Background: Plastic pollution is the accumulation of waste composed of plastic and its derivatives all over the environment. Whether in the form of visible garbage or microparticles, as it slowly degrades, plastic pol...Background: Plastic pollution is the accumulation of waste composed of plastic and its derivatives all over the environment. Whether in the form of visible garbage or microparticles, as it slowly degrades, plastic pollution poses significant threats to terrestrial and aquatic habitats and the wildlife that call them home, whether through ingestion, entanglement or exposure to the chemicals contained in the material. Unfortunately, there is a lack of documentation on the impact of plastic waste on human health in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods: We searched five electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Global Health, CINAHL and Web of Science) and gray literature, following the preferred reporting elements for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA), for the impact of plastic waste on human health in developing countries. We included quantitative and qualitative studies written in English and French. We assessed the quality of the included articles using the Mixed Methods Appraisal tool (MMAT). Results: A total of 3779 articles were initially identified by searching electronic databases. After eliminating duplicates, 3167 articles were reviewed based on title and abstract, and 26 were selected for full-text review. Only three articles were retained. The three articles dealt with practices likely to lead to oral exposure to plastic chemicals in human health, as well as the level of awareness of participants concerning the possible impact of plastic on human health, namely, the use of plastic baby bottles, the use of microwaves to cook food and reheat precooked food, the use of plastic bottles to store water in the refrigerator, water purifier containers with plastic bodies and plastic lunch boxes, the reuse of plastic bags and the inadequacy of treatment facilities. Conclusion: Plastic waste poses different risks to human health at every stage of its life cycle. Hence, strategies must be adopted to raise public awareness of the dangers of plastic waste to their health. Trial registration: The review protocol is registered in the PROSPERO international prospective register of systematic reviews (ID = CRD42023409087).展开更多
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is one of the most common bacterial infections among children using preventive manipulations, especially among children less than 6 years old. This study aimed at exploring factors which ...Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is one of the most common bacterial infections among children using preventive manipulations, especially among children less than 6 years old. This study aimed at exploring factors which could affect urinary tract infection prevention among children. A descriptive analytical study was conducted on 70 mothers who had children less than 6 years old in 2013. Multistage cluster sampling method was utilized in which each kindergarten was considered as a cluster and data were collected by a researcher-made questionnaire designed based on Health Belief Model (HBM). Validity and reliability of questionnaire were confirmed by a pilot study. ANOVA and Pearson Correlation Coefficient were conducted using SPSS, version 18. The mean and standard deviation of knowledge and practice were 6.96 ± 2.14 and 15.47 ± 1.54 respectively. Means and standard deviation of Health Belief Model constructs (perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers and self-efficacy) were 17.64 ± 2.50, 22.02 ± 2.55, 20.90 ± 2.38, 27.56 ± 5.20 and 21.49 ± 3.18 respectively. More participants were in the moderate levels of knowledge (74.3%) and practice (45.7%). These findings revealed a significant relation between practice and perceived susceptibility (p = 0.02), perceived barriers (p = 0.001), self-efficacy (p = 0.014) and cues to action (p = 0.016). Based on the current study, the intervention based on Health Belief Model can be useful to improve preventive behaviors of Urinary Tract Infection.展开更多
Adolescence is a time of emotional, physical and psychological development and contributes substantially to the well being of the individual in adulthood. Consequently, understanding their social and reproductive beha...Adolescence is a time of emotional, physical and psychological development and contributes substantially to the well being of the individual in adulthood. Consequently, understanding their social and reproductive behaviour is of tremendous policy importance. This study was designed to investigate HIV knowledge and safety sexual practices among adolescent girls in Benin-city, Edo State, Nigeria. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 100 randomly selected female students in SS1 and 2 from two secondary schools in Benin-city. A semi structured questionnaire was self administered to obtain information on respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of HIV and safety practices. A 10-point knowledge scale graded, <5 and ≥6 as poor and good knowledge respectively, was used to measure knowledge of HIV;while a 5-point practice scale graded <2 and ≥3 was used as unsatisfactory and satisfactory safety sexual practices on HIV prevention respectively. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test and logistic regression were used to analyse the data with level of significance set at 0.05. Results: The mean age of respondents was 12.70 ± 1.2 years, 50.0% were in SS2 and 65.0% had been in Benin-city from birth. The overall mean knowledge score of respondents was 14.70 ± 4.43 with 60.0%, 20.0%, 40.0% and 70.0% having good knowledge on perinatal/vertical transmission, sexual and parenteral transmission, epidemiological factors and preventive measures respectively. Misconceptions about HIV transmission include: HIV cannot be transmitted through oral sex, HIV can be transmitted by mosquitoes and naked eyes can detect who is infected. In addition, there was a significant difference between class of respondents and their general knowledge of HIV (P < 0.05). Respondents in SS2 were more likely to have good knowledge of HIV than their SS1 counterpart (OR = 3.43 95% CI = 1.461 - 8.057). Furthermore, respondents whose mothers attained at least secondary school are more likely to exhibit satisfactory safety sexual practices on HIV prevention than their counterpart whose mothers had no formal education (OR = 2.67 95% CI = 0.619 - 11.493). Conclusions: There were knowledge deficiencies in sexual and parenteral transmission, epidemiological factors of HIV as well as some misconceptions about the transmission of the HIV virus. Therefore, more awareness and health education interventions are needed at the post primary level to curb the spread of the virus.展开更多
文摘Background: Plastic pollution is the accumulation of waste composed of plastic and its derivatives all over the environment. Whether in the form of visible garbage or microparticles, as it slowly degrades, plastic pollution poses significant threats to terrestrial and aquatic habitats and the wildlife that call them home, whether through ingestion, entanglement or exposure to the chemicals contained in the material. Unfortunately, there is a lack of documentation on the impact of plastic waste on human health in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods: We searched five electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Global Health, CINAHL and Web of Science) and gray literature, following the preferred reporting elements for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA), for the impact of plastic waste on human health in developing countries. We included quantitative and qualitative studies written in English and French. We assessed the quality of the included articles using the Mixed Methods Appraisal tool (MMAT). Results: A total of 3779 articles were initially identified by searching electronic databases. After eliminating duplicates, 3167 articles were reviewed based on title and abstract, and 26 were selected for full-text review. Only three articles were retained. The three articles dealt with practices likely to lead to oral exposure to plastic chemicals in human health, as well as the level of awareness of participants concerning the possible impact of plastic on human health, namely, the use of plastic baby bottles, the use of microwaves to cook food and reheat precooked food, the use of plastic bottles to store water in the refrigerator, water purifier containers with plastic bodies and plastic lunch boxes, the reuse of plastic bags and the inadequacy of treatment facilities. Conclusion: Plastic waste poses different risks to human health at every stage of its life cycle. Hence, strategies must be adopted to raise public awareness of the dangers of plastic waste to their health. Trial registration: The review protocol is registered in the PROSPERO international prospective register of systematic reviews (ID = CRD42023409087).
文摘Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is one of the most common bacterial infections among children using preventive manipulations, especially among children less than 6 years old. This study aimed at exploring factors which could affect urinary tract infection prevention among children. A descriptive analytical study was conducted on 70 mothers who had children less than 6 years old in 2013. Multistage cluster sampling method was utilized in which each kindergarten was considered as a cluster and data were collected by a researcher-made questionnaire designed based on Health Belief Model (HBM). Validity and reliability of questionnaire were confirmed by a pilot study. ANOVA and Pearson Correlation Coefficient were conducted using SPSS, version 18. The mean and standard deviation of knowledge and practice were 6.96 ± 2.14 and 15.47 ± 1.54 respectively. Means and standard deviation of Health Belief Model constructs (perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers and self-efficacy) were 17.64 ± 2.50, 22.02 ± 2.55, 20.90 ± 2.38, 27.56 ± 5.20 and 21.49 ± 3.18 respectively. More participants were in the moderate levels of knowledge (74.3%) and practice (45.7%). These findings revealed a significant relation between practice and perceived susceptibility (p = 0.02), perceived barriers (p = 0.001), self-efficacy (p = 0.014) and cues to action (p = 0.016). Based on the current study, the intervention based on Health Belief Model can be useful to improve preventive behaviors of Urinary Tract Infection.
文摘Adolescence is a time of emotional, physical and psychological development and contributes substantially to the well being of the individual in adulthood. Consequently, understanding their social and reproductive behaviour is of tremendous policy importance. This study was designed to investigate HIV knowledge and safety sexual practices among adolescent girls in Benin-city, Edo State, Nigeria. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 100 randomly selected female students in SS1 and 2 from two secondary schools in Benin-city. A semi structured questionnaire was self administered to obtain information on respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of HIV and safety practices. A 10-point knowledge scale graded, <5 and ≥6 as poor and good knowledge respectively, was used to measure knowledge of HIV;while a 5-point practice scale graded <2 and ≥3 was used as unsatisfactory and satisfactory safety sexual practices on HIV prevention respectively. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test and logistic regression were used to analyse the data with level of significance set at 0.05. Results: The mean age of respondents was 12.70 ± 1.2 years, 50.0% were in SS2 and 65.0% had been in Benin-city from birth. The overall mean knowledge score of respondents was 14.70 ± 4.43 with 60.0%, 20.0%, 40.0% and 70.0% having good knowledge on perinatal/vertical transmission, sexual and parenteral transmission, epidemiological factors and preventive measures respectively. Misconceptions about HIV transmission include: HIV cannot be transmitted through oral sex, HIV can be transmitted by mosquitoes and naked eyes can detect who is infected. In addition, there was a significant difference between class of respondents and their general knowledge of HIV (P < 0.05). Respondents in SS2 were more likely to have good knowledge of HIV than their SS1 counterpart (OR = 3.43 95% CI = 1.461 - 8.057). Furthermore, respondents whose mothers attained at least secondary school are more likely to exhibit satisfactory safety sexual practices on HIV prevention than their counterpart whose mothers had no formal education (OR = 2.67 95% CI = 0.619 - 11.493). Conclusions: There were knowledge deficiencies in sexual and parenteral transmission, epidemiological factors of HIV as well as some misconceptions about the transmission of the HIV virus. Therefore, more awareness and health education interventions are needed at the post primary level to curb the spread of the virus.
