Prevalence, Awareness and Risk Factors for Hypertension in Adults Attending a Tertiary Hospital in South-East Nigeria

Hypertension, a non-communicable disease, is considered a major public health challenge because of its widespread prevalence globally coupled with its huge morbidity and mortality burden, which is largely preventable if early detection and prompt initiation of management are done. Hypertension prevalence is increasing especially in the developing world, despite this, its awareness among the general population is low. This study aimed at determining the prevalence of hypertension among adult attendees of the General Outpatient Clinic of the Federal University Teaching Hospital (FUTH), Owerri, with an assessment of the proportion of hypertensives who were aware of their hypertensive status, and identifying risk factors of hypertension in the study participants. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted between October and November 2022 at the General Outpatient Clinic of the FUTH, Owerri. A total of 257 consenting and eligible adult patients made up of 135 males and 122 females, aged 18 years and above, were selected by systematic random sampling method. The overall prevalence of hypertension was 34.6%. The prevalence was higher in females than in males (37.7% vs 31.9%, P = 0.325). Among the hypertensive subjects 56.2% had awareness of their hypertensive status. Following a multiple regression analysis, hypertension was independently associated with age, family history of hypertension, occupation (retirees, traders, farmers and the unemployed), and marital status (being widowed). Hypertension is prevalent in our environment;the prevalence rate from this study is higher than in most studies in our environment, suggesting possibly, a rising burden. The results from the study underscore the need for increased and sustained advocacy for implementation of policies and programs directed at increased detection and management of hypertension in the different population groups such as annual wellness check for employees in the formal sector, largescale dietary and lifestyle adjustments, and know your numbers (an approach to population driven blood pressure check for all adults). Also, health workers should use any opportunity of contact with a patient to screen for hypertension.

Promoting Sickle Cell Trait Awareness and Education: A Typology of Interventions in the United States to Inform Ongoing Efforts to Patients and Providers

Research Background: Sickle cell trait has no treatment or cure and predominantly affects people who are Black, but can affect anyone of any race or ethnicity. While commonly incorrectly considered benign by providers and the public, people with a sickle cell trait experience life-threatening outcomes that are exacerbated by extreme conditions. There is a severe lack of awareness and understanding of sickle cell trait and the associated health complications among sickle cell trait carriers and healthcare providers. Purpose/Aim: Interventions that aim to improve awareness of sickle cell trait differ in approaches and are not well documented in the literature. This typology aims to highlight current efforts to inform targeted interventions that raise awareness through consistent messaging, educate people and providers on sickle cell trait and the related health complications, and support the design and implementation of comprehensive sickle cell trait awareness initiatives. Methods: We conducted a scoping review of United States-based sickle cell trait interventions and performed a content analysis to identify the categories and characteristics of these efforts. We then organized the results into a typology according to established protocols. Results: Among 164 interventions, twenty-five (15%) met the typology inclusion criteria described above and were grouped into categories: Seven of twenty-five interventions were Educational Interventions (28%), three of twenty-five interventions (12%) were Combined Screening and Educational-Based Interventions, eight of twenty-five interventions (32%) were Policy and Guideline-Based Intervention, and six of twenty-five interventions (24%) were Sickle Cell Trait Organization-Led Interventions. Conclusions: There is a lack of consistency in messaging across interventions whether delivered by credible healthcare institutions or national organizations, which can result in lack of education and awareness and confusion around sickle cell trait. Categorizing interventions through a typology allows clarity and informs consistency in messaging, which should be at the forefront of future sickle cell trait efforts.

Household Solid Waste Awareness and Practices among Residents of Windhoek, Namibia

This study explores household solid waste management (HSWM) practices and awareness among residents of Windhoek West, a rapidly urbanizing constituency in the Khomas Region of Namibia. Employing a descriptive methodology, the research investigates the interplay between public awareness, regulatory frameworks, and the availability of waste management facilities to assess their impact on waste management behaviors. Our findings indicate significant gaps in both knowledge and infrastructure that hinder effective waste management. The study reveals that while there is a high willingness among residents to engage in recycling and waste reduction, actual practices are limited due to inadequate facilities and lack of stringent enforcement of waste policies. This research identifies key factors that influence waste management practices, including demographic characteristics and access to waste management facilities. It also proposes actionable strategies such as expanding recycling and sorting facilities, enhancing educational campaigns tailored to local needs, and implementing regular enforcement mechanisms. These strategies are aimed at improving compliance with waste management protocols and fostering a culture of environmental responsibility. The results of this investigation show the critical role of ongoing education and infrastructural improvement in bridging existing knowledge gaps and facilitating effective waste management practices. This research lays a foundational step toward enhancing sustainable urban development and effective waste management in Windhoek, providing valuable insights for policymakers, community leaders, and stakeholders engaged in urban environmental management.

A Situational Awareness Method for Initial Insulation Fault of Distribution Network Based on Multi-Feature Index Comprehensive Evaluation

Most ground faults in distribution network are caused by insulation deterioration of power equipment.It is difficult to find the insulation deterioration of the distribution network in time,and the development trend of the initial insulation fault is unknown,which brings difficulties to the distribution inspection.In order to solve the above problems,a situational awareness method of the initial insulation fault of the distribution network based on a multi-feature index comprehensive evaluation is proposed.Firstly,the insulation situation evaluation index is selected by analyzing the insulation fault mechanism of the distribution network,and the relational database of the distribution network is designed based on the data and numerical characteristics of the existing distribution management system.Secondly,considering all kinds of fault factors of the distribution network and the influence of the power supply region,the evaluation method of the initial insulation fault situation of the distribution network is proposed,and the development situation of the distribution network insulation fault is classified according to the evaluation method.Then,principal component analysis was used to reduce the dimension of the training samples and test samples of the distribution network data,and the support vector machine(SVM)was trained.The optimal parameter combination of the SVM model was found by the grid search method,and a multi-class SVM model based on 1-v-1 method was constructed.Finally,the trained multi-class SVM was used to predict 6 kinds of situation level prediction samples.The results of simulation examples show that the average prediction accuracy of 6 situation levels is above 95%,and the perception accuracy of 4 situation levels is above 96%.In addition,the insulation maintenance decision scheme under different situation levels is able to be given when no fault occurs or the insulation fault is in the early stage,which can meet the needs of power distribution and inspection for accurately sensing the insulation fault situation.The correctness and effectiveness of this method are verified.

Effect of Health Management in Raising Awareness Rate of Disease Prevention and Treatment in Patients with Prehypertension

Objective: To analyze the effect of health management on improving the awareness rate of disease prevention and treatment in patients with prehypertension, so as to provide guidance for clinical management of patients with prehypertension. Methods: 108 patients diagnosed with prehypertension in our hospital were divided into a control group and an experimental group. The control group was not given management measures, while the experimental group was given health management. The incidence of hypertension and cognition level of hypertension knowledge were compared between the two groups after management. Results: The incidence of hypertension in the experimental group was 7.41% lower than that in the control group 29.63%. The cognitive level of hypertension in the patients (66.54 ± 1.25) was significantly higher than that in the patients without health management (41.45 ± 2.45), and P < 0.05;Conclusion: For patients with prehypertension, the implementation of health management is helpful to improve their cognition of hypertension, master related prevention knowledge, and reduce the incidence of hypertension.

Breast cancer awareness in reproductive women in the low-and middle-income countries:a scoping review

Objective:This study aimed to assess breast cancer(BC)awareness among reproductive women in low-and middle-income countries(LMICs),identify influencing factors,and propose feasible interventions or programs.Methods:We followed a 5-step process using a modified version of Arksey and O’Malley framework methodology.A comprehensive search was conducted on the Embase,PubMed,and CINAHL electronic databases for literature published within 10 years(from 2012 to 2022).Results:Thirty-three papers published between 2012 and 2020,spanning 18 countries,were included.Of these,45.6%described a good level of knowledge,while 24.2%reported that women at reproductive ages had good awareness.Twelve influencing factors were identified in 3 categories:socio-demographic(family history,personal history,marital status,age,religion,income status,living place,and occupation),personal(self-efficacy,education,and perceived level),and external(advertisements promoting awareness).Educational programs were recommended in most(>72%)of the included studies.Conclusions:While most studies reported high levels of knowledge and awareness,some found low prevalence among certain groups.Factors affecting knowledge and awareness were classified into socio-demographic,personal,and external categories,with socio-demographic factors such as age,education,income,and marital status being the most frequently cited.The studies recommended implementing educational programs,health prevention strategies,and social interventions to increase BC knowledge and awareness.

Knowledge and awareness of human mpox infection among healthcare workers:A cross-sectional study in southwestern Nigeria

Objective:To identify the knowledge and awareness level of human mpox viral infection among healthcare workers in southwestern Nigeria.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted in Ekiti State,southwest Nigeria among 316 healthcare workers that were selected through a systematic random sampling.Data were collected with the aid of a semi-structured,self-administered questionnaire.The Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used to find the association between the independent and dependent variables.The significance level was set at P-value<0.05.Results:Two hundred and twenty-two(70.3%)of the respondents were aged≤40 years,mean age(36±9)years,189(59.8%)were female,306(96.8%)were Christians,and 203(64.2%)were married.Three hundred and fourteen(99.4%)of the respondents were aware of mpox infection.Main sources of information about mpox were medical education(44.0%),radio/television(32.0%)and newspaper(21.0%).However,among those aware of the disease,209(67.0%)demonstrated poor knowledge levels.Longer than 5 years’experience of medical practice was the only significant predictor of higher knowledge level of the disease(OR 1.76,95%CI 1.01-3.06;P=0.046).Conclusions:Despite the high awareness level of mpox infection among healthcare workers,there still exists a huge knowledge gap.It is recommended that targeted intervention could be directed towards continuous medical education and simulation exercises on re-emerging infectious diseases like mpox to improve the knowledge of the healthcare workers.

Improving myopia awareness via school-based myopia prevention health education among Chinese students

AIM:To investigate the myopia awareness level,knowledge,attitude,and skills at baseline and to implement and evaluate the efficacy of myopia prevention health education among Chinese students.METHODS:A total of 1000 middle school students from 2 middle schools were invited to participate in the study,and myopia prevention health education was conducted.The students were assessed at baseline,followed by a survey.The efficacy of health education was evaluated using the self-comparison method pre-and post-health education.RESULTS:The study included 957 and 850 pre-and post-health education par ticipants,respectively.The baseline knowledge of all respondents on myopic symptoms(87.5%),myopia is a risk of eyes(72.9%),myopia prevention(91.3%),myopia increases with age(86.7%),performing periodic eye examinations(92.8%),and one first,one foot,and one inch(84.8%)significantly increased after health education(P<0.001 for all).However,the percentage of students who still did not think it necessary to take breaks after 30-40min of continuous near work was 27.0%.The opinion that“myopia can be cured”was still present in 38.3%.CONCLUSION:Implementing school-based myopia prevention health education improves knowledge,attitudes,and skills regarding myopia among Chinese middle school students.

Measuring the Level of Knowledge and Awareness about Scoliosis in Saudi Arabia

Background: Scoliosis is a serious condition occurring in 1% to 4% of the population. This study was conducted and designed to educate society about scoliosis and measure the knowledge and awareness about it. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted on members of the Saudi Society who have consented to participate in this research between the 8th of January and 5th of February 2023. Results: A total of 427 people agreed to participate in the study. The highest percentage of the participants was female 69.1%. About 41% participants out of 427 were in the age group 18-25 years. Most of the participants were from the Middle Region. (71.9%) of participants were unfamiliar with scoliosis, while (72.1%) had no prior knowledge of the condition. Conclusion: This study indicates insufficient awareness and knowledge about scoliosis in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, further studies are needed to raise awareness about scoliosis and help people to learn more about this condition.

The Awareness of Jazan Females about the Nutrition Related Effects of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine and metabolic disorders in premenopausal women affecting 5% - 10% women in reproductive age. Many studies show that good dietary habits and balanced diet in addition to regular exercise can significantly improve the symptoms of the syndrome. The prevalence rate in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reached 42.8%. This study aimed to measure the awareness of Jazan females about the nutrition related effects of polycystic ovary syndrome and investigate the association between age and awareness of nutrition related effect on PCOS. Method: Cross sectional study was conducted during a period from January 9th to February 5th 2023, by a questionnaire used to measure the awareness of female in Jazan region about the nutrition related effects of poly cystic ovary syndrome. Data was collected using Google questionnaire survey and it was randomly distributed to Jazan women from 18 to 50 years old. The questionnaire was about general information about PCOS, nutrition-related effects of PCOS, the effects of eating patterns on PCOS, physical activity, and sleeping. The sample size was 384 women. Results: The total response was about 363 women. The results showed that women in the Jazan region did not have sufficient knowledge about PCOS 51.5% and 63.4% had no knowledge about diet recommendations for PCOS. However, there was awareness about healthy eating patterns that reduce the symptoms of PCOS. The level of awareness of PCOS and its association with age among Jazan women was higher in young adult groups (21 to 29 years old). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the level of knowledge about PCOS among Jazan women is insufficient. Also, their awareness about diet and lifestyle interventions was low. There is a relationship between age and awareness of the nutrition-related effects of PCOS. Promoting the role of balanced nutrition and nutritional knowledge is an important requirement for all women, especially those with PCOS. The role of health, educational, and governmental institutions is important in spreading the link between nutrition and PCOS.

Measuring the Awareness of Thalassemia in Saudi Arabia

Introduction: Thalassemia disorder is a genetic disease that causes the blood to have less hemoglobin than normal, the main requirement to control thalassemia’s propagation is to educate the entire society. Methodology: A descriptive survey was taken to evaluate the awareness of thalassemia among Saudi Arabia’s society, with a sample size of 384. Results: The results were written in frequencies, and it shows that most of the participants were unaware and lacking information on thalassemia syndrome. Discussion: The results of this study provide valuable insights into the awareness of thalassemia in Saudi Arabia and highlight the need to raise awareness of this disease. Conclusion: This study is not comprehensive because the survey was not disrupted evenly, but it can give us an overview of the awareness of thalassemia in Saudi Arabia, and it shows that most of the participants were unaware and lacked information on thalassemia.

Health Awareness: A Significant Factor in Chronic Diseases Prevention and Access to Care

Health literacy and awareness are essential strategies in promoting global health and improving access to care. While seen as an essential tool for promoting population health awareness to improve early detection and treatment of chronic diseases, it is yet to be emphasized in most African countries. Health literacy is an essential practice to promote chronic disease prevention and reduce the growing threat to population health. Incidences and mortalities from chronic diseases commonly arise from limited knowledge of the causative risk factors and access to health facilities. Without knowledge about causes, health impacts, and available health services, people continue to indulge in the habits that worsen their health conditions and fail to access care timely. By using health literacy and awareness as a tool for chronic disease prevention, healthcare professionals will develop strategic health awareness programs that fit the socio-demographics of the population they serve. This article explored the significant role health awareness occupies in individual and community health prevention through health promotion and education. It reviewed the concept and dimensions of chronic disease prevention, cultural beliefs and impact on chronic diseases, gaps created by low health literacy, and the significance of health literacy in disease prevention and health promotion. Furthermore, it recommends that health systems and local communities form partnerships to address common and emerging health problems, and health systems should be properly funded.

Breast Self-Examination (BSE): Association between “Belief in BSE” and “Awareness of BSE” among University Female Students in Uganda

Background: Regular breast self-examination (BSE) has been known to effectively detect breast cancer occurrence early. Are Women who consider BSE effective in detecting breast cancer more likely to be aware of BSE, or vice versa? The present study was an attempt to answer this question. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed for 259 female University students in Kampala, Uganda. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Univariate and bivariate analyses were carried out. Results: The majority (64.1%) were aware of the BSE technique. Women considering BSE to be effective for early cancer detection were significantly more likely to be aware of the BSE technique. Conclusions: University students who believed in the benefits of BSE were more likely to be aware of BSE than those who did not. More emphasis should be placed on health education for women of younger ages to increase the knowledge of the practice of BSE.

Awareness and perspectives of audiologists on assessment and management of misophonia in India

Background:The assessment and management of misophonia need a team approach,and audiologists are essential team members.However,the role of an audiologist in this condition is not well understood,and there is a lack of awareness even among professionals about their role in the assessment and management of misophonia.Purpose:The main aim of our study is to document the present level of awareness and knowledge about misophonia assessment and management among audiologists in India.Methods:A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among audiologists from all over India.Descriptive statistical procedures were measured based on the type of questions being addressed,and a non-parametric chi-square test was done to see the association among variables.Results:The results show a lack of knowledge about misophonia even among audiologists,as only 15.3%of the audiologist reported being confident in handling cases with misophonia.Conclusion:Although the exact assessment and management of misophonia is still the topic of debate,it is clear that audiologists are the team's key members.However,the results clearly show a lack of confidence in handling cases of misophonia among audiologists in India.This result shows the future need for Research in misophonia from an audiological perspective.

Context Awareness by Noise-Pattern Analysis of a Smart Factory

Recently,to build a smart factory,research has been conducted to perform fault diagnosis and defect detection based on vibration and noise signals generated when a mechanical system is driven using deep-learning technology,a field of artificial intelligence.Most of the related studies apply various audio-feature extraction techniques to one-dimensional raw data to extract sound-specific features and then classify the sound by using the derived spectral image as a training dataset.However,compared to numerical raw data,learning based on image data has the disadvantage that creating a training dataset is very time-consuming.Therefore,we devised a two-step data preprocessing method that efficiently detects machine anomalies in numerical raw data.In the first preprocessing process,sound signal information is analyzed to extract features,and in the second preprocessing process,data filtering is performed by applying the proposed algorithm.An efficient dataset was built formodel learning through a total of two steps of data preprocessing.In addition,both showed excellent performance in the training accuracy of the model that entered each dataset,but it can be seen that the time required to build the dataset was 203 s compared to 39 s,which is about 5.2 times than when building the image dataset.

Providing Global Awareness in Distributed Dynamic Systems

The paper investigates applicability of the developed high-level model and technology for solution of diverse problems in large distributed dynamic systems which can provide sufficient awareness of their structures,organization,and functionalities.After the review of meanings of awareness and existing approaches for its expression and support,the paper shows application of the Spatial Grasp Model and Technology(SGT)and its basic Spatial Grasp Language(SGL)for very practical awareness solutions in large distributed dynamic systems,with obtaining any knowledge from any point inside or outside the system.The self-evolving,self-replicating,and self-recovering scenario code in SGL can effectively supervise distributed systems under any circumstances including rapidly changing number of their elements.Examples are provided in SGL for distributed networked systems showing how in any node any information about other nodes and links,including the whole system,can be obtained by using network requesting patterns based on recursive scenarios combining forward and backward network matching and coverage.The returned results may be automatically organized in networked patterns too.The presented exemplary solutions are parallel and fully distributed,without the need of using vulnerable centralized resources,also very compact.This can be explained by fundamentally different philosophy and ideology of SGT which is not based on traditional partitioned systems representation and multiple agent communications.On the contrary,SGT and its basic language supervise and control distributed systems by holistic self-spreading recursive code in wavelike,virus-like,and even“soul-like”mode.

Reduced differential transform and Sumudu transform methods for solving fractional financial models of awareness

In that paper,we new study has been carried out on previous studies of one of the most important mathematical models that describe the global economic movement,and that is described as a non-linear fractional financial model of awareness,where the studies are represented at the steps following:One:The schematic of the model is suggested.Two:The disease-free equilibrium point(DFE)and the stability of the equilibrium point are discussed.Three:The stability of the model is fulfilled by drawing the Lyapunov exponents and Poincare map.Fourth:The existence of uniformly stable solutions have discussed.Five:The Caputo is described as the fractional derivative.Six:Fractional optimal control for NFFMA is discussed by clarifying the fractional optimal control through drawing before and after control.Seven:Reduced differential transform method(RDTM)and Sumudu Decomposition Method(SDM)are used to take the resolution of an NFFMA.Finally,we display that SDM and RDTM are highly identical.

An Analysis of Reading Materials in New Senior English for China Based on Cultivation of Cultural Awareness —A Case Study of Compulsory Book 3

China is in the era of rapid development of information technology and the era of close cultural communication between countries, which requires English teaching to cultivate students’ cultural awareness, develop their intercultural communicative competence. Based on Byram’s checklist, this paper analyzes the cultural contents in reading materials of New Senior English for China (NSEFC) Compulsory Book 3. The research indicates that the textbook is rich in cultural content and the selected reading materials are authentic. However, there are two shortcomings: the uneven distribution of themes as well as cultural contents and the lack of cultural content comparison in the textbook. According to the findings, this paper provides some suggestions for textbook editors and English teachers, aiming at realizing the improvement and a better use of the textbook, so as to cultivate students’ cultural awareness.

Spatial Multi-Presence System to Increase Security Awareness for Remote Collaboration in an Extended Reality Environment

Enhancing the sense of presence of participants is an important issue in terms of security awareness for remote collaboration in extended reality.However,conventional methods are insufficient to be aware of remote situations and to search for and control remote workspaces.This study pro-poses a spatial multi-presence system that simultaneously provides multiple spaces while rapidly exploring these spaces as users perform collaborative work in an extended reality environment.The proposed system provides methods for arranging and manipulating remote and personal spaces by creating an annular screen that is invisible to the user.The user can freely arrange remote participants and their workspaces on the annular screen.Because users can simultaneously view various spaces arranged on the annular screen,they can perform collaborative work while simultaneously feeling the presence of multiple spaces and can be fully immersed in a specific space.In addition,the personal spaces where users work can also be arranged through the annular screen.According to the results of the performance evaluations,users participating in remote collaborative works can visualize the spaces of multiple users simultaneously and feel their presence,thereby increasing their understanding of the spaces.Moreover,the proposed system reduces the time to perform tasks and gain awareness of the emergency in remote workspaces.

PCATNet: Position-Class Awareness Transformer for Image Captioning

Existing image captioning models usually build the relation between visual information and words to generate captions,which lack spatial infor-mation and object classes.To address the issue,we propose a novel Position-Class Awareness Transformer(PCAT)network which can serve as a bridge between the visual features and captions by embedding spatial information and awareness of object classes.In our proposal,we construct our PCAT network by proposing a novel Grid Mapping Position Encoding(GMPE)method and refining the encoder-decoder framework.First,GMPE includes mapping the regions of objects to grids,calculating the relative distance among objects and quantization.Meanwhile,we also improve the Self-attention to adapt the GMPE.Then,we propose a Classes Semantic Quantization strategy to extract semantic information from the object classes,which is employed to facilitate embedding features and refining the encoder-decoder framework.To capture the interaction between multi-modal features,we propose Object Classes Awareness(OCA)to refine the encoder and decoder,namely OCAE and OCAD,respectively.Finally,we apply GMPE,OCAE and OCAD to form various combinations and to complete the entire PCAT.We utilize the MSCOCO dataset to evaluate the performance of our method.The results demonstrate that PCAT outperforms the other competitive methods.