First temporal distribution model of ambient air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, and O3) in Yangon City, Myanmar during 2019-2021.

Air pollution has emerged as a significant global concern, particularly in urban centers. This study aims to investigate the temporal distribution of air pollutants, including PM2.5, PM10, and O3, utilizing multiple linear regression modeling. Additionally, the research incorporates the calculation of the Air Quality Index (AQI) and Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) time series modeling to predict the AQI for PM2.5 and PM10. The concentrations and AQI values for PM2.5 ranged from 0 to 93.6 µg/m3 and 0 to 171, respectively, surpassing the Word Health Organization's (WHO) acceptable threshold levels. Similarly, concentrations and AQI values for PM10 ranged from 0.1 to 149.27 µg/m3 and 2-98 µg/m3, respectively, also exceeding WHO standards. Particulate matter pollution exhibited notable peaks during summer and winter. Key meteorological factors, including dew point temperature, relative humidity, and rainfall, showed a significant negative association with all pollutants, while ambient temperature exhibited a significant positive correlation with particulate matter. Multiple linear regression models of particulate matter for winter season demonstrated the highest model performance, explaining most of the variation in particulate matter concentrations. The annual multiple linear regression model for PM2.5 exhibited the most robust performance, explaining 60% of the variation, while the models for PM10 and O3 explained 45% of the variation in their concentrations. Time series modeling projected an increasing trend in the AQI for particulate matter in 2022. The precise and accurate results of this study serve as a valuable reference for developing effective air pollution control strategies and raising awareness of AQI in Myanmar.

Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Farmers in the Southeast Asia Region: A Systematic Review.

Background: Southeast Asia has many people who work in the agriculture sector. Not many stakeholders pay special attention to the health of farmers, even though they are exposed to various types of hazards. One of the most common health complaints among farmers is related to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). This study aims to assess the prevalence of WMSDs and factors associated with them among farmers in Southeast Asia. Methods: A literature search on PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and EBSCO was conducted. Articles were included if they studied ergonomic problems among farmers from 11 countries in the Southeast Asia region and were published during 2015-2022. The Critical Appraisal Skills Program was used to evaluate the quality of the articles. The search process and retrieval process reflected PRISMA's recommendation. Result: There were 14 studies found from 3 countries that had published articles in PubMed and ScienceDirect, including Thailand [8], Indonesia [4], and Malaysia [2]. The prevalence of WMSDs in Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia was 78,31%, 81,27%, and 88,39%, respectively. Common factors associated with WMSDs include age, sex, smoking habits, drinking alcohol habits, working period (years), type of work, awkward position, non-ergonomic equipment, repetitive movements, and lifting heavy loads. Conclusion: The prevalence of WMSDs among farmers in Southeast Asia is considerably high. Effective intervention is essential for reducing the prevalence and protecting workers' health and well-being.

The use of corporal punishment against children in Myanmar: An analysis of data from the 2015-2016 Myanmar Demographic and Health Survey.

BACKGROUND: The corporal punishment of children is a significant public health concern; corporal punishment also violates children's rights and may have negative impacts on children's long-term health. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the prevalence of corporal punishment of children in Myanmar and associated factors. PARTICIPANT AND SETTING: This study is a secondary data analysis of the 2015-2016 Myanmar Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS). The study targeted 13,235 (weighted) children between 2 and 14 years old. METHODS: Corporal punishment of children by caregivers was assessed using six questions that utilized UNICEF's child disciplinary module. Multiple logistic regression analyses were carried out to identify associated factors. RESULTS: Nearly half of the children in the study (44.5 %; 95 % confidence interval (CI): 42.60, 46.50) were found to have been subjected to corporal punishment, and the most common form of corporal punishment was "spanking, hitting, or slapping the child on the bottom with a bare hand" (29.1 %; 95 % CI: 27.53, 30.80). Multivariable analyses revealed that a child's sex, age, education level, location of residence, and number of family members; the primary caregiver's sex and attitude toward corporal punishment; and the family's socio-economic status were all factors significantly associated with corporal punishment. The prevalence of corporal punishment of children in Myanmar was high, and many significant predictors were identified. CONCLUSION: The implementation of child protection policies and the promotion of nonviolent parenting methods should be conducted immediately to community members. Community education should particularly focus on uneducated caregivers and families with low socioeconomic status.

Fine particulate matter and daily hospitalizations for mental and behavioral disorders: A time-series study in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Various adverse health outcomes caused by particulate matter (PM) exposure has been documented, while the evidence for the adverse effects of PM exposure on mental and behavioral disorders (MBDs) is limited. To date, few epidemiological studies, especially in developing countries, have focused on these adverse effects. In the past decade, air pollution sources in Vietnam have noticeably increased, resulting to the elevated concentrations of ambient air pollutants particularly fine PM or PM with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5). Hence, investigating the short-term association between PM2.5 and MBDs is worthwhile. In this study, a quasi-Poisson time-series regression analysis was used to investigate the association between PM2.5 exposure and daily hospitalizations for MBDs to the Ho Chi Minh City Mental Health Hospital during 2017-2020. A natural cubic spline smooth function for time was used to screen out long-term and seasonality trends. Stratified analyses were also performed by sex, age, and season. During study period, 9,986 hospitalizations for MBDs were recorded and included in the analysis. Results suggested that a 10 µg/m3 daily increase in PM2.5 concentration was associated with a statistically significant 2.96% (95% confidence interval: 0.23%-5.76%) increase in hospitalizations for MBDs. The effects of PM2.5 exposure on hospital admissions were more pronounced in female patients and the middle-age group (35-59 years). This finding could increase awareness regarding prevention and minimization of MBDs on the public.

Sexual knowledge based on Islamic values and sexual risk behaviors of HIV/STIs among Thai Muslim army conscripts: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), are commonly associated with conflict areas. In Thailand, conflict situations have occurred from 2004 until the present in three Muslim-majority southernmost provinces, including Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat. However, Islam provides strict guidelines on sexuality. Therefore, those who strictly practice Islam will have lower sexual risk behavior. Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationship between Islamic values-based sexual knowledge, sociodemographic factors, and risk for HIV/STIs among Thai Muslim army conscripts in the unrest situation area. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between May and July 2020. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire among 421 participants. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square were used to examine the association among variables. Results: 57.5% of Muslim army conscripts had poor sexual knowledge based on Islamic aspects, and the participants showed high-risk profiles for HIV/STIs (32.5%). Marital status, hometown, smoking and drinking status, and Islamic values-based sexual knowledge were significantly associated with the risk of HIV/STIs (p <0.05). Conclusion: Participants with poor sexual knowledge according to Islamic values, smokers, single-status, alcoholic drinkers, and non-three southernmost provinces' hometowns had higher risks of HIV/STIs. Thus, it is suggested that nurses and public health professionals implement sexual health promotion and prevention for HIV/STIs. In addition, misperceptions of Islamic aspects toward sexual behavior should receive immediate adjustments.

Fungal Spore Richness in School Classrooms is Related to Surrounding Forest in a Season-Dependent Manner.

Airborne fungal spores are important aeroallergens that are remarkably diverse in terms of taxonomic richness. Indoor fungal richness is dominated by outdoor fungi and is geographically patterned, but the influence of natural landscape is unclear. We aimed to elucidate the relationship between indoor fungal spore richness and natural landscape by examining the amount of surrounding forest cover. Passive sampling of airborne fungal spores was conducted in 24 schools in Taiwan during hot and cool seasons, and amplicon sequencing was used to study fungal spore (genus) richness targeting the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region. In total, 693 fungal genera were identified, 12 of which were ubiquitous. Despite overall similarity of fungal spore richness between seasons, Basidiomycota and Ascomycota richness increased during the hot and cool seasons, respectively. Fungal spore richness in schools had a strong positive correlation with the amount of surrounding forest cover during the cool season, but not during the hot season. Fungal assemblages in schools were more similar during the hot season due to the increased ubiquity of Agaricomycetes genera. These observations indicate dispersal limitation at the kilometer scale during the cool season and increased long-distance dispersal during the hot season. Several allergenic fungi were commonly identified in schools, including some previously overlooked by conventional methods, which may be targeted as sensitizing agents in future investigations into atopic conditions. More generally, the relative importance of fungal spore richness in the development, chronicity, and severity of atopic conditions in children requires investigation.

Frequent occurrence of respiratory symptoms in children is associated with exposure to air pollution, land use types, and parental mental health in the Greater Taipei area.

Although studies have investigated the individual effects of air pollution, land use types, and parental mental health on children's respiratory health, few studies have examined the effects of these risk factors simultaneously in children aged <2 years. We investigated the effects of exposure to air pollution, land use types surrounding residences, and parental mental health on the frequent occurrence of respiratory symptoms in children aged <2 years in the Greater Taipei area. Participants were recruited from an ongoing Taiwanese birth cohort study. We analyzed the data of the participants who had been recruited from January 2011 to April 2014 and had responded to the follow-up questionnaires at 6, 12, and 24 months. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect participants' sociodemographic background and health, such as respiratory symptoms, and parental mental health. Pre- and postnatal pollution levels were estimated using the spatial interpolation technique (ordinary kriging) at children's residential addresses. Land use types surrounding participants' homes were evaluated by performing buffer analysis. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the effects of risk factors on the frequent occurrence of child respiratory symptoms in children aged 6, 12, and 24 months. We included 228, 360, and 441 children aged 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively. Our results indicated that postnatal exposure to PM2.5 and O3 was positively associated with children's respiratory symptoms. Traffic-related land-use types, sports facilities, and commercial land surrounding homes exerted adverse effects on children's respiratory symptoms, whereas the presence of schools in the neighborhood was beneficial. Parental mental health was also associated with children's respiratory symptoms. Postnatal exposure to air pollution and land use types surrounding residences were associated with respiratory health in children aged <2 years. The residential environment is a critical factor affecting children's respiratory health of children aged <2 years.

Association between sanitary toilet coverage rate and intestinal infectious disease in Jiangsu Province, China.

Intestinal infectious disease is one of the most common diseases in China and is prevalent worldwide. The Chinese government launched a toilet improvement campaign to improve sanitation and reduce the incidence of diseases. This study determined the association between sanitary toilet use and intestinal infectious disease incidence in Jiangsu Province, China during 2011-2019. This study adopted an ecological retrospective research design. All secondary data were obtained through government websites and government information disclosure channels. Multiple linear regression was employed to analyze the association between the incidence of intestinal infectious diseases and sanitary toilet coverage rate and other potential predictors. Data suggested that the aggregate annual incidence of Type A and B intestinal infectious diseases showed a downward trend, the aggregate annual incidence of other infectious diarrhea continued to increase, and hand-foot-mouth disease occurred every other year with the highest annual incidence rate. The incidence was higher in coastal cities. Multiple regression results indicated that the usage of three types of sanitary toilets, compliance rate of water quality, and average ambient temperature have an impact on intestinal infectious diseases. The aggregate annual incidence of Type A and B intestinal infectious disease was negatively correlated with the cumulative use of sanitary toilets (ß = - 0.036) and surface water quality (ß = - 0.135; p < 0.05). Increase in sanitary toilet use and water quality control can reduce the number of new cases, which will be beneficial for the population in the province. Moreover, the toilet improvement interventions should continue to maintain high-quality construction.

Effects of air pollution, land-use type, and maternal mental health on child development in the first two years of life in the Greater Taipei area.

INTRODUCTION: Few studies have investigated the associations of child development with air pollution, land-use type, and maternal mental health simultaneously. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of exposure to air pollutants during several critical periods of life, with adjustment for land-use type and maternal mental status, on child development at 6, 12, and 24 months of age in the Greater Taipei area. METHODS: Participants were selected from an ongoing Taiwanese birth cohort study. We analyzed the data of the participants who had been recruited from January 2011 to April 2014. Self-administered standardized questionnaires were used to collect information on sociodemographic factors, infant development and health, maternal mental status, etc. Air pollution levels in pre- and postnatal periods were estimated using a spatial interpolation technique (ordinary kriging) at children's residential addresses. Land-use types around participants' homes were evaluated using buffer analysis. We used multiple logistic regression analysis to examine the relationships between child development delay and environmental factors. RESULTS: In total, 228, 361, and 441 families completed child development forms at 6, 12, and 24 months of age, respectively. Our results indicated that prenatal exposure to particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤10 µm and O3 and postnatal exposure to NO2 were negatively associated with child development. Traffic-related land-use types, gas stations, and power generation areas around participants' homes were also adversely correlated with child development. Moreover, poor maternal mental health was associated with child development delay. CONCLUSION: Prenatal exposure and postnatal exposure to air pollution were associated with development delay in children under 2 years of age, specifically those under 1 year of age, even after adjustment for land-use type and maternal mental status. Living environment is critical for the development of children under 2 years of age.

Risk of HIV/STIs among Muslim army conscripts in the three deep southern provinces of Thailand.

Background: The prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases is an important public health problem, especially in people who are sexually active, such as the army conscript group. However, their knowledge, attitudes, and practices may be influenced by certain cultures and beliefs. This study explored the factors associated with the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among the Muslim army conscript in three deep southern provinces of Thailand. Methods: The cross-sectional study design was conducted among 360 Muslim army conscripts. A researcher made questionnaire on knowledge of HIV/STI transmission, attitude toward condom use, and sexual behavior was distributed to the participants in a camp base. The association between the potential predictor variables and the risk of HIV/STI was analyzed using the multiple logistic regression. Statistically significant of the association considered a P value ≤ 0.05. Results: The results suggest that most Muslim army conscripts had a poor knowledge level of HIV/STI transmission (78.7%) and that their attitude toward condom use was at a moderate level (60.0%). The predicted factors were marital status [aOR=0.078, 95% CI=0.035-0.172], substance use before having sex [aOR=8.044, 95% CI=1.288-50.230], stimulant use before having sex [aOR=3.632, 95% CI=1.080-12.211], vaginal sexual intercourse [aOR=26.228, 95% CI=8.370-82.189], and oral sexual intercourse [aOR=2.256, 95% CI=1.106-4.601]. Conclusion: A proper sexual health education program should be developed and delivered to enhance knowledge on HIV/STI transmission among Muslim army conscripts.

Exposure to ambient bioaerosols is associated with allergic skin diseases in Greater Taipei residents.

Allergic skin diseases may result from various types of chemical and biological allergens. This study investigated the association between ambient bioaerosol exposure and allergic skin diseases by using the exposure data obtained from land use regression models and interpolated data. Data on daily average outpatient visits for atopic dermatitis (ICD-9-CM 691.8) and contact dermatitis and other eczema (ICD-9-CM 692.9) between November 2011 and August 2012 were obtained from the National Health Insurance Research Database. A generalized estimating equation was used to analyze the associations between the skin diseases and ambient bioaerosol levels. The results indicated that during the study period, contact dermatitis and other eczema were more prevalent than atopic dermatitis in the study area. Most cases were observed in districts of Taipei City and 3 major districts of New Taipei City, namely Xinzhuang, Banqiao, and Xindian. In univariate analysis, most bioaerosols were positively associated with both skin diseases. After adjustment for air pollution and sociodemographic factors, exposure to total fungal spores was significantly associated with atopic dermatitis in males (relative risk [RR] = 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.05-1.19). Contact dermatitis and other eczema had significant relationships with Cladosporium in males (RR = 1.07; 95% CI = 1.02-1.14) and with Aspergillus/Penicillium in females (RR = 1.04; 95% CI = 1.02-1.07). Meteorological parameters, namely wind speed, temperature, and rainfall, were also significantly associated with skin diseases. Our findings reveal that exposure to ambient bioaerosols is a significant and independent risk factor for allergic skin diseases.

The spatiotemporal distributions and determinants of ambient fungal spores in the Greater Taipei area.

Airborne fungal spores, a type of bioaerosols, are significant air pollutants. We conducted a study to determine the spatiotemporal distributions of ambient fungi in the Greater Taipei area and develop land use regression (LUR) models for total and major fungal taxa. Four seasonal sampling campaigns were conducted over a year at 44 representative sites. Multiple regressions were performed to construct the LUR models. Ascospores were the most prevalent category, followed by Aspergillus/Penicillium, basidiospores, and Cladosporium. The highest fungal concentrations were found in spring. According to the LUR models, higher concentrations of Aspergillus/Penicillium and basidiospores were respectively present in residential/commercial areas and in areas with shorter road lengths. Various meteorological factors, particulates with aerodynamic diameters of ≤10 µm, and elevation also had significant relationships with fungal concentrations. The LUR models developed in this study can be used to assess spatiotemporal fungal distribution in the Greater Taipei area.