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@#Introduction: The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) among young adults in Malaysia has witnessed a notable increase in recent years, giving rise to concerns regarding the potential adverse health effects, including obesity and diabetes. Despite the urgent need for targeted interventions, there is a dearth of research examining the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to SSBs among Malaysian young adults. To address this research gap, the present study aims to assess the level of KAP concerning SSB intake and its associated factors in this specific population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 408 Malaysian young adults aged between 15 and 29 years. Respondents completed an online questionnaire survey, which encompassed the assessment of socio-demographic characteristics and KAP regarding SSB consumption. The collected data were analyzed using IBM’s Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. Spearman correlation tests were performed at a significance level of 0.05. Results: The majority of respondents demonstrated moderate knowledge (60%) and practices (60%), while exhibiting a high positive attitude (100%) towards reducing SSB consumption. Significant correlations were observed between knowledge and attitude (p = 0.003, rs = 0.148) and between knowledge and practice (p = 0.005, rs = 0.138). Moreover, the attitude scores were found to be significantly associated with gender (χ2 (1, N = 408) = 10.421, p = 0.001) and locality (χ2 (1, N = 408) = 4.106, p = 0.043), while the practice scores exhibited a significant association with ethnicity (p = 0.006). Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights into the relationship between KAP related to SSB consumption and socio-demographic factors among Malaysian young adults. The findings underscore the importance of utilizing these insights to develop strategic interventions that aim to curtail SSB consumption and promote a healthy lifestyle, ultimately contributing to the reduction of non-communicable diseases. Health authorities are encouraged to capitalize on these findings to design targeted interventions tailored to the unique needs and circumstances of this population.
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@#Introduction: Three selected dietary supplements (DS), barley grass (BG), wheatgrass (WG), and Chlorella vulgaris (CV), are commercially available. However, more information is needed about the antioxidant properties of the three DS and their potential health benefits on adults’ health and well-being. Thus, this study aimed to determine the antioxidant properties and adults’ knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of the three selected DS. Methods: In phase 1, an experimental study was conducted on antioxidant analysis, total phenolic content (TPC) and DPPH radical scavenging activity for the three DS. For phase 2, a cross-sectional survey (n=338) was conducted for the three DS through an online platform where convenience sampling was performed. Results: In phase 1, BG (2.83±0.50mg GAE/g DW) had the highest TPC, followed by WG (2.02±0.20mg GAE/g DW) and CV (1.74±0.65mg GAE/g DW); DPPH radical scavenging activity, BG (198.23±0.15µg/mL) and WG (177.25±0.17µg/mL) had lower IC50 compared to CV (1185.84±0.28µg/mL). Significant differences (p<0.05) were found between IC50 of the three DS and standards, butylated hydroxytoluene (24.51±0.37µg/mL) and quercetin (26.04±0.55µg/mL). While in phase 2, poor knowledge (51.5%), moderate attitude (39.6%), and poor practice (43.2%) levels were observed in most of the participants. Moreover, working adults reported higher scores in knowledge (3.70±1.51) compared to students (3.33±1.63, p=0.037). Males had higher scores (29.27±2.42) in attitude compared to females (28.49±2.68, p=0.030). Besides, participants who were single and completed tertiary education with 4-6 years of working experience showed better practice scores. The overall knowledge (r=0.134, p=0.013) and attitude (r=0.273, p<0.001) scores correlated significantly with practice scores. Conclusion: Participants’ poor knowledge, moderate attitude, and inadequate practice in phase 2 caution against over-reliance on supplements, emphasizing the importance of an active lifestyle and balanced diet for optimal health and longevity.
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Background: Studies exploring HIV knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) have suggested their poorer knowledge about HIV. In KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, South Africa (SA), the epicentre of the country's HIV epidemic, improving KAP is essential for reduce its incidence amongst individuals with SMI. Comparing the KAP related to HIV between those with SMI and chronic medical illnesses (CMI) such as hypertension and diabetes may expose gaps in KAP related to HIV in the mentally ill who are more vulnerable to HIV. Aim: This study aimed to compare the KAP related to HIV between people living with SMI and CMI. Setting: Outpatient clinics in Durban, SA. Methods: A cross-sectional structured questionnaire survey was conducted amongst 214 adult outpatients with SMI and CMI attending two general public sector hospitals in Durban, KZN. The KAP questionnaire consisted of three sections: general information, prevention and transmission of HIV. Results: Interviews were conducted with 124 patients with SMI and 90 with CMI. Most were female (69.5%), single (57.5%) and unemployed (59.4%). The diagnosis of SMI was associated with poorer general information of HIV (p = 0.02), but not with its prevention and transmission compared with those with CMI. Educational level was associated with poorer performance in all three domains: general information of HIV (p = 0.01), prevention (p = 0.01) and transmission (p = 0.02) amongst all the participants. Conclusion: Gaps in the KAP of HIV amongst individuals with SMI compared with those with CMI suggested a need to provide focused health promotion regarding sexual health and HIV to the mentally ill at psychiatric facilities
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Humans , HIV Infections , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , South Africa , Chronic Disease , Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome , Mental DisordersABSTRACT
Background: The present study was undertaken to identify KAP gaps and the objective of the study were to assessment of utilization of existing health service infrastructure at grass route level in rural community with regard to mother and neonatal care.Methods: A community based cross-sectional observational study. About 50 mother neonate pair residing in villages under study belonging to Dewas district, Madhya Pradesh.Results: Age old customs and practices of large family (80%), adolescent marriages (30%), high fertility (50%), poor housing and sanitation (48% or more) are still widely prevalent in rural India. Positive impact of NRHM with launch of JSSY and NSSK was seen in utilization of ANC services among beneficiaries with 100% ANC registrations, 98% institutional deliveries and 100% deliveries conducted by trained health professionals, prompt referral to SNCU. Birth weight was not known in 36% neonates and 18% had not received BCG vaccination. 22% were low birth weight and 22% neonate's required SNCU care. Government emergency transport facility in form of ambulance was either absent (36%) or not utilized (26%) by majority.Conclusions: Lacunae were seen to be persisting regarding awareness and utilisation of few components of maternal and neonatal health care especially in government sector in spite of launch of third phase of NRHM. This was evidenced by, lack of awareness of Obstetric USG facility at civil hospital, non-utilisation of ambulance service for transport, not knowing neonates birth weight and no neonatal follow up care and failure to vaccinate the neonate even till 3rd or 4th week of life.
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@#Background: The World Health Organization recommends that mothers avoid early complementary feeding of infants before the age of 6 months, to promote maximum growth and health. However, this practice is still high among Saudi mothers. This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) towards early complementary feeding among Saudi mothers in Riyadh. Methods: A crosssectional study was conducted in Riyadh city among 771 mothers of children, aged 6-24 months. Data was collected through an online questionnaire that assessed KAP aspect regarding early complementary feeding among mothers. Results: More than one-third of mothers (37.4%) had introduced early complementary feeding, out of which 83.3% later stated that the main reason for this was because they thought that the baby was old enough to receive complementary foods. The two most common types of complementary foods given to the baby before 6 months were liquids (83.0%) and mashed foods (72.9%). The mothers who introduced complementary feeding before 6 months of age compared to those who initiated complementary feeding after 6 months were observed to have a higher percentage of medium knowledge and neutral attitude (76.0% versus 54.4% and 55.2% versus 62.5%, (p<0.05), respectively). Mothers’ knowledge and attitude significantly influenced their practices in relation to early complementary feeding (p<0.05). Conclusion: The findings demonstrated that the appropriate knowledge and attitude are important to promote the introduction of complementary feeding at 6 months in the population that was studied. Thus, education on complementary feeding should be promoted.