Knowledge assessment about AIDS among primary health care centers female attendees and health care providers in Abha - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

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Promotion of mental health as a function of different service agencies.

INTRODUCTION: There is a reliable evidence that personnel working in a variety of settings beyond mainstream mental health services can make an important contribution to the prevention of mental health problems. AIM: To assess the ability of personnel in different sectors including schools, school health unit and Primary Health Care (PHC) centers to recognize the risks and signs of deteriorating mental health among vulnerable people. The roles played by these personnel in the area of mental health were also defined. METHODS: A descriptive approach was used to carry out this study in different service agencies located in Abha region. These included female secondary schools, female school health units and all PHC centers. Questionnaires were mailed to teachers, physicians and nurses. The questionnaires contained queries about warning signs of poor mental health and high-risk groups for mental disorders. RESULTS: It was shown that 50% of school teachers in the sample were good at picking up signs of mental distress while others felt that they did not have the skills in this field nor was it their role to do so. The majority of physicians and nurses (66.03%) in school health unit and PHC centers identify family problems as predictor of mental disorders. From the stand point of the primary care provided by health centers, early diagnosis of cases and provision of treatment were considered unimportant compared to the role of case referral as stated by 15.38% and 53.84% of workers, respectively. RECOMMENDATIONS: It is recommended that the role of these services be expanded to develop skills in dealing with common mental problems.

Hearing impairment: is it a public health problem among primary school pupils in Alexandria?

A hearing screening survey was conducted among the primary school students in Alexandria. It aimed at measuring the prevalence of hearing impairment among students and studying the predisposing factors of hearing problems. The schools of the middle educational region were selected to carry out the study. Hearing tests; audiometry and tympanometry, were used to screen 196 students from different types of schools (113, 55 and 28 students from governmental, language and private schools respectively). A questionnaire was introduced to a subsample of those students (n = 141) including some predisposing factors of hearing problems and answered by parents. The physical environment of schools was studied including noise level, ventilation and crowding. The obtained results showed that the prevalence of failed students in audiometry and tympanometry was 24.49 % and 36.22 % respectively. Moreover, the prevalence of pupils who failed in both tests was 7.65 %. Boys were more likely to have hearing impairments than girls. Positive family history of deafness early in life and the continuous complaining of nasal obstruction were significantly related to hearing impairments among students. A very small percentage of parents (4.17 %) were aware of the presence of a hearing problem in their children. Furthermore, 48 % of failed students in audiometry were poor achievers in schools as stated by their teachers. The study of physical environment in schools revealed noise levels (inside and outside classes) above the acceptable but still within the permissible level. On the other hand, crowding at schools, as measured by the per capita space area, showed a significant association with the hearing problems in students. It is recommended to improve awareness of parents and teachers through health education programs. Screening questionnaire can develop an at risk concept for children, as the use of specialist otologists for screening is likely to be very expensive and they must be considered as first point of referral after screening.

Comparative study of mothers' knowledge of children immunization before and after mass media.

Past experience about immunization programs calls for continuous monitoring of a healthy attitude among users towards vaccination. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of health education messages (mass media) on knowledge and practice of mothers as regards compulsory vaccination schedule. Data were collected from 250 females attending MCH centers during the first half of 1991 for either vaccinating their children or receiving antenatal care (exposed group). These data were compared to the data collected from a group of mothers before implementation of the intense mass media campaign on immunization (1983), (non-exposed group). There was a significant increase in the mean score of knowledge among the exposed mothers. The mass media messages became the main source of information among the majority of the exposed group. Females utilizing mass media as their main source of information were largely having a satisfactory level of knowledge. This study recommends enforcement of mass media educational campaigns on childhood immunization as well as reconsideration paid to the nature and content of messages.

PIP: The effect of health education messages in mass media on the knowledge and practice of mothers regarding compulsory vaccination was assessed during the 1st half of 1991. 250 mothers attending MCH centers for vaccinating their children during 1983 comprised Group I those not exposed to mass media. 150 mothers attending MCH centers for vaccinating their children during 1991 made up Group II those exposed to mass media. Group III consisted of 100 primigravidae attending the same MCH centers for antenatal care in 1991 who were exposed to mass media. Questions were administered on education of mothers, sources of information about the compulsory schedule, seriousness of the disease, vulnerability of children to the immunizable conditions, names of the vaccines, timing of vaccination, and the effectiveness of vaccines. In scoring knowledge levels scores of 50%, 75%, and 100% were taken as the upper limits of unsatisfactory, satisfactory, and very good knowledge, respectively. The mean scores of knowledge were: 43.6% + 16.0, 65.7% _ 12.8, and 57.0% + 16.1 for groups I, II and III, respectively. Mass media changed its rank from last in group I (2.8%) to 1st in group II (74.0%), and vice versa, as regards health workers (86.0%) and 12.0% in group I and II, respectively). Family members and neighbors improved slightly: 11.2% and 14.0% in groups I and II, respectively. The mean score of knowledge increased with higher levels of education in group I, II, and III. The group with unsatisfactory knowledge had the highest percentage of completion of immunization schedule in both groups I and II (62.9% and 100.0%, respectively). Mothers with satisfactory knowledge among those completing the schedule were significantly higher in Group II (87.9%) than in Group I (46.2%). 73.5% of mothers in Group II had very good knowledge and completed the schedule compared to 60% in Group I.