Health Situation Research Articles

Current Socio-Economic Conditions and Mental Health of Female RMG Workers: A Narrative Review

With an estimated 4 million workers, garment manufacturers in Bangladesh contribute to the country’s economic prosperity. Most of the female employees in this industry come from rural regions. These workers frequently do repetitive, continuous, and lengthy tasks including stitching, ironing, packaging, and lifting large objects. The presence of toxic factors in the workplace can have detrimental effects on an employee’s physical and mental well-being as well as the organization’s general health. This study aimed to investigate the mental health and socioeconomic situation of female RMG workers. Materials and Methods: The search approach that was used was a thorough electronic search of PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Science Direct, and the Cochrane Library. This review includes all publicly available research that had a full-text article in the database and a thorough methodology. Results: Eleven studies were included in this review. The studies revealed that the majority of the readymade garment workers are female around 80-90%. They are from rural areas and not highly educated. The mental health issues are due to result of working at uncomfortable positions at the factory and simultaneously fulfilling family demands at home. According to the experts, female employees’ health is impacted by their physical work environment, poor employment position, and the type of their profession. The female employees shared their own accounts of experiencing physical and verbal abuse, ongoing pressure, various personal limitations, and wage withholding in the workplace. Conclusions: Review of socio-economic status and mental health issues among the lowly educated young garment factory workers revealed that the uncooperativeness of various stakeholders were the biggest reasons for mental health issues. Women participated in the majority of the research projects. As a result, it’s essential to set up targeted initiatives to improve the mental health of garment workers.

Physicochemical and pharmacotechnical characterization of Prussian blue for future Prussian blue oral dosage forms formulation

Ferric hexacyanoferrate, Fe4 [Fe(CN)6]3 · xH2O, known as Prussian blue (PB), has proven its effectiveness as an antidote in cases of accidental poisoning or poisoning caused by radioactive materials such as cesium (Cs) and thallium (Tl); which due to their solubility in water, when absorbed by the human body, cause serious damage to vital organs. The local development of a drug with PB as an active ingredient arises as a response to the civil and military needs established within the Ministry's pharmacy request for national defense. This fact contemplates the circumstances related to public health protection in the nuclear, radiological, biological and chemical (NRBQ) of the emergency institutions in health and national security. In this paper and by using various analytical techniques, the characterization of the locally synthesized PB with pharmaceutical quality has been described, as a first step to predict its behavior in the preparation of a drug that contains it as an active ingredient.The research findings demonstrate that locally synthesized PB is suitable for use in oral dosage forms, enabling the local development of drug formulations incorporating PB, thus being able to potentially become a main resource in the treatment of Cs and Tl poisoning in any accidental or intended of the population. This development opens up the possibility of creating drug formulations that incorporate PB at a local level, making it a potentially significant resource in the treatment of Cs and Tl poisoning. The ability to locally produce and utilize PB in oral dosage forms could be crucial in addressing cases of accidental or intentional exposure within the population. This advancement not only contributes to the scientific understanding of PB but also holds promising implications for practical applications in public health and emergency situations.

Equilíbrio ocupacional na população saudável chilena e sua relação com autoeficácia e qualidade de vida

Abstract Introduction Occupational balance has been related to various health and well-being situations. In 2021, the Occupational Balance Questionnaire was translated into Spanish (OBQ-E), however, to date, there are no studies on its application in the Latin American population. Objective To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the OBQ (OBQ-E) in a representative sample of healthy Chilean adults and from them to establish the relationship between occupational balance and self-efficacy and quality of life in this population. Method A cross-sectional observational study has been conducted. A total of 153 healthy adults participated. OBQ-E was applied. Psychometric properties were performed. A correlation analysis was performed to identify the relationship with self-efficacy and quality of life. Results A bifactorial model for OBQ-E is confirmed: occupational pattern and occupational meaning. There is a moderate association between occupational balance and the other two variables: self-efficacy and quality of life, specially related to mental health. Conclusion This study has validated the OBQ-E instrument to be applied in the healthy adult Chilean population, and has determined the statistical relationship between occupational balance, self-efficacy, and quality of life. This research has shown the relevance of occupational balance in a healthy population.

Impact of financial toxicity on adults with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic: an integrative review.

to identify the repercussions of financial toxicity on the lives of adult cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. an integrative review was conducted using the PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase databases, as well as the Virtual Health Library portal, in March 2023. out of 62 studies found, 13 were included for analysis. The primary repercussions of financial toxicity included difficulties in covering basic expenses such as food, housing, medication, transportation, and internet access; increased anxiety and concerns related to health and financial situations; reduction or absence of income; challenges in obtaining treatment or accessing healthcare services; rising expenses; and telemedicine as a less burdensome alternative. the pandemic has exacerbated financial toxicity; therefore, healthcare teams must recognize it as an adverse event of oncological treatment and understand its potential to affect various aspects of patients' lives.

Oral health situation analysis and integration of Massive Open Online Course Modules on Oral Health Promotion in WHO SEAR Countries: A Comprehensive Report

Background: Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) modules are deemed to be novel educational models to optimize learning. They can be useful in delivering oral health education to primary health care workers to strengthen the oral health care delivery system. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze the current oral health situation analysis of the South East Asia region countries and to assess areas where the MOOC modules can be integrated as oral health training material. Methodology: A focus group discussion was held virtually with 70 participants from SEAR. The MOOC modules were developed as learning activities to facilitate the application of the material learned, in public settings. The themes for the situation analysis were based on oral health policy, barriers to dental treatment needs and action plan for implementation of the MOOC modules in each SEAR country. Results: Results highlighted the importance of formulating and implementing oral health policy at the national level among the participating countries. Nepal, Maldives, Timor–Leste reported on existing gaps regarding the unmet dental treatment needs. The inclusion of helath care workers in conducting dental procedures was observed in Bhutan. Global school health promoting initiatives were recorded in Maldives. The participating SEAR countries reported on the sensitization of primary healthcare workers through the developed MOOC modules. Conclusion: The developed massive open online course module was acknowledged to be an improved and interactive tool for primary health care workers by the country's oral health officers for oral health promotion and networking.

Assessing pain severity and treatment outcomes in patients with low back pain: A Structural equation modeling approach at the center for the rehabilitation of the Paralysed, Bangladesh.

This study aims to observe the associated risk factors of lower back pain and the factors that increase the pain severity. So, the main objective of this research is to identify the factors which may cause the lower back pain and the causal effect on the pain severity and respective treatment. This study also tries to determine the demographical characteristics of the low back pain patients and determine the inter relationship of psychological health, work stress and treatment effect with the pain disability index. In this cross-sectional study, 200 patients with lower back pain were interviewed who were taking treatments from the physiotherapy department at the Center for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. A quantitative research model has been performed to observe the relationship between different causes of low back pain effects on the patients. Different statistical analysis including structural equation modeling have been performed to observe their pain severity and treatment effect. The study found 64% (128) of the total participants as male and 36% (72) as female among 200 patients of low back pain. The study also observed the highest portion of the patients belong to the age group 39 to 45 years (21.5%). On the basis of BMI, obese weight respondents were 26.5% (53), overweight respondents were 37% (74), normal weight respondents were 33% (66), and underweight respondents were only 3.5% (7). Here, sex, body mass index (BMI), living place and educational status have significant association with pain disability index (PDI). On the other hand, smoking tendency of patients has insignificant relationship (p>0.05) with pain disability index (PDI). The path coefficients of the structural equation model identified that all the null hypotheses of no significant relationship have been rejected for 5% level of significance. The hypothesis of psychological health is positively related to pain severity of a patient has an acceptable strength (β = 0.745, p<0.001) and a positive direction. Another hypothesis (Psychological health is positively related to the treatment of a patient) shows an acceptable strength (β = 0.401, p <0.001) and a positive direction. Work stress is also found to be positively related to pain severity of a patient with an acceptable strength (β = 0.544, p < 0.001) and a positive direction. The hypothesis (Work stress is positively related to the treatment of a patient) has an acceptable strength (β = 0.322, p< 0.05) and a positive direction. The hypothesis (pain severity is positively related to the treatment of patients) shows an acceptable strength (β = 0.801, p < 0.001) and a positive direction. The research found out the psychological health situation and work stress of patients are significantly related with pain severity with acceptable strength. Also, Pain severity is significantly associated with treatment scheme intensity.

Mapeamento de competências essenciais: conhecimentos, habilidades e atitudes para gestão em saúde pública

ABSTRACT This is a cross-sectional study, with a quantitative exploratory descriptive approach that aimed to mapp essential competencies in public health among professionals working in the management of a state health department. Data collection was conducted online through a questionnaire. Data were analyzed descriptively, and the competencies were assessed according to six domains of the Regional Framework for Essential Competencies in Public Health and the Degree of Competency Expression at Work. A total of 119 professionals participated in the study, with a predominance of females (70.6%) and an average age of 46.7 years. Domain 1 - Health Situation Analysis showed the highest Degree of Competency Expression at Work; while Domain 6 - International and Global Health obtained the lowest value. There was a significant relationship between the variables studied and education, highlighting that lower levels of education are associated with lower competence scores across the six analyzed domains. It is concluded that developing competencies is a challenge in public management due to its specificities. In this context, competency mapping plays a fundamental role in planning and implementing effective actions for Continuing Health Education.

高职院校新生心理健康状况分析研究 ——以艺术设计学院学生为例

高职院校新生心理健康状况分析研究 ——以艺术设计学院学生为例

The Effect of Boko Haram Insurgency on Health and Nutrition among the Residents of Bolori 2 of Maiduguri Metropolitan Council of Borno State, Nigeria.

The Effect of Boko Haram Insurgency on Health and Nutrition among the Residents of Bolori 2 of Maiduguri Metropolitan Council of Borno State, Nigeria.

Identifying cows at risk of subclinical ketosis as part of the milk recording of dairy cattle in Poland in 2014-2022

In 2013, the Polish Federation of Cattle Breeders and Dairy Farmers introduced a new service – identifying cows in a state of subclinical ketosis (SK). Based on the content of ketone bodies in milk, i.e. β-hydroxybutyrate and acetone determined in a milk sample taken on the day of the trial milking, cows that were probably in the SK state on the test day are identified using a logistic regression model. Such cows are indicated to breeders in the reports from milk recording. The aim of the study was to analyze the incidence of SK in the recorded population. During 10 years of SK monitoring, the incidence of SK in cows decreased with each subsequent year. SK occurred more often in cows with lower milk yield and in smaller herds. The results indicate a constant improvement in the health situation of recorded cows in Poland, in the context of the incidence of SK.

Introduction: Stories From Those Who Interpret For Others in Healthcare.

This symposium includes twelve personal narratives from healthcare interpreters who have navigated challenges while interpreting for patients and healthcare providers who do not share a common language. These stories are from trained professionals who speak a variety of spoken and sign languages. They describe what it is like to be a communication tool for a Patient-Physician relationship and the many ways this service takes a toll on their own physical and emotional health. They share the systemic dysfunction they have witnessed first-hand, as well as the gratification they feel when patients and their physicians successfully communicate the nuances of the health situation. Four commentaries on these narratives are also included, authored by experts and scholars in the fields of medicine and bioethics, with particular interests in the moral distress of healthcare providers, medical communication, the intersection of policy and ethics, and the education of future interpreters. The goal of this symposium is to call attention to the experiences of healthcare interpreters and to enrich discussions of the ethical ramifications of communication between people who do not share a common language.

Evaluation of infectious diseases control using an individual model under the test-trace-isolate program

The global public health situation is constantly threatened by infectious diseases. To effectively control the spread of these diseases, it is crucial to quickly disrupt the transmission pathways of the pathogens. During the COVID-19 pandemic, testing, tracing, and isolation programs effectively responded to disease outbreaks in some areas but have largely failed in many other countries. This study presents a computational model to evaluate the effectiveness of various prevention and control measures in managing epidemic transmission dynamics. The model utilizes an individual-based model and dynamic close-contact networks to simulate the spread of infectious diseases. By considering the dynamic contact network formed by different individuals and their activities in various social environments, the model can track the spread of the disease and changes in the infection status of each individual through simulation. Using COVID-19 as an example, the model simulations demonstrate that infections increase rapidly after a local outbreak without preventive measures, quickly reach a peak of daily new infections. However, implementing test-trace-isolate measures significantly decreases the scale of infections and the number of daily new cases. Further stringent preventive measures to reduce individual contact are required to achieve the goal of zero infections. The results emphasize the importance of early detection and isolation in curbing the spread of the virus. The model established in this study can be used to evaluate and optimize prevention and control measures to achieve the goal of zero infections.

Preparing for the Future Pandemic: Impact of Individual and Occupational Factors on Paramedics' Mental Health.

The mental health of paramedics is critical for disaster response in order to provide rapid and effective interventions. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related individual and occupational factors in Turkish paramedics during the eleventh month of the COVID-19 pandemic. The "Sociodemographic Information Form," "Life Events Checklist," and "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist" were used to collect data from 440 randomly selected paramedics in this cross-sectional study. The prevalence of PTSD was 59.8% in the 11th month of the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiple regression analysis revealed that approximately 25% of the total PTSD score could be independently explained by paramedics' general health situation and sociodemographic characteristics; 27% by crisis management skills, long working hours, a lack of equipment, and intensive work; and 40% by past traumatic experiences due to difficult life events during their professional practice, such as responding to gunshot wounds, becoming a victim of a gunshot attack, or sexual assault (P < 0.05). Integrating a mental health monitoring system into the health and safety program, providing paramedics with supervision and psychological assistance, and engaging them in disaster preparedness planning would be beneficial.

Working and health conditions in teleworkers in mandatory social isolation due to COVID-19: exploratory survey in Lima and Callao.

The socioeconomic and health situation of people have been affected during the COVID-19 pandemic; in Peru, preventive labor measures were taken to promote home working, which generated working conditions requiring special attention. To describe the results of an online survey on working and health conditions in workers from Lima and Callao who worked from home during the first period of mandatory social isolation due to COVID-19. In this exploratory study, an online survey adapted from the Questionnaire on Working Conditions, Employment and Health in Latin America and the Caribbean was applied between March 21 and April 11, 2020. Of the 179 workers included, 50.8% reported doing remote work, and 49.2% teleworking; 3.9% did not have necessary computer equipment for their work activities, 54.2% required more time to finish their scheduled activities and 31.8% of workers did not have an adequate environment for home working. Regarding health conditions, more than 40% reported spinal discomfort, headache, and anxiety symptoms. Latent problems were identified regarding the working and health conditions of the Peruvian population working from, which may represent a burden on public health not considered in the prevention measures during the pandemic.

Patients' experiences of and roles in interprofessional collaborative practice in primary care: a constructivist grounded theory study.

This constructivist grounded theory study aimed to (1) explore patients' experiences of and roles in interprofessional collaborative practice for chronic conditions in primary care and (2) consider the relevance and alignment of an existing theoretical framework on patients' roles and based on the experiences of patient advocates. High-quality management of chronic conditions requires an interprofessional collaborative practice model of care considering an individual's mental, physical, and social health situation. Patients' experiences of this model in the primary care setting are relatively unknown. A constructivist grounded theory approach was taken. Interview data were collected from primary care patients with chronic conditions across Australia in August 2020 - February 2022. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analysed by (1) initial line-by-line coding, (2) focused coding, (3) memo writing, (4) categorisation, and (5) theme and sub-theme development. Themes and sub-themes were mapped against an existing theoretical framework to expand and confirm the results from a previous study with a similar research aim. Twenty adults with chronic conditions spanning physical disability, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, autoimmune, and mental health conditions participated. Two themes were developed: (1) Adapting to Change with two sub-themes describing how patients adapt to interprofessional team care and (2) Shifting across the spectrum of roles, with five sub-themes outlining the roles patients enact while receiving care. The findings suggest that patients' roles are highly variable and fluid in interprofessional collaborative practice, and further work is recommended to develop a resource to support greater patient engagement in interprofessional collaborative practice.

Pension’s Impact to the Subjective Well-being of Retirees

The aging population is a growing concern of many countries worldwide. The change in population structure has forced governments of these countries to actively deal with this problem. Many countries’ governments are taking measures to the aging population problem, and the pension system is one important way to ensure old people’s welfare by transfer payment from other parties of the society. This paper aims to conclude and discuss the mechanism about how pension affects the subjective well-being of retirees. It is important to fully understand the implications behind pension’s impact for policy makers to make wise decisions. Researchers found that pension mainly contributes to financial security and health situation, which are two important factors affecting subjective well-being of retirees. Financial security is enhanced by increased income, so that retirees can transfer payment to other family member and increase their own consume costs. The positive impact of pension to health situation are only significant for poor population.

Global Mental Health Considers the Structure of the Mental Health System in the World

The World Health Organization defines mental health as a state of well-being in which each person realizes their potential and can cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to their community. Global mental health refers to the international perception of different aspects of mental health. Taking into account cultural differences and country-specific conditions, it deals with the epidemiology of mental disorders in different countries, their treatment options, mental health education, political and financial aspects, the structure of the mental health system, and mental health human resources and human rights issues. The general goal of the field of Global Mental Health is to strengthen mental health throughout the world, providing information on the mental health situation in all countries and identifying mental health needs in order to develop economic procedures that will address these specific needs.

Proportion of Low Birth weight and Associated Maternal Risk Factors in a Developing Country, Bangladesh

Introduction: Though the health situation of Bangladesh has been improved substantially over the years, the low birth weight (LBW) rate is still pretty high. LBW has been associated with high probability of infection, malnutrition, mental deficiencies and behavioural and learning problem in later life. The principle focus of this study was to ascertain the proportion of LBW and its associated maternal risk factors identification. Materials &amp; methods: It was a cross-sectional type of descriptive study done at two tertiary level hospitals – Rajshahi Medical College Hospital and Islami Bank Medical College Hospital. A total of 270 mothers were interviewed within 1 month of their delivery. The purposively selected participants were asked about their socio-demographic characters and other associated factors related to birth of the babies. Weights of the babies at birth were documented from hospital records. Result: Proportion of LBW was found 28.1% with no significant sex variation. Majority of the LBW babies were found in mothers of 15-20 years of age group. Mothers’ educational qualifications, occupations, early age pregnancy and type of pregnancy were associated significantly for LBW. Less than 37 weeks of gestational age of baby, home delivery, NVD were also significant risk factors of LBW. Residence and sex of neonate were not significantly associated with LBW. Conclusion: Proportion of LBW in tertiary care hospitals were found 28.1%. Early maternal pregnancy, lower gestational age, higher parity, NVD and home delivery played an important role in the incidence of LBW. TAJ 2023; 36: No-2: 207-214

Scientific Substantiation of the Work Shift Structure Correction of Granite Quarry Workers

In Ukraine, more than 70 % of mining operations are carried out in quarries. The mining industry has negative impacts on society, especially workers in the industry. The International Labour Organization states that the mining sector is one of the most dangerous sectors in the world. The current study was designed to understand the occupational safety and health situation in the mining industry at the granite quarries in Ukraine, because the exceeding accepted standards for factors of the production environment and labour process contributes to the development of occupational diseases. The study aimed to improve the working conditions of mining workers by adjusting the work shift structure. The main task was to plan an hourly work shift schedule that takes into account the influence of harmful production factors without compromising production efficiency. The study found that the influence of all four factors was reduced to acceptable limits after changing the work shift schedule. For the dust factor, the danger level was reduced from 4 to 1.25, for vibration – from 5.94 to 2.05, for noise – from 91 to 88, for severity of work – from 2.06 to 1.86. The achieved effect is explained by a reduction in the time an employee spends in hazardous conditions. Similar studies should be carried out for each profession in the extractive industry.

Health Risk Assessment of Nitrate in Drinking Water with Potential Source Identification: A Case Study in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Infant mortality in Kazakhstan is six times higher compared with the EU. There are several reasons for this, but a partial reason might be that less than 30% of Kazakhstan's population has access to safe water and sanitation and more than 57% uses polluted groundwater from wells that do not comply with international standards. For example, nitrate pollution in surface and groundwater continues to increase due to intensified agriculture and the discharge of untreated wastewater, causing concerns regarding environmental and human health. For this reason, drinking water samples were collected from the water supply distribution network in eight districts of Almaty, Kazakhstan, and water quality constituents, including nitrate, were analyzed. In several districts, the nitrate concentration was above the WHO and Kazakhstan's maximum permissible limits for drinking water. The spatial distribution of high nitrate concentration in drinking water was shown to be strongly correlated with areas that are supplied with groundwater, whereas areas with lower nitrate levels are supplied with surface water sources. Based on source identification, it was shown that groundwater is likely polluted by mainly domestic wastewater. The health risk for infants, children, teenagers, and adults was assessed based on chronic daily intake, and the hazard quotient (HQ) of nitrate intake from drinking water was determined. The non-carcinogenic risks increased in the following manner: adult < teenager < child < infant. For infants and children, the HQ was greater than the acceptable level and higher than that of other age groups, thus pointing to infants and children as the most vulnerable age group due to drinking water intake in the study area. Different water management options are suggested to improve the health situation of the population now drinking nitrate-polluted groundwater.