Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Related to Dengue among Caretakers of Elementary School Children in Chanthaburi Province, Thailand.

Aim: To assess dengue related knowledge, attitudes, and practices among caretakers of elementary school children in Thailand. Study Design: Cross sectional study Place and duration of the Study: Chanthaburi Province, Thailand, in April 2012 Methods: Data on socio-demographic characteristics, sources of information; knowledge; attitudes and practices related to dengue were sought from a random sample of 640 caretakers. Logistic regression was performed to explore factors associated with dengue-related knowledge, attitude and practices. Results: Of the 640 respondents invited to participate in the study, 628 (98.1%) returned completed questionnaires. Mass media (76.7%) and healthcare facilities (67.4%) were the most common sources of information on dengue. Only 37.8% of caretakers had high levels of knowledge of dengue; caretakers with post-secondary education were more likely to have higher knowledge than those with primary education (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.28–3.31). Caretakers with a family annual income greater than 6,400 US $ were more likely to have higher knowledge compared to those with an income less than 1,600 US $ (aOR 1.94, 95% CI 1.16–3.23). Dengue knowledge was not significantly associated with caretaker age, sex, marital status, or occupation. Attitudes towards dengue prevention were moderate but not significantly associated with any particular factor. Civil servants were less likely to use mosquito repellent compared to factory workers (aOR 0.44, 95% CI 0.20–0.10). Most caretakers (80.7%) had discussed dengue with their children in the past 6 months. Conclusion: Knowledge of dengue among school children’s caretakers was low. This needs improvement, especially in caretakers with low income and/or education. Attitude towards dengue was moderate and most caretakers were practising dengue prevention. Dengue prevention interventions among children, that involve caretakers, may require improving knowledge and attitude towards dengue among the caretakers.

Sexual and reproductive health needs of vulnerable youth in Myanmar.

A cross-sectional survey of 56 youth, using participatory research methods, was conducted with the objective to identify the sexual and reproductive health needs among vulnerable youth in Pyin Oo Lwin town in terms of their livelihoods, perceptions about health and health risks, sex practices, perceived health information needs and preferred channels for health information, and visions for their future generation. The results indicated that a majority of young people of both sexes were deficient in knowledge of the locations and functions of reproductive organs. The majority of respondents of both sexes said that their main health concern was AIDS. Pre-marital sex among youth, 16-20 years of age, was identified in our study. Malaria and AIDS were mentioned as information needed by young people. TV and magazines/journals were prioritized as preferred channels of disseminating health messages. Almost all reported that education was the one thing that they wanted for their own children.

Calcium and phosphate homeostasis among normal Myanmar people, patients with pathologic bone fractures and recurrent renal stones

The serum calcium, phosphaye, alkaline phosphatase and urinary exdretion of calcium and phosphate were measure to judge the homeostasis status among apparently healthy Myanmar, pathologic bone fractures and recurrent renal stones. The calcium and phosphorus homeostasis was found to be the same as in literature among apparently healthy Myanmar of various age groups ranging from 10-90 yr of both sexes. The values decreased with advancing age and a rise was found around menopause in females. The levels of serum and urinary calcium, phosphorus, and serum akaline phosphatase found in the pathologic bone fractures suggested that high risk due to low bone density and malformation of matrix plays a major role, instead of hyperparathyroidism, in causing the fractures. The cause of recurrent renal stones in the majority of the subjects with normocalcemia and normocalceuria were found to be due to low GFR.