ABSTRACT
Background: The aim of the study was to determine the degree of awareness and practice of proper menstrual hygiene management among women living in low-income neighbourhood in Karachi, Pakistan.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Bizerta Lines, Karachi between January and June 2019. All women of reproductive age were included in the study. Amenorrheic, menopausal, or women on birth control were excluded from the study. Degree of awareness and current practices pertaining to menstrual hygiene management were assessed through pro-forma. The study tool collected the participant’s knowledge, awareness, and misconceptions about menstruation. The factors affecting the quality of life during menstruation of women living in poor socio-economic conditions were also observed. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS v.23) was used to analyze the collected data.Results: Of the 338 participants, 82.5% had no knowledge of menstruation prior to their first menstrual period. Only a minority of the women knew that the source of menstrual blood was the uterus while 41.4% of the women incorrectly claimed that the menstrual blood and urine were expelled from the same orifice. More than half of the participants used disposable sanitary napkins (55.5%). 65% of the participants changed the absorbent at least 1 to 3 times a day.Conclusions: Most of the participants used disposable sanitary napkins. However, the basic knowledge of female anatomy and physiology behind menstruation was poor among women.
ABSTRACT
Background: HRQL is important in improving the quality of patient care. However, there is a paucity of data from low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC). Differences in socio-demographics and socio-cultural contexts may influence HRQOL. Therefore, this research was designed with the aim to explore the HRQOL in patients after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI).Objective: The goal of the study was to evaluate the quality of life after six months of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention using HeartQol questionnaire at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan.Method: This was a Cross-sectional, descriptive study. Patients between the ages of 20-60 years who underwent primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention at least 6 months ago were inducted in the study. Coronary angiography was performed mostly through radial as preferred route. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire covering demographic characteristics, predisposing risk factors, procedural details, and quality of life. Heart related Quality of life was assessed using HeartQol questionnaire. Collected data was analyzed using SPSS v.21.Results: A total of 241 patients participated in the study. Mean age of the patients was 53.37±11.07 years. On analysis of quality of life at six months, the median (IQR) HeartQol score was 31 (37-23) with majority of the patients, 84.22% (203) fall under the excellent score (>20).Conclusion: It is of enormous prognostic importance that the quality of life of patient is assessed on a regular basis after PCI. Our study shows that the majority of patients had improved quality of life at six months of PCI. Majority of patients were not bothered by mild symptoms. Further investigation needs to be done to validate these results.