Knowledge Of Rural Communities Research Articles

Mental Health Literacy Among Urban and Rural Residents of Guangdong Province, China.

The study aims to understanding the mental health literacy level of urban and rural residents in Guangdong Province, the first major province in China, and its influencing factors is crucial. A multi-stage stratified equal-volume random sampling method was adopted in October-December 2022 to select permanent residents aged 18 years and above in Guangdong Province for the questionnaire survey, which consisted of a general demographic information questionnaire and a national mental health literacy questionnaire. Rao-Scott χ²-test with correction based on sampling design, independent samples t-test and binary multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed. A total of 51744 individuals completed the questionnaire, including 31822 urban residents and 19200 rural residents. The rate of achievement of mental health literacy was 13.6% among urban residents, which was significantly higher compared to the rate of 8.6% among rural residents. Logistic regression analysis showed that female, higher education, being mental worker, being a retiree, having a higher monthly household income, maintaining a regular diet, and using electronic products for 2-6hours per day were protective factors for mental health literacy attainment in urban residents, while having chronic diseases, being a smoker and having a history of drinking were identified as risk factors in urban residents. Among in rural residents, married, younger, higher education, being mental worker and using electronic products for 2-6hours per day, maintaining a regular diet, and engaging in regular exercise were protective factors for achieving mental health literacy, while previous smoking was a risk factor. The study revealed a low level of mental health literacy among urban and rural residents of Guangdong Province, with a significant disparity between the two areas. These findings highlight the need for continuing efforts to increase the dissemination of mental health knowledge in rural communities and improve levels of mental health literacy.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Rural Communities Regarding Antimicrobial Resistance and Climate Change in Adadle District, Somali Region, Ethiopia: A Mixed-Methods Study.

There is an urgent need for interventions in addressing the rapid and disproportionate impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and climate change (CC) on low- and middle-income countries. Within this context, it is important to understand indigenous knowledge in rural communities, which are highly affected. This study examined knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) regarding AMR and CC in the Adadle district, Somali region, Ethiopia, utilizing mixed methods, including 362 surveys and 12 focus group discussions among rural communities. Findings showed that 39% and 63% of participants were familiar with AMR and CC, respectively. Of those surveyed, 57% attributed AMR to inappropriate antimicrobial use in animals and humans, while CC was often associated with Allah/God. Multivariable analysis indicated that males exhibited superior knowledge and a positive attitude towards AMR and CC. Additionally, individuals aged 26-35 and 36-45 years showed heightened awareness of AMR and CC, respectively. Moreover, participants who were government employees, pastoralists, and business owners showed better knowledge on CC compared to family caretaker. Religious education and households with more than six members were linked to lower AMR knowledge. This study underlines a greater awareness of CC than AMR and highlights gender-based disparities, recommending integrated educational AMR programs targeting different demographics through a One Health lens, actively involving females, and incorporating local beliefs and practices.

Exploring the Role of Religious Places in Sharing and Producing Knowledge in Rural Communities: A Case Study of the Kinh People in Soc Trang, Vietnam

AbstractSoc Trang province is located south of the Hau River in the Mekong Delta region. The province is home to ethnic groups including Kinh, Khmer, and Hoa. Each ethnic group has different cultural values, contributing to enriching the local cultural diversity; the Kinh people are the most dominant ethnic group of the total population in the region. In the cultural institutions of the Kinh people in Soc Trang, temples and pagodas have been an integral part of residents’ daily lives for centuries. In addition to their main role as a place where people share their cultural beliefs and religious practice, temples and pagodas are also sites where people meet and share agricultural knowledge. To gain further insight into this phenomenon, this study used both in-depth interviews and questionnaires to examine how different forms of intellectual assets and agricultural practice knowledge have been explicated and passed down from generation to generation within the examined communities. Moreover, this study also attempts to explore the importance of cultural and religious sites for local communities, and their critical impact on the community attachment and management system.

Raising Awareness and Knowledge of Rural Communities against Lottery Fraud and Illegal Online Loans through Telephone and Short Message Services

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a major socio-economic impact on the community, especially the decline in income and job losses. The urgency of economic needs makes people make online loans that are illegal and have very high interest rates. The lack of public knowledge about licensed and illegal online loans has resulted in debtors being trapped in large debts and spreading personal data. Considering that rural communities who have low levels of education and knowledge are victims of prize draw scams which are disseminated via short message service (SMS) and telephone calls. Therefore, there is a need for socialization about illegal online loans and prize draw fraud to the community, especially village communities. The purpose of this service activity is to increase public awareness and knowledge about the legality of online loan services and prize draw fraud. After this service was carried out, the community in Kerinjing Village had knowledge about the legality of online loans, prevention and overcoming of online loans as well as vigilance against prize draw fraud via SMS and telephone. After the community service activities were carried out, it was found that 100% of the community understood illegal online borrowing and raffle prizes via telephone and SMS.

Medicinal plant use, conservation, and the associated traditional knowledge in rural communities in Eastern Uganda

BackgroundThe global consumption of herbal medicine is increasing steadily, posing an extinction risk to medicinal plants. Uganda is among the top ten countries with a high threat of herbal medicine extinction, and Traditional Medicinal Knowledge (TMK) erosion. This might be attributed to the inadequate documentation, plus many more unclear hindrances. In this study, plant species used to treat human diseases in Butaleja district in Eastern Uganda and their associated TMK were documented. The conservation methods for medicinal plants were also evaluated. The rationale was to support the preservation of ethnopharmacological knowledge.MethodsData were collected from 80 herbalists using semi-structured questionnaires, from July 2020 to March 2021. Additionally, guided field walks and observations were conducted. Quantitative indices such as, use categories and informant consensus factor (ICF) were evaluated to elucidate the importance of the medicinal plants. Data were analyzed using STATA version-15.0 software.ResultsIn total, 133 species, belonging to 34 families and 125 genera were identified. Fabaceae (65%), and Solanaceae (29%) were the dominant families. Leaves (80%), and roots (15%), were the commonest parts used in medicinal preparations; mostly administered orally as decoctions (34.6%) and infusions (16%). The commonest illnesses treated were cough (7.74%), gastric ulcers (7.42%), and malaria (4.52%). The informant consensus factor was high for all disease categories (≥ 0.8), indicating homogeneity of knowledge about remedies used. Only 73% of the respondents made efforts to conserve medicinal plants. The commonest conservation strategy was preservation of forests with spiritually valued species (100%), while compliance with government regulations was the rarest (4.5%). Overall, efforts to stop the extinction of medicinal plants and TMK were inadequate.Conclusion and recommendationsThere was enormous dependency on a rich diversity of medicinal plant species and TMK for healthcare and income generation. The potential for medicinal plant biodiversity loss was evident due to habitat destruction. Inclusion of traditional cultural norms in conservation strategies, and laboratory-based efficacy tests for the species identified are necessary, to promote the conservative and utilization of validated herbal medicines and TMK in rural settings.

Medicinal fungi used by rural communities in Northeastern Brazil

The use of fungi for diversified purposes is part of the history of mankind. We sought to report what is known about fungal species used for medicinal purposes by rural populations in Northeastern Brazil. To this end, semi-structured forms were applied to 176 informants from four rural communities located in the southern region of Piauí. The fungi were deposited in the Graziela Barroso Herbarium (TEPB) of the Federal University of Piauí. The use value (UV) and relative importance (RI) of each species were calculated and similarity was estimated with the Sorensen index. Medicinal use was identified for four basidiomycete species belonging to the families Agaricaceae [Podaxis pistillaris (L.) Fr.], Hymenochaetaceae (Fomitiporia sp.) and Polyporaceae [Hexagonia hydnoides (Sw.) M. Fidalgo and Pycnoporus sanguineus (L.) Murrill]. Indicated for intestinal colic in infants, P. sanguineus was the species that presented the greatest current and potential UV and greater cultural importance. Studies on the chemical and pharmacological composition of the mentioned species were found, indicating their antibacterial, antiparasitic, antiviral, antifungal and antioxidant potential. Knowledge about these fungi has been transmitted from generation to generation, with greater similarity among individuals of the female sex and adult age. The results showed that there is ethnomycological knowledge in rural communities still to be explored in the semi-arid region of Brazil and highlighted the importance of studies about the ethnological knowledge of medicinal fungi.

Local representation of change and conservation of a Brazilian Caatinga refuge

A caatinga brasileira é uma das florestas tropicais secas mais ameaçadas do mundo, principalmente devido á fragmentação de habitats em função das pressões antrópicas. No entanto, as regiões montanhosas da Caatinga são consideradas refúgios de biodiversidade, com elevada riqueza de espécies vegetais, as quais são utilizadas para diversas finalidades por populações humanas locais. O presente estudo buscou identificar o conhecimento ecológico local das comunidades rurais no entorno de uma Serra na região semi-árida do Brasil, considerada um refúgio para a biodiversidade. O estudo foi realizado por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas, com informantes-chave sendo selecionados pela técnica de amostragem de bola de neve. Segundo os informantes, a serra representa o resgate na memória de paisagens anteriores, ligadas à biodiversidade que ela contém e explicando a importância como fonte de recursos e influência nos regimes locais de chuvas. Para as populações locais, a conservação da biodiversidade da Caatinga representa mais do que apenas a preservação da fauna e flora, compreendendo também a permanência das funções dos ecossistemas para a manutenção de suas atividades.

Nigerian rural mothers\u2019 knowledge of routine childhood immunizations and attitudes about use of reminder text messages for promoting timely completion

Mothers’ poor knowledge and attitudes about routine immunization impede childhood immunization completion. This study assessed mothers’ knowledge in rural communities about routine immunization and acceptability of mobile phone reminder text messages as an intervention for improving uptake and timely completion of routine immunization. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional design among 3440 consenting mothers of infants in six randomly selected Nigerian states and in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). We used a Focus Group Discussion guide and validated questionnaire to collect data; we analysed data using a thematic approach and descriptive statistics. Respondents’ ages were 26.7 ± 5.5 years. Knowledge of routine immunization was poor; attitudinal disposition was positive. Most (90.5%) indicated willingness to accept reminder text messages for routine immunization and 91.5% opined that mobile phones can be effective in providing such information. Mothers’ willingness to accept the use of SMS reminder text messages for promoting routine immunization completion requires well-designed and culture-sensitive persuasive messages.

Environmental education, attitudes and knowledge of rural communities about the Andean Condor in the El Almorzadero paramo (Santander, Colombia)

espanolLa educacion ambiental y la participacion comunitaria hacen parte de las lineas estrategicas establecidas para la conservacion del Condor Andino en Colombia. Sin embargo, son pocos los esfuerzos que involucran a las comunidades en procesos de conservacion de la especie. Este trabajo planteo evaluar las actitudes y el conocimiento de ninos y adultos acerca del Condor Andino. Se realizaron actividades de educacion ambiental con ninos de escuelas rurales para sensibilizar y reconocer la importancia natural y cultural de esta especie. Para los adultos, se desarrollo un taller de arbol de problemas con el fin de abordar el conflicto Condor-humano y se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas con productores de la region. Hubo una gran variedad de elementos biologicos, ecologicos y culturales que los ninos vincularon con el Condor. Los ninos creen que este se alimenta de animales vivos y complementan con carrona. Esto genera que no se valore la importancia ecologica que esta especie tiene en el paramo, ni su trascendencia para la gente. Por su parte, los productores de las zonas altas del paramo vincularon a la especie con mas elementos que los de zonas bajas. El perjuicio identificado es la perdida de animales domesticos a causa del Condor. Alrededor de esta problematica se identificaron causas y efectos resaltando la falta de asistencia tecnica y la perdida economica, respectivamente. A pesar del senalamiento de dichos perjuicios, la perspectiva general de los entrevistados frente a la especie es positiva. Es importante desarrollar actividades de educacion ambiental no solo en ninos sino tambien en adultos, evaluar la efectividad de las estrategias de educacion ambiental y vincular experiencias y conocimientos de la comunidad para crear lazos afectivos que incidan en la conservacion del Condor Andino. Finalmente, es pertinente generar puentes de comunicacion con entidades afines para fortalecer practicas de manejo de animales domesticos EnglishEnvironmental education and community participation are part of the strategy lines established for the conservation of the Andean Condor in Colombia. However, few efforts have been made with the purpose of involving local communities in the conservation process of the species. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the attitudes and knowledge of children and adults about the Andean Condor. Environmental education activities were carried out with children in rural schools in order to raise awareness and recognize the natural and cultural importance of this species. For adults, a problem tree analysis workshop was developed to address the human-Condor conflict and semi-structured interviews were conducted with producers in the region. There was a great variety of biological, ecological and cultural elements that the children linked with the Andean Condor. Children believe that it feeds on live animals and complements its diet with carrion. This generates that neither the ecological role of this species in the paramo , nor its transcendence for people are valued. Producers in the highlands of the paramo, on the other hand, linked the species with more elements than producers in the lowlands. The damage identified was the loss of domestic animals caused by condors. Causes and effects around this problem were identified, highlighting the lack of technical assistance and economic loss, respectively. Despite the indications of such damages, the general perspective of the interviewees regarding the species is positive. In conclusion, it is important to develop environmental education activities not only for children but also for adults, evaluate the effectiveness of environmental education strategies, and link the experiences and the knowledge of the community to create emotional ties that affect the conservation of the Andean Condor. Finally, it is pertinent to generate communication bridges with related entities to strengthen domestic animal management practices.

Ulama Sebagai Legitimator Informasi Keuangan Masyarakat Perdesaan Di Era Digital

At the end of 2016, Muslim religious leaders are under the spotlight in relation to the success of 411 and 212 action calls that demand a judgment on Basuki Cahaya Purnama. This event shows that in this era of digital media, Muslim religious leaders still have an influence to mobilize the masses. Therefore, scholars need to be considered to participate to successing the development programs and become agents of change in the diffusion of innovation. Rural communities need ulama as opinion leaders or information legitimators, especially in the era of digital media that is developing today. Ulama is important to increase knowledge of rural communities including the field of finance and banking.Our Public Service Programme performed in Desa Cikondang, Kecamatan Cibeber, Kabupaten Cianjur Jawa Barat. In this location there are financial problems in the form of "mobile bank" which is the camouflage of moneylender activity. The program is done in three stages, mapping the digital media access of ulama, mapping the moneylender problem, and mapping the role of ulama in overcoming the problem by utilizing digital media.

De’Maydarling (Digital Edukasi Masyarakat Desa Sadar Lingkungan) Kelompok Usaha Gula Aren Desa Kaiti, Rokan Hulu

The parameters of the progress of a nation are seen from the progress in the field of economy and knowledge of rural communities. The state of Indonesia with the status as a developing country needs to develop its community potential. The nation's successor needs to be encouraged to play a role in the hope. While entrepreneurs are people who have a large capacity in providing change and spur the next generation of the nation to be able to contribute to the progress of the nation and state. With such background and expectation, we are devoted to giving knowledge to the villagers of Kaiti Rokan Hulu to improve digital education to promote the processing business of Palm Sugar. Thus created a global acceleration in an effort to improve the quality of the nation so that the nation and the country of Indonesia grow into a developed country.

Traditional herbal remedies used by women in a rural community in northern Maputaland (South Africa) for the treatment of gynaecology and obstetric complaints

According to the World Health Organization, there are annually 350,000 maternal deaths in sub-Saharan Africa, with obstetric haemorrhage the most common cause of death. Although maternal mortality can be reduced by health-care interventions such as the provision of family planning, maternity care and access to safe abortion practice, it is not happening in rural areas. Previous studies in a rural community in northern Maputaland had indicated the importance of medicinal plants in their primary health care-system. However, no survey has been done in this region to document the medicinal plants used to treat various gynaecological and obstetric problems. The aim of this study was to conduct an ethnobotanical survey, focussing on lay people's knowledge on plants used to treat gynaecological and obstetric complaints. A total of 70 lay people (all female) were purposively interviewed using structured questionnaires. The focus was on plants used for the treatment of gynaecological and obstetric conditions and information was collected regarding vernacular plant names, plant parts used, preparation and application methods. Thirty two plant species from 21 families were recorded for the treatment of 19 different gynaecological and obstetric disorders. When searching the most frequently used scientific databases (ScienceDirect, Scopus and Pubmed), 16 plant species (Acacia burkei, Acanthospermum glabratum, Commiphora neglecta, Crotalaria monteiroi var. galpinii, Cyperus natalensis, Doispyros villosa, Erythrina humeana, Hermannia boraginiflora, Hypoxis cf. longifolia, Opuntia stricta, Ozoroa engleri, Ranunculus multifidus, Sapium integerrimum, Searsia nebulosa, Senecio deltoideus, Senecio serratuloides) were found to be recorded for the first time in literature to treat gynaecological and obstetric disorders, and twelve new Zulu vernacular names were documented. The three most treated gynaecological conditions were dysmenorrhoea by 21 plant species, infertility (14 species) and menorrhagia (10 species), whereas blood purification (14 species), to ease labour (9 species) and to induce abortion (2 species) were the most mentioned for obstetric conditions. Bridelia cathartica was the most cited plant species (18 times) for treating both gynaecological and obstetric problems. The modes of plant preparations were mostly concoctions which were taken orally. This wealth of new knowledge gained with the current survey reinforces the importance of documenting lay people's indigenous medicinal plant knowledge in rural communities. Results also strongly suggest that the availability of plants is not the only criteria for usage; cultural influence may play a pertinent role in the choice of plant species. Literature indicates that there is very little research done on assessing the safety and efficacy of botanical remedies taken during pregnancy and lactation. Pregnant women should therefore be made aware of the risks they take when consuming herbal remedies.

Knowledge, use and management of native wild edible plants from a seasonal dry forest (NE, Brazil)

BackgroundDespite being an ancient practice that satisfies basic human needs, the use of wild edible plants tends to be forgotten along with associated knowledge in rural communities. The objective of this work is to analyze existing relationships between knowledge, use, and management of native wild edible plants and socioeconomic factors such as age, gender, family income, individual income, past occupation and current occupation.MethodsThe field work took place between 2009 and 2010 in the community of Carão, Altinho municipality, in the state of Pernambuco in northeastern Brazil. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 39 members of the community regarding knowledge, use and management of 14 native wild edible plants from the Caatinga region, corresponding to 12 vegetable species. In parallel, we documented the socioeconomic aspects of the interviewed population (age, gender, family income, individual income, past occupation and current occupation).ResultsKnowledge about edible plants was related to age but not to current occupation or use. Current use was not associated with age, gender or occupation. The association between age and past use may indicate abandonment of these resources.ConclusionBecause conservation of the species is not endangered by their use but by deforestation of the ecosystems in which these plants grow, we suggest that the promotion and consumption of the plants by community members is convenient and thereby stimulates the appropriation and consequent protection of the ecosystem. To promote consumption of these plants, it is important to begin by teaching people about plant species that can be used for their alimentation, disproving existing myths about plant use, and encouraging diversification of use by motivating the invention of new preparation methods. An example of how this can be achieved is through events like the “Preserves Festival”.

HIV and AIDS related knowledge, beliefs and attitudes among rural communities hard to reach in Sudan

Background and Objective: There is a rising concern about Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) related knowledge in rural communities of Sudan. This study focuses on determining the extend of knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes about HIV/ AIDS among rural communities difficult to access in the six States of Sudan. Subjects and Methods: Six thousand and one hundred twenty five respondents were interviewed through the method of house-to-house visits. A structured questionnaire was administered by research assistants recruited from the Faculty of Medicine, Khartoum University during a rural residency campaign in six states of Central, Eastern and Northern Sudan during 2008/2009. Results: Of the total interviewees, 48% were aware of the HIV/AIDS risk; 46% reported to have good health seeking behaviors for HIV/AIDS. 54.4% of women reported to have better knowledge about the disease than men (45.6%). 38% (2005) had not heard of safety use of condom whereas 16% (320) had used it. Logistic regression revealed that 5.3% of knowledge about the disease was explained by gender, education and religion adjusted over age of the respondents. Conclusions: Mass media were the most common source of information about the existent risk of HIV/AIDS in rural communities. These findings could assist Sudanese National Aids Programme (SNAP), healthcare providers and policymakers to develop informative materials and health education programs to educate rural community is about the risk of HIV/AIDS.

Midwives' Cell Phone Use and Health Knowledge in Rural Communities

This study developed and tested a theoretical model that explains the underlying process through which the use of cell phones can facilitate the capacity of community health care workers in developing regions. On the basis of a study conducted on 223 midwives in rural regions of Indonesia, the results showed that cell phone use was positively associated with midwives’ access to institutional and peer information resources. Access to institutional resources was positively associated with midwives’ health knowledge. Further, access to peer resources was associated with higher self-efficacy, which was positively associated with health knowledge. The study provides implications for technology intervention strategies targeted to community health workers in rural communities.

Ethnobotanical knowledge in rural communities of Cordoba (Argentina): the importance of cultural and biogeographical factors

BackgroundThe possibility to better understand the relationships within the men, the nature and their culture has extreme importance because allows the characterisation of social systems through their particular environmental perception, and provides useful tools for the development of conservation policies.MethodsThe present study was planned to disentangle environmental and cultural factors that are influencing the perception, knowledge and uses of edible and medicinal plants in rural communities of Cordoba (Argentina). Interviews an participant observation were conducted in nine rural communities located in three different biogeographical areas. Data about knowledge of medicinal and edible plants and sociocultural variables were obtained. Data were analysed by Principal Components Analysis (PCA).ResultsThe analysis of data confirmed that medicinal species are widely used whereas the knowledge on edible plants is eroding. The PCA showed four groups of communities, defined by several particular combinations of sociocultural and/or natural variables.ConclusionThis comprehensive approach suggests that in general terms the cultural environment has a stronger influence than the natural environment on the use of medicinal and edible plants in rural communities of Cordoba (Argentina).

Mortality as an Indicator of Economic Success and Failure

Quality of life depends on various physical and social conditions such as the epidemiological environment in which a person lives. The availability of health care and the nature of medical insurance--public as well as private--are among the important influences on life and death. So are other social services including basic education and the orderliness of urban living and the access to modern medical knowledge in rural communities. The statistics on mortality draw our attention to all these policy issues. Mortality information can throw light also on the nature of social inequalities including gender bias and racial disparities. (EXCERPT)