Belief and Risk Factors Associated with Suicidal and Self-harm Behaviour among Young Adults of Kathmandu District.

BACKGROUND: Suicide is an emerging public health problem accounting for over 700,000 annual deaths globally. It is also the fourth leading cause of death among the age group 15-29 years in the world. In Nepal, on average 14 people commit suicide every day. Our study explores the factors associated with suicidal and self-harm behaviours among young adults in the Kathmandu district, Nepal. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among a total of 242 young adults of the Kathmandu district. Data were collected through interview using a developed semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and odds ratios were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The mean age for initial suicidal and self-harm behaviour was found to be 14 and 15 years respectively, with 28.51% reporting suicidal behaviours including making a plan or suicidal ideation or attempts, and 18.5% with self-harm behaviours. Avoidance and emotional discharge were found as common coping strategies adopted by participants. Belief, family functioning, depression status and self-harm behaviour were found statistically associated with suicidal behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: Various factors including belief, family functioning, and depression were found to influence individual suicidal behaviour. Hence, an integrated approach addressing these factors is crucial for the prevention and control of suicide among young adults at risk.

The evolving role of social media in enhancing quality of life: a global perspective across 10 countries.

BACKGROUND: Excessive or inappropriate use of social media has been linked to disruptions in regular work, well-being, mental health, and overall reduction of quality of life. However, a limited number of studies documenting the impact of social media on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are available globally. AIM: This study aimed to explore the perceived social media needs and their impact on the quality of life among the adult population of various selected countries. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional, quantitative design and analytical study utilized an online survey disseminated from November to December 2021. RESULTS: A total of 6689 respondents from ten countries participated in the study. The largest number of respondents was from Malaysia (23.9%), followed by Bangladesh (15.5%), Georgia (14.8%), and Turkey (12.2%). The prevalence of social media users was over 90% in Austria, Georgia, Myanmar, Nigeria, and the Philippines. The majority of social media users were from the 18-24 age group. Multiple regression analysis showed that higher education level was positively correlated with all four domains of WHOQoL. In addition, the psychological health domain of quality of life was positively associated in all countries. Predictors among Social Media Needs, Affective Needs (ß = -0.07), and Social Integrative Needs (ß = 0.09) were significantly associated with psychological health. CONCLUSION: The study illuminates the positive correlation between higher education levels and improved life quality among social media users, highlighting an opportunity for policymakers to craft education-focused initiatives that enhance well-being. The findings call for strategic interventions to safeguard the mental health of the global social media populace, particularly those at educational and health disadvantages.

Translation and cultural adaptation of EORTC QLQ-LC 29 into Nepalese language for lung cancer patients in Nepal.

BACKGROUND: The quality of life (QoL) of patients with lung cancer (LC) may be affected by disease-related limitations such as patients' functioning, the severity of symptoms, financial problems resulting along with the side effects of the treatment. The objective of this study was to translate LC-specific QoL questionnaire EORTC QLQ-LC29 into Nepalese language for Nepalese LC patients. METHODS: In the process of translation, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) translations guidelines were followed. The translated questionnaire was pilot-tested in a sample of 15 patients with LC. Descriptive statistics were calculated with SPSS version 21.0. RESULTS: All steps of the EORTC translation guideline were followed successfully. Fifteen lung cancer patients were included in the pilot study. Sixty percent were male and the mean age was 49.87 (range 21-76 years). For all items not related to thoracic surgery, patients used the entire range of the response options from 1 to 4 and no missing responses were observed. The highest mean (indicating a high symptom burden) was observed for the item number. 35 (shortness of breath; Mean = 3.33, SD = 1.11) and the lowest mean for an item number. 45 (dizzy; Mean = 1.73, SD = 0.96). CONCLUSION: The Nepalese version of EORTC QLQ-LC29 is a result of a successfully conducted rigorous translation procedure, and is highly comprehensible as well as acceptable to Nepalese LC patients. Thus, the Nepalese version of EORTC QLQ-LC29 is ready to be used in international clinical studies as well as in Nepalese clinical practice.

Price variation among different brands of anticancer medicines available in hospital pharmacies of Nepal.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the variation in price among different brands of anticancer medicines available in hospital pharmacies at Nepalese cancer hospitals. METHODS: The price of different brands of the same anticancer medicines available in the hospital pharmacies of two cancer hospitals was assessed. Prices of different dosage forms such as a single tablet, capsule and vial were calculated. The difference in the maximum and minimum price of the same drug manufactured by different pharmaceutical industries was determined, and the percentage variation in price was calculated. The prices of medicines (brands) were also compared with the price determined by the government where available. RESULTS: Price variation was assessed for 31 anticancer medicines belonging to six broad categories. Prices were found to vary maximally among the following medicines, each belonging to separate categories: among alkylating agents, the price of temozolomide 100 mg capsule varied 308%; among antimetabolite agents, the price of pemetrexed 500 mg injection varied 134%; among hormonal drugs, the price of letrozole 2.5 mg tablet varied 200%; among antibody class, the price of trastuzumab 440 mg injection varied 73%; among natural products, the price of irinotecan 100 mg injection varied 590%; and among miscellaneous agents, the price of bortezomib 2 mg injection varied 241%. There was a significant difference in the mean MRP of the alkylating agents with the antimetabolites (p-value 0.006) and the monoclonal antibody (p-value <.001). Antimetabolites, natural products, hormonal therapy all had significant mean differences in their MRPs with the monoclonal antibodies. (p-value <.001) and the monoclonal antibodies had a significant mean difference in the MRP with the miscellaneous agents. (p-value <.001). CONCLUSIONS: There was a considerable variation in the price of different brands of anticancer medicines available in the Nepalese market. The Government of Nepal has regulated the prices of some medicines, including anticancer medicine. However, it is not enough as prices of the majority of anticancer medicines are still not regulated. Therefore, further strategies are needed to address the variation in the prices of anticancer medicines available in the Nepalese market.

SciPub-019-Getting Your Article Published in Scientific Journals- an Event Report.

INTRODUCTION: The quantity and quality of published research from Nepal, though improving, are low. Among other factors, lack of knowledge about scientific writing is an important contributor. Thus, with the objective of improving knowledge about scientific writing, a one-day workshop was conducted, entitled, "SciPub-019-Getting your article published in scientific journals". METHODS: The knowledge and attitude of participants were evaluated both before and immediately after the workshop. RESULTS: Thirty-three individuals participated with most (48.5%) being pharmacists, followed closely by doctors. 66.7% of the participants were males and 72.7% of participants had published one article as of the workshop date while the rest had published two. On specific questions, there was a significant difference between the responses regarding the abstract being the first part of the paper to be written, before and after the workshop. There was also a significant difference between the overall responses of the participants. CONCLUSION: Improvement in the knowledge of the participants about scientific writing and publication was noted. Workshops of similar nature should be regularly conducted to improve the knowledge of new researchers about scientific writing.

The addition of mobile SMS effectively improves dengue prevention practices in community: an implementation study in Nepal.

BACKGROUND: Dengue is an emerging vector disease with frequent outbreaks in Nepal that pose a major threat to public health. Dengue control activities are mostly outbreak driven, and still lack systematic interventions while most people have poor health-related knowledge and practices. Mobile Short Message Service (SMS) represents a low-cost health promotion intervention that can enhance the dengue prevention knowledge and practices of the affected communities. This study aimed to explore the acceptability, appropriateness, and effectiveness of mobile SMS intervention in improving dengue control practices. METHODS: This study was an implementation research that used mixed-methods design with intervention. A total of 300 households were divided into three groups, i.e. one control group, one dengue prevention leaflet (DPL) only intervention group and one DPL with mobile SMS intervention group (DPL + SMS). We used a structured questionnaire to collect information regarding participants' knowledge and practice of dengue prevention. We conducted in-depth interviews with key informants to measure acceptability and appropriateness of intervention. Mean difference with standard deviation (SD), one-way ANOVA, paired t-test and regression analyses were used to assess the effectiveness of the interventions. Thematic analysis was used to assess the acceptability, and appropriateness as well as barriers and enablers of the intervention. RESULTS: The DPL + SMS intervention produced significantly higher mean knowledge difference (32.7 ± 13.7 SD vs. 13.3 ± 8.8 SD) and mean practice difference (27.9 ± 11.4 SD vs 4.9 ± 5.4 SD) compared to the DPL only group (p = 0.000). Multivariate analysis showed that the DPL + SMS intervention was effective to increase knowledge by 28.6 points and practice by 28.1 points compared to the control group. The intervention was perceived as acceptable and appropriate by the study participants and key stakeholders. Perceived barriers included reaching private network users and poor network in geographically remote areas, while enabling factors included mobile phone penetration, low cost, and shared responsibility. CONCLUSIONS: Mobile SMS is an effective, acceptable and appropriate health intervention to improve dengue prevention practices in communities. This intervention can be adopted as a promising tool for health education against dengue and other diseases.