Young Female University Students Research Articles

IJCM_117A: A study to assess the effectiveness of a health educational program on knowledge regarding prevention of Cervical Cancer among young adult female students of Bhopal.

Background: Cervical Cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women & causes significant morbidity and mortality. Every year in India, 122844 women are diagnosed with Cervical Cancer & 67447 die from the disease. Vaccinations to prevent HPV infection have been developed. Awareness regarding Cervical Cancer being a Vaccine Preventable Disease among young adult females is low. Objectives: To determine the awareness of young adult female students regarding Cervical Cancer, its risk factors, screening method & prevention. To assess the construct connection between old and new knowledge by pre & post-test scores. To recommend a health awareness program regarding Cervical Cancer. Methodology: Cross-sectional study of young adult female college students from Commerce, Science and Medical discipline in the city of Bhopal, Sample Size - 387 using Cochran’s formula. A pre-validated, pre-tested, close-ended multiple-choice questionnaire on Socio-Demographic information, Domain I i.e. awareness regarding Cervical Cancer including risk factors and symptoms, Domain II i.e. screening & diagnostic and Domain III i.e. vaccination for Cervical Cancer was filled in digital mode before and after the lecture demonstration. Results: The effectiveness of the educational program on most of the components of domain I was found positive but statistically non-significant. In domain II after demonstration, the chi-square test of knowledge on screening technique and diagnostic Pap smear method were found statistically significant and in domain III the chi-square test of knowledge on vaccine for Cervical Cancer was found statistically significant. Conclusion: Prevention and screening measures in young adult female college students were found low and nearly half of the study participants are willing to adopt vaccination and screening program. Teachers can be the best resource persons in dissemination of knowledge in schools and colleges.

Female Models of TV Fashion Commercials Promote Modern Lifestyle to Young Female College Students of Lahore

This study is about how TV commercials and their fashion elements affect, how women are shown. The current study looks at how people look up to their favourite TV commercial actress and how they want to be like her in terms of style and personality. Employing quantitative survey responses from 360 women who usually watch fashion commercials on TV. The data show that hairstyles, makeup, and the clothes models wear are very popular with female viewers. A study found that a lot of people who watch TV buy the clothes, accessories, and makeup that their favourite stars wear, and 92% of those people are women. A lot of people are also happy to have these things. A study on fashion and how models are shown in TV ads also found that viewers thought the way female models and actresses were portrayed on TV went against religious beliefs.

Identification and prediction of association patterns between nutrient intake and anemia using machine learning techniques: results from a cross-sectional study with university female students from Palestine.

This study utilized data mining and machine learning (ML) techniques to identify new patterns and classifications of the associations between nutrient intake and anemia among university students. We employed K-means clustering analysis algorithm and Decision Tree (DT) technique to identify the association between anemia and vitamin and mineral intakes. We normalized and balanced the data based on anemia weighted clusters for improving ML models' accuracy. In addition, t-tests and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were performed to identify significant differences between the clusters. We evaluated the models on a balanced dataset of 755 female participants from the Hebron district in Palestine. Our study found that 34.8% of the participants were anemic. The intake of various micronutrients (i.e., folate, Vit A, B5, B6, B12, C, E, Ca, Fe, and Mg) was below RDA/AI values, which indicated an overall unbalanced malnutrition in the present cohort. Anemia was significantly associated with intakes of energy, protein, fat, Vit B1, B5, B6, C, Mg, Cu and Zn. On the other hand, intakes of protein, Vit B2, B5, B6, C, E, choline, folate, phosphorus, Mn and Zn were significantly lower in anemic than in non-anemic subjects. DT classification models for vitamins and minerals (accuracy rate: 82.1%) identified an inverse association between intakes of Vit B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, E, folate, Zn, Mg, Fe and Mn and prevalence of anemia. Besides the nutrients commonly known to be linked to anemia-like folate, Vit B6, C, B12, or Fe-the cluster analyses in the present cohort of young female university students have also found choline, Vit E, B2, Zn, Mg, Mn, and phosphorus as additional nutrients that might relate to the development of anemia. Further research is needed to elucidate if the intake of these nutrients might influence the risk of anemia.

TEMPO DE USO DIÁRIO DE REDES SOCIAIS E RISCO DE TRANSTORNOS ALIMENTARES E DE INSATISFAÇÃO CORPORAL EM UNIVERSITÁRIAS

The aim was to evaluate the influence of time of use of social networks on the risk of eating disorders(ED) and body dissatisfaction(BD). Young female university students(n=74) answered a questionnaire consisting of body image assessment instruments, eating attitudes and questions about the use of social networks.Most students were not at risk for ED (75.7%), but were dissatisfied with their image(79.7%). Social networks were used for more than 3hours/day by 39.2% of the women. Of the total number of students at risk for ED(24.3%), the majority(13.5%) used social networks for <2h/day, while the rest (10.8%) used them for >2h/day. However, the total number of students with BD(79.7%), the majority (62.2%) used social networks for >2h/day.The risk of ED does not seem to be associated with longer use of social networks in this sample, however, most students with BD used social networks for longer.This information may guide preventive measures at universities.

Prevalence of Undiagnosed Iron Deficiency Anemia and Associated Factors Among Female Undergraduate Medical Students in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

Iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia according to the World Health Organization. Females are more likely to be affected than males. There are several factors causing iron deficiency anemia, such as increased loss of iron, decreased intake of iron, and increased utilization of iron. There are limited research studies evaluating the risk factors that cause anemia among female medical students in Saudi Arabia. For this, the study aimed to identify the prevalence of undiagnosed iron deficiency anemia (IDA) among young female university students and to identify if there is any correlation between IDA and several factors including dietary habits, psychological stress, anxiety status, and body mass index. A cross-sectional observational study was performed between October 2022 and December 2022 with a sample of 100 healthy female students aged between 19 and 23 years, who were studying at the medical colleges of Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia. Blood samples were collected to perform complete blood count and iron profile tests. Also, a survey was done to find correlation between iron deficiency anemia and dietary intake, drinks, stress, anxiety, and body mass index (BMI). Independent t-test or Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare values for non-anemic with anemic participants, and linear regression tests were used to analyze differences between non-anemic and anemic participants'dietary intakefactors and stress and anxiety scores. The level of significance was set at p<0.05. The findings represent an overall prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in female medical students based on the lab finding results. Thus, students were divided into two following groups: anemic (13%) with hemoglobin (Hb) concentration <12 g/dL and non-anemic (84%) with Hb concentration ≥12 g/dL. When comparing the two groups, results showed significant differences in the majority of RBC indices (hematocrit {HCT}, mean corpuscular volume {MCV}, mean corpuscular hemoglobin {MCH}, red cell distribution width {RDW}) and iron profiles, p-value was <0.05.On evaluation of the different types of food consumption, the mean iron intake was around 7 mg/day, and in 65% of the participants, it was below the estimated average requirement (EAR) of iron (8.1 mg/dL). The perceived stress scale (PSS) shows that 63% of the participants experienced moderate stress and 58% reported severe anxiety by the generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) scale. In multiple linear regression, iron was positively associated with hemoglobin concentrations, whereas stress scores were negatively associated with hemoglobin concentrations. There is a relatively low prevalence of anemia and most of it was foundof the microcytic type, indicating that this condition is a common health issue among local female college students. There was no independent association between stress or anxiety and hemoglobin levels.

Effect of Kinesio taping versus mechanical cervical traction combined with physiotherapy program on chronic neck pain in young female university students.

Mechanical neck pain is common among young female university students and can lead to disability and reduced physical activity. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of Kinesio taping (KT) to mechanical cervical traction (MCT) on young female university students with chronic neck pain. Sixty young female university students with mechanical neck pain participated in this study; their ages ranged from 19 years to 23 years. They were assigned to three equal groups: the control group (A) received infrared, massage, stretching, and strengthening exercises three days per week for 6 weeks. Experimental group B received cervical traction in addition to the same program as the control, and experimental group C received KT in addition to the same program as the control group. Absolute pain intensity by the visual analogue scale (VAS) and neck disability index (NDI) were measured pre-and post-treatment intervention. Data were gathered at baseline, and after 6 weeks of intervention for three groups. The MANOVA test showed a significant reduction in NDI and pain level after 6 weeks between pre-and post-treatment intervention in group B ( and , respectively). There was a significant reduction in pain after 6 weeks in group C. There was also a significant reduction in NDI and pain level after 6 weeks in group B versus control group ( and , respectively). In addition, a significant reduction in pain level and NDI after 6 weeks was detected in group B compared to group C (, , respectively) while a significant reduction in pain level only between the control group (A) and group C was detected (). In young female university students with mechanical neck pain, cervical traction combined with physiotherapy program was found to be more effective than KT with physiotherapy program or physiotherapy program alone in reducing pain and enhancing functional abilities after 6 weeks. This will help physiotherapists make more informed decisions concerning the clinical effects of MCT.

Higher Cardiorespiratory Fitness Is Linked To Better Cognitive Function In Young Female University Students

Higher Cardiorespiratory Fitness Is Linked To Better Cognitive Function In Young Female University Students

Effects of Aerobic Dance Exercise and Honey Supplementation Followed by Their Subsequent Cessation on Bone Metabolism Markers and Antioxidant Status in Young Collegiate Females.

Regular physical activity and proper nutritional intake are crucial for bone health. However, it is unclear if this health benefit is maintained after the removal of these stimuli. This study investigated the combined effects of aerobic dance exercise and honey supplementation, followed by their subsequent cessation on bone metabolism markers and antioxidant status in females. Forty-eight young female college students were assigned into four groups: i) 16S (16 weeks of sedentary activity); ii) 8E×8S (8 weeks of exercise followed by 8 weeks of sedentary activity); iii) 8H8S (8 weeks of honey supplementation followed by 8 weeks of sedentary activity) and iv) 8E×H8S (8 weeks of combined exercise and honey supplementation followed by 8 weeks of sedentary activity). Blood samples were collected from the participants prior to the intervention, at week 8 and at week 16 for the analysis of bone metabolism markers and antioxidant status. At the mid test, bone speed of sound (SOS) (P < 0.01), serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (P < 0.001) and serum osteocalcin (P < 0.01) were significantly higher in the 8E×H8S group as compared to 16S group. After 8 weeks of cessation of exercise and honey supplementation, bone SOS was also significantly higher (P < 0.001) in the 8E×H8S group as compared to 16S group. In addition, the serum total calcium (P < 0.001), serum ALP (P < 0.01), total antioxidant status (TAS) (P < 0.01) and glutathione (GSH) (P < 0.01) in the 8E×H8S group were significantly higher at the post-test as compared to their respective pre-test values. These findings demonstrate that there was improved maintenance of the beneficial effects induced by 8 weeks of combined exercise and honey supplementation on bone properties and the antioxidant status after 8 weeks of cessation of exercise and honey supplementation as compared to exercise and honey supplementation alone.

Body characteristics, garment fit satisfaction and fit preferences of Ethiopian young adult female consumers

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to assess the body characteristics (body size, garment sizes worn, shape and body satisfaction) of Ethiopian young adult female consumers and their effects on garment fit satisfaction and fit preferences of ready-to-wear garments such as T-shirts, blouses/shirts, skirts and jeans trousers.Design/methodology/approachThrough a structured questionnaire, 418 usable responses were collected from young female university students. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate ANOVA (MANOVA) were used to examine differences in garment fit satisfaction with the body characteristics of the respondents. Moreover, a multiple regression analysis was used to determine the effect of body characteristics and fit satisfaction on fit preferences in four of the ready-to-wear garments.FindingsThe body shapes of above half of the respondents were either bottom hourglass or spoon. The respondents were somewhat dissatisfied with the fit of the ready-to-wear garments, and above 70 per cent of them faced fit problems on average. BMI showed significant fit satisfaction differences in four of the garments, while garment sizes worn were significant only in skirts. However, no statistically significant difference was obtained with body shape. The effect of body characteristics and fit satisfaction on fit preferences was found significant in T-shirts and jeans trousers. The respondents preferred looser shirts and skirts irrespective of their body characteristics.Originality/valueThe paper is unique in comprehensively examining the relationship between body characteristics and garment fit satisfaction and their effects on fit preferences in selected garments in the context of female consumers in a developing country.

A qualitative study on contraceptive use among young female university students: What still matters?

A qualitative study on contraceptive use among young female university students: What still matters?

Menstrual health and hygiene among young Palestinian female university students in the West Bank: a cross-sectional study

ObjectiveWe investigated some aspects of menstrual health and hygiene among young female students at Birzeit University in the West Bank of the occupied Palestinian territory.DesignCross-sectional study in a large central...

Effect of Donning Headscarf on Dynamic Balance in Young Females

Background: The present study will help to determine if balance in young females is affected due to donning of headscarf and will help in planning preventive strategies. Material &amp; Methods: Study Design- Cross sectional study design, Setting- Subjects were selected from Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi -110062. Subjects were selected for the study according to the following inclusion and exclusion criteria. Methods of Sampling- Sample of convenience. Instrumentation/Tools/Scales- Goniometer, Standardized tape measure, Weighing machine, Stadiometer and Y Test Kit. Statistical Analysis-The data was managed on an excel spreadsheet and was analysed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences for windows) software, Version 20. Student’s t-test was used to analyse the data and level of significance was kept at 0.05. Results: The purpose of conducting this study was to find out the effect of wearing head scarf on dynamic balance, which was conducted on females of Jamia Hamdard. This study was conducted on 98 young adult female university students. Out of which 49 subjects wore headscarf (Experimental group) for at least 1-year and rest 49 subjects did not wear a headscarf (Control group) It was observed that there was a statistically significant effect of wearing headscarf on dynamic balance in young adult females between the two groups. Conclusion: The present study was conducted to see the effect of donning a headscarf on balance in young females. A total of 98 subjects were included in the present study and divided into the control and experimental group. The results of the study indicated that the control group had better balance as compared to the experimental group by Y balance test indicating that donning of headscarf affects balance in young females. Hence null hypothesis is rejected and experimental hypothesis is accepted.

Risk of eating disorders and the relationship with interest in modern culture among young female students in a university in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundEating disorders (EDs) emerge most often in adolescent girls. While the basic neural and psychiatric mechanisms of ED development remain unknown, their incidence has increased with sociocultural modernization. To determine what aspects of modern culture are related to EDs, we examined the relationship between predisposition to EDs and interest in several modern cultural factors among young female university students in Bangladesh.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in a population of 196 female students aged 18–29 years in a university in Bangladesh. Their predisposition to EDs was examined using the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26), and their interest in modern culture was evaluated by grading interest in fashionable clothes, Indian TV shows/serials, luxury food and social network activities, and by examining involvement in cultural activities such as playing, dancing, parties and singing. The relationship between predisposition to EDs and interest in modern culture was then examined. The relation between EAT-26 score and body mass index (BMI) was also examined.ResultsThe EAT-26 revealed that 37% of the participants were at risk of developing an ED. Correlation analyses showed that a high EAT-26 score was correlated with a high interest in fashionable clothes and Indian TV shows/serials, but not with a high interest in luxury food or social network activities, or involvement in cultural activities, such as playing, dancing, parties and singing. Further, EAT-26 questions in the dieting category and oral control category, but not the bulimia and food preoccupation category, were correlated with interest in cultural factors. EAT-26 score showed no significant correlation with BMI.ConclusionsThe results of this study indicate that the risk of EDs is related to an interest in several facets of modern culture. Monitoring the cultural interests of adolescent females, who are continually exposed to modern culture and highly susceptible to EDs, will contribute to the prevention of EDs.

Whole-Exome Sequencing Reveals Migraine-Associated Novel Functional Variants in Arab Ancestry Females: A Pilot Study.

Migraine, as the seventh most disabling neurological disease with 26.9% prevalence in Saudi females, lacks studies on identifying associated genes and pathways with migraines in the Arab population. This case control study aims to identify the migraine-associated novel genes and risk variants. More than 1900 Arab ancestry young female college students were screened: 103 fulfilled the ICHD-3 criteria for migraine and 20 cases confirmed in the neurology clinic were included for the study with age-matched healthy controls. DNA from blood samples were subjected to paired-end whole-exome sequencing. After quality control, 3365343 missense, frameshift, missense splice region variants and insertion-deletion (indels) polymorphisms were tested for association with migraine. Significant variants were validated using Sanger sequencing. A total of 17 (p-value 9.091 × 10-05) functional variants in 12 genes (RETNLB, SCAI, ADH4, ESPL1, CPT2, FLG, PPP4R1, SERPINB5, ZNF66, ETAA1, EXO1 and CPA6) were associated with higher migraine risk, including a stop-gained frameshift (-13-14*SX) variant in the gene RETNLB (rs5851607; p-value 3.446 × 10-06). Gene analysis revealed that half of the significant novel migraine risk genes were expressed in the temporal lobe (p-value 0.0058) of the cerebral cortex. This is the first study exploring the migraine risk of 17 functional variants in 12 genes among Saudi female migraineurs of Arab ancestry using whole-exome sequencing. Half of the significant genes were expressed in the temporal lobe, which expands migraine pathophysiology and early identification using biomarkers for research possibilities on personalised genetics.

The Effect of Perceived Stress and Body Mass Index on Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder among Female University Students

Objective: This study aims to assess perceived stress and Body Mass Index (BMI) on premenstrual dysphoricdisorder symptoms among young female university students. University life contains a lot of stress, includingexams, career and other interpersonal relationships with colleagues and teachers. The current study aims tofind the association between perceived stress and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD).Study Design: A cross-sectional quantitative study.Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the Department of Clinical Psychology Shifa Tameere-Millet University Islamabad from February 2021 to June 2021. Data was collected from different universities in Islamabad, which include Shifa Tameer-e-Millet University, Bahria University, Islamic university, Air University, NUST, and Quaid-e-Azam University.Materials and Methods: An online survey was carried out among female university students in the universitiesof Islamabad. A Questionnaire was developed, which comprised three separate sections. Demographics sheetswere used for demographic variables. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder symptoms were assessed based on thescoring of the Carolina Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Scale. A perceived stress scale is used to measurestress levels. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to assess the effects of variables. BMI was calculatedwith the formula of WHO.Results: The study was conducted on 210 female university students of the Islamabad age range (18-30). Theresults of the regression analysis indicated that two predictors of this study explained 34% of the variance in our 2 outcome variable (R2 =.349). It was found that perceived stress, but not body mass index, was a significantpredictor of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (ß = 0.582, p&lt;.05), whereby for each unit increase in perceivedstress, the premenstrual dysphoric disorder increased by 0.58 units.Conclusion: This study has shown that young female adults become more vulnerable to developing symptomsof premenstrual dysphoric disorder due to perceived stress which may affect academic, financial, and familialrelationships. The female adults with these symptoms should be addressed by providing them with medicaland psychological support.&#x0D; How to cite this: Hameed M, Fatima M. The Effect of Perceived Stress and Body Mass Index on Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder among Female University Students. Life and Science. 2022; 3(4): 178-182. doi: http://doi.org/10.37185/LnS.1.1.227

Knowledge and awareness of breast cancer and breast self-examination among college-going female students in Delhi-NCR: a cross sectional study

PurposeBreast cancer (BC) presents a major public health challenge world-over including India. While several risk-factors, early signs and symptoms of BC are known, the knowledge and awareness of this disease remains poor among the population. The present study aimed to determine the extent of knowledge and awareness of BC, its risk factors, early signs and symptoms and breast self-examination (BSE) practice as an early detection method among Indian college-going female students.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a cross-sectional survey at a University in Delhi-NCR. Data on socio-demographic, knowledge and awareness of BC including BSE was collected using a pretested questionnaire. Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis was performed. All tests were two-sided and significance was set at p < 0.05.FindingsA total of 866 female students participated in the study with mean age of 22.32 (±0.146) years having mean body mass index (BMI) of 21.22 (±3.52). As high as 82.1% of the participants had heard of BC but while 74.8% thought early detection is possible, 70.7% believed BC cannot be prevented. Gene mutations (60.2%) were identified as a significant risk factor, while breast pain (61.4%) was commonly recognized as a sign of BC. Only 29.8% of students ever performed BSE. Increased odds of performing BSE (OR = 3.4) was found among students who recognized gene mutations as an important BC risk factor.Research limitations/implicationsKnowledge and awareness of BC including BSE among female college students were found to be below average. It is suggested that there is an urgent need for increasing BC awareness among young girls through workshops and mobile-health interventions.Practical implicationsThis study provides new information on the level of knowledge and awareness of BC risk factors, sign and symptoms and self-examination practice among young college girls. Moreover, this study advocates the need for design and implementation of a sustainable digital health model for active population BC screening, which is not being done currently.Social implicationsBC is a highly aggressive disease, which is now one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in India and world over. Although the knowledge of BC risk factors and its signs and symptoms have increased, the awareness of these elements among the general population at large is low and/or missing, especially in India. Furthermore, as a consequence of unorganized screening programs in the country, majority of women are presenting young with locally advanced disease. Understanding the existing level of knowledge and educating school, college and University students of the pertinent factors and screening practices such as BSE could drastically help in improving the self-screening and/or clinical examination rates. This could potentially lead to early detection and improved prognosis, thus ameliorating disease burden.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few studies conducted in India among young female college students belonging to non-medical backgrounds, delineating the level of knowledge and awareness of BC risk factors and signs and symptoms along with practice of early detection method such as BSE. The study has a considerable sample size and provides valuable evidence for a need to implement programs incorporating digital health models for accelerating awareness and screening of young girls in both rural and urban settings.

Taiwanese Nuns and Education Issues in Contemporary Taiwan

In this article, I discuss the Buddhist educational profile of nuns in contemporary Taiwan by introducing the development of monastic education for women. Taiwanese women’s mass ordination created a Buddhist renaissance after postwar Taiwan, a national ordination system based on monastic discipline, as well as the revival of monastic education. Both ordination and monastic education are very strong institutional settings for women’s monastic identity. Its findings, firstly, shed light on how the increased opportunities for women’s education in Taiwanese Buddhism have continuously attracted young female university students. Secondly, these so-called scholarly nuns come to Buddhist academies as students and eventually become instructors. These scholarly nuns elevate the standards of their Buddhist academies and use their original academic specializations to expand the educational curriculum of their school. The role of scholarly nuns in contemporary Taiwan exemplifies that Buddhism provides educational resources for women, as educational resources enhance women’s engagement in Buddhism.

Chinese Version of the Mobile Health App Usability Questionnaire: Translation, Adaptation, and Validation Study.

BackgroundThe usability of mobile health (mHealth) apps needs to be effectively evaluated before they are officially approved to be used to deliver health interventions. To this end, the mHealth App Usability Questionnaire (MAUQ) has been designed and proved valid and reliable in assessing the usability of mHealth apps. However, this English questionnaire needs to be translated into other languages, adapted, and validated before being utilized to evaluate the usability of mHealth apps.ObjectiveThis study aims to improve, further adapt, and validate the Chinese version of the MAUQ (C-MAUQ; interactive for patients) on Left-handed Doctor, one of the most popular “reaching out to patients” interactive mHealth apps with chatbot function in China, to test the reliability and cross-cultural adaptability of the questionnaire.MethodsThe MAUQ (interactive for patients) has been translated into Chinese and validated for its reliability on Good Doctor, one of the most influential “reaching out to patients” mHealth apps without chatbot function in China. After asking for the researchers’ approval to use this Chinese version, we adjusted and further adapted the C-MAUQ by checking it against the original English version and improving its comprehensibility, readability, idiomaticity, and cross-cultural adaptability. Following a trial survey completed by 50 respondents on wenjuanxing, the most popular online questionnaire platform in China, the improved version of the C-MAUQ (I-C-MAUQ) was finally used to evaluate the usability of Left-handed Doctor through an online questionnaire survey (answered by 322 participants) on wenjuanxing, to test its internal consistency, reliability, and validity.ResultsThe I-C-MAUQ still retained the 21 items and 3 dimensions of the original MAUQ: 8 items for usability and satisfaction, 6 items for system information arrangement, and 7 items for efficiency. The translation problems in the C-MAUQ, including (1) redundancy, (2) incompleteness, (3) misuse of parts of speech, (4) choice of inappropriate words, (5) incomprehensibility, and (6) cultural difference–induced improper translation, were improved. As shown in the analysis of data obtained through the online survey, the I-C-MAUQ had a better internal consistency (ie, the correlation coefficient between the score of each item and the total score of the questionnaire determined within the range of 0.861-0.938; P<.01), reliability (Cronbach α=.988), and validity (Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin=0.973), compared with the C-MAUQ. It was effectively used to test the usability of Left-handed Doctor, eliciting over 80% of informants’ positive attitudes toward this mHealth app.ConclusionsThe I-C-MAUQ is highly reliable and valid for Left-handed Doctor, and suitable for testing the usability of interactive mHealth apps used by patients in China. This finding further confirms the cross-cultural validity, reliability, and adaptability of the MAUQ. We identified certain factors influencing the perceived usability of mHealth apps, including users’ age, gender, education, profession, and possibly previous experience with mHealth apps and the chatbot function of such apps. Most notably, we found a wider acceptance of this new technology among young Chinese female college students who were more engaged in the interaction with health care chatbots. The age-, gender-, and profession-induced preference for new digital health interventions in China aligns with the findings in other similar studies in America and Malaysia. This preference identifies areas for further research on the social, cultural, and gender adaptation of health technologies.

Breast shape classification and discrimination driven by local features-focusing on Chinese women in their 20s

In order to analyze the breast shapes and provide basis for the development of bra sizing system and garment pattern-making, this study proposed a method to classify breast shapes from breast local features and overall shape based on the detailed breast morphological parameters. A definition for the breast boundary was determined to establish a measuring standard for the feature points, and then 18 related parameters were obtained based on the 3D point-cloud data of 158 unmarried young female college students aged between 18 and 25. Six shape parameters were selected for cluster analysis. In addition, the gathering ratio was induced to classify the breast shapes of subjects into nine categories that are FC-Middle, FC-Gathering, FC-Separating, UO-Middle, UO-Gathering, UO-Separating, PO-Middle, PO-Gathering and PO-Separating. Through verification, it shows that the error range of 95.71% UBP and 91.43% OBP are all less than 1.5 cm, while the error range of 81.43% UBP and 74.29% OBP are less than 1 cm. The accuracy of the classified results via the proposed method is 97.33%. The classification of breast shapes of this study can provide a reference for young women to choose the correct size of bra.

Human papillomavirus prevalence among unvaccinated young female college students in Botswana: A cross-sectional study

Background. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection and a causative agent of cervical cancer. It is common in adolescent girls and young women, and the majority of infections are transient and asymptomatic. In Botswana, there are currently no data on the HPV prevalence against which the impact of prophylactic HPV vaccines can be measured. Objectives. To establish a baseline HPV prevalence in an unvaccinated cohort of young women. Methods. Women aged ≥18 years were recruited from the University of Botswana between September 2016 and May 2020. Demographic and behavioural characteristics of participants were collected. Subsequently, cervicovaginal swabs were obtained and tested for HPV using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. We determined the prevalent HPV types, and evaluated the risk factors associated with HPV positivity. Results. A total of 978 young women were recruited. Overall, there were 589 (60.2%) participants with HPV infection and 12 (1.2%) with HIV. The median (interquartile range) age of the study participants was 19 (18 - 20) years. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that significant factors associated with HPV positivity were sexual activity (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.06; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.49 - 2.63; p&lt;0.001), number of sex partners ≥3 (aOR 2.10; 95% CI 1.39 - 3.18; p&lt;0.001), and smoking (aOR 2.00; 95% CI 1.26 - 3.20; p=0.004). Conclusion. Our results demonstrate for the first time the prevalence of HPV in unvaccinated young women in Botswana. We found a high prevalence of HPV infection, with statistical differences with different risk factors. This finding supports the need for HPV vaccination strategies for females prior to sexual debut to reduce the future burden of cervical cancer in Botswana.