Low Health Awareness Research Articles

The health situation in the cities of Southern Kurdistan in the nineteenth century

The content of this research talks about the health situation in the cities of southern Kurdistan in the nineteenth century, which its population was suffering from poverty, back wardness illiteracy, destruction, high taxes rates and bad political conditions, due to the bad economic, social and political circumstances, beside these, a variety of dangerous diseases like (plague, cholera, malaria, fever, diarrhea and vomiting.) had spread in (Sulaimani, Kirkuk, Hawler, Ramanduz, Amedi) durnng the years (1820, 1821, 1830, 1831,1832, 1845, 1865, 1871, 1889, 1900 …), which caused great economic, social, political losses and health disasters. sometimes they caused the death of nearly half of these cities population. Low health awareness and lack of health service forced the inhabitants of these areas to resort to alternative medicine, magic and sorcery and the shrine of the righteous. The indifference and neglecting of the health sector by Ottoman Empire caused frequent health disasters, despite the fact that the Ottoman state had opened several hospitals and quarantine centers in both cities Sulaimani and Kirkukein the seventieth of the nineteenth century , but they were not provided enough budget as compared to the military sectors , the laste money was allocated for the helth sector, no hospitals or governmental health centers were found in cities like Hawler , Koya , Rawandz and the Amedi tell the beginning of the twenentieth century.

Unveiling Pakistan's transport problems: a call to safeguard public health.

Public transportation is an important mode of transportation in developing countries like Pakistan since it is accessible and convenient. But there are also serious health hazards associated with it, especially when it comes to the transmission of infectious diseases including COVID-19, TB, and Haemophilus influenzae. Worldwide transportation systems are vulnerable, as the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, underscoring the necessity for study and mitigating measures. The danger of disease transmission is increased in Pakistan by crowded metropolitan areas, inadequate sanitation, and low health awareness. In addition, congested public transportation and inadequate ventilation lead to reduced air quality and elevated stress levels among commuters. Comprehensive actions are needed to address these health hazards, such as promoting physical distance, improving cleanliness, enforcing traffic safety laws, and implementing policy changes that support sustainable transportation. Community involvement and advocacy are critical in campaigning for safer and more sustainable transportation networks. Pakistan can enhance public health outcomes and reduce the health hazards linked to public transportation by giving priority to these measures.

LITERATURE REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH CONDUCTED IN EUROPE ON HEALTH LITERACY

According to World Health Organization, Health Literacy encompasses the cognitive and social skills that determine the motivation and ability of individuals to access, understand and use information in a way that promotes and maintains good health. The aim of this article is to present the concept of “health literacy”, its determinants and consequences, as well as to review research conducted in Europe using the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire – HLS-EU-Q16 indicator. For this purpose, a literature review was conducted, to incorporate analysis and criticism. The article determines the scope of research on health literacy in Europe using the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire – HLS-EU-Q16, based on literature analysis. The greater people’s health literacy, the better their understanding of prevention and treatment. Low health awareness means financial losses, both personal and global. High Health Literacy enables good prevention, which is the best and cheapest method in every health system.

An omni-channel, outcomes-focused approach to scale digital health interventions in resource-limited populations: a case study.

Populations in resource-limited communities have low health awareness, low financial literacy levels, and inadequate access to primary healthcare, leading to low adoption of preventive health behaviours, low healthcare-seeking behaviours, and poor health outcomes. Healthcare providers have limited reach and insights, limiting their ability to design relevant products for resource limited settings. Our primary preventive health intervention, called the Saathealth family health interventions, is a scaled digital offering that aims to improve knowledge levels on various health topics, nudge positive behaviour changes, and drive improved health outcomes. This case study presents our learnings and best practices in scaling these digital health interventions in resource-limited settings and maximising their impact. We scaled the Saathealth interventions to cumulatively reach >10 million users across India using a multi-pronged approach: (1) ensuring localization and cultural relevance of the health content delivered through user research; (2) disseminating content using omni-channel approaches, which involved using diverse content types and multiple digital platforms; (3) using iterative product features such as gamification and artificial intelligence-based (AI-based) predictive models; (4) using real-time analytics to adapt the user's digital experience by using interactive content to drive them towards products and services and (5) experiments with sustainability models to yield some early successes. The Saathealth family health mobile app had >25,000 downloads and the intervention reached >873,000 users in India every month through the mobile app, Facebook, and Instagram combined, from the time period of February 2022 to January 2023. We repeatedly observed videos and quizzes to be the most popular content types across all digital channels being used. Our AI-based predictive models helped improve user retention and content consumption, contributing to the sustainability of the mobile apps. In addition to reaching a high number of users across India, our scaling strategies contributed to deepened engagement and improved health-seeking behaviour. We hope these strategies help guide the sustainable and impactful scaling of mobile health interventions in other resource-limited settings.

Dental Status and Oral Health Behaviors of Selected 45-74-Year-Old Men from Northeastern Poland.

The aim of this study was to assess the dental status and oral health behaviors of selected 45-74-year-old men from northeastern Poland. A total of 419 men were included. A questionnaire on demographic data, socioeconomic status and oral health behaviors was conducted. Dental caries experience (DMFT index), oral hygiene (AP index) and a number of edentulous subjects were evaluated clinically. More than half of the respondents (53.2%) brushed their teeth once a day. Nearly half of respondents (45.6%) reported for check-up visits more rarely than once in two years. Active nicotinism affected 26.7% of males. The prevalence of decay, the mean DMFT, the mean API and the prevalence of edentulism were, respectively, 100%, 21.4 ± 5.5, 77% and 10.3%. Increased DMFT values and MT were significantly correlated with older age (p < 0.001). Subjects of high educational status showed significantly lower values of DMFT and MT (p < 0.001). An increase in per capita family income was accompanied by a significant decrease in the API (p = 0.024), and an increase in DMFT (p = 0.031). This study demonstrated low health awareness and unsatisfactory dental status among the examined males. Dental and oral hygiene status were associated with sociodemographic and behavioral determinants. The poor oral health condition of the study population indicates the need to intensify pro-health education among seniors about oral care.

Heterogeneous effects of retirement on the biomedical risk factors for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases: New evidence based on the physical examination database in Shanghai, China

Retirement has a heterogeneous impact depending on gender and occupation. This study aimed to analyze and evaluate the heterogeneity and potential mechanism of retirement on the biomedical risk factors for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Physical examination data from 2017 to 2020 were extracted from a hospital database in Shanghai. The fluctuation tendency of biomedical risk factor indicators for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases was evaluated by gender and occupation shortly after retirement using fuzzy regression discontinuity design and was analyzed for internal mechanism. Retirement had a significantly negative influence on body weight (β = −3.943), body mass index (β = −2.152), and diastolic blood pressure (β = −5.180) in women working in public institutions or state-owned enterprises, but a positive influence on their blood glucose level (β = 0.696). Retirement had a significantly positive effect on high-density lipoprotein in men (β = 0.138), particularly those employed in private enterprises (β = 0.339). The internal influencing mechanism of retirement showed that the health attention effect after retirement among women in government or public institutions on diastolic blood pressure reduction was better than that before retirement. The body weight, body mass index, and diastolic blood pressure of women in public institutions or state-owned enterprises were reduced at retirement; however, they were exposed to higher risks of elevated blood glucose level. Conversely, high-density lipoprotein level, which is protective against cardiovascular disease, was increased in men at retirement. Retirement has a heterogeneous effect on cardiovascular and metabolic health among people of different genders or occupational experiences. Retirees with low health awareness should be targeted for behavioral interventions and monitored conscientiously by health providers during retirement adaptation.

First Dental Visit: Age Reasons Oral Health Status and Dental Treatment Needs among Children Aged 1 Month to 14 Years.

The aim of this study was to see the age and also the reasons for the child's first dental visit and to assess the oral health status and treatment desires. The study involved 133 children aged between 1 month and 14 years, who reported to the department of pediatric and preventive dentistry. All parents/legal guardians of the study participants gave written consent for participation in the study. Information on the child's age and reason for the dental visit were collected from a questionnaire given to parents. The children's dental condition was assessed by decayed, missing, and filled teeth (dmft) and DMFT values. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 and categorical data were compared by using Chi-square test. The level of significance was set at 0.05. Age of the child for first dental visit was male: 85.7% at 9 years and female: 75.00% at 4 years. Majority of children who visited the dentist were age 7 years. The most common chief complaint about the primary visit was caries, and the second was tooth pain. Children report for the primary dental visit most commonly solely after 7 years and for complaints like caries and tooth pain. Children make their first dental visit too late (usually at the age of 7 years) in reference to medical recommendations (between 6 and 12 months of life). More of restoration was the treatment of need by 47.00%. The results of this study indicate unhealthy oral health creating their first dental visit and low health awareness of parents and guardians. Padung N. First Dental Visit: Age Reasons Oral Health Status and Dental Treatment Needs among Children Aged 1 Month to 14 Years. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2022;15(4):394-397.

Effects of food nutrition labels on the health awareness of school-age children

BackgroundOverweight and obesity have been described as a global epidemic that seriously affects the health of adults and children. Front of Package (FOP) Nutrition Labeling can increase consumers’ awareness of unhealthy foods. The purpose of this study is to find effective deterrence and improve children’s health awareness via the FOP.MethodsThis study examined children’s health awareness of snack packaging using the four labels: guideline daily amounts (GDA), traffic light system (TLS), Apple label (designed in this study), and Warning label. This study recruited 343 children in the sixth grade, including 223 children living in cities and 120 children living in rural areas. First, 30 children in grades 3 to 6 selected 8 snacks that they often buy. Then, each snack was synthesized into these four labels according to their nutritional content for a total of 32 samples. Finally, a questionnaire was used to evaluate the health of snack packaging and the visibility of nutrition labels.ResultsFour results can be drawn: (1) GDA, Apple label and TLS can help children determine healthier snack choices, (2) black Warning label cannot induce children to make healthier choices, (3) children who often buy snacks have low health awareness, and (4) rural children have weak health awareness of snack packaging.ConclusionsThese results can provide a packaging label design, which can effectively improve children’s health awareness.

The association between erosive tooth wear and diet, hygiene habits and health awareness in adolescents aged 15 in Poland

PurposeThe aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of erosive tooth wear (ETW) and risk indicators in the population of adolescents aged 15 in Poland.MethodsErosive tooth wear in 2639 participants was determined by calibrated examiners according to the BEWE scoring system, and the prevalence of risk factors was assessed on the basis of a survey.ResultsErosive tooth wear was reported in 24.3% of participants. Initial loss of surface (BEWE 1) was the predominant finding, observed in 21.3% of participants. Hard tissue loss (BEWE 2 and 3) occurred very rarely, only in 3% of participants. Acidic diet, masculine gender and lower socio-economic status were associated with higher prevalence and severity of erosive lesions in the examined population.ConclusionTwo modifiable factors—acidic diet and low health awareness—were found to be highly unsatisfactory in the adolescents aged 15 in Poland. Accordingly, to prevent the deterioration of the functionality and aesthetics of the teeth in young people, certain measures, such as routine clinical examination, education, dietary consulting and prophylaxis, should be implemented as early as possible, focusing predominantly on families with lower socio-economic status.

Health-seeking behavior and barriers to treatment of patients with upper gastrointestinal cancer detected by screening in rural China: real-world evidence from the ESECC trial

BackgroundTo fully realize efficacy in cancer screening, timely and appropriate treatment for participants with malignant lesions is critical. However, the health-seeking behavior of patients with upper gastrointestinal (G.I.) cancer identified in population-level screening programs in China is unknown. MethodsA community-based real-world investigation was conducted with 136 upper G.I. cancer patients detected in a large screening cohort in an area of high-risk for upper G.I. cancer in China. Using local medical claims data and semi-structured face-to-face interview, we collected information regarding the clinical treatment regimen and factors which result in the lack of timely and appropriate treatment. FindingsThe treatment records for 133 upper G.I. cancer patients were acquired. Among these, 48 (36•09%) patients did not receive treatment within three months of initial diagnosis, and treatment of early-stage cancer was more likely to be delayed. Sixteen patients did not seek further diagnostic testing due to their low health-awareness and socio-economic status. Another 20 participants proactively sought further diagnostic evaluation in health care facilities but were prevented from receiving further treatment due to low sensitivity of given diagnostic test(s), failure to recognize the significance of screening results, and/or lack of basic knowledge of diagnosis and treatment for early cancer on the part of clinicians. The treatment regimen offered to patients depended largely on the level of health care facilities they visited, and non-medical factors were the main reasons for choice of health care facilities. InterpretationA coordinated, system-based management strategy is urgently needed to support the design of upper G.I. cancer screening programs in rural populations in China. FundingThe Charity Project of the National Ministry of Health (201202014), the National Key R & D Program of China (2016YFC0901404), the National Science & Technology Fundamental Resources Investigation Program of China (2019FY101102), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82073626).

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF GOOD GOVERNANCE IN COMBATING STUNTING IN THE JABON DISTRICT, SIDOARJO REGENCY

Jabon District is one of the sub-districts in Sidoarjo Regency which is still facing the problem of high stunting cases. Many factors can cause stunting, low access to nutritious food, vitamins, poor parenting, and low health awareness. The impact arising from stunting is the low quality of human resources, because Not only does it inhibit physical growth (stunted/stunted), but also inhibits brain development and low-thinking ability, thereby inhibiting future demographic bonuses. To overcome this, good governance actors (government, private sector, community) are needed in its implementation. These actors, namely the government of the Sidoarjo Regency Health Service and the Jabon Health Center are collaborating with other actors from the private sector (Perusahaan Gas Negara) and the community (Umsida). This study aims to determine the implementation of the principles of good governance in tackling stunting in Jabon District, Sidoarjo Regency. There are 8 principles of good governance according to UNDP, namely: 1. participation, 2. rule of law, 3. transparency, 4. responsiveness, 5. oriented to consensus, 6. justice, 7. effectiveness and efficiency, 8. accountability, 9. strategic vision. The type of research used is descriptive qualitative. The result of this research is that the implementation of principles of good governance has been implemented although there are still some principles that are not optimal. The conclusion of the implementation of the principles of good governance according to UNDP has been implemented and is still ongoing, but the resulting impact has not been maximally felt.

Leveraging Technology to Enable Effective Preventive Screening of NCDs at Population Scale: Initial Observations

India is undergoing an epidemiological transition to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), with NCDs contributing to nearly 60 percent of all deaths in India. NCDs are challenging to manage given their silent onset, low health awareness, significant informational asymmetry, and low health-seeking behavior among the rural population and the poor in India. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India, launched Ayushman Bharat to move from a sectoral and segmented approach of health service delivery to a more comprehensive one. As part of this effort, a program was launched for population-based screening (PBS) and management of five common NCDs—hypertension, diabetes, oral, breast, and cervical cancers. The success of the program, among other things, will be determined largely by the early detection, timely treatment, and diligent follow-ups to manage the five NCDs. In line with WHO’s Global action plan for the prevention and control of NCDs 2013–2020, India is the first country to develop specific national targets and indicators aimed at reducing the number of global premature deaths from NCDs by 25% by 2025. However, challenges like human resource shortfall, limited capacities of the health workers, heavy burden of managing multiple health priorities, and poor utilization of public health facilities may affect the outcomes of this ambitious initiative Technology can serve as an enabler in solving some of these problems. Dell Technologies and Tata Trusts have partnered with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, to develop a technology solution for the PBS NCD initiative. It consists of a suite of mobile and web apps on a cloud platform for health workers, doctors, and health administrators to enable care delivery for people across the country. The solution has been deployed in states across the country with adoption gaining momentum amongst health care providers. While early process indicators are encouraging, it is important to examine individual clinical outcomes, population outcomes and cost effectiveness which are the primary objectives of such a program. The learnings from this digital health program can then be transposed to similar healthcare settings. The paper covers four challenges commonly encountered in the context of running large-scale digital health programs in a multi-state, multi-facility, and multi-stakeholder system. These are adoption of technology by health workers with low digital literacy, feasibility of running tech solutions in remote areas, value proposition of the solution for users and finally the know-how on building and rolling-out technology at scale to reach millions of people.

Factors affecting the health awareness of rural women in Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate

This research was aimed mainly to determine the factors affecting awareness of health for rural women Kafr El-Sheikh governorateKafr, El Sheikh Governorate was chosen as a region to conduct this research, and a center was randomly chosen from among the ten governorate centers, so the Sidi Salem Center was randomly follow research data were collected by Personal interview questionnaires, through a random sample amounted 227 respondents amounted (143 respondents from Shalma, while 126 respondents from Teda) Collected data were coded and analyzed using frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviation, simple & multiple correlation coefficients, partial & multiple regression coefficient. The most important findings of this research could be summarized as follows: Results showed that approximately 77% of the respondents occupied the medium and low health awareness category, that 86.5% of the respondents fell into the category of medium and low awareness regarding family health, and that about 89% of the respondents fell into the category of medium and low awareness while It is related to the health of the home, and that about 93% of the respondents fall into the category of medium and low awareness regarding the recycling of household waste

Budowanie świadomości zdrowotnej w orientacji na przyszłość wyzwaniem edukacji zdrowotnej

&lt;p&gt;Odwołując się do programów i strategii związanych z działaniami na rzecz zdrowia, można zauważyć, iż gros zabiegów ma koncentrować się na działaniach profilak-tycznych, wyprzedzających pojawienie się problemów zdrowotnych oraz epidemiologicznych.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Zdecydowanie należy podkreślić, że świadomość zdrowotna Polaków jest mała, stąd często choroby, np. cywilizacyjne, wykrywane są w późnych stadiach rozwoju. Z tego względu istotna staje się edukacja zdrowotna.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Przygotowano krótki kwestionariusz &lt;em&gt;Świadomość zdrowotna w orientacji przyszłościowej&lt;/em&gt;, który może spełnić rolę narzędzia przesiewowego, umożliwiającego wyłonienie osób o małej świadomości zdrowotnej. Ma on szansę podnieść skuteczność działań edukacyjnych. Kwestionariusz zawiera 18 itemów skupionych w trzech wymiarach: (1) poszukiwanie i wykorzystanie informacji dotyczących zdrowia, a także orientacja na zdrowy styl życia oraz czujność zdrowotną, (2) odpowiedzialność za dbanie o zdrowie obecnie i w przyszłości, (3) motywacja zdrowotna jako indywidualna orientacja zdrowotna w kierunku zapobiegania ewentualnym problemom zdrowotnym i zwiększenia dobrostanu zdrowotnego. Rzetelność skali określono za pomocą wskaźnika alfa Cronbacha, który wynosi 0,874, a poszczególne skale miały wskaźniki rzędu: I – 0,836, II – 0,838, III – 0,601.&lt;/p&gt;

The frequency and determinants of blood pressure measurement by a health professional in Germany: A cross-sectional study.

Strong evidence exists for the benefits of screening for hypertension to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and death. The aim of this study was to analyze the frequency and determinants of blood pressure (BP) measurement by a health professional in the general population and in individuals without hypertension in Germany.Data from 17,431 participants 15+ years from the cross-sectional GEDA2014/2015-EHIS survey were used to calculate the percentage of the population who had no BP measurement within the last year and the last 3 years. In multivariate models, the determinants of no BP measurement were analyzed. The frequency of BP measurement was compared between 30 European countries.In Germany, 27.5% of men and 16.6% of women had no BP measurement by a health professional within the last year and 10.9%, respectively 5.4% not within the last 3 years. In individuals without known hypertension, 34.1% of men and 23.6% of women aged 15 to 19 years had no BP measurement in the last 3 years compared to 5.2% of men and 4.8% of women 70+ years. Independent predictors of not receiving a BP measurement in the last 3 years besides age were male sex, good self-rated health, low health awareness, and no medical consultations but not educational level. Germany has low proportions of no BP measurement compared to other European countries.Hypertension screening needs improvement in all age groups, especially in the young who have the lowest screening proportions but also in the elderly who have the highest hypertension risk.

Progress and Challenges of Implementing Decentralized HIV Testing For Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV - Myanmar.

Background:Myanmar has adopted point-of-care (POC) HIV testing for its prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV program, and was initiated in 84 townships in 2013. This study assessed the progress of HIV testing uptake from 2012, one year prior to POC testing, to 2015, and the challenges faced by service providers during the rapid rollout of this testing strategy.Methods:This serial cross-sectional study included 23 townships randomly selected from the 84 townships. An open-question survey was used to collect information on the challenges faced by service providers. A random effects logistic model was used for assessing the progress of HIV testing uptake among urban and rural health center groups.Results:HIV testing uptake for antenatal care (ANC) attendees increased from 60% to 90% for rural and from 70% to 90% for urban attendees. The proportion of ANC attendees who were tested at their first visit increased from 70% to 80% for rural and from 70% to 90% for urban attendees. In addition, the proportion receiving same-day test results increased from less than 10% to 90% for both groups. Major challenges faced during the initial rollout included low health awareness among pregnant women, fear of stigma and discrimination, long travel times and costs, and increased workloads of providers in rural settings.Conclusions and Global Health Implications:The program should consider recruiting local volunteers to help reduce the workloads of service providers. Professional education based on need and continued mentoring and quality control schemes for HIV testing need to be in place. This decentralized strategy would be applicable to other resource-limited countries.

Prevalence of Hydatidosis among Slaughtered Sheep in Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Hydatidosis is one of the most parasitic diseases transmitted from carnivores (dogs) to human, causing deterioration in health and also transmitted to herbivores animals causing a substantial economic loss in the productivity of meat with low quality. In these days there is an increase in gain dogs at home, with its high risk of infection with many parasitic diseases such as Hydatidosis. The present study was conducted to provide a recent view on the current status of Hydatidosis among slaughter sheep in Makkah through periodic visiting to Alkaakia slaughterhouse three times on week for one year from January 2017 to January 2018. Summer revealed the highest prevalence in sheep. Obtained data about the infection were analyzed statistically was done on the sheep slaughtered there. The total infection rate was 8.12% (4284/52783) in sheep, while the most infected organs were liver. In conclusion, the high infectivity rate of slaughtered sheep with hydatid cyst revealed to the low health awareness among people, and there is no examination of dogs from parasitic diseases

The child's first dental visit. Age, reasons, oral health status and dental treatment needs among children in Southern Poland.

The aim of this study was to determine the age at and the reasons for the child's first dental visit, and to assess the oral health status and treatment needs in the analysed group of paediatric patients. The study involved 320 children (154 girls and 166 boys) aged between 0.7 months and 13.5 years, visiting the dentist for the first time. All parents/legal guardians of the study participants gave written informed consent for participation in the study. Data on the child's age and reason for the dental visit were collected from interviews with parents. The state of oral health and dental treatment needs were assessed based on clinical examination, according to recommendations of the World Health Organization. collected data were entered into an Excel spreadsheet and analysed using IBM SPSS software (version 24). Research hypotheses were verified using the Chi-square independence test at the level of statistical significance p<0.05. The mean age of children at their first dental visit was 3.79 years (+/- 1.82 years). The most common reasons (60%) for the first dental visit were pain followed by dental caries (33.1%) and the presence of decayed teeth (26.9%). The frequency of caries in the population was 75.9%, which means that only one out of four examined children was free from dental caries. Only 23.1% of patients did not require dental treatment and as many as 76.9% of the studied population needed dental treatment. Polish children make their first dental visit too late (usually at the age of 4 years) in relation to medical recommendations (between 6 and 12 months of life). The predominant reason for the child's first dental visit is caries and its complications. The results of this study indicate the bad oral health of Polish children making their first dental visit and low health awareness of parents and guardians.

Exploratory study on the relationship between smoking and other risk behaviours among young smokers.

To explore the relationship between smoking and other risk behaviours among Chinese young people in Hong Kong. There is growing concern about coexisting risk behaviours in young smokers. Information about smoking and other risk behaviours is crucial for developing interventions to promote smoking abstinence and adoption of healthy lifestyles. The relationship between smoking and other risk behaviours among Chinese young people in Hong Kong has not been explored. This is a mixed-method retrospective population-based study. A retrospective population-based study was conducted with 1,147 young smokers through Youth Quitline between November 2011-July 2016. Attitudes, behaviours and experiences related to smoking and risk behaviours among Chinese young smokers were examined in semi-structured qualitative interviews with 30 participants randomly selected from the retrospective population-based study. In total, 45.5% participants reported engaging in at least one other risk behaviour. The interviews revealed that drinking alcohol may have a significant impact on quitting smoking. In addition, smoking may be a gateway for more serious risk behaviours during adolescence. Low health awareness may explain the unhealthy lifestyles among young smokers. This study bridges a gap in existing literature by exploring relationships between smoking and other risk behaviours among young people in Hong Kong. Given the interrelationships between smoking and other risk behaviours, a holistic approach should be used to promote smoking cessation and healthy lifestyles among young smokers. If young smokers improve their health and quit smoking at the same time, their physical and mental development will benefit as a secondary outcome.

Reaching Egyptian Gays Using Social Media: A Comprehensive Health Study and a Framework for Future Research

ABSTRACTThe Internet has revolutionized research on sexual minorities by providing direct and safe access to hidden, stigmatized, and high-risk populations. This study investigated the possibility of using Facebook to reach Egyptian gays. The questionnaire was manually distributed to an extensive list of Facebook pages and groups related to the topic that has been collected using a snowball-like technique. The recruitment lasted from August 2015 to May 2016. Among the 461 eligible participants, the mean age was 26.6 (SD = 7.6), and the majority (74%) were highly educated. Only 17% use condoms consistently, and 34% have ever tested for HIV. Guilt feelings and trying to change sexual orientation were very high and were associated with higher religiosity and low condom use and HIV testing (p < .05). Also, 10% have ever tried to end their life. Most of the participants did not disclose their sexual orientation to anybody other than their partners, and 60% will not disclose it to health care providers even if needed. The low health awareness among Egyptian gays requires Internet-based health campaigns.