Effectiveness of health education intervention on diabetes mellitus among the teachers working in public sector schools of Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is considered as one of the major public health problems globally. Health education strategies can help in managing blood glucose level and complications among DM patients. Health education intervention is effective to manage and control the blood glucose levels among diabetic patients. This study explored the effectiveness of health education intervention on DM among school teachers in public sector schools of Pakistan. METHODS: This was quasi-experimental study where baseline & end line assessments were conducted on teachers of public sector schools of Sindh province, Pakistan, from October to December 2019. Pretested structured questionnaire was used in this study. Participants (n = 136). were randomly selected from the list of government schools registered with district education department An intervention comprised of health education sessions with DM patients was undertaken after conducting baseline assessment followed by end line assessment. The institutional review board of Health Services Academy Pakistan ethically approved this study. RESULTS: All the respondents completed post-test with mean ± SD age of participants being 39.2 ± 1.34 years. Female teachers comprised 65% out of which 70% were living in rural areas. Knowledge on DM pre-test score was 20.03 ± 3.31 that increased in post-test to 49.11 ± 2.21 (p < 0.05). Mean score of information on symptoms and causes of DM was 1.98 ± 0.21 for pre-test whereas for post-test it was 4.78 ± 0.12 (p < 0.05). The effect of intervention was significant on diabetes related complications (p < 0.05), symptoms (p < 0.05), overall score (p < 0.05) and preventive practices (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The study provides evidence of the importance and effectiveness of health education intervention related to diabetes among school teachers, which has a positive impact on the knowledge and practices. We concluded that the health education session sensitized the teachers and they can bring cogent changes to enhance their knowledge about diabetes and its risks.

Effectiveness of a health education intervention on the use of long-lasting insecticidal nets for the prevention of malaria in pregnant women of Pakistan: a quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND: About one quarter of pregnant women in the population of Pakistan are using long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets (LLINs) for prevention of malaria. Past research reported that adequate information and education would act as mediator to change behaviour among patients for prevention of malaria infection. The effective use of LLINs would contribute to reduction of disease burden caused by malaria. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of health education on the adoption of LLINs among pregnant women living in Tharparkar, a remote district in Sindh Province, Pakistan. METHODS: A quasi-experimental study design with control and intervention groups was conducted with 200 pregnant women (100 in each group). Women in the intervention group were provided with health education sessions on malaria for 12 weeks, while those in the control group obtained routine information from lady health workers (LHWs). Pre- and post-intervention assessment was done of knowledge about malaria and use of LLIN, which was statistically analysed using descriptive statistics and difference in difference (DID) multivariable regression analysis to test effectiveness of the intervention. RESULTS: Baseline was conducted with 200 pregnant women. Demographic characteristics were similar in both groups with slight differences in age, education, income, type of latrine, and source of drinking water. There were no significant differences between mean knowledge and use of LLINs scores between groups at baseline. However, the estimated DID value after the intervention was 4.170 (p < 0.01) and represents an increase in scores of knowledge in the intervention group compared to control. Similarly DID value of 3.360 (p < 0.05) showed an increase in use of LLINs score after the intervention which was significant, showing that the intervention had a positive effect. CONCLUSIONS: Results proved that health education could be an effective intervention for improving knowledge and usage of LLINs among pregnant women for the prevention of malaria. Such educational interventions have a positive potential to be implemented at larger scale by incorporating them into routine health sessions provided by health workers.

Predictors and Level of Knowledge Regarding Parkinson's Disease among Patients: A Cross-sectional Study from Thailand.

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that results in gradual decline of motor, autonomic, and neuropsychiatric functions of the patient. Knowledge and factors responsible for Parkinson's disease (PD) are important among patients that could positively affect their attitude and perceptions. This study was conducted to determine the factors influencing and level of the knowledge regarding Parkinson's disease in Thailand. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 125 patients admitted in King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital Bangkok, Thailand. Sociodemographic variables and clinical characteristics were collected as predictors of knowledge, treatment, and self-care for PD. A validated, piloted, pretested tool was used for data collection. Multiple linear regressions were used to find the most influencing predictor of knowledge about PD. The study was approved by the Ethical Board of Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. RESULTS: The level of education was found to be the most significant (P = 0.005) predictor of PD knowledge. PD patients with high education had significantly higher knowledge scores than those with low education in all aspects of disease (P = 0.041), treatment (P = 0.014), and self-care (P = 0.011). PD knowledge was poor in variables such as levodopa (62%), nonmotor symptoms (54%), and stem cell transplantation (40%), respectively. CONCLUSION: The study results conclude that educational level is the most important predictor of knowledge about Parkinson's disease.