ABSTRACT
Improving maternal health depends on husband's behavior which is affected by certain sociodemographic factors and environmental conditions. The study aimed to assess the husband's behavior toward maternal healthcare and emergency first aid measures for pregnancy and obstetric risks that might put life of women at risk of maternal death. The study also determined the socio-demographic factors and environmental conditions that influenced husband's behavior and attitude toward antenatal care providers and providers of assisted delivery. One thousand husbands of women in childbearing period were randomly selected through a community-based study that was conducted in 23 rural villages of four chosen districts of Benisuef and Al Fayoum governorates of Egypt. The study is a cross-sectional investigation conducted over a period of 8 months starting from July 2010 until February 2011. Data were collected from interviews of husbands on their sociodemographic characteristics, environmental conditions, and their knowledge, attitudes, intention, and practices toward maternal healthcare and services provided as well as toward providers of maternal healthcare. The study revealed that husbands who were younger than 20 years at the time of marriage, had a lower middle environmental score, and an upper middle income were nearly two or more times as likely of being unaware of the risk symptoms during pregnancy [odds ratio [OR] = 2.73, 1.37, and 1.59, respectively], during delivery [OR = 1.93, 1.31, and 1.76, respectively], and during the postnatal period [OR = 2.42, 1.36, and 1.77, respectively] compared with those older than 20 at the time of marriage, who had an upper middle environmental score, and a lower middle income. It is recommended to target husbands as an influential factor among high-risk wives by educating them on maternal health risks and by increasing their accessibility to maternal and obstetric health services, with special emphasis on younger men and those living under poor environmental conditions irrespective of their economic status
ABSTRACT
Background and study aims: Success in the prevention of hepatitis B virus [HBV] depends to a large extent on the adolescents' HBV knowledge and their risky behaviours. This study aims to assess the knowledge of and the risky behaviours towards HBV among school students and to determine the significant predictors affecting their knowledge
Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study was approved in four Egyptian governorates [Dakahleya, Gharbeya, Cairo, and Beni-Suef] on 574 students aged 11-17 years. A questionnaire was filled through a face-to-face interview to collect data about the socio-demographic character, HBV knowledge, and risky behaviours among children who were chosen for this study
Results: While 75% of students had poor levels of HBV knowledge, 1.7% had good levels of knowledge. As regards gender, more than 60% of students shared scissors and went to dental clinic with no significant difference. While boys reported a significant history of hospitalisation [50.2%] and wound stitches [36%], girls reported a lesser degree of the same [40.2% and 22.6, respectively], p < 0.01. During logistic regression analysis, the most important predictors of poor HBV knowledge were age <15 years and living in Cairo governorate, with adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.5 and 5.0, respectively
Conclusion: The majority of students chosen for the study had low levels of knowledge and high risky behaviours towards viral hepatitis. In order to minimise the risky behaviours among adolescents, health education programmes should be conducted concerning the mode of transmission and prevention of viral hepatitis