Facilities and Misconceptions Concerning Menstrual Health and Menstrual Hygiene Management among Young People in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria

Background: Globally, women constitute 49.6% of the world population and at least 500 million women and girls lack adequate facilities for menstrual hygiene management. In Nigeria, a quarter of women lack adequate privacy for defecation and menstrual hygiene management. Absence of facilities needed for menstrual hygiene can pose as obstacle to women and girls practicing menstrual hygiene effectively. This study aims to identify the facilities and misconceptions concerning menstrual health and menstrual hygiene management. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study among 169 young males and females of Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) Theological Seminary, Jos North, Plateau State. This study sought to identify the facilities and misconceptions concerning menstrual health and menstrual hygiene management among young people in Jos, Plateau State. Nigeria. Simple random sampling technique was used in this study and data was collected using interviewer-administered structured questionnaire to measure availability of facilities/programs for menstrual hygiene management and misconceptions about menstruation. Data analysis was done using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 20.0 with descriptive statistics, proportions, tables and diagrams used to illustrate findings from the data collected. Results: Majority 139 (82.2%) of the female respondents had access to adequate water supply, while 30 (17.8%) did not have access to the adequate water supply. About half, 53.8% had bathrooms with doors and safe locks, 19.5% had a school clinic where menstrual absorbents can be gotten, 10 (5.9%) had Girl’s Club/Peer Education teams, 24 (14.2%) had guidance and counselling classes. Programmes available to female respondents for menstrual health and hygiene management were girls club and guidance and counselling sessions. Majority 94 (97.9) of females have access to some form of menstrual adsorbent material, and 50 (52.1%) had no access to Sanitary pads. Most females 80 (80.3%) have access to soap, 46 (47.9%) do not have access to privacy at home when faced with changing their pads or menstrual adsorbent, while 84 (87.5%) had access to privacy while in school, 46.7% of respondents were aware of misconceptions/taboos, which included that women should not cook when menstruating (19.5% of respondents), and women should stay away from public activities during menstruation (13.6%). Conclusion: A sixth of the women had no access to adequate water, half had bathrooms without locks, over half had no access to sanitary pads, there were misconceptions that can be dispelled using health education and enlightenment on proper menstrual health and hygiene.

Common misconceptions about 5-aminosalicylates and thiopurines in inflammatory bowel disease

Misconceptions are common in the care of patients with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD).In this paper,we state the most commonly found misconceptions in clinical practice and deal with the use of 5-aminosalicylates and thiopurines,to review the related scientificevidence,and make appropriate recommendations.Prevention of errors needs knowledge to avoid making such errors through ignorance.However,the amount of knowledge is increasing so quickly that one new danger is an overabundance of information.IBD is a model of a very complex disease and our goal with this review is to summarize the key evidence for the most common daily clinical problems.With regard to the use of 5-aminosalicylates,the best practice may to be consider abandoning the use of these drugs in patients withsmall bowel Crohn's disease.The combined approach with oral plus topical 5-aminosalicylates should be the first-line therapy in patients with active ulcerative colitis;once-daily treatment should be offered as a first choice regimen due to its better compliance and higher efficacy.With regard to thiopurines,they seem to be as effective in ulcerative colitis as in Crohn's disease.Underdosing of thiopurines is a form of undertreatment.Thiopurines should probably be continued indefinitely because their withdrawal is associated with a high risk of relapse.Mercaptopurine is a safe alternative in patients with digestive intolerance or hepatotoxicity due to azathioprine.Finally,thiopurine methyltransferase(TPMT)screening cannot substitute for regular monitoring because the majority of cases of myelotoxicity are not TPMT-related.

Dehydration and volume depletion:How to handle the misconceptions

Dehydration and volume depletion describe two distinct body fluid deficit disorders with differing pathophysiology,clinical manifestations and treatment approaches.However,the two are often confused or equated with each other.Here,we address a number of commonly encountered misconceptions about body-fluid deficit disorders,analyse their origins and propose approaches to overcome them.

Assessment of Key HIV Misconceptions among Inhabitants of a Rural Community in Enugu State, Nigeria

In 2015, about 35 million people died of HIV infection globally, with about 36.7 million infected. Most of the infection occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa. Misconceptions about HIV/AIDS exist mostly in developing countries. The research was a cross-sectional study, conducted in Enugu state, Nigeria. Objective was to assess key HIV misconceptions among rural community dwellers. Interviewer administered questionnaire was used, and information was collected from 296 respondents, most of whom were above 50 years of age, married, had no formal education, and were farmers. Correct responses to the misconceptions investigated were: HIV infection found only among sinners (29.7%);HIV can be transmitted by eating from the same plate with an infected person (24.7%);HIV can be transmitted through handshake (29.7%);HIV can be transmitted by touching the urine or faeces of an infected person (24.0%);HIV can be transmitted by hugging or touching an infected person (28.0%);HIV can be cured (19.9%);Praying daily can prevent HIV infection (20.3%);and Worshipping our ancestors can prevent HIV infection (27.0%). Inhabitants of rural communities are more likely to hold misconceptions about HIV. It is recommended that relevant governments in developing countries design interventions aimed at addressing misconceptions about HIV/AIDS.

Coronary heart disease beliefs and misconceptions among cardiac patients and people with chronic illness

What people believe about their illness may affect how they cope with it. It has been suggested that such beliefs may be commonly held within society. This cross-sectional investigation examined the cardiac beliefs and misconceptions among cardiac patients and people with chronic illness. Participants with a noncardiac chronic illness hold similar cardiac misconceptions to people with heart disease (p = 0.58). Both groups showed high agreement on “people with heart disease should take life easy” and “always avoid anything that might bring on angina”. People with chronic illness are more likely than cardiac patients to believe that “once you have has one heart attack you are bound to have another one”.

＂Actual Experience＂＂ Correcting Misconceptions Through Analyzing Harriet Wilson＇s Our Nig

African-American writers during the 19th century wrote in the shadow of the prominent romance, sentimental, and domestic fiction. Harriet Wilson＇s Our Nig （1859） reflects an ＂alternative social character＂, for the female protagonist suffers racism in the free North, because she is a mulatto child. Through depicting the life of free blacks, who supposedly lives a better life than Southern slaves, Wilson exposes how she has actually lived and sensed life in antebellum America. According to Raymond Williams （2011）, there are two kinds of literary writings. The first represents the general tendency of the age, and he calls it ＂dominant social character＂; representing the majority content of both the public writing and speaking. But, another different literary writing lives in its shadow; one that usually leads the conflicts of the time. It is the ＂alternative social character＂; the literature of the victims of repression and marginalization, produced by the lower class, women, and blacks. They reflected how they were dehumanized, and exposed their suffering and abasement. They also aimed to prove individualism. The novel reveals how racism in the North could be worse than the slavery of the South. This paper shows Wilson deviation from the ＂her brethren＂ in writing her novel. It unveils significant truths concerning black women＇s status in antebellum America. It discusses how the author attempts to correct certain misconceptions through her female character

A Brief Analysis of Misconceptions and Problems of Educational Narrative Inquiry

As a qualitative research method, the educational narrative inquiry is widely used in educational research. However, there exists some misconceptions about what is narrative inquiry and how to do educational narrative inquiry among the beginners who are interested in this method. Educational narrative research can not invent education event, nor is seen as a conventional research method. And the narrative inquiry should not be considered equivalent to ordinary way of telling stories. This paper will make a brief analysis of misconceptions and problems of educational narrative inquiry to help the beginners to better understand narrative inquiry and do this kind of research in a proper way.

Difficulties in Learning and Teaching Numbers:A Literature Review on the Obstacles and Misconceptions of Learners and Instructors

This paper attempts to summarize a number of research studies on numbers.The purpose of this study was to investigate and identify the obstacles encountered by students when they are dealing with number reasoning(whole numbers,integers,and rational numbers)and the difficulties faced by pre-service teachers in teaching arithmetic,including their misconceptions and weaknesses when they teach arithmetic and operations.There are two main sections in this paper:students’cognitive obstacles for number reasoning,and pre-service teachers’misconceptions of arithmetic.With the summarized misconceptions and obstacles of both,students and teachers,this paper provides efficient and effective thinking strategies that may help both,learners and instructors overcome obstacles,revise misconceptions,and strengthen their understanding,in order to develop proficiency in number reasoning and arithmetic operations.

Expression Misconceptions

AS BLINDASABAT（像蝙蝠一样瞎）常用来形容某人眼瞎．而事实上蝙蝠是看得见东西的。不错，英文中有许多表达都是基于人们的误解而形成的。

Discussion on the Misconceptions of Curriculum Ideological and Political Education

Curriculum ideological and political education,an educational guideline that encourages the integration of ideological and political education in all subjects and courses,is being widely adopted in Chinese universities.It aims to cultivate the comprehensive abilities of students with moral,intellectual,physical,and aesthetical grounding,instead of focusing on the acquisition of knowledge only.Misconceptions of this concept are still commonly seen,however,and they are hindering the effective implementation of the guideline.This paper attempts to discuss three common misconceptions and provide insights that hopefully will clear up some confusion.Some practical approaches are also proposed in the end for teachers to follow.

Students’Misconceptions are Falsely Measured by Concept Inventory Tests While Lack of Prior Knowledge is Ignored

Concept inventory(CI)tests are used to measure students’misconception.This article investigated and concludes that the current format of these tests is unable to measure students’misconceptions since the answers choices do not reflect student lack of prior knowledge,time lapse between when they learned the subject matter and when they try to recall it,and the conditions through which students construct their knowledge.CIs are better suited as tools to evaluate the effectiveness of pedagogical effectiveness and language in communicating the material to the students.

Diabetes Treatment-Related Myths and the Impact of COVID-19 on Diabetes Knowledge—An Indian Survey-Based Study

Objective: The main aim of the survey was to assess diabetes treatment-related myths prevalent in the Indian population and if COVID-19 pandemic improved their knowledge about diabetes. Results: The survey was completed by 309 participants;66% did not have diabetes. The responses of people with diabetes and those without diabetes were similar. Survey results of the total population showed that the majority believed that diabetes treatment should start early (92.6%);87.4% believed that the treatment should start within three months of diagnosis with modern medicines;67.3% of the participants felt that allopathic medicines for diabetes were safe, 69.6% believed that if started these medications continue lifelong, and 40.5% thought they damaged all major organs. Insulin was thought to be safe by 65% of the surveyed population;60.8% believed that if they started insulin, they would need it life-long;51.5% thought that insulin was started at the last stage of diabetes;and 58.6% believed that insulin caused kidney damage. A total of 58.6% believed that herbal medicines for diabetes were safer than allopathic;76.4% did not believe that the “diabetic cure” shown through television/newspapers was safe and effective;67.3% did not believe that ayurvedic medicines cured diabetes. Of the surveyed population, 67% felt that their knowledge about diabetes improved during the pandemic and 89.3% knew that PWDs have more serious problems with covid infection. Conclusions: Our survey shows that many diabetes treatment-related myths are prevalent in the Indian population even though the COVID-19 pandemic improved their knowledge about diabetes.

Son Preference and Family Planning Practices among Married Men in Mumbai, India

ve To study son preferences and the contraceptive knowledge, attitude and practices of Indian Male

Exploring Greek High School Students’ Understanding of Basic Environmental Issues

The present research studies the knowledge of 221 Ioannina’s city, located in the northwestern region of Greece, high school students on 10 environmental issues. Schoolers’ responses were collected through a “closed response” questionnaire distributed at three of the city’s Public High Schools. The overall picture appeared to be moderately satisfactory, as high schoolers possess a good knowledge on several environmental issues, while misconceptions on other issues, such as sustainable development, predominate. Taking into account the outcome of the present study we consider that improvements are needed in the existing Environmental Education Program in order to ameliorate their knowledge.

A Study of the Behavioural Factors Associated with Low Uptake of Intra-Uterine Contraceptive Device in Zaria, Northern Nigeria: A Qualitative Survey

Aim: To document reasons for the low uptake of Copper 380A contraceptive in Zaria, Northern Nigeria. Study Design: Qualitative analysis from In-depth interviews (IDI) and Focus group discussions (FGD). Setting: Zaria, Northern Nigeria. Methods: Five high volume public facilities within Zaria metropolis were selected for the study (the teaching hospital, two district hospitals serving the metropolis and two primary care centers). The most experienced provider in each of these facilities was engaged in an IDI to explore reasons for the low uptake of IUD from their perspective. Similarly, a session of FGD was conducted in each of the facility involving at least eight family planning clients who were para 4 or more and not using the IUD. Results: There were a total of 397 new clients that were served various methods of contraceptive across the five facilities three months prior to the study. Intrauterine device only accounted for 11.8% of these clients while Injectable was responsible for 62% of clients. 72% of the IUD insertions took place in the teaching hospital. There were no IUD insertions in the two primary care centers within the last three months prior to study. Conclusion: Misconceptions, lack of information concerning IUD particularly at the primary care levels, lack of male involvement and providers’ incompetence were the main barriers to accessing IUD services in Zaria, Nigeria. In the course of this investigation, local Ethics were observed.

The Comparative Effects of Cyclic Inquiry Model, Conceptual Change Text, and Traditional Instruction on Students' Understanding of Pho- tosynthesis and Respiration in Plants

The aim of this study was to explore the effects of the cyclic inquiry model,conceptual change texts,and traditional instructions on promoting understanding of photosynthesis and respiration in plants.The data were obtained from 33 students in the first experimental group taught with cyclic inquiry model(CIM),34 students in the second experimental group taught with conceptual change texts(CCT),and 34 students in the control group taught with traditional instruction(TI).After instruction,data were analyzed with analysis of covariance(ANCOVA)using pre-test scores and logical thinking scores as covariates.The results indicated the cyclic inquiry model(CIM)and conceptual change texts(CCT)treatment groups significantly outperformed the traditional instruction(TI)group in understanding the photosynthesis and respiration in plants.A statistically significant difference between two experimental groups was found in favor of the of cyclic inquiry model CIM.

Conceptions about Drinking Water of 10^(th) Graders and Undergraduates

Any everyday subject may trigger individual conceptions either scientifically correct or naively shaped (misconceptions, alternative conceptions). For any educator, knowledge about a pupil’s individual perception may strongly support teaching success. Within this context, we see the use of drinking water as daily behavior loaded with conceptions. We monitored the perceptions of two different samples, of high achieving 10th graders and of undergraduates in Biology. All participants responded to three closed and three open questions requesting individual statements about drinking water. All open questions were categorized via qualitative content analysis mainly revealing the perception of drinking water as a clean product, precisely controlled and drinkable with no need for worry. In general, some alternative conceptions did not seem differ in both samples over the time of about five years: For instance, many see our drinking water as purified in sewage plants. However, differences between individuals exist: For example, whether water is consumed as tap or bottled water. Here, some name water hardness as the reason to not drink tap water, because they think it is harmful (although the very same participants prefer bottled mineral water). Other conceptions seem to change over time, such as the estimation about the remaining time until our drinking water might be used up, or familiarity with the term “virtual water”. Summing up, we did find a positive attitude towards national drinking water policy, although major knowledge gaps need its mentioning. The relevance of these results and strategies for public and school teaching are discussed.

Teaching and Learning with the Number Zero

This paper attempted to summarize and depict a 50-minutes class for preservice elementary teachers regarding to how would they teach the number zero to students.The class was designed to promote conceptual understanding of zero and to remove learners’cognitive obstacles and misconceptions of arithmetic.Preservice teachers should first be prepared with the subject matter not only how to perform arithmetic operations but how to explain why the formula works like that.

SME： The Hungarian Experience Situation and Development in Hungary

This paper aims to present the development of the SME sector through the example of a country in East-Central Europe. This country was once a member of the so-called communist block until 1989, but had a market economy in 1989. Hungary joined the EU on May 1, 2004, and displaied numerous interesting features concerning small and medium sized enterprises ever since, complying with a variety of expectations. The research study investigated the East-Central European SME systems, and particularly the Hungarian SME practice. The main methods used in this paper are present European and Hungarian research findings of nternational relevance. Several data and figures from the European Union, the Central European area and of course from Hungary were used for the characterization of the SME systems. The main results of the research study is a set of characteristics of the SMEs＇ East-Central European pathway： （1） SMEs as a pillar of the nation in the world and in Hungary; （2） Hungary as the Paradise of small enterprises （numbers versus reality）; （3） Domestic small enterprises in an international （European） comparison; （4） How the crisis impacted the domestic SME sector; （5） Misconceptions and dead ends in small enterprises today： What should the state subsidise and how？

Towards Developing Communication Strategies for HIV/AIDS Control among the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes Women in Three Northeastern States of India

HIV/AIDS spread has opened a Pandora of medical and health problems apart from creating serious socio-psychological trauma for the victims and their families. Despite the governmental effort to curve the growing infection, very little success has been achieved. The northeastern region of India presents a very peculiar situation due to recurrent insurgency in all its states for long time and thus it became instrumental in paralyzing the social and health machineries to an extent, which still deteriorated the futile national effort to check the deadly infection. The study tried to understand the level of awareness and correct knowledge among the underprivileged scheduled tribes and scheduled castes women in the age group 15 -44 by exploring data from district level of Rapid Household Reproductive and Child Health Project Phase I (1998) and Phase II (1999) for Assam, Manipur and Nagaland and suggested a strategy to control the infection in the region. It is found that HIV/AIDS awareness was 59% among the women in all the three states with very few among them who had correct understanding of its prevention. A pronounced difference in the level of awareness was observed with respect to age, economy and residential status of the respondents.