Home environment and its relation to child health in a rural area, Assiut governorate

Children health is threatened from a variety of environmental agents, such as contaminated food and water, polluted indoor and outdoor air, traffic accidents, unsafe housing, environmental tobacco smoke, and exposure to more than 15000 synthetic chemicals. To assess the home environmental hazards and its health effects on children aged from 2-5 years in a rural area, Assiut Governorate, Egypt. This study was conducted using a hybrid design including field cross sectional part and interventional part by using a multistage random sample method, the following steps was conducted to select the study sample. All villages of Awlad-Elyas rural area affiliated to Assiut Governorate were included in the study [4 villages]. From each village 25% of rural families having children aged 2-5 years were systematic randomly selected. The total number was [415] families. Two tools used for data collection the first was structured personal interview and the second was home assessment checklist. Anthropometric measures: weight, height and body mass index was calculated for the children. Data analyzed using SPSS version 16. The mean age of mothers was 30.8 +/- 6.2 years, nearly half of them were at age group<30 years. One third of them were illiterate. The majority of mothers were housewives. [30.1%] of the children complained of pneumonia while 26.7% complained of asthma. For more than two thirds [69.4%] the cause of asthma was exposure to dust and fumes as reported by the mother. There is a strong relation between garbage disposal, animal's enclosure with respiratory complain, pneumonia and asthma of children were habitation with not separated animal's enclosure. Health classes for mothers should be held in MCH centers, well baby clinic and hospitals. It will include knowledge regarding home environmental hazards and its relation to children's health. Arranging a national day for environmental sanitation to increase the public awareness about that issue. And utilizing mass media is one the best methods to increase public awareness of mothers regarding home environmental hazards among their children and to correct the false concepts and habits

Knoweldge of adolescent students about reproductive health, and their attitude towards women' empowerment and gender roles in Assiut

This study aimed to assess the knowledge of adolescent students in Assiut about reproductive health and explore the adolescent students attitude towards women'empowerment and gender roles. The study was carried out in students' hostels [male and female] of Assiut University as well as the Technical Nursing Institute hostel of Assiut University and Technical Health Institute of Ministry of Health, and Population [MOHP]. A cross-sectional study design to implement this study a convenience sample of 800 students was recruited from the study settings. The inclusion criteria were being a registered student in any of the faculties of Assiut University in the chosen faculties which selected on random basis, also the Technical Nursing Institute of Assiut University and Technical Health institute of Ministry of Health, and Population [MOHP] either male or female. Data were collection from beginning of Jan. to March 2007in academic years 2006/2007.The researchers designed a self-administered questionnaire for data collected. It consisted of five main parts. The first part was socio-demographic data, the second part was for testing knowledge of reproductive health, The third part was adopted from the Adolescents' Attitude Towards Women's Empowerment [ATWE] Index [Kann, 2001]. The fourth part included statements testing adolescent's attitude towards certain reproductive health issues, The fifth part was adopted from the Adolescents' Attitude Towards Gender Roles [ATGR] index [Kann, 200 l].results of the present study shows that adolescents'age ranged between 17 to2 1 years. Slightly more than half of the sample was female students [52.3%]. The highest percentages of fathers had secondary and university education, 28.8% and 34.6%, respectively. Meanwhile, about one-third of the mothers were illiterate [32.6%]. More than half of the adolescents were living in urban areas [54.6%], and the majority had good family relations. Only about one-fourth of the adolescents [26.1%] had some information about reproductive health. The majority had satisfactory knowledge about appropriate pregnancy spacing [84.9%]. Also the result illustrated that there is statistical significant difference between adolescents knowledge and there attitude in relation to satisfaction and unsatisfaction [r=0.34 p<0.001]. It is concluded that adolescents in the study settings lack proper knowledge about adolescents'reproductive health. Also attitude towards reproductive health issues, women empowerment, and gender roles in the family. The study recommends to plan and implement educational programs for this age group regarding reproductive health women empowerment, and gender roles in the family. Also the role of the school is important, as evidenced by the study findings, health education should be integrated into secondary school programs as well as University education