ABSTRACT
Aim: This study sought to investigate the impact of training programs on hypertensive patients' awareness and practice of lifestyle modifications in out-patient clinics of the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, Nigeria. Methodology: The study design was a cross-sectional survey conducted at the out-patient clinics of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria. This setting was chosen due to the accessibility of hypertensive patients receiving regular care and follow-up. The sample size comprised 274 hypertensive patients attending the out-patient clinics for regular hypertension management. A simple random sampling method was employed to select study participants, ensuring a fair representation of the target population. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants and results were analysed using SPSS. Results: Findings indicate that the training programs greatly increased awareness of hypertension and lifestyle factors affecting hypertension for most participants (74.42%), with all participants recommending the programs. A significant majority of participants (95.74%) reported being on hypertension medication, while nearly all (99.22%) had received some form of training or counselling on lifestyle modification for hypertension management. Notably, all participants reported having made lifestyle changes following the training programs, with the majority rating the effectiveness of the programs as highly effective (57.36%). Further analysis indicated a statistically significant relationship between the effectiveness of the training programs and the participants' age, sex, educational level, and occupation. The most frequent lifestyle modification post-training was dietary changes, with 54.65% of participants reporting that they always engage in a healthy diet for hypertension management. However, the frequency of engagement in other lifestyle modifications, such as regular physical activity and weight management, was not as high. The majority of participants reported significant improvements in hypertension symptoms following the lifestyle modifications. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that targeted training programs can significantly enhance hypertensive patients' awareness and practice of beneficial lifestyle modifications, thus improving health outcomes. Further, the study underscores the need for such training programs to be tailored according to the age, sex, educational level, and occupation of the patients to maximize their impact.
ABSTRACT
Background: Mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya, and Japanese encephalitis are a major public health concern in developing nations including India. Objectives: The aim of the study is to assess the knowledge, attitude, and public participation in preventing such diseases in rural places of Karnataka. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 360 participants from Primary Health Centers in Vantmuri, Kinaye, and Handiganur Villages, under the Department of Community Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belagavi, Karnataka, India. Questionnaire included questions regarding mosquito-borne diseases. Results: It was observed from the study that 67% of the participants were aware that mosquitoes transmit diseases. Most of them (35.27%) knew this information through hospitals and health personnel. 34.16% were aware of the fact that malaria and dengue are transmitted by mosquitoes whereas 27.32% were not aware. The major symptoms of mosquito-borne diseases such as fever, headache, and body ache were known to 20.27% people but 27.5% did not know any of them. 20.27% knew that stagnant water is a breeding place for mosquitoes, and only 3.6% people used municipal bins for waste disposal. 43.33% used household utensils to store water and 22.5% used open tanks. Only 65% people used coils for preventing mosquito bites. Cleaning of water bodies (28.33%) and stagnant water (20.55%) was done by a small population regularly. Conclusion: More awareness among public about the seriousness of various mosquito-borne diseases, symptoms, breeding places, and proper disposal of wastes is necessary. Public participation is required to control mosquito-borne diseases.