Influence of sociocultural beliefs and practices on contraception: a systematic review.

In this systematic review, we aimed to explore the influence of sociocultural beliefs and practices on contraception and their uptake among women in low-income countries (LICs) and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs). For this purpose, a literature search was conducted using four databases, namely Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed and EBSCOhost Research Platform. Twenty-five articles were selected and analyzed out of a total of 5180 retrieved and screened articles. We used thematic analysis to identify, interpret and report patterns and themes from these records. The analysis identified six factors influencing the uptake of contraceptive methods among women aged 13 to 65-years in LICs and LMICs in relation to their sociocultural beliefs and practices. We found that women's social status and responsibility were recognized at the individual level and the unique patriarchal culture at the partner level, while community-level factors included myths and misconceptions, cultural differences and religious beliefs. Thus, the main challenges to the uptake of contraceptive methods among women in terms of sociocultural norms occur at varying levels of society. This review suggests the need for future family planning programs and health education to target specific community levels and especially to consider diverse social and cultural backgrounds.

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection and Its Associated Factors Among Blood Donors in Yemen.

BACKGROUND: In limited-resource countries, the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection can be measured using data taken from blood donors. This study aimed to determine the HBV infection seroprevalence and its associated factors among blood donors in Sana'a Governorate, Yemen. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 500 people who donated blood at hospitals located in Sana'a between August and October 2016. The volunteers were aged 18-65 years old and were recruited using convenience sampling. A set of questionnaires was administered through face-to-face interviews. Blood samples from each donor were tested for hepatitis B surface antigens using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The overall seroprevalence of HBV infection in the blood donors was 2.6%. Participants with a history of dental treatment had 7.80 higher odds (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.26, 26.71; P = 0.002) for HBV infection. Respectively, blood donors who had history of malaria infection or cupping therapy had 7.48 (95% CI: 1.75, 31.82; P = 0.010) and 7.32 (95% CI: 1.72, 30.83; P = 0.010) greater odds of HBV infection. CONCLUSION: The seroprevalence of HBV infection in Sana'a is lower than in other governorates in Yemen. Stakeholders could focus on a history of dental procedure, malaria infection and cupping treatment when strategising about HBV infection prevention and control among blood donors.

Environmental and Occupational Factors Associated with Leptospirosis: A Systematic Review.

Background: Leptospirosis is a neglected emerging zoonotic disease with a profound public health impact worldwide with higher burden of disease in resource-poor countries. The environmental and occupational exposures contribute to human and animal transmission, but the interaction was less explored. A deeper understanding of the critical environmental and occupational drivers in different contexts will provide useful information for disease control and prevention measures. Objective: This review aimed to summarize the potential environmental and occupational risk factors associated with leptospirosis infection. Methods: Four databases (Scopus, Web of Science, Ovid MEDLINE, EBSCOhost) were searched for articles published from 2012 to 2021. Eligible articles were assessed using a checklist for assessing the quality of the studies. The quality of the articles was assessed based on the laboratory diagnosis approach and statistical analysis method. Results: A total of 32 studies were included in this systematic review. Water-related risk factors such as natural water as the primary water source (AOR 1.8-18.28), water-related recreational activities (AOR 2.36-10.45), flood exposure (AOR 1.54-6.04), contact with mud (AOR 1.57-4.58) and stagnant water (AOR 2.79-6.42) were associated with increased risk of leptospirosis. Infrastructural deficiencies such as un-plastered house walls and thatched houses presented a higher risk (AOR 2.71-5.17). Living in low-lying areas (AOR 1.58-3.74), on clay loam soil (OR 2.72), agricultural land (OR 2.09), and near rubber tree plantations (AOR 11.65) is associated with higher risk of leptospirosis. Contact with rats (AOR 1.4-3.5), livestock (AOR 1.3-10.4), and pigs (AOR 1.54-7.9) is associated with an increased risk of leptospirosis. Outdoor workers (AOR 1.95-3.95) and slaughterhouse workers (AOR 5.1-7.5) have higher risk of leptospirosis. Conclusion: The environmental and occupational components related to water, infrastructure, landscape, agriculture, and exposed animals play an essential role in leptospirosis transmission. The magnitude of those risk factors differs with geographical region, climate factor, urbanization and population growth, and the country's socioeconomic status.

Assessment of indoor thermal comfort temperature and related behavioural adaptations: a systematic review.

Thermal comfort is linked to our health, well-being, and productivity. The thermal environment is one of the main factors that influence thermal comfort and, consequently, the productivity of occupants inside buildings. Meanwhile, behavioural adaptation is well known to be the most critical contributor to the adaptive thermal comfort model. This systematic review aims to provide evidence regarding indoor thermal comfort temperature and related behavioural adaptation. Studies published between 2010 and 2022 examining indoor thermal comfort temperature and behavioural adaptations were considered. In this review, the indoor thermal comfort temperature ranges from 15.0 to 33.8 °C. The thermal comfort temperature range varied depending on several factors, such as climatic features, ventilation mode, type of buildings, and age of the study population. Elderly and younger children have distinctive thermal acceptability. Clothing adjustment, fan usage, AC usage, and open window were the most common adaptive behaviour performed. Evidence shows that behavioural adaptations were also influenced by climatic features, ventilation mode, type of buildings, and age of the study population. Building designs should incorporate all factors that affect the thermal comfort of the occupants. Awareness of practical behavioural adaptations is crucial to ensure occupants' optimal thermal comfort.

Issues and Challenges in the Primary Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Primary prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is possible in at-risk populations, and prevention programmes have been shown to be effective in real-world scenarios. Despite this evidence, diabetes prevalence has tripled in recent decades and is expected to reach 700 million patients by 2045, making it one of the leading causes of death globally. This review is aimed at identifying the issues and challenges in the primary prevention of T2DM. METHODS: Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE were systematically searched for published articles. Articles were screened based of inclusion and exclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria were: (1) published in 2010-2020, (2) full original article, (3) written in English, (4) qualitative, mixed-methods article, observational or interventional study. The exclusion criteria were: (1) animal study, (2) in vivo/in vitro study, (3) type 1 diabetes or gestational DM and (4) conference abstract, book chapter, report, and systematic review. Eligible articles were assessed using Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) by three assessors. RESULTS: A total of 11 articles were selected for qualitative synthesis from the initial 620 articles. The issues and challenges seen in T2DM primary prevention followed three themes: healthcare program (sub-themes: lack of resources, community partnership, participation, health literacy), health provider (sub-themes: lack of implementation, health care staff, collaboration, availability), individual (sub-themes: awareness, communication, misbehaviour, family conflict). CONCLUSION: Factors relating to healthcare programmes, health providers, and individual issues are the main challenges in T2DM primary prevention. By establishing sustainable preventative initiatives that address these issues and challenges in the primary prevention of T2DM, a reduction in T2DM prevalence could be achievable.

Dengue Early Warning System as Outbreak Prediction Tool: A Systematic Review.

Early warning system (EWS) for vector-borne diseases is incredibly complex due to numerous factors originating from human, environmental, vector and the disease itself. Dengue EWS aims to collect data that leads to prompt decision-making processes that trigger disease intervention strategies to minimize the impact on a specific population. Dengue EWS may have a similar structural design, functions, and analytical approaches but different performance and ability to predict outbreaks. Hence, this review aims to summarise and discuss the evidence of different EWSs, their performance, and their ability to predict dengue outbreaks. A systematic literature search was performed of four primary databases: Scopus, Web of Science, Ovid MEDLINE, and EBSCOhost. Eligible articles were evaluated using a checklist for assessing the quality of the studies. A total of 17 studies were included in this systematic review. All EWS models demonstrated reasonably good predictive abilities to predict dengue outbreaks. However, the accuracy of their predictions varied greatly depending on the model used and the data quality. The reported sensitivity ranged from 50 to 100%, while specificity was 74 to 94.7%. A range between 70 to 96.3% was reported for prediction model accuracy and 43 to 86% for PPV. Overall, meteorological alarm indicators (temperatures and rainfall) were the most frequently used and displayed the best performing indicator. Other potential alarm indicators are entomology (female mosquito infection rate), epidemiology, population and socioeconomic factors. EWS is an essential tool to support district health managers and national health planners to mitigate or prevent disease outbreaks. This systematic review highlights the benefits of integrating several epidemiological tools focusing on incorporating climatic, environmental, epidemiological and socioeconomic factors to create an early warning system. The early warning system relies heavily on the country surveillance system. The lack of timely and high-quality data is critical for developing an effective EWS.

The Malay-Version Knowledge, Risk Perception, Attitude and Practice Questionnaire on Heatwaves: Development and Construct Validation.

BACKGROUND: Heatwaves have long been recognised as a serious public health concern. This study was aimed at developing and validating a Malay-version of a questionnaire for evaluating knowledge, risk perception, attitudes, and practices regarding heatwaves. METHOD: The knowledge construct was evaluated with item analysis and internal reliability. The psychometric characteristics, construct and discriminant validity, and internal consistency of the risk perception, attitude and practice constructs were evaluated with exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). RESULTS: The 16 items in the knowledge construct had a good difficulty, discrimination, and reliability index of 0.81. A total of 16 items were maintained in EFA with Cronbach's alpha of 0.84 and 0.82, 0.78 and 0.84 obtained for total items and risk perception, attitude, and practice constructs, respectively. A total of 15 items were retained after CFA. The finalised model met the fitness indices threshold. The convergent and discriminant validity were good. CONCLUSION: This newly developed Malay-version KRPAP questionnaire is reliable and valid for assessing Malaysians' knowledge, risk perception, attitudes, and practices regarding heatwaves.

Behavioral Impact on Clinical Specialist Payment Method: A Systematic Review.

Background: With growing healthcare (HC) expenditures and limited funding, policymakers need to find new ways to provide healthcare that is affordable and fair. There are many methods for paying specialists, and the three basic payment methods include fee-for-service (FFS), capitation, and salary. This review focuses on identifying published articles related to the different methods used for paying specialists for their service and further highlights their advantages and disadvantages. Methods: The research was designed and carried out in line with the "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis" (PRISMA) checklist. Five databases were used in the literature search ie: Scopus, Web of Science, Ovid Medline, EBSCOhost, and PubMed in 2020. The search term used revolved around physician, payment method and specialist behavior. Results: Databases were searched electronically using EndNote X9.2, wherein 588 related studies of literature were included. Meanwhile, it went down to 546 related studies after the title and abstract screening was conducted in order to eliminate duplicates. In total, 24 studies were then left to be reviewed in full text; finally, 12 studies were integrated into this analysis after a description of the entire text of the studies. Conclusion: Payment methods can affect physician practice behaviors and the quality of healthcare. The combination of payment methods may, however, combine the benefits of simple payment methods. Where there is not adequate mixing of methods, bonus-for-performance programs may encourage the provision of targeted services. Thus, before a new medical policy is implemented, policymakers must define and empirically examine the positive and negative impacts.

The Impact of Heatwaves on Mortality and Morbidity and the Associated Vulnerability Factors: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the current impacts of extreme temperature and heatwaves on human health in terms of both mortality and morbidity. This systematic review analyzed the impact of heatwaves on mortality, morbidity, and the associated vulnerability factors, focusing on the sensitivity component. METHODS: This systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 flow checklist. Four databases (Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, PubMed) were searched for articles published from 2012 to 2022. Those eligible were evaluated using the Navigation Guide Systematic Review framework. RESULTS: A total of 32 articles were included in the systematic review. Heatwave events increased mortality and morbidity incidence. Sociodemographic (elderly, children, male, female, low socioeconomic, low education), medical conditions (cardiopulmonary diseases, renal disease, diabetes, mental disease), and rural areas were crucial vulnerability factors. CONCLUSIONS: While mortality and morbidity are critical aspects for measuring the impact of heatwaves on human health, the sensitivity in the context of sociodemographic, medical conditions, and locality posed a higher vulnerability to certain groups. Therefore, further research on climate change and health impacts on vulnerability may help stakeholders strategize effective plans to reduce the effect of heatwaves.

Sex-related differences in smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Prevalence and associated factors.

Smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is more infectious compared to smear-negative PTB and have great significance for epidemiology and infection control. The prevalence of smear-positive PTB rarely affects males and females equally. Hence, we aimed to identify the sex-related differences in the prevalence of smear-positive PTB and its associated factors in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the National Tuberculosis Information System (TBIS) from 1 January, 2015, to 31 December, 2019. The study population was selected using simple random sampling from the list of registered PTB patients in TBIS. The criteria for inclusion were all Malaysian adults aged ≥18 years residing in Kuala Lumpur and registered as PTB in TBIS. Factors associated with smear-positive PTB in male and female patients were determined using multiple logistic regression analysis. Overall prevalence of smear-positive PTB was 68.6%, and male patients predominated (71%). The male:female prevalence ratio of smear-positive PTB was 2.4:1. Male patients who worked as machine operators and elementary workers (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.23, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24-4.02, p = 0.007), were self-employed (aOR 2.58, 95% CI 1.46-4.56, p = 0.001), lived in a residence categorized as 'other' (aOR 2.49, 95% CI 1.28-4.86, p = 0.007) and were smokers (aOR 1.37, 95% CI 1.01-1.87, p = 0.045) had higher odds for smear-positive PTB. Meanwhile, female patients with diabetes mellitus had higher odds for smear-positive PTB (aOR 1.92, 95% CI 1.05-3.54, p = 0.035), while female patients who were healthcare workers had lower odds (aOR 0.33, 95% CI 0.12, 0.94, p = 0.039). The prevalence of smear-positive PTB is higher in males compared to females. The factors associated with smear-positive PTB differed based on sex. The current TB control program, especially on smear-positive PTB, should likely be strategized and stratified by sex.

The Impact of Meteorological Factors on Communicable Disease Incidence and Its Projection: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Climate change poses a real challenge and has contributed to causing the emergence and re-emergence of many communicable diseases of public health importance. Here, we reviewed scientific studies on the relationship between meteorological factors and the occurrence of dengue, malaria, cholera, and leptospirosis, and synthesized the key findings on communicable disease projection in the event of global warming. METHOD: This systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 flow checklist. Four databases (Web of Science, Ovid MEDLINE, Scopus, EBSCOhost) were searched for articles published from 2005 to 2020. The eligible articles were evaluated using a modified scale of a checklist designed for assessing the quality of ecological studies. RESULTS: A total of 38 studies were included in the review. Precipitation and temperature were most frequently associated with the selected climate-sensitive communicable diseases. A climate change scenario simulation projected that dengue, malaria, and cholera incidence would increase based on regional climate responses. CONCLUSION: Precipitation and temperature are important meteorological factors that influence the incidence of climate-sensitive communicable diseases. Future studies need to consider more determinants affecting precipitation and temperature fluctuations for better simulation and prediction of the incidence of climate-sensitive communicable diseases.