ABSTRACT
To examine the perception of nuclear energy risks among Asian university students following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, a standardized questionnaire survey was conducted since July 2011 after the Fukushima disaster. A total of 1814 respondents from 18 universities in China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan participated in this survey. It showed that students with the following characteristics had a higher preference for "a clear schedule to phase out nuclear power plant (NPP)": females (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.84, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.44-2.34), in Japan (aOR = 2.81, 95% CI = 2.02-3.90), in China (aOR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.04-2.09), and with perceived relative risks of cancer incidence greaterthan 1 (aOR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.07-1.88). "If nuclear energy were phased out," the opinions on potential electricity shortage were as follows: Japan, aOR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.40-0.69; China, aOR = 2.46, 95% CI = 1.75-3.45; and associated with academic majors (science/technology, aOR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.31-0.59; medicine/health science, aOR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.49-0.84). The results carried essential messages for nuclear energy policy in East Asia.
Subject(s)
Fukushima Nuclear Accident , Nuclear Energy , Students/psychology , Adolescent , Adult , Asia , Female , Humans , Male , Risk Assessment , Students/statistics & numerical data , Surveys and Questionnaires , Universities , Young AdultSubject(s)
Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/epidemiology , Sanitation , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Eswatini/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Prevalence , Protozoan Infections/epidemiologyABSTRACT
A parasitological survey of Schistosoma haematobium infection among primary schoolchildren in the remote areas of Hhohho and Manzini Provinces in northwestern Swaziland was undertaken. Presence of infection in subjects was confirmed on detection of S. haematobium ova in urine or the presence of hematuria. The intensity of the infection was estimated by calculating the total number of S. haematobium ova present in a 10-ml urine specimen and was expressed in terms of geometric mean intensity (GMI). The prevalence of S. haematobium infection in these populations was 5.3% (21/395) with a GMI of 46.5. Boys had higher prevalence (7.1%, 13/182) and GMI (50.4) than girls (3.8%, 8/213; 40.0) did (P>0.05). Geographically, the prevalence in Manzini schoolchildren (14.6%, 12/82) was significantly higher than that in Hhohho schoolchildren (2.9%, 9/313; P<0.001); however, Hhohho schoolchildren had a higher GMI (70.2) than that observed in Manzini schoolchildren (21.9). Children from schools located in Lowveld had a significantly higher prevalence (11.4%, 19/166) than that in children from schools located in Highveld (0.6%, 1/162) (P<0.0001).
