Knowledge, attitudes, and associated factors of caregivers towards children with autism spectrum disorder in East Coast Peninsular Malaysia.

Background: Caregivers are directly involved in managing the daily basic needs of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The knowledge and attitudes of these caregivers are important to achieving success in their roles. Thus, this study aimed to determine what constitutes good knowledge, attitudes, and associated factors among caregivers toward children with ASD. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 128 caregivers of children with ASD in Kota Bharu, Kelantan from May to August 2020, using convenience sampling. Validated questionnaires were used to assess the knowledge and attitudes toward children with ASD. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 24. Descriptive statistics and simple and multiple logistic regression analyses were then performed. Results: The response rate was 100%. The proportion of good knowledge and attitudes toward children with ASD among caregivers was 85.1% and 88.3%, respectively. Factors significantly associated with good knowledge were being female (OR (95% CI) 2.79 [0.99-7.90]) and ASD children being non-first-born children (OR (95% CI) 0.41 [0.15-1.12]). Factors significantly associated with good attitudes were age of 30 years and older (OR (95% CI) 0.13 [0.03-0.62]) and caregiver having other children with other types of learning difficulties (OR (95% CI) 0.15 [0.04, 0.52]). Conclusions: The proportion of caregivers with good knowledge of ASD and good attitudes toward children with ASD was high. The caregiver's age and sex, the position of the ASD child among the siblings, and the presence of other types of learning disorders in the family need to be considered when managing children with ASD.

Assessing knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward sexually transmitted infections among Baghdad undergraduate students for research-guided sexual health education.

Background: Sexually transmitted infections are common and tend to cause a lot of public misconceptions. This study was conducted to identify knowledge gaps and negative attitudes toward sexually transmitted infections and infected individuals among undergraduate students and give recommendations accordingly for the development of more objective research-guided health campaigns and school sex education programs. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted between May 17, 2022 and June 2, 2022 using a self-administrated questionnaire containing 84 items related to sexually transmitted infections distributed online to Baghdad-based university students. Result: The sample consisted of 823 respondents; 332 men and 491 women. Overall knowledge was moderate to high, with 628 individuals (76.3%) answering more than half the questions correctly. There was no difference according to gender or previous sexual experience, but knowledge increased by an average of 2.73 points (p < 0.001) when a participant knew a previously infected individual. Less than half identified systemic symptoms of STIs, and their knowledge of other HIV items was also poor. Most respondents (85.5%) agreed to the need for sex education during middle or high school and cited traditional barriers as the most critical barrier (64.8%); in comparison, those who did not agree on its need cited the sensitivity of the subject (40.3%) or religious barriers (20.2%) as more important. Conclusion: Specific knowledge gaps exist for HIV and non-HIV sexually transmitted infections; these should be addressed during sex education, focusing on specific high-risk groups. Negative attitudes and stigmatizing behavior should be addressed as well by increasing focused STI knowledge.

Malaria knowledge, attitude, and practice among communities involved in a seasonal malaria chemoprevention study in Nanyumbu and Masasi districts, Tanzania.

Background: Utilization of malaria interventions is influenced by, among other things, the level of knowledge and attitude that the community has toward the infection as well as the available interventions. This study assessed malaria knowledge, attitudes, and practices on malaria infection and interventions in Masasi and Nanyumbu districts, Tanzania. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted between August and September 2020, among the heads of households having at least one under-five child. Information on knowledge, attitudes, and practices on malaria infection and interventions was gathered from the heads of the households using a structured questionnaire. The knowledge level was classified into low, moderate, and high. Attitudes were classified into positive and negative, whereas the practices were classified into good and poor. Children aged between 3 and 59 months were screened for malaria infection using a malaria rapid diagnostic test (mRDT). The proportion of the households' heads with high level of knowledge was the primary outcome. Proportions were compared using Chi-square or fisher's test, and logistic regression analysis was used as appropriate. Results: A total of 1,556 household heads were interviewed, 1,167 (75.00%) were male, and according to marital status, 1,067 (68.57%) were couples. All the household heads had some knowledge of malaria, but 47.33% (736/1,555) and 13.83% (215/1,555) of them had moderate and high knowledge, respectively. The level of knowledge on malaria was significantly influenced by gender [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.72, 95.00% confidence interval (CI) = 0.56-0.94, p = 0.017], level of education (aOR = 1.50, 95.00% CI = 1.04-2.16, p = 0.03), and the occupation of the household head (aOR = 1.90, 95.00% CI = 1.22-2.96, p = 0.004). Majority of the households [83.87% (1,305/1,556)] had bed nets hanging on the sleeping spaces. Of the household heads possessing bed nets, 85.10% (514/604), 79.62% (586/736), and 95.35% (205/215) of them had a low, moderate, and high level of knowledge on malaria infection, respectively (trend x 2 = 31.53, p < 0.001). The majority [95.04% (1,474/1,551)] of the household heads perceived sleeping under the bed net to be beneficial. Furthermore, 15.56% (94/604), 14.67% (108/736), and 7.44% (16/215) of the household heads with low, moderate, and high knowledge, respectively, had children with malaria infection (trend x 2 = 9.172, p = 0.01). Conclusion: The study population had a good level of knowledge about malaria infection, and a good attitude toward malaria interventions, and the majority of them were using bed nets.

The relationship between diabetes-related knowledge and kidney disease knowledge, attitudes, and practices: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the main noncommunicable diseases encountered in primary health care clinics. DM is considered one of the most common causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD). In this study, we aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of patients with DM on the early detection and prevention of CKD, determine its relationship with other variables, and examine the relationship between KAP scores for the prevention and early detection of CKD and the Michigan Diabetic Knowledge Test. METHODS: We collected data from 2 Nablus primary healthcare centers using a questionnaire that contains three sections: sociodemographic section, questions related to DM, and CKD screening index, which is formed of three scales. We used the Michigan Diabetic Knowledge Test (MDKT) to assess the knowledge of diabetic patients. RESULTS: The study was carried out among 386 diabetic patients with a mean age of 57.62 ± 12.4 years (ranging from 28 to 90). The median (interquartile range) was 11 (8-14) for the knowledge scale, 56 (52-59) for the attitude scale, and 30 (26-33) for the practice scale. In the multiple linear regression, only patients under 55 years old (p = 0.012), with normal BMI (p = 0.030), high educational level (p < 0.001), high monthly income (p = 0.020), and MDKT test score (p = 0.007) were significantly associated with higher knowledge score. Furthermore, patients who were over or equal to 55 years old (p = 0.007), had a high monthly income (p = 0.016), used a single oral diabetic drug (p = 0.003), had a total number of medications less than 4 (p = 0.010), and had a high knowledge and MDKT test were significantly associated with a higher attitude score. Finally, a patient with normal BMI (p = 0.002), city residency (p = 0.034), high educational level (p = 0.003), less frequent tobacco use (p < 0.001), last HbA1c (p = 0.023) and greater knowledge, attitude, and MDKT score were significantly associated with better practices toward CKD prevention and early detection. CONCLUSION: Regarding KAP analysis, higher practice scores for the prevention and early detection of CKD were significantly associated with patients with normal BMI, being city residents, high educational level, less tobacco use, last HbA1c below 7, and higher knowledge, attitude, and MDKT score.

A Survey of Louisiana Pediatricians' Approach to Parenting Teens and Adolescent Reproductive Health.

OBJECTIVE: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pediatricians provide a medical home for adolescent parents, and this study sought to determine pediatricians' compliance with this recommendation within the context of other adolescent reproductive health services provided. METHODS: An Internet-based survey was administered to Louisiana pediatricians. The survey contained 17 Likert scale questions relating to sexual and reproductive health services provided to female and male adolescents, and ascertaining their comfort and experience with issues related to the care of adolescents, including adolescent mothers. Respondents also had the option of describing why they do or do not provide care to adolescent mothers. Lastly, the survey collected demographic characteristics modeled after the American Academy of Pediatrics Periodic Survey of Fellows. RESULTS: There were 101 survey respondents. Seventy-nine percent of pediatricians reported that they provide care to adolescent mothers and they were similar to those who did not with respect to sex, age, race and ethnicity, and training, but they differed by practice community and payer mix. Almost 30% of pediatricians never/rarely test their patients for pregnancy, and nearly 50% never/rarely prescribe contraception. Fifty-four percent agreed that adolescent mothers should continue receiving nonobstetric medical care from their pediatricians, and 70% believed that adolescent fathers should continue receiving medical care from their pediatricians. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that most Louisiana pediatricians provide care to adolescent mothers; however, knowledge gaps and misconceptions related to adolescent reproductive health persist among pediatricians, including those who refuse care to adolescent mothers. Research into provider-level barriers may inform interventions that improve adolescent parents' access to a pediatric medical home.

The Environmental Health Literacy of Italian General Population: The SPeRA Cross-Sectional Study.

Environmental health literacy (EHL) includes knowledge of health effects due to environmental exposure and skills to protect health from environmental risks. This study investigated some aspects about EHL of the Italian adult population. Data were collected through questionnaires (n = 672) and analysed through multivariable logistic regression models. Results showed that participants with incomplete/insufficient self-perceived knowledge of health effects due to environmental risks verified less information about this topic (adjOR = 0.38 (CI95% 0.25-0.59)/0.09 (0.04-0.21); p < 0.001/<0.001), potentially spreading fake news. The self-perceived exposure to pollution was higher in participants living in towns than in rural areas (small, medium, big towns adjOR = 2.37 (1.41-3.97), 2.10 (1.11-3.96), 3.11 (1.53-6.31); p = 0.001, 0.022, 0.002) and lower in participants with incomplete/insufficient knowledge about pollution effects (adjOR = 0.54 (0.32-0.92)/0.30 (0.13-0.67); p = 0.022/0.004), confirming that knowledge is essential to achieve awareness. Since insufficient self-perceived knowledge of pollution effects was negatively associated with the adoption of pro-environmental behaviours (adjOR = 0.37 (0.15-0.90); p = 0.028), EHL was proven to be a virtuous behaviour promoter. Finally, a lack of institutional support, time and cost were identified as barriers to pro-environmental behaviours. This study provided useful data to design prevention programmes, underlined some barriers to pro-environmental behaviours and highlighted the need to promote attitudes and behaviours aimed at contrasting environmental pollution, thus protecting human health.

Preliminary Investigation and Analysis of Beachgoers' Awareness of Rip Currents in South China.

Among many coastal hazards, rip currents have gradually become one of the most noticeable hazards. Studies have demonstrated that most drowning accidents at beaches around the world are related to rip currents. In this study, online and field questionnaires were combined for the first time to reveal beachgoers' awareness of rip currents in China from four aspects: demographic characteristics, swimming ability, information about visiting beaches, and knowledge about rip currents. One educational strategy was introduced to the field survey. The results suggest that (i) the proportion of online and field respondents who have heard of "rip currents" and seen warning signs of rip currents is extremely small. This reflects that beachgoers lack awareness of rip current hazards. Thus, China needs to strengthen the safety education of rip current knowledge. (ii) The level of awareness of rip currents can significantly affect the community's ability to identify the location of rip currents and their choice of escape direction. (iii) In the field survey, we implemented an educational strategy as an intervention for respondents, and the accuracy of identifying rip currents and choosing the correct escape route improved by 34% and 46.7%, respectively. This implies that the intervention of educational strategy can significantly deepen beachgoers' awareness of rip currents. It is recommended that more educational strategies about rip current knowledge be implemented on Chinese beaches in the future.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perception as Predictors of COVID-19 Safety Practices of Ride-Hailing Operators in Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Since its outbreak, health authorities have launched vigorous COVID-19 health promotion campaigns. This study assesses ride-hailing operators' COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes, and practices in Ghana, with the aim of engendering precautionary behaviour among the populace. A complementary mixed methods approach was adopted. This involved a cross-sectional survey of 1014 participants who were also allowed to share their COVID-19-related lived experiences qualitatively after successfully completing the survey. The aggregate correct knowledge score was 84%. Most respondents were frightful of the virus (96%), but the majority had faith in the COVID-19 protocols (87%). Thus, most participants reported high use of face masks (95%) and practise personal hygiene (92%). However, social media misinformation and the subsequent complacency have dissuaded some participants from complying with the safety protocols. The qualitative data also show evidence of high susceptibility to COVID-19. The perceived benefits of safe behaviour, including masking up, were equally high among drivers surveyed, albeit barriers to preventative behaviours remain rife. Therefore, this study emphasises the importance of sustaining and improving public awareness by highlighting the susceptibility of all demographic groups to the virus and the need to counteract misinformation on social media.

Knowledge, Awareness, and Attitude of Healthcare Stakeholders on Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia in Qatar.

Dementia is characterized by progressive cognitive decline, memory impairment, and disability. Alzheimer's disease (AD) accounts for 60-70% of cases, followed by vascular and mixed dementia. Qatar and the Middle East are at increased risk owing to aging populations and high prevalence of vascular risk factors. Appropriate levels of knowledge, attitudes, and awareness amongst health care professionals (HCPs) are the need of the hour, but literature indicates that these proficiencies may be inadequate, outdated, or markedly heterogenous. In addition to a review of published quantitative surveys investigating similar questions in the Middle East, a pilot cross-sectional online needs-assessment survey was undertaken to gauge these parameters of dementia and AD among healthcare stakeholders in Qatar between 19 April and 16 May 2022. Overall, 229 responses were recorded between physicians (21%), nurses (21%), and medical students (25%), with two-thirds from Qatar. Over half the respondents reported that >10% of their patients were elderly (>60 years). Over 25% reported having contact with >50 patients with dementia or neurodegenerative disease annually. Over 70% had not undertake related education/training in the last 2 years. The knowledge of HCPs regarding dementia and AD was moderate (mean score of 5.3 ± 1.5 out of 7) and their awareness of recent advances in basic disease pathophysiology was lacking. Differences existed across professions and location of respondents. Our findings lay the groundwork for a call-to-action for healthcare institutions to improve dementia care within Qatar and the Middle East region.

Doping in Sport-Attitudes of Physical Trainers Students Regarding the Use of Prohibited Substances Increasing Performance.

BACKGROUND: The popularity of using the advice of a personal trainer is increasing in Poland and currently most gyms offer the possibility of training under the supervision of a professional. Personal trainers present a multifaceted nature into physical activity and become their clients' guides in achieving sporting goals. Physical trainers also work in sports clubs and supervise the training of people professionally involved in sport. AIM: Given the professional role that they play, this article aimed to analyze the knowledge and attitudes of personal trainers towards using prohibited measures to improve performance in sport, as well as counteraction measures. METHODS: The study used a questionnaire created by the authors containing closed, semi-open, and open questions. RESULTS: The results of the presented research indicate that most physical trainers and students educated in this field have a negative attitude towards the use of prohibited measures that increase performance but they noticed that doping was common in sport by 88.51% respondents. In the group of personal trainers, the majority (87.14%) admitted that good results in sport could be achieved without the use of doping. They stated that it was unfair (25%), contrary to the fair play principle-16%, while over 11% indicated this as cheating. Only 6% of people pointed out that it was legally prohibited and 3% that it was harmful. These results show that 10.13% of all respondents believe that the use of doping is a necessity to achieve very good results in sport. CONCLUSIONS: The availability of doping substances is statistically correlated with the question of persuading to use doping in both groups of trainers and students and some people justify the use of doping. The research proved that the personal trainers' level of knowledge on doping is still insufficient.

Don't Follow the Smoke-Listening to the Tobacco Experiences and Attitudes of Urban Aboriginal Adolescents in the Study of Environment on Aboriginal Resilience and Child Health (SEARCH).

Preventing smoking among young Aboriginal people is important for reducing health inequities. Multiple factors were associated with adolescent smoking in the SEARCH baseline survey (2009-12) and discussed in a follow-up qualitative study that aimed to inform prevention programs. Twelve yarning circles were facilitated by Aboriginal research staff at two NSW sites in 2019 with 32 existing SEARCH participants aged 12-28 (17 female, 15 male). Open discussion around tobacco was followed by a card sorting activity, prioritising risk and protective factors and program ideas. The age of initiation varied by generation. Older participants had established smoking in their early adolescence, whereas the current younger teens had little exposure. Some smoking commenced around high school (from Year 7), and social smoking increased at age 18. Mental and physical health, smoke-free spaces and strong connections to family, community and culture promoted non-smoking. The key themes were (1) drawing strength from culture and community; (2) how the smoking environment shapes attitudes and intentions; (3) non-smoking as a sign of good physical, social and emotional wellbeing; and (4) the importance of individual empowerment and engagement for being smoke-free. Programs promoting good mental health and strengthening cultural and community connections were identified as a priority for prevention.

Associated factors for multidimensional attitudes and behaviors of reproductive health toward pregnancy among early and late adolescents in Tanzania: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent pregnancy is a serious reproductive health problem in Tanzania. However, the risk factors for multidimensional attitudes and behaviors of reproductive health toward pregnancy in Tanzanian adolescents remain unexplored. METHODS: We collected baseline characteristics and information on attitudes and behaviors of reproductive health from 4161 Tanzanian adolescents in all 54 primary and secondary schools in the Korogwe district. We applied mixed effect multiple regression analyses stratified by sex to find the factors related to reproductive health attitudes and behaviors toward pregnancy. RESULTS: In female students, regarding the attitudes of reproductive health, higher age, hope for marriage in the future, a talk with a parent about sex or pregnancy, and a higher hope score were significantly associated with a lower score. For the behaviors of reproductive health, higher age, a talk with a parent about sex or pregnancy, time to talk with a parent about daily life, and a higher hope score were significantly associated with a lower score. In male students, regarding the attitudes of reproductive health, a higher hope score was significantly associated with a lower score. For the behaviors of reproductive health, higher age, time to talk with a parent about daily life, and a higher hope score was significantly associated with a lower score. CONCLUSIONS: The heterogeneous factor-outcomes association between female and male students suggested that sex-specialized interventions may be required to change their risky attitudes or behaviors of reproductive health. Although we cannot conclude as points of intervention, our study suggested that it may be practical to improve parent-adolescents communication about sex or reproductive health and change adolescents' views of pregnancy or marriage for gaining financial or social status.

Knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding proton pump inhibitors among community pharmacists and pharmacy students.

Background: There are concerns about inappropriate use and insufficient knowledge of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) use among medical staff. Aims: This study was designed to examine pharmacy students' and community pharmacists' knowledge, attitude, and practices toward PPIs and their relationship with specific sociodemographic characteristics. Subjects and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on the pharmacy students (first and last year) at Eastern Mediterranean University and community pharmacists in North Cyprus Data were collected by a validated questionnaire, which assessed knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding PPI use. Students were included without sampling in a volunteer-based manner. Registered community pharmacists were selected randomly. Results: First-year pharmacy students (n = 77) showed significantly lower knowledge levels than last-year students (12.00 vs. 13.65; P < 0.001); however, there was no significant difference between last-year students (n = 111) and community pharmacists (n = 59). First-year pharmacy students were significantly less aware of PPIs' "dosage and administration" than the other two groups. Last-year students and community pharmacists exhibited significantly higher attitude scores regarding PPI use (24.7 and 24.6 vs. 22.7; P < 0.001). Omeprazole was found to be the most preferred PPI among the three studied populations. Community pharmacists used PPIs mainly to treat acid reflux. Gender, nationality, and pharmacy education program type did not influence pharmacy students' knowledge, attitude, or practices. Conclusions: There was not a significant difference regarding knowledge and attitude between the last-year pharmacy students and community pharmacists. The practices of community pharmacists were significantly different from the pharmacy students. It was concluded that certain essential topics regarding PPI use should be emphasized in pharmacy education and during pharmacy practice. Further, it is essentially important for community pharmacists to continue their education through training programs after graduation to enhance their knowledge of PPI use.

Knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and practice toward seasonal influenza and its vaccine: A cross-sectional study from a country of conflict.

Background: The seasonal influenza vaccine is an important preventive measure against influenza and its associated complications. In Yemen, there is no seasonal influenza vaccination policy, and the influenza vaccine is excluded from the national immunization program. Data on vaccination coverage remain scarce with no previous surveillance programs or awareness campaigns implemented in the country. The current study aims to assess the awareness, knowledge, and attitudes of the public in Yemen toward seasonal influenza and their motivators and perceived barriers to receiving its vaccine. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire that was distributed to eligible participants using convenience sampling. Results: A total of 1,396 participants completed the questionnaire. The respondents showed a median knowledge score of influenza of 11.0/15.0, and most of them (70%) were able to recognize its modes of transmission. However, only 11.3% of the participants reported receiving the seasonal influenza vaccine. Physicians were the respondents' most preferred information source for influenza (35.2%), and their recommendation (44.3%) was the most cited reason for taking its vaccine. On the contrary, not knowing about the vaccine's availability (50.1%), concerns regarding the safety of the vaccine (17%), and not considering influenza as a threat (15.9%) were the main reported barriers to getting vaccinated. Conclusion: The current study showed a low uptake of influenza vaccines in Yemen. The physician's role in promoting influenza vaccination seems to be essential. Extensive and sustained awareness campaigns would likely increase the awareness of influenza and remove misconceptions and negative attitudes toward its vaccine. Equitable access to the vaccine can be promoted by providing it free of charge to the public.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of childhood myopia among Indian optometrists: A questionnaire-based study.

Purpose: To investigate the knowledge of myopia and its natural history including complications and clinical approaches for management adopted by optometrists across India. Methods: An online survey was distributed to Indian optometrists. A pre-validated questionnaire was adopted from previous literature. Respondents provided information about their demographics (gender, age, practice location, and modality), myopia knowledge, self-reported practice behaviors relating to childhood myopia, the information and evidence base used to guide their practice, and perceived extent of adult caregiver engagement in making management decisions for myopic children. Results: A total of 302 responses were collected from different regions of the country. Most respondents demonstrated knowledge of the association between high myopia and retinal breaks, retinal detachment and primary open-angle glaucoma. Optometrists used a range of techniques to diagnose childhood myopia, with a preference for non-cycloplegic refractive measures. The most common approaches to management were single-vision distance despite most optometrists identifying orthokeratology and low-dose (0.01%) topical atropine as two potentially more effective therapeutic interventions for controlling childhood myopia progression. Almost 90% of respondents considered increasing the time spent outdoors to be beneficial for reducing the rate of myopia progression. The main sources of information used to guide clinical practice were continuing education conferences, seminars, research articles, and workshops. Conclusion: : Indian optometrists appear to be aware of emerging evidence and practices, but are not routinely adopting measures. Clinical guidelines, regulatory approval, and sufficient consultation time may be of value for assisting practitioners in making clinical decisions based on the current available research evidence.

Knowledge, attitude and practice on screening and early diagnosis of prostate cancer of primary health care providers in the Free State.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer is topmost in terms of incidence and mortality among men in sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa. Prostate cancer screening is beneficial only to certain categories of men, making a rational screening approach necessary. AIM: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) regarding prostate cancer screening among primary health care (PHC) providers in the Free State, South Africa. SETTING: Selected district hospitals, local clinics and general practice rooms. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional analytical survey. Participating nurses and community health workers (CHWs) were selected through stratified random sampling. All available medical doctors and clinical associates were approached to participate, totalling 548 participants. Relevant information was obtained from these PHC providers using self-administered questionnaires. Both descriptive and analytical statistics were computed using Statistical Analysis System (SAS) Version 9. A p-value 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Most participants had poor knowledge (64.8%), neutral attitudes (58.6%) and poor practice (40.0%). Female PHC providers, lower cadre nurses and CHWs had lower mean knowledge scores. Not participating in prostate cancer-related continuing medical education was associated with poor knowledge (p 0.001), negative attitudes (p = 0.047) and poor practice (p 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study established appreciable KAP gaps relating to prostate cancer screening among PHC providers. Identified gaps should be addressed through the preferred teaching and learning strategies suggested by the participants.Contribution: This study establishes the need to address KAP gaps regarding prostate cancer screening among PHC providers; therefore necessitating the capacity-building roles of district family physicians.

Health literacy affected the residents' knowledge, attitude, practice for prevention and control of COVID-19 in Shanxi Province, China.

Multistage stratified random sampling was used to explore the relationship of health literacy with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention and control knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) in residents aged 15-69 years old in Shanxi Province. The questionnaire, which was issued by the Chinese Center for Health Education, consisted of a health literacy questionnaire and a COVID-19 prevention and control KAP questionnaire. According to the national unified scoring method, the participants were divided into two groups: those who with adequate health literacy and those who with inadequate health literacy. The results of the answer to each KAP question were compared between the two groups by Chi-square test or Wilcoxon rank sum test. Binary logistic regression was used to control confounding effects of socio-demographic characteristics to draw relatively reliable conclusions. A total of 2700 questionnaires were distributed, and 2686 valid questionnaires were returned, with an efficiency rate of 99.5%. Health literacy qualified was identified for 18.32% (492/2686) in Shanxi Province. Compared with the inadequate health literacy group, people with adequate health literacy had a higher corrected answer rate in 11 knowledge-related questions (all P < 0.001); showed more positive answer to each attitude-related question in the three aspects, namely, responsibility for the prevention and control of infectious disease transmission, evaluation for COVID-19-related information release and reporting, and evaluation for the government's COVID-19 prevention and control results (all P < 0.001); and acted more actively in the practice concerning appropriate self-prevention and control behaviors during the COVID-19 outbreak (all P < 0.001). Logistic regression analyses confirmed that with adequate health literacy played a positive role in each of the contents of COVID-19 prevention and control KAP (ORs were between 1.475 and 4.862, all P < 0.001). Health literacy is closely related to COVID-19 prevention and control KAP in the general population of Shanxi Province. People with high score of health literacy were generally better able to grasp COVID-19 prevention and control knowledge, have more positive attitudes toward prevention and control, and perform better prevention and control behaviors. Promoting residents' health literacy by targeted health education can play an important and positive role in dealing with the threat of major infectious diseases outbreaks.

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Regarding Traditional and Complimentary Medicine in Oman.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding traditional medicine (TM) in Oman and examine the factors that necessitate its use. Methods: This cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted among the general population from November 2019 and March 2020. All Omani nationals above the age of 18 were eligible to be enrolled. The questionnaire consisted of questions on the knowledge, attitudes and use regarding traditional medicine in Oman. Results: A total of 598 responses to the questionnaire were received (response rate: 85.4%), of which 552 were deemed complete. Most responses were received from males (62.5%) and the sample had a mean age of 33.6 ± 7.7 years. A majority of the respondents (90%) were aware of the different types of TM in Oman; a high percentage (81.5%) felt that it was effective. Most (67.8%) had tried at least one method of TM use. Individuals who were older had tried TM compared to those who had not (34.5 ± 7.8 years versus 31.8 ± 7.2 years; P <0.001); in addition, more males than females (72.2% versus 27.8%; P <0.001) and those with full-time employment than those without had tried TM (84.2% versus 14.2%; P <0.001). Herbal medications (65.8%) and traditional massage (60.4%) were the most common forms of TM practice. Among females, herbal medications (69.2%) and massage (63.5%) are most often used; among males, cupping (65.2%) followed by herbal medications (64.4%) and massage (59.3%) were used more often. Notably, back pain (74.3%) was the most common condition for which TM was reportedly used, with only a small percentage (8.3%) reporting any concomitant side-effects. Conclusion: There is widespread use of TM among Oman's urban population. An improved understanding of their benefits will facilitate their incorporation into modern health care services.

Public awareness, specific knowledge, and worry about mpox (monkeypox): A preliminary community-based study in Shenzhen, China.

Background: The mpox (monkeypox) outbreak has been declared to be a public health emergency of international concern by the Director-General of World Health Organization in July 2022. However, evidence regarding the awareness, knowledge, and worry about mpox in the general population remains scant. Methods: A community-based survey targeting community residents was preliminarily conducted in Shenzhen, China in August 2022 by using a convenience sampling method. Information on mpox-related awareness, knowledge, and worry was collected from each participant. Binary logistic regression analyses with the stepwise procedure were applied to explore the factors associated with awareness, knowledge, and worry about mpox. Results: A total of 1028 community residents were included in the analysis (mean age: 34.70 years). Among these participants, 77.9% had ever heard of mpox, and 65.3% were aware of the global outbreak of mpox. However, only about half of them had a high level of knowledge regarding mpox (56.5%) and related symptoms (49.7%). More than one-third of them (37.1%) expressed a high level of worry about mpox. Having high knowledge levels of mpox and related symptoms were positively associated with a high level of worry (OR: 1.79, 95%CI: 1.22~2.63 for a single high knowledge level; OR: 1.98, 95%CI: 1.47~2.66 for both high knowledge levels). Conclusions: This study identified the gaps in public awareness and specific knowledge of mpox in Chinese people, providing scientific evidence for the prevention and control network of mpox at the community level. Targeted health education programs are of urgent need, which should be implemented along with psychological interventions to release public worry if necessary.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices of infection prevention and control among healthcare workers during the COVID 19 pandemic: a descriptive cross-sectional study in three Nigerian states.

BACKGROUND: Emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic created unexpected challenges for health care workers. The global and national supply chain system was disrupted, and affected infection, prevention and control (IPC) practices. This study aimed at documenting health workers knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) on IPC in Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The descriptive, mixed-methods cross-sectional study was conducted in Ebonyi, Ondo and Niger states in October 2020. A structured questionnaire was administered to the health workers, complemented by semi-structured interviews that were audio recorded, transcribed and analyzed in Atlas.ti. Quantitative data were entered into REDCap and cleaned, transformed and analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS version 25.0 Findings from the qualitative interviews were used to explain the trends observed from quantitative study. RESULTS: There were demographic differences between community and facility-based health workers in our population. A greater proportion of facility-based providers reported having IPC training compared to community-based health workers ever (p < 0.01) and during the pandemic (p < 0.05). Health care workers had moderate knowledge of general IPC, and attitudes toward and practice of IPC during COVID-19 pandemic. However, the knowledge of the relative effectiveness of prevention measures was low. The mean knowledge scores were greater among facility-based workers compared to community based healthcare workers (p = 0.001). Self-reported IPC practices increased during the pandemic compared to prior to the pandemic, with the exception of the use of N-95 masks and hand sanitizer. CONCLUSION: This study found moderate IPC knowledge, attitudes and practices in our study population during the pandemic as compared to pre-pandemic for the study found gaps in correct hand hygienevaried application of different IPC practices to ensure adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures. The study recommends sustained training for IPC and encourages policy makers that budget line specific to COVID-19 response across all the levels of health care delivery will enhance compliance and emergency readiness.