Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Adherence Among Men Who Have Sex With Men: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The effectiveness and efficiency of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in reducing the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among men who have sex with men (MSM) relies on how widely it is adopted and adhered to, particularly among high-risk groups of MSM. The meta-analysis aimed to collect and analyze existing evidence on various factors related to PrEP adherence in MSM, including demographic characteristics, sexual behaviors, substance use, and psychosocial factors. METHODS: The meta-analysis followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. The search included articles published between January 2018 and December 2022, obtained from the PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus databases. The studies that were included in the analysis reported the proportion of MSM who demonstrated adherence to PrEP and underwent quality appraisal using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. RESULTS: Of the 268 studies initially identified, only 12 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final meta-analysis. The findings indicated that education (odds ratio [OR], 1.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12 to 2.40), number of sexual partners (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.31), engaging in sexual activities with an human immunodeficiency virus-positive partner (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.16 to 2.26), substance use (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.70 to 0.99), and lower levels of depression (OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.37 to 0.82) were associated with higher rates of PrEP adherence among MSM. CONCLUSIONS: Despite these findings, further research is necessary to investigate PrEP adherence more comprehensively. The findings of this meta-analysis can be utilized to inform interventions aimed at improving PrEP adherence among MSM and provide directions for future research in this area.

Causal model of health literacy in dietary supplement use and sufficient health behavior among working-age adults.

Background: Sufficient health behavior (SHB) and health literacy in dietary supplement use (HL-DSU) are the key determinants of health status. However, the link between HL-DSU and SHB is not fully understood. Therefore, the objective of this research was to investigate the model and identify the size of its effect on HL-DSU and SHB among adults of working age. Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional survey design, with cluster random sampling used for the selection of 696 working-age adults ranging from 20-59 years. Data on their SHB, HL-DSU, awareness of dietary supplement advertising (DSA), and social support were collected from August to October 2021 through questionnaires employing a 5-point rating scale. Content validity was determined using item-objective congruence (IOC) values ranging from 0.6 to 1.0 obtained for each item on the questionnaire. The Cronbach's alpha values ranging from 0.93 to 0.96 indicated reliability, while the independent t-test, descriptive analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were performed. Results: SHB is defined as the health-beneficial behaviors based on a balanced lifestyle, utilizing conceptual approaches resulting in positive health outcomes relating to fundamental goals in the use of dietary supplements and other contexts emphasizing sufficiency. The causal model was found to fit the empirical data with an acceptable goodness-of-fit value. The findings indicate that social support, awareness of DSA, and HL-DSU directly affect SHB (Beta of 0.33, 0.20, and 0.13, respectively, p < .05) and could predict 34% of SHB overall. HL-DSU is shown to be significantly and directly impacted by social support and awareness of DSA, with influence coefficients of 0.36 and 0.57, respectively. The variance of HL-DSU can be predicted by these two factors as 67%. Conclusion: The establishment of campaign activities to promote awareness regarding the advantage and disadvantages, as well as media literacy of supplementary food products in health centers and communities, should be the focus of healthcare providers.

Health literacy in dietary supplement use among working-age groups: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Globally, dietary supplement use (DSU) is very popular against COVID19. This study aims to investigate the characteristics of research on health literacy (HL) in DSU and compare HL among working-age groups by reviewing related research between 2011 and 2021 in PubMed, SCOPUS, ClinicalKey, Google Scholar and ThaiJO. Methods: Twenty-five articles that met the inclusion criteria were selected for study and analyzed using Cohen's d. Results: The results showed that HL affected dietary supplement (DS) consumption behavior among working-age groups with an average effect size of 0.423 (95% CI = 0.249-0.598), followed by disclosure of DSU with an average effect size of 0.220 (95% CI = 0.087-0.353). No effect was found on awareness of dietary supplement advertisements. Conclusion: The discovery of such knowledge is a significant contribution to public health, leading to the development of interventions and policies for enhancing HL in DSU e.g. organizing knowledge-sharing workshops on DSU and building support networks across all sectors.

Meta-skills development needs assessment among undergraduate students.

Needs assessment is the process of measuring the gaps between current and desired states. It plays a vital role in the development of an individual's meta-skills in preparing students for the future. The objectives of this study were 1) to study the students' desired and current meta-skills and 2) to identify the priority needs in developing the meta-skills of undergraduate students. The sample consisted of 400 undergraduate students enrolled in public universities in Bangkok during the first semester of the 2020 academic year selected by multi-stage random sampling. The research instrument was the Meta-skills Development Needs Assessment Questionnaire for Undergraduate Students. Mean, standard deviation, dependent samples t test, and the Modified Priority Needs Index analysis were carried out on the data. The results showed that the mean scores of the desired major components were higher than those of the current ones at a significance level of .05. Moreover, the undergraduate students needed to develop creative problem-solving the most (PNImodified = 0.32), followed by resilience (PNImodified = 0.21) and self-awareness (PNImodified = 0.16), respectively. The results of this study can be used to design and develop programmes or policies to foster the meta-skills that are needed by students in this era of change.

Mindfulness interventions reduce blood pressure in patients with non-communicable diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Mindfulness based interventions (MBIs) are an emerging area of empirical study, not only in positive psychology, but also in clinical health care. This research aims to synthesize the evidence about whether MBIs reduce blood pressure (BP) in patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs). METHODS: Relevant studies were identified via PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase and the CINAHL database between 2009 and 2019. The papers selected focused on mindfulness and the effect of these on the BP of patients with NCDs. The change in SBP and DBP were meta-analyzed, stratified by type of intervention (Breathing awareness meditation (BAM), Mindfulness Meditation (MM), and Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR). RESULTS: Fourteen articles met eligibility criteria and were included in the final review. Among the studies using the type and duration of intervention, systolic BP was reduced after the mindfulness-based stress reduction for 8 weeks (-6.90 mmHg [95% CI: -10.82, -2.97], p < .050), followed by the breathing awareness meditation for 12 weeks (-4.10 mmHg [95% CI: -7.54, -0.66], p < .050) and the mindfulness-based intervention for 8 weeks (-2.69 mmHg [95% CI: -3.90, -1.49], p < .050) whereas diastolic BP was reduced after the mindfulness-based stress reduction for 8 weeks (-2.45 mmHg [95% CI: -3.74, -1.17], p < .050) and the mindfulness-based intervention for 8 weeks (-2.24 mmHg [95% CI: -3.22, -1.26], p < .050). CONCLUSION: MBIs can provide effective alternative therapies to assist in blood pressure reduction for patients with NCDs.