equations (GEE). Results: Patients and partners were in their late thirties, mostly non-Hispanic White, married, highly educated, and employed. Approximately 60% of patients and 43%-66% of partners presented one or more unmet service needs, which correlated with greater distress. Unmet needs about information related to exercise, recurrence, nutrition, and symptom management were prevalent. Unmet supportive service needs of both patients and partners included age-appropriate programs, sexual health, and family counseling. Women reported practical needs for work/school accommodations, integrative care, financial issues and health coverage; while financial concerns, health insurance, and caregiving demands were priorities for partners. Conclusion: Young couples facing early-onset breast cancer experience large proportions of unmet service needs. These challenges were exacerbated by the lack of developmentally targeted psychosocial programs pertaining to informational, supportive, and practical care needs. Enhancing providers' understanding of the psychosocial issues affecting young couples' well-being, and the implementation of systematic procedures to detect and respond to their distress, is urgently needed.

Health advocacy and moral distress among nurses in organ transplant units.

Health advocacy is crucial for both patients and healthcare professionals. However, nurses who recognize the importance of health advocacy may experience heightened moral distress, particularly in complex donation and transplantation cases where patient autonomy, respect, and advocacy are paramount. To identify the factors contributing to moral distress among nurses working in solid organ transplant units at a university hospital in São Paulo, with a focus on health advocacy. This descriptive, cross-sectional study employs both quantitative and qualitative methods. For this, the quantitative phase of the study was conducted utilizing the Moral Distress Scale, while the qualitative phase was executed through focus group discussions. The quantitative phase involved 15 nurses using the Moral Distress Scale. The qualitative phase consisted of a focus group with 5 nurse managers/coordinators from the transplant units. Quantitative data were analyzed using R® software, while qualitative data were analyzed using Bardin's Content Analysis. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing, University of São Paulo. Participation was voluntary and confidentiality was ensured. A significant correlation was found between moral distress and the factors of "disregard for patient autonomy" (p = .0100) and "therapeutic obstinacy" (p = .0492). The primary determinants associated with moral distress in the context of health advocacy were identified as "disregard for patient autonomy" and "therapeutic obstinacy."

26 Culturally informed developmental paediatric care: A qualitative study

Abstract Background Paediatricians provide developmental care through developmental surveillance, identification and management of specific developmental disorders, and health advocacy. Despite being one of the most common reasons to visit a paediatrician, the provision of care in this field is challenging as it intersects with medical, mental health, and educational systems. Additionally, the rise of international migration, inequities in health systems, and unique culturally based concepts of child development require paediatricians to have unique skills for culturally informed care provision in this area. Objectives A qualitative study was conducted to describe the perceptions of paediatricians on providing culturally informed developmental paediatric care to diverse populations. Design/Methods Semi-structured interviews were completed with paediatricians who primarily provide developmental care to understand the challenges, opportunities, and potential educational enhancements to improve culturally informed care for developmental paediatrics. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the transcribed interviews using inductive and deductive approaches. Results Three major themes emerged from 18 individual semi-structured interviews. The first theme, “cultural translation,” described language differences, interpretation, and trust-building between discordant physician/family dyads. The second theme, “inequity,” described systemic barriers that diverse populations experience, power distance in healthcare relationships, and pandemic-related amplifications of inequity. The third theme, “educational opportunities,” highlighted reflective practice opportunities, immersive experiences in diverse settings, and building a community of practice for paediatricians to build their knowledge base. Paediatricians practicing developmental paediatric care highlighted unique elements to the practice which may benefit from practice changes and curricular reform. Integration of meaningful training in the use of interpretation services, multicultural health brokers, and care coordination teams is a recommended intervention which is transferable to many disciplines. Peer-mentorship from colleagues of differing cultural backgrounds may help reduce race-based stereotypes and enhance perspective taking. Conclusion Paediatricians had a variety of perspectives on the provision of developmental paediatric care to diverse populations within Canada. There were a range of perceived opportunities for improvements in care noted on individual and systems levels. The development of infrastructure to build capacity in culturally informed developmental paediatric care to reduce culturally based health gaps is a needed future direction for developmental paediatrics.

Environmental Health Attitudes, Practices, and Educational Preferences: A National Survey of Reproductive-Aged Women in Canada

Prenatal exposures to environmental toxicants can adversely affect fetal and child development and lead to increased risk of chronic disease. While regulatory action is essential to reduce sources of environmental toxicants, prenatal care presents an opportunity to educate, mobilize, and support prospective parents to reduce exposures to such hazards. As the first phase of an interdisciplinary research collaboration to inform the development of prenatal environmental health education strategy in Canada, we surveyed reproductive-aged female individuals. The online survey (July–September 2021) yielded a nationally representative sample of 1914 reproductive-aged females living in Canada. The questionnaire topics addressed the respondents’ knowledge and perceptions of environmental health risks, preventive actions and related facilitators and barriers, information sources and preferences, reproductive history, and demographics. The analysis included bivariate and multivariate techniques. Our results suggest broad awareness among reproductive-aged females that exposure to toxicants can be harmful, and that reducing prenatal exposures can benefit child health. However, fewer than half of respondents felt that they had enough knowledge to take protective measures. Despite high levels of preference for prenatal care as an ideal context for learning about environmental health risks and protective measures, fewer than one in four respondents had ever discussed environmental health concerns with a healthcare provider. Our findings reveal a knowledge–action gap and a corresponding opportunity to improve environmental health education and advocacy in prenatal care in the Canadian context.

The Association between Emotional Responses to Climate Change, Antenatal Anxiety and Maternal-Fetal Attachment in Primigravida Women.

To investigate the association between emotional responses to climate change, antenatal anxiety, and maternal-fetal attachment in primigravida women. A multi-site cross-sectional research design study. This study was conducted at four primary health care (PHC) facilities in Damanhur district, El-Behera, from February 2024 to April 2024. Two hundred eighty-five women completed a comprehensive questionnaire that included a Woman's Social and Reproductive Form, The inventory of climate emotions (ICE) scale, The Stirling Antenatal Anxiety Scale (SAAS) and the Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale (MFAS-HU-20). The study revealed that emotional responses to climate change show strong positive correlations with each other, ranging from 0.689 to 0.840, all significant at p < 0.001 level. Additionally, antenatal anxiety demonstrates substantial positive correlations with emotional responses to climate change, albeit with associations ranging from 0.239 to 0.287, all significant at p < 0.001 level. Moreover, maternal-fetal attachment displays substantial negative correlations with emotional responses to climate change, indicating that as emotional responses to climate change increase, maternal-fetal attachment tends to decrease. The correlations range from -0.263 to -0.426, all significant at p < 0.001. The emotional impact of climate change can adversely affect the bonding process between mother and fetus. Healthcare professionals, including obstetricians, midwives, and mental health counsellors, should integrate climate-related emotional distress into their assessments and interventions. Providing targeted psychological support for expectant mothers. The study's findings highlight the need for nursing to integrate climate-related emotional distress screening into prenatal care and for research to explore long-term effects and intervention effectiveness. In practice, healthcare providers should adopt holistic approaches that combine environmental and psychological support, developing comprehensive guidelines and community-based programs to support pregnant women. The research adhered to that is STROBE. Public contributions by women in community health centers.

Efektivitas Leaflet dalam Meningkatkan Pengetahuan Hipertensi pada Lansia di Desa Gandatapa

Introduction: Hypertension is a significant global health issue that often presents without symptoms, leaving many individuals unaware of their condition. Effective management and prevention of hypertension require increased awareness and education, particularly among the elderly population, who are at higher risk. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of health counseling using leaflets in improving hypertension knowledge among the elderly at Integrated service post (Posyandu) community association (RW) 4 Gandatapa. Method: This descriptive quantitative study employed a pre-post design. Health counseling was conducted using leaflets at Integrated service post (Posyandu) community association (RW) 4 Gandatapa on July 16, 2024, involving 44 elderly participants aged 65-70 years. Knowledge levels were assessed using pre-test and post-test questionnaires. The intervention included distributing leaflets and conducting a discussion session to reinforce the information provided. Result:The study observed a significant increase in participants' knowledge about hypertension, with average knowledge scores rising from 43% in the pre-test to 63% in the post-test. Conclusion: The findings suggest that health counseling using leaflets is an effective method for improving hypertension knowledge among the elderly. However, to optimize the impact, future interventions should consider additional support methods, especially for those with limited literacy or visual impairments.

Resident Unions: Why Now and Will They Change Medical Education and Health Care?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, resident unions proliferated. While unionization resulted in increased compensation and benefits, the process of union negotiations may have created adversarial relationships between residents and their institutions' leadership, who residents depend on for supervision and the development of clinical expertise. Such adversarial relationships could affect the learning environment, which is critical to the delivery of high-quality care. In this commentary, the authors suggest that academic medical centers should offer residents an authentic seat at the institutional care delivery leadership table, ensuring residents' full participation in key organizational decisions. Doing so represents an alternative to unionization, with its potentially adversarial relationships, while still achieving a key goal of residents-to be included in the decisions that affect them and the care they provide. In this way, residents can use their unique understanding of the institutions' strengths and weaknesses to improve the quality of patient care and the learning environment. Such engagement can also help residents achieve competence in systems-based practice and provide a vital link between institutions and the patients and community they serve through health policy and advocacy activities.

Infertility Prevention and Health Promotion: The Role of Nurses in Public Health Initiatives.

Infertility is a growing public health concern, affecting millions of individuals and couples worldwide. Despite advancements in medical treatments, prevention remains a critical strategy for reducing the burden of infertility. Nurses, as frontline healthcare providers, play a pivotal role in infertility prevention and health promotion, particularly through public health initiatives. This review aims to explore the diverse roles of nurses in infertility prevention and their contributions to public health strategies. A review of existing literature was conducted to examine the epidemiology of infertility, key risk factors, and the preventive measures that can be employed by nursing professionals. Emphasis is placed on the role of nurses in health education, screening, early detection, and community-based interventions, which are essential in reducing infertility rates. In addition, this review identifies barriers that impede effective nurse-led infertility prevention, such as disparities in access to care, cultural sensitivity challenges, and policy constraints. Evidence suggests that nurses are well-positioned to lead public health campaigns, conduct reproductive health counseling, and advocate for policy reforms to improve infertility prevention. The review concludes with recommendations for future research, suggesting enhanced nursing education and training, as well as the need for stronger integration of nurses into public health policy-making. This study underscores the critical role of nurses in promoting reproductive health and preventing infertility, advocating for their inclusion in comprehensive public health strategies aimed at addressing infertility on a global scale.

Age- and sex-dependent associations between self-reported physical activity levels and self-reported cardiovascular risk factors: a population-based cross-sectional survey

BackgroundThe amount of regular physical activity (PA) can modulate the prevalence of traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) such as obesity, systemic hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, how different PA levels either below (< 600 MET min/week), within (600–1200 MET min/week), or above (> 1200 MET min/week) the range of the minimal WHO recommendations impact the age- and sex-dependent prevalence of these risk factors remains to be elucidated.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate these relationships using population-based self-reported data collected in a central European country (Austria, 2019). The sample included a total of 15,461 persons (7166 males: 16–95 + years, BMI 26.6 ± 4.4; 8295 females: 16–95 + years, BMI 25.1 ± 5.0). Besides various lifestyle factors (e.g., dietary habits, smoking, and alcohol consumption), variables of particular interest were the age- and sex-dependent amount of weekly PA and prevalence of risk factors for CVD. Sex-specific logistic regression analyses were applied to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for the associations between self-reported PA and risk factor prevalence.ResultsRelatively small beneficial effects were found regarding the prevalence of risk factors for CVD when achieving PA levels corresponding to 600–1200 MET min/week as compared to those who did not meet these recommendations. However, exceeding the WHO recommendations provided much more pronounced benefits, especially in younger and older age groups. Adjusted ORs revealed that high volumes of PA (> 1200 MET min/week) were associated with a 32–43% reduction in the prevalence of obesity and T2D compared to those who did not achieve the WHO recommendations (< 600 MET min/week), as well as with a lower prevalence of systemic hypertension only in women and a lower prevalence of hypercholesterolemia only in men.ConclusionsExceeding minimal WHO recommendations for PA promises large beneficial effects, particularly on the prevalence of obesity and T2D. Demonstrated sex differences in PA levels and their association with cardiovascular risk factors may provide an important basis for preventive health counseling.

PENURUNAN TINGKAT KECEMASAN PADA PENDERITA LUKA KRONIS MELALUI PENYULUHAN KESEHATAN BERBASIS COUNSELING PSYCHORELIGIOUS DI PRAKTEK MANDIRI KOTA PEKANBARU

Introduction : Anxiety is a premonition of a terrible situation that will occur and is a preparation for action but in reality it does not occur, there is indeed no object or situation that must be avoided, to overcome anxiety the technique that can be used is in the form of health education based on psychoreligious counseling.The purpose of health education is to provide an understanding to be able to reduce anxiety in chronic wound patients in independent wound care practices in Pekanbaru City. Method: Activities devotion This done as many as 3 stages for 2 weeks . Stages activity that is pre orientation , orientation , activities (2 sessions ), and termination . Activities This Already implemented in practice independent maintenance wounds in the city Pekanbaru . Number participant in activity namely 30 people. Counseling Psychoreligious carried out and assisted by the facilitator with time 55- 60 minutes each session meeting . Evaluation done through interviews and questionnaires depression from DASS 42. Result: The results of community service through counseling that have been carried out in the independent wound care practice in Pekanbaru City prove that health counseling based on psychoreligious counseling is effective in reducing anxiety levels. This can be seen from the results of the analysis, there is a difference in the average decrease in anxiety before and after the intervention in the intervention group with a mean difference of 2.800. In the control group there is a difference with a mean difference of -0.330. Conclusion : health counseling based on psychoreligious counseling is effective in reducing anxiety levels in chronic wound sufferers.

Utilizing Health Literacy to Empower Latino Adolescents.

Latinos are a minority population that experience many healthcare disparities that impact their access to health-related services. Improvement of health literacy is one way that healthcare providers can positively influence health outcomes within this population. Changes in educational curriculum have limited student's exposure to health information and created a gap in knowledge. A presentation regarding health literacy and advocacy was created for a group of Latino adolescents at a metro area high school. The presentation was offered in English, providing education on how to obtain health information from reputable sources, best words to describe symptoms of illness, and tips to successfully advocate for family members who may have difficulty communicating in English. The overall experience of the students was positive and impactful based on engagement and anecdotal feedback. The hope is to continue to partner with community organizations and improve health literacy among Latino adolescents and their families.

An observational study on menstrual hygiene practices among adolescents girls attending zilla parishad high school at Kommadi village in Visakhapatnam

Under RMNCH+A strategy, adolescent health program is relatively a new concept, particularly for female gender, and has been considered to be a continuum of health services up to adolescent age. The priority interventions among adolescent girls are, nutrition, Adolescent Friendly Health clinics (AFHCs), Counselling, Menstrual hygiene and preventive health checkups. Menstrual hygiene component has been taken for the present study among the adolescent girls in a Zilla Parishad High School aged 10 to 19 years. Rastriya Kishora Swastya Karyakram (RKSK) is broader one including both gender for distinct health services in India. : To study the association of various socio- economic and cultural practices influencing the usage of sanitary napkins by menstruating adolescent school girls. : Cross sectional study among menstruating adolescent girls in a Zilla Parishad High School at Kommadi village. 198 adolescent girls were randomly selected for study using semi structured questionnaire. Each menstruating girl is questioned categorically (yes/no) as per the structured questionnaire covering socio economic status, literacy of mother, awareness about ASHA etc. Appropriate statistical tests like frequencies, percentages and chi-square tests are applied to analyse and interpret the collected data.Socio-demographic factors of the target population in the community from where the adolescent girls attending zilla Parishad High school were subjected to study and found that 19(22%) adolescent girls having white ration card are using sanitary napkin. 46% of sanitary napkin users in our study are aware of using cloth available in the house during menstruation. 39 (52%) adolescent girls using sanitary napkin are aware of ASHA worker visiting their colony. One of the family members, either mother or elder sister being a member in Self Help Group in the colony is influencing the usage of sanitary napkin 46 (50.5%). Habit of Over-the-Counter drugs usage in the family has significantly (55%) influenced the adolescent school girls in using sanitary napkin. School drop-outs 51(62.9%) are also observed among sanitary napkin users during menstruation.: The usage of sanitary napkin replacing the traditional home-made cloth is highly essential for proper menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls attending the school regularly without drop out. The role of ASHA workers and other paramedical staff in the community cannot be undermined.

Revolutionizing Mental Health Counseling with Serenity: An Emotion-Detecting Chatbot

Mental health counseling is a significant challenge in contemporary society, primarily due to issues such as cost, stigma, fear, and limited availability. Emotions play a crucial role in conveying information in this context, making emotion detection essential for a deeper understanding of an individual’s mental well-being. Utilizing generative machine learning models in mental health counseling could potentially lower barriers to access and improve outcomes. This paper proposes the development of a deep learning-based emotion-detecting chatbot named Serenity. The approach involves combining a pre-trained deep neural model, RoBERTa, with a multi-resolution adversarial model, EmpDG, to enhance the accuracy of detected emotions and generate more empathetic responses. RoBERTa has been trained on a dataset of thousands of tweets from Twitter. Additionally, an interactive adversarial learning framework is introduced to leverage user feedback and assess the emotional perceptivity of generated responses in dialogues. The study aims to demonstrate that a machine learning-based mental health chatbot like Serenity has the potential to serve as an effective complement to traditional human counselors.

The Effect of Occupational Safety and Health Counseling on the Use of Personal Protective Equipment at the Special UPTD of the Medan Hajj Hospital

The development of occupational safety and health science in the work environment can be seen with the development of advanced science and technology as well as the emergence of new innovations in the work environment and encouraging companies to improve the knowledge and skills of their human resources. The purpose of this study is to determine the Influence of Occupational Safety and Health Education (K3) on the Behavior of Using Personal Protective Equipment at the Special UPTD of Haji Medan Hospital. This research includes quasi-experimental research. This study uses a one group pretest and pottest design. The population in this study is emergency room nurses at the Special UPTD of Haji Medan Hospital which totals 50 nurses in June-August 2024. The sampling technique in this study is total sampling. The measuring tool in this study uses a univariate and bivariate distribution of non-parametric data with the Wilcoxon test. The results of the Wilcoxon statistical test of both knowledge and attitude obtained a P-value of 0.000. This means that at alpha 5% there is a significant difference in median score between before and after counseling. Meanwhile, in the aspect of action, there was an increase in the number of PPE users between before and after counseling. Because the results of Asymp.Sig of knowledge, attitudes and actions are less than 0.05, H0 is rejected so that there is an influence of occupational health and safety counseling (K3) on the behavior of using PPE. In conclusion, there is an influence of Occupational Safety and Health Counseling (K3) on the behavior of using personal protective equipment at the Special UPTD of Haji Medan Hospital. The suggestions are expected to increase the frequency of counseling and provide information on the importance of using personal protective equipment in the workplace, provide strict sanctions against nurses who do not use personal protective equipment at work, increase the frequency.

The Career Development and Social Determinants Framework: An Integrative Approach

This conceptual article introduces an innovative career development framework that integrates a focus on the social determinants of health within career development and postsecondary readiness counseling. This article provides an overview of career development and postsecondary readiness in schools, reviews the existing literature base on social determinants of health and school counseling, introduces the Career Development and Social Determinants Framework (CDSD-F), and lists implications for school counselors and counselor educators.