Health Education Intervention Program Research Articles

Effectiveness of a Health Educational Program in Enhancing Breast Cancer Knowledge Among Women in Rural Karnataka, South India.

Breast cancer is one of thesignificant causes of mortality in India, ranking second only to cervical cancer among women. Annually, the country has witnessed the detection of 200,000 new cases, with 60% identified in the early stages. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a health education intervention program designed to enhance knowledge about breast cancer among women in rural Karnataka. A descriptive study design was employed and a total of 320 women were selected through multi-stage sampling.The educational interventioninvolved a PowerPoint presentation by the investigator, which wasfollowed by group discussions that culminated with plenary sessions for clarifying the doubts of respondents. At the end of every educational session, pre-designed, pre-tested, and validated questionnaires, comprising a mix of structured and semi-structured questions, were completed by the respondents as part of the post-test. Results: Among the participants, 44.7% were educated up to the primary level, a majority (64.1%) were employed, and most (90.3%) were married. Additionally, 56.9% reported a monthly income below 3000 Indian rupees (₹), with the majority (86.3%) falling below the poverty line (BPL) category. A statistically significant improvement (p = 0.0001) in knowledge related to breast health, breast self-examination, clinical breast examination, and mammography was observed in the post-intervention phase when compared to the pre-test. 86.2% of the respondents showed an increase in knowledge level about breast health (either from poor to moderate or from moderate to good) and the practice of breast self-examination increased from 4.7% (pre-test) to 60.3% (post-test). Conclusion: The study demonstrated a significant enhancement in women's knowledge levels after implementing the health education intervention program. These findings underscore the importance of health education strategies in raising awareness of lifestyle diseases, particularly breast cancer, among women.

The Effect of an Educational Program on Treatment Adherence of Chronic Obstruction Pulmonary Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose: this study evaluates the effectiveness of a health education intervention program on treatment adherence of COPD outpatients.
 Methodology: This randomized controlled trial was conducted in 2022 with 90 COPD outpatient people. Self-management education was developed on the basis of the Theory of Planned Behavior. Medication adherence was assessed using Test of Adherence to Inhalers (TAI-10), and the practice checklist of breathing exercises, respectively.
 Findings: At beginning, there were no significant differences between-group regarding participants’ medication adherence. After 3 months’ intervention, the rates showed a significant increasing for treatment adherence in intervention group (P < 0.05).
 Unique contribution to theory, practice, and policy (recommendations): Health education interventions have proven effective in increasing treatment adherence of outpatients with COPD. So, an intervention program should be conduct on a larger scale to improve treatment adherence for COPD patients in the future.

Self-care behavioral change among type 2 diabetic out-patients at Quang Ninh general Hospital after health education intervention in 2023

Objective: to describe the change in self-care behavior among the type 2 diabetic patients treated as outpatients at Quang Ninh Provincial General Hospital after health education intervention in 2023. Participants and methods: Health education intervention study on a group of 86 diabetic patients with comparison before - after intervention from March to September 2023. Results: The average number of days per week performing self-care behaviors among diabetic patients before the intervention was 3.5 ± 0.76, after the intervention, it increased to 4.36 ± 1.1 and continued increasing to 6, 04 ± 0.77 (p < 0.001) one month after the intervention. Before the intervention, 22.1% of the patients had good self-care behaviors, after the intervention, the rate increased to 60.5% and continued increasing to 96.5% one month after the intervention. Before the intervention, only 2.3% of the patients were able to take care of themselves, after intervention the rate increased to 10.5% and continued to increase to 90.7% one month after the intervention. Conclusions: Health education intervention program has significantly changed the self-care behavior of the type 2 diabetes patients. It is necessary to continue to maintain and supplement content and combine many forms of health education counseling for them.

Effect of nursing intervention on women’s knowledge about pregnancy problems and utilization of obstetrics care services in Edu, Kwara State, Nigeria

PurposeThis study assesses the effect of nursing intervention on the knowledge of women about pregnancy-related problems and utilization of obstetrics care services in Edu, Nigeria. MethodsPre-test post-test control of quasi-experimental design was adopted for the study. Researchers-designed questionnaire was used for data collection and a split-half test was used to determine the reliability of the instrument. One hundred and twenty women were exposed to ten weeks of community-based nursing education intervention sessions, (sixty experimental groups and sixty control groups). Pre-tests administered to sampled women before nursing health education intervention sessions and followed by Post-test. The results were analyzed using mean and standard deviation while the t-test was used to test the hypothesis at an Alpha level of 0.05. ResultsThe findings showed the positive effect of a nursing health education intervention on the knowledge of women about pregnancy problems with pre-intervention on experimental group mean of 63.33, and post-intervention mean of 72.22 with t-value of 1.26 less than the table value of 1.96. The study further showed a mean score of 35.97 experimental group and 28.33 for the control group with a t-value of 1.64, which shows little effect of intervention on the willingness of women to utilize obstetrics care services in Edu, Nigeria. ConclusionThe study concluded that the nursing health education intervention programme in this study on pregnancy-related problems programmes had a positive effect on the knowledge of women but had no effect on the utilization of OCS by women in Edu Local Government Areas. We recommended that health education programmes should be intensified to improve the knowledge level of women and encourage the use of obstetric care services in the community.

Effects of child abuse and neglect on executive functions among children diagnosed with learning disabilities or attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder

BackgroundStudying cognitive deficits due to abuse and neglect in vulnerable children with neurodevelopmental disorders can fuel the battle to save them. We aimed to assess effects of child abuse and neglect on executive functions (EF) among children diagnosed with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and specific learning disorders (SLD). Three hundred forty drug-naive children were divided into four groups according to their diagnosis. They have all been through history taking, clinical interview, assessment of exposure to abuse or neglect, Barkley Deficit in Executive Functioning Scale-Children and Adolescents (BDEFS-CA), and Conners and intelligence quotient (IQ) test.ResultsChildren with ADHD or SLD were significantly exposed to abuse and neglect showing significant executive dysfunctions. The mostly affected domains with abuse among ADHD were emotion regulation with effect size (ES): 0.576, self-restraint ES: 0.38 and self-motivation ES: 0.256, abuse was significantly associated with lower social class 63.6% ES: 0.377 while neglect was significantly associated with parents’ marital status of being divorced 92% ES: 0.621. Abuse and neglect were significantly associated with emotion regulation executive dysfunction with OR 23.5 and 22.8 respectively.ConclusionExecutive dysfunctions are significantly related to exposure to abuse and neglect. The most affected domains were emotion regulation and self-restraint executive functions. Also, we concluded that prevalence of abuse and neglect to be significantly higher in lower social class than average and higher classes and in divorced parents than married ones. Health education and early intervention programs should be directed more specifically to the more vulnerable children diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders and of lower social class or of divorced parents.

Health Education Intervention Programs in Early Childhood Education: A Systematic Review

Adult health behavior is established and formed in childhood, in which, besides the primacy of the family, institutional education plays a significant role. The aim of our systematic review is to analyze health interventions implemented in an institutional environment for children aged 3–6 years. Our research was carried out according to the PRISMA 2020 protocol. The sample of research was determined by using the keywords “health education” or “health promotion” and “preschool” or “kindergarten” in Scopus, ERIC and WOS databases published between 2013 and 2022. Out of a total of 1535 results, 14 proved to be relevant to the eligibility criteria of the study topic. Cochrane Risk of Bias criteria were used for critical appraisal and to limit bias. The majority of the analyzed studies focused on physical activity and nutrition, including the issues of sedentary time, obesity and sustainability. The holistic approach is less typical in the interventions reviewed, with a marginal occurrence of topics related to mental and social health, as well as risk behavior. The interventions proved to be more effective when parents were involved, and the varied, age-appropriate game-based activities also contributed to the formation of health-supporting habits.

Secular trend of mortality and incidence of rheumatoid arthritis in global ,1990–2019: an age period cohort analysis and joinpoint analysis

BackgroundRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a major public health problem. Unfortunately, there is a scarcity of comprehensive and up-to-date information regarding the burden of RA and its dynamic trends in subsequent years. To examine the changing trends in the global burden of RA and forecast for 2044, which will facilitate the development of strategies tailored to RA burden and provide reference for the development of effective treatment guidelines.MethodsFollowing the general analytical strategy used the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2019, which included 204 countries, the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) and age-standardized disability adjusted of life year (DALY) rate for RA were analyzed.ResultsThe ASIR, ASMR and age-standardized DALY rate for RA in 2019 were 13.001/100,000 (95% UI, 11.833 ~ 14.274), 0.574/100,000 (95% UI, 0.356 ~ 0.793) and 39.565/100,000 (95% UI, 49.529 ~ 30.508), respectively. America had the highest ASIR [18.578(95% UI, 17.147 ~ 20.148)] and age-standardized DALY rate [53.676(95% UI, 40.106 ~ 67.968)] in 2019. Asia had the highest ASMR [0.681(95% UI, 0.802 ~ 0.480)] in 2019. From 1990 to 2019, a significant average annual percentage change (AAPC) in the ASIR was observed in both males [0.237% (95% CI, 0.216 ~ 0.259%)] and females [0.197% (95% CI, 0.141 ~ 0.254%)], AAPC in the ASMR was observed in both males [-0.398% (95% CI, -0.605~-0.191%)] and females [-0.295% (95% CI, -0.424~-0.65%)]. Age effects indicated that the relative risk (RR) of RA-associated incidence and mortality rates increased with age among males and females. The RR of RA increased over time and started to gradually increase from 1990. Cohort effects showed decreases in incidence, mortality and DALY rates in successive birth cohorts. The global incidence of RA would continue to increase in the future, while mortality would continue to decrease.ConclusionThe increased risk of RA is dominantly influenced by age effects and period effects and the ethnic area. The results suggest that early identification and treatment of RA is important for reducing the ongoing burden with age, and targeted health education and specific intervention programs should be promoted to control middle-elderly population.

The Effectiveness of Improving Infectious Disease-Specific Health Literacy Among Residents: WeChat-Based Health Education Intervention Program.

Infectious disease-specific health literacy (IDSHL) has become an important determinant of infectious disease incidence. It can not only reduce the incidence of re-emerging infectious diseases, but also effectively prevent the emergence of new infectious diseases such as COVID-19. WeChat, as a new media, has been proven to greatly reduce the chance of infectious diseases spreading from person to person, especially in case of respiratory infections. However, there is currently no concrete health education invention program to improve IDSHL using a WeChat public account. The aims of this study were as follows: (1) to determine the IDSHL of the population in Zhejiang, China; (2) to develop a health education program for the improvement of IDSHL using a WeChat public account; and (3) to evaluate the effectiveness of the health education program that was implemented in the prevention of infectious disease outbreaks. We used a standardized questionnaire, which consisted of 28 closed-ended questions, to measure the level and score of IDSHL before and after intervention. A multiple-stage stratified random sampling technique was used to select study participants from Zhejiang province in China, who were further divided randomly into 2 groups: the intervention and control groups. From July 2014 to January 2015, a WeChat-based health education intervention program was carried out on the intervention group. Standard descriptive statistics and chi-square and t tests were conducted to analyze the data. A total of 3001 residents participated in the baseline survey of this study. At baseline, participant IDSHL rates were 73.29% and 72.12% for the intervention and control groups, respectively (Χ21=0.5; P=.50). After 7 months of intervention, 9.90% (297/3001) of participants dropped out of the study. Of the lost participants, 119 were from the intervention group and 178 were from the control group. There were significant differences between follow-up and lost participants with respect to age (P=.04), marital status (P=.02) and occupations (P=.002). After intervention, the intervention group scores in the different domains were higher than those in the control group (infectious disease-related knowledge, prevention, management, or treatment, identification of pathogens and infection sources, and cognitive ability). There were significant improvements in the IDSHL of participants in both the intervention and control groups (Χ21=135.9; P<.001 vs Χ21=9.1; P=.003), and there was a greater change in the IDSHL among the intervention group participants than among the control group participants (1230/1359, 90.51% vs 1038/1359, 77.17%). The health education intervention program using a WeChat public account proved to be an effective, feasible, and well-accepted means to improve the IDSHL of the general population. In the future, this health education intervention program can be used as a reference for prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.

Improving Foot Self-care Practices Through Health Education Intervention Programs Among Diabetic Patients: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) remain one of the greatest significant problems of diabetes mellitus. It is a cause of main suffering and expenses for patient, and financial problem on health facilities and public. One of the strategies to overcome DFU is through health education to prevent foot ulcer, which focused in promoting foot self-care. To reach this aim, researchers had applied different educational approaches. This systematic review is to evaluate various types of educational programs in terms of its method of delivery and effectiveness. Methods: The search involved various databases; EBSCOHOST, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane library, ScienceDirect, PubMed, SAGE SringerLink, Web of Science and Wiley Online Library. It was limited to full text research articles that report intervention studies, and the writte up in English Language, the publication was from 2005 to 2021. The key words were “diabetes”, “diabetes foot”, “foot self-care”, health education and “interventions”. Results: Twenty studies were involved in this review. Nine studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs), while eleven reported non-randomized controlled trials (NRCTs). Conclusion: There are evidences that foot care education improves foot care and diabetic foot problems. Various health education approaches, for instance foot assessment, discussion, counseling, homebased visitation and telephone calls have been shown to be effective in improving educational programs. Studies in the future should focus on RCTs in different sites and apply follow-up of long duration to provide better recommendations to healthcare practitioners on effective educational interventions to prevent DFUs.

Effect of health education on knowledge of iso-immunization among pregnant women in selected government hospitals in Lagos State, Nigeria

Objective: to assess the outcome of health education on the knowledge of iso-immunization among pregnant women in selected government hospitals in Lagos state. Method: This was a quasi-experimental study where a semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain data from 162 pregnant women who were selected by multi-stage Sampling in 3 selected government hospitals in Lagos state. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 24 and results were analyzed using frequency tables. An Independent t-test was used to test the mean difference between the two hypotheses. The level of statistical significance was set at a p-value of &lt;0.05. Results: The findings indicated that there were statistically significant differences between the level of knowledge among pregnant women at pre and post-health education intervention on isoimmunisation (Mean difference = 8.204, t(160) = 33.602, p = .000).; and between the level of knowledge of management among pregnant women at pre and post health education intervention on isoimmunisation (Mean difference = 7.191, t(160) = 23.234, p = .000). Conclusion: health education intervention program improved the knowledge of iso-immunization and its management among pregnant women. It was recommended among others that pregnant women should be given health talks about isoimmunisation, its causes, effects, and how it can be managed to improve their knowledge about isoimmunisation.

Exploration into the Influencing Factors for the Intention of the Public to Vaccinate against Infectious Diseases Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior-Example of the COVID-19 Vaccine.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was applied as an example, and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used as a conceptual model. This study aimed to explore the impact of subjective norms (SNs), attitude towards the behavior (ATT), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) on the intention of the public for regular vaccination during COVID-19. The outcomes can provide certain recommendations for relevant policymakers in developing targeted health education intervention programs in the event of similar events. An online survey was performed between 17 April and 14 May 2021, via the online survey platform "WENJUANXING". The multistage stratified cluster sampling was employed, and 2098 participants (1114 males; 53.10%) with a mean age of 31.22 years (SD = 8.29) completed the survey. The survey covered the factors influencing the public's intention to receive future regular vaccinations during COVID-19 based on TPB. The effects of different variables on the public's vaccination intention were analyzed using hierarchical stepwise regression. The public's intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine (i.e., behavioral intention) in the future was taken as the dependent variable. Gender, age, marital status, education level, per capita monthly household income, vaccine-related knowledge, whether the COVID-19 vaccine was received, subjective norms (SNs), attitude towards the behavior (ATT), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) were used as independent variables. In this way, a hierarchical stepwise multiple regression model was developed. It can be seen from the final model that gender, age, vaccine-related knowledge, vaccination, attitude, SNs, and PBC were all influential factors in the public's intention to get vaccinated in the future, with R2 = 0.399 and adjusted R2 = 0.397 (p < 0.001). TPB explains the intention of the public to receive future vaccinations to a large extent, and ATT and SNs are the most important influencing factors. It is suggested that vaccine intervention programs be developed to enhance public awareness and acceptance of vaccination. This can be achieved in three aspects, namely, improving the ATT of the public, SNs, and PBC. Furthermore, the influence of gender, age, vaccine knowledge, and previous vaccination behavior on vaccination intention should be taken into account.

Effect of Health Education Intervention Programme on Awareness of Danger Signs in Childhood Illnesses (Under-Five) Among Caregivers in Kaduna State, Nigeria

: The study assesses the effect of health education intervention programme on awareness of danger signs in childhood illnesses (Under-Five Children) among caregivers in Kaduna State. Nigeria. To achieve the purpose of the study, five research questions were raised while five hypotheses were formulated and tested to guide the study. Quasi-experimental of pre-test and post-test experimental and control groups was adopted for this study. The population of the study consist of 19,684 of the entire caregivers in Kaduna State. The sample size of this study is two hundred (200) participants selected by using multi-stage sampling techniques. The instrument for data collection for the study is researcher’s developed questionnaire. Inferential statistic of paired sample t-test was used to test the formulated hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The finding indicated that there is significance awareness of danger signs in childhood illnesses (Under-Five Children) among caregivers in Kaduna state, Nigeria after health education intervention programme (t-23.07, df: 99; P=.000); and there is significant difference between the experimental and control group after health education intervention programme based on their awareness of danger signs in childhood illnesses (t=-15.316, df: 198; (P=.000). Based on the findings of the study it was concluded that health education intervention programme improves awareness of danger signs in childhood illnesses (Under-Five Children) among caregivers in Kaduna state, Nigeria. This is because the effect of health education intervention programme was significant. It was therefore recommended among others that the Kaduna State Ministry of Health should work with all the healthcare facilities to promote that health education intervention programme on knowledge of danger signs in childhood illnesses and should be carried out during ANC visits.

HIV Counseling and Testing Uptake, Knowledge and Attitude and Influencing Factors among Student Nurses and Midwives in The Gambia: An Institutional-based Cross-sectional Study

HIV counseling and testing (HCT) has become paramount in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS worldwide. However, the uptake of HCT has been very slow globally, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Student nurses formed the largest group undergoing health care training in the country compared to doctors and other health cadres. According to WHO, they are part of the most vulnerable group to HIV infection, judging by the fact that they interact more with patients/clients than other healthcare professionals. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HCT uptake, knowledge, and attitude and evaluate influencing factors among student nurses and midwives in public nursing schools. An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was employed to collect data from 305 randomly selected nursing students and midwives using a validated and reliable self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics (percentages, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (chi square, logistics regression, one-way ANOVA and independent samples t-test) were used for data analysis using SPSS version 25.0. A p-value &lt; 0.05 was considered for statistical significance. Out of the 305 students recruited for the study, 60.98% were females, with a mean age of 25.5 years old. About 58.4% of the participants had tested for HIV in the past. About 95.7% acknowledged the importance of HCT in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS. HCT uptake among student nurses and midwives was influenced by factors ranging from an individual that are interpersonal challenges (such as concerns of friends), perceived susceptibility to the disease, lack of confidentiality, stigma and discrimination from health service providers. Therefore, these barriers can be addressed through an organized targeted health education intervention and advocacy programs across health training institutions in the Gambia and beyond.

Effects of Health Education Intervention Programme On Health Seeking Practices and Treatment Preferences for Mothers of Under-Five Children with Febrile Illness in Ogbomoso

This study determined the effect of health-education intervention programme on health-seeking practices and treatment –preferences for mothers having under-five children with febrile-illness .Quasi Experimental research design was conducted among mothers of under-five children attended primary health care centres for immunization in selected Primary Health Care s in Ogbomoso Pre and Post intervention self-structured questionnaire were used to collect data from 191 mothers using purposive sampling technique. One third of respondent (28.0%) have heard about febrile illness during pre-intervention while most (98.4%) have heard about it in the post intervention. Majority (74.2%) during pre-intervention declined to take their child to health facility when sick while during post-intervention over half (51.1%) do it often. Health education intervention programme improved health seeking practices and treatment preferences for mothers of under five.

Impact of School-Based Health Education on Dengue Prevention and Control in an Urban Area during an Epidemic

Background: Most school communities lack awareness and health education toward dengue and its transmission. Aim: To assess the impact of implemented school-based health education intervention program on cognitive and affective domain as well as behavior of high school children as a change agent in the prevention and control of dengue fever in an urban area. Methods: All the children were self-administered a pretested semi-structured questionnaire to assess the baseline knowledge and attitude on dengue fever and its prevention in an epidemic. Multimodal health education intervention was provided and after 1 week, the same questionnaire was used to assess the postintervention level of knowledge and attitude. The Chi-square test and ordinal logistic regression were performed in R. v. 3.5.2. Sample of students was administered observation checklist to document the practices. Results: Majority belonged to the Class X 379 (60.64%) and their level of knowledge during pretest was higher compared to Class VIII and IX. Posttest, level of education of father's (P = 0.006), student's (P = 0.000), and occupation of mother's (P = 0.048) significantly associated with knowledge of students. While mother's education significantly associated with both knowledge (P = 0.000) and (P < 0.036) attitude of the students toward dengue fever. Knowledge and attitude of the students toward dengue significantly improved posttest. There was significant change in behavior practices as evident by reduction of breeding sites after intervention. Conclusion: The cognitive and affective domain of the high school students toward dengue fever improved after the health education program along with behavioral change which highlights the role of students as change agents.

Mental Health Educational Intervention Program and Its Effects on Students’ Well-Being

In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the mental health of Chinese college students. The mental health and happiness of college students have become the focus of the government, schools and society. As a special group of society, college students are in the period of personality improvement and development, and their psychological endurance and adjustment ability is relatively weak. Their high self-positioning makes their desire for success very strong. When faced with economic, academic, employment, emotional and other aspects of pressure, often due to improper handling of psychological problems. With the continuous development of psychology, “overall happiness” has gradually become an important comprehensive psychological index to measure people’s mental health. The intervention of mental health education can significantly improve the level of college students’ mental health and subjective well-being. The intervention of mental health education should become an important content and approach of college students’ mental health education.

Impact of a health educational interventional program on reducing the head lice infestation among pupils in an elementary school of a sub-tropical region: a quasi-experimental study

BackgroundPediculosis is an important social challenge that can be caused by human head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis. This infestation is cosmopolitan, especially in countries with low hygiene and sanitation. Regular health education classes for students and their parents are required to reduce this infestation in schools and families. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a health education intervention program on reducing head lice among pupils of an elementary school.MethodsIn a quasi-experimental study, a total of 880 elementary school girls were screened for pediculosis in (2017–2018). The prevalence of pediculosis follow-up continued monthly until the end of the school year after a two months educational intervention course. Visual inspection was applied for initial diagnosis of infection. The suspected cases were confirmed by wood lamp and potassium hydroxide (KOH) microscopic examination. Also eight questions about diagnostic, epidemiology, treatment and prevention were answered in a questionnaire by 50 volunteer parents before and after the training intervention course, to evaluate their general knowledge and measure the effectiveness of learning. All data were statistically analyzed using SPSS software (version 20.0, SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). McNemar’s test was also applied to investigate the prevalence rate before and after the intervention. A p -value of less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.ResultsAt the beginning of study, pre-intervention prevalence of pediculosis among pupils was 8.4% (49/594). The mean age in all pupils was 9.86 ± 1.83 years old and the most infestation was shown in fourth-grade students with 10 years old. Analysis of statistics demonstrated a significant difference between having infestation and the number of members in the families. Post-intervention phase led to a decreased prevalence of pediculosis in pupils to 3% (8/594) (p-value < 0.05). Based on statistical analysis of questions before and after the training in the questionnaire, a significant increase of parental knowledge was observed on the prevention program of pediculosis (p-value < 0.001).ConclusionThe prevalence of pediculosis was significantly reduced following the educational interventions in the school. The applied interventions may be implemented in other residual centers to get rid of this important infestation.

Effect of Health Education Intervention on Practice of Breast Self–Examination Among Women of Reproductive Age in Selected Primary Healthcare Facilities in Ogun State, Nigeria

The study examined effect of health education intervention on practice of breast self–examination among women of reproductive age in selected primary healthcare facilities in Ogun State, Nigeria. The study specifically examined the pre- and post- intervention knowledge and practice of breast self-examination among women of reproductive age in selected primary healthcare facilities. This study adopted one group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental research design. The population for the study comprises of women of reproductive age in two selected primary healthcare facilities in Ogun State. The researcher adapted a well-structured test paper that was used to obtain information from respondents. The instrument was validated by experts consisting of nursing professionals as well as experienced professional researchers who ascertained face and content validity. The research was carried out in three phases namely pre-intervention, intervention and post-intervention. Descriptive statistics such as frequency counts and percentages were used to answer the research question while inferential statistics of t-test was used to test the hypotheses. The findings of this study show that majority of the respondents at the pre-intervention phase had average knowledge of breast self-examination while the knowledge level was high after intervention. The findings of this study however show that majority of the respondents at the pre-intervention phase had never practice breast self-examination while the practice level was high after intervention. The study concluded that the health education intervention program improved the practice of breast self-examination among women of reproductive age. It was recommended among others that health educational intervention regarding practice of breast self-examination should be done periodically by health workers during clinics for women of reproductive age.

Scale of self-efficacy in oral hygiene (OHSE): analysis of psychometric properties in Spain

Aim Oral self-efficacy has been shown to be an important variable in predicting successful treatment, preventing health risks and encouraging health-promoting behaviour. In the context of oral health, it is of paramount importance to facilitate the use of the Oral Hygiene Self-Efficacy Scale (OHSE) in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the OHSE scale in a sample of Spanish adults and offer standards for interpreting the scale. Method A sample of 360 people aged from 18 to 75 years was assessed using the OHSE scale. The scale was culturally adapted and translated, reliability tests, construct validity, comparison of means by sex and age group were carried out, and scales for evaluating the responses were prepared. Results After eliminating six items, the reliability and validity analyses showed adequate psychometric properties. There were no differences between sex or age group. Conclusion The OHSE scale for a Spanish adult population has sufficient empirical support to be considered a valid and useful instrument with solid psychometric properties and it offers an opportunity for oral health education intervention programs aimed at the adult population.

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Background and objectivesPregnancy the most challenging period of women’s lives were greatly hit by the Coronavirus pandemic and lockdown implemented to curtail the spread of infection in the community has also affected antenatal care. The present study was aimed to find out the effectiveness of mental health education programmes in pandemic related pregnancy stress among women pregnant during COVID-19.Material and methodsA combination of descriptive and experimental research design was used. The stress related to COVID 19 was measured using the Pandemic-Related Pregnancy Stress Scale (PREPS) in 123 pregnant females. The compact mental health education intervention programme specially designed for COVID-19 was administered in the experimental group of 61 pregnant females. The stress levels were compared with 61 pregnant females of the control group who were not exposed to the mental health education programme. The results were compared and evaluated for the effectiveness of mental health education programmes in combating the stress during this pandemic. The programme was reintroduced during the second COVID-19 wave and results were accordingly analysed.ResultsFrom the study, we found there exists a significant difference in the COVID 19 pandemic related pregnancy stress between control and experimental groups. The mean scores of PREPS preparedness of the experimental group before and after the intervention was 3.36±0.89 and 1.25±0.81 respectively. A t-value of 12.38 was found which is statistically significant at a CI of 95% (1.77 to 2.44). Similarly, the mean score of PREPS infection of experimental group before and after the intervention was 3.36±0.91 and 1.28±0.71 and for PREPS positive appraisal of the experimental group before and after the intervention was 1.27±0.90 and 3.34±11.58 respectively The t-value of 11.58 was found which is statistically significant at CI of 95% (-2,42 to -1.71). However, in control the mean scores for PREPS subscales before and after were almost the same (3.34±0.71 and 3.34±0.71, 4.04±0.91 and 3.94±0.80, 2.27±0.90 and 2.01±0.80). The t-values were statistically insignificant. Therefore from the results, we conclude that in both the experimental and control group the PREPS subscale scores were higher before intervention and reduced to significant levels after intervention in the experimental group however, there was no significant change in stress levels in the control group who were not exposed to the intervention programme. There was also a significant improvement in positive appraisal in pregnant females who received mental health education. Similar results were found during the second COVID-19 wave.ConclusionPandemic related pregnancy stress had increased and can be of unfavourable consequences regarding mother and infants health. Therefore, early intervention to improve self-care and motivate women to approach the self in a way that entails inculcating and exercising things that inevitably enhance physical and mental health. At the same time refraining from the contrary thereby dispensing with professional medical help will eventually improve the overall mental health of pregnant females.