Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of female health care service providers on female genital mutilation in Somalia: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Despite a strong international standpoint against female genital mutilation, the prevalence of female genital mutilation in Somalia is extremely high. OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practice of female genital mutilation among female health care service providers in order to formulate appropriate policies and programs to eliminate this harmful practice. DESIGN: Facility-based cross-sectional survey conducted in 2019 among female doctors and nurses working in Banadir Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia. METHODS: A total of 144 female health care service providers were randomly selected, and data were collected through a pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire. Quantitative data were analyzed by using the statistical software SPSS (Version 21), and qualitative data were analyzed thematically in accordance with the objectives of the study. RESULTS: The study found that about three-fifths of the respondents had undergone some forms of female genital mutilation during their life. An overwhelming majority believed that female genital mutilation practices were medically harmful, and a majority of them expressed their opinion against the medicalization of the practice of female genital mutilation. The study also observed a significant association between participants' age and their negative attitudes regarding the legalization of female genital mutilation. CONCLUSION: Health care service providers' effort is critical to eliminating this harmful practice from the Somalian society. Strong policy commitment and a comprehensive health-promotion effort targeting the parents and community leaders are essential to avert the negative impact of female genital mutilation.

Association between depressive symptoms of mothers and eating behaviors of school-going children in Urban Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the association between depressive symptoms among mothers and the eating behaviors of their school-going children in Urban Bangladesh. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in the context of the urban area of Bangladesh. A multistage sampling technique was applied to select 324 children's mothers in Dhaka City. Data were collected from both city corporation settings in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Semi-structured questionnaires were used in this study. We estimated the depressive symptoms among mothers using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. We examined the association of mothers of school-going children's socio-demographic variables and eating behaviors of school-going children with their mother's depression by using chi-square and evaluating the impact of these variables on mothers' depression through univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression. RESULTS: In our study, 57.7% of the mothers of school-going children had depressive symptoms, and 42.3% had no depressive symptoms. The study explored that consuming fewer vegetables (AOR = 0.237, 95% CI: 0.099-0.569), taking fewer fruits (AOR = 0.177, 95% CI: 0.093-0.337), and interestingly, taking fast food less than 4 days per week (AOR = 3.024, 95% CI: 1.517-6.031) were significantly associated with mothers' depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: Mothers with depressive symptoms of school-going children in Dhaka city are alarmingly high as a grave concern. The eating behaviors of children are associated with their mothers' depressive symptoms. With an aim to build rigorous awareness on depression and child's healthy eating behaviors, it is imperative to arrange health education and awareness related programs.

Changes in Prevalence and Determinants of Self-Reported Hypertension among Bangladeshi Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The present study aimed to assess the changes in the prevalence and determinants of self-reported hypertension among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. This repeated cross-sectional study was conducted on two successive occasions (October 2020 and September 2021), overlapping the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. The survey was conducted through telephone interviews among Bangladeshi older adults aged 60 years and above. The prevalence of hypertension was measured by asking a question about whether a doctor or health professional told the participants that they have hypertension or high blood pressure and/or whether they are currently using medication to control it. We also collected information on the socio-economic characteristics of the participants, their cognitive ability, and their COVID-19-related attributes. A total of 2077 older adults with a mean age of 66.7 ± 6.4 years participated in the study. The samples were randomly selected on two successive occasions from a pre-established registry developed by the ARCED Foundation. Thus, the sample in the 2021-survey (round two; n = 1045) was not the same as that in the 2020-survey (round one; n = 1031) but both were drawn from the same population. The findings revealed that the prevalence of hypertension significantly increased across the two periods (43.7% versus 56.3%; p = 0.006). The odds of hypertension were 1.34 times more likely in round two than in the round one cohort (AOR 1.34, 95% CI 1.06-1.70). We also found that having formal schooling, poorer memory or concentration, and having had received COVID-19 information were all associated with an increased risk of hypertension in both rounds (p < 0.05). The findings of the present study suggest providing immediate support to ensure proper screening, control, and treatment of hypertension among older adults in Bangladesh.

Prevalence and factors associated with depression among the mothers of school-going children in Dhaka city, Bangladesh: A multi stage sampling-based study.

BACKGROUND: Motherhood is associated with extra stress, and mothers of young children are particularly prone to developing depression and mental health problems. METHODOLOGY: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in Dhaka city, Bangladesh, from June to December 2019. Mothers of school-going children were recruited through a multistage sampling technique. Dhaka city was divided into two divisions and then further subdivided into public and private sectors. Six schools were selected from each sector by using a simple random sampling technique. A list of class five to eight students were collected from each school by systematic random sampling. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using semi-structured questionnaires. The rate of depressive symptoms was measured by the validated Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). RESULT: A total of 324 women participated in this study; the majority of the women (85.5%) were Muslim, 67.0% were housewives, and 53.1% had a girl child. Among the women, 15.4% had mild, 22.2% had moderate, and 20.1% had severe depression. Most of the child's behavioral and lifestyle factors were associated with the mother's depression. Adjusted analyses indicate that if a child is often unhappy, depressed, or tearful [(OR (95%CI = 22.27 (8.39-59.11)], gets nervous in new situations or easily loses confidence [(OR (95%CI) = 5.45 (2.96-10.00)], often lies or cheats [(OR (95%CI) = 8.93 (3.76-21.22)], gets afraid easily [(OR (95%CI) = 7.09 (3.79-13.24)], watches television for 3 h or more [(OR (95%CI) = 23.77 (6.46-87.48)] browses the internet for 3 h or more [(OR (95%CI = 7.37 (2.76-19.67)] were associated with mother's depression. CONCLUSION: The study concludes that depression among the mothers of school-going children in Dhaka city of Bangladesh is high. Several lifestyles and behavioral factors of school-going children are significantly associated with the mothers' depression.

Familial and socio-cultural barriers in maintaining tobacco-free homes in Bangladesh: a comparative cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: Children, pregnant women and the elderly at a global level are all being dangerously exposed to tobacco use in the household (HH). However, there is no understanding of the familial and socio-cultural factors that provide barriers to ensuring tobacco-free homes in Bangladesh either in urban or rural areas (U&RAs). This study therefore investigates those barriers to help enable a move towards tobacco-free homes in Bangladesh. DESIGN: Comparative cross-sectional study. SETTINGS: Data were collected from both urban and rural settings in Bangladesh. PARTICIPANTS: A probability proportional sampling procedure was used to select 808 participants in U&RAs out of a total of 3715 tobacco users. Semi-structured interviews through the use of a questionnaire were conducted with the participants followed by a multivariate logistic regression analysis of the data in order to explore the familial and socio-cultural factors associated with tobacco use at home. RESULTS: The prevalence of tobacco use at home was 25.7% in urban areas and 47.6% in rural areas. In urban areas: marital status (adjusted OR (AOR)=3.23, 95% CI 1.37 to 6.61), education (AOR=2.14, 95% CI 1.15 to 3.99), the smoking habits of elderly family members (AOR=1.81, 95% CI 0.91 to 2.89), offering tobacco as a traditional form of leisure activity at home (AOR=1.85, 95% CI 0.94 to 2.95) and lack of religious practices (AOR=2.39, 95% CI 1.27 to 4.54) were identified as significant socio-cultural predictors associated with tobacco use at home. In rural areas: age (AOR=5.11, 95% CI 2.03 to 12.83), extended family (AOR=3.08, 95% CI 1.28 to 7.38), lack of religious practices (AOR=4.23, 95% CI 2.32 to 7.72), using children to buy or carry tobacco (AOR=3.33, 95% CI 1.11 to 9.99), lack of family guidance (AOR=4.27, 95% CI 2.45 to 7.42) and offering tobacco as a traditional form of leisure activity at home (AOR=3.81, 95% CI 2.23 to 6.47) were identified as significant determinants for tobacco use at home. CONCLUSION: This study concludes that socio-cultural traditions and familial norms in Bangladesh provide significant barriers for enabling tobacco-free homes. The identification of these barriers can aid policymakers and programme planners in Bangladesh in devising appropriate measures to mitigate the deadly consequences of tobacco use in the home. The consequences also include the dangers involved in family members being exposed to secondhand smoke.

Heavy metal toxicity from the leather industry in Bangladesh: a case study of human exposure in Dhaka industrial area.

Activities in the Bangladeshi leather industries have the potential to cause chemical pollutions thereby deteriorating the working environments, the surrounding residential areas, or even foodstuffs. Therefore, it is important to determine the chemical exposures among the industry workers and residents of the surrounding areas who may be directly or indirectly impacted by the contaminated environment. This study focused on evaluating the hazard arising from exposure to metals due to industrial contamination. Tissue samples of hair and nails were collected from both the leather industry workers and residents in the vicinity of the industries. Using chromium as an indicator of contamination/exposure from the leather industry, it was the most significant metal contaminant for industry workers ranging from 21.85 to 483 mg/kg and for industry-neighboring residents at 6.01 to 296.16 mg/kg. Both the workers and neighboring residents were found to be excessively exposed (P < 0.05) to chromium compared with the investigated control group of people living in a distant village area which had no industrial establishments.

Prevailing familial, social and cultural obstacles in keeping tobacco-free homes in urban areas of Bangladesh: A mixed-method study.

BACKGROUND: Millions of children and others across the world are being dangerously exposed to tobacco smoke and toxins in their own homes. Whilst there is limited interest in laws and interventions controlling tobacco use in public places in Bangladesh, no attention has been given to preventing tobacco-use inside homes. This study explores the familial and socio-cultural factors that provide obstacles for ensuring tobacco-free homes in Bangladesh. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A mixed-method design was adopted and from among the 1,436 tobacco users identified in a population of 11,853, 400 (tobacco users) were selected for cross-sectional survey. This survey involved a probability proportional sampling procedure, and 24 In-Depth Interviews. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to explore the association of familial and socio-cultural factors with tobacco-use at home adjusted by other demographic characteristics. Thematic content analysis was done on the qualitative data, and then inferences were drawn out collectively. RESULTS: This study revealed that the prevalence of tobacco-use in the home was 25.7% in urban residential areas in Bangladesh. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that familial and socio-cultural factors were significantly associated with tobacco-use at home: marital status (OR 3.23, 95% CI: 1.37-6.61), education (OR 2.14, 95% CI: 1.15-3.99), smoking habits of older family members (OR 1.81 95% CI: 0.91-2.89), tobacco being offered as hospitality and for entertainment (OR 1.85, 95% CI: .94-2.95) and lack of religiosity practice (OR 2.39, 95% CI: 1.27-4.54). Qualitative findings indicated that social customs, lack of religious practice, tobacco-use of older family members, and lack of family guidance were key obstacles for enabling tobacco-free homes in urban areas. CONCLUSION: Use of tobacco at home is continuing as part of established familial and socio-cultural traditions. If tobacco-use at home is not addressed seriously by the authorities then the emerging threat of second-hand smoke exposure and harmful consequences of tobacco- use will be exacerbated.