Socioeconomic inequalities in child and adolescent mental health in Australia: the role of parenting style and parents' relationships.

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic inequalities in health and their determinants have been studied extensively over the past few decades. However, the role of parenting style and parents' couple relationships in explaining mental health inequalities is limited. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the distributional impact of parenting style (angry parenting, consistent parenting, and inductive parenting) and parents' couple relationships (e.g., argumentative, happy relationships) on socioeconomic inequalities and by extension on mental health status of Australian children and adolescents. METHODS: This study utilized data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (Waves 1-7), specifically focusing on intact biological parent families, while excluding single-parent and blended-family households. We applied the decomposition index and the Blinder Oaxaca method to investigate the extent of the contribution and temporal impact of parenting style and parents' couple relationships on the mental health status of Australian children and adolescents. RESULTS: This study revealed that poor parenting style is the single most important factor that leads to developing mental health difficulties in children and adolescents, especially from low socioeconomic status, and it contributes almost 52% to socioeconomic inequalities in mental health status. Conversely, household income, maternal education, employment status, and parents' couple relationships contributed 28.04%, 10.67%, 9.28%, and 3.34%, respectively, to mental health inequalities in children and adolescents. CONCLUSION: Overall, this study underscores the importance of parenting style and parents' couple relationships as significant predictors of mental health outcomes in children and adolescents. These results highlight the need for targeted interventions to support families from low socioeconomic backgrounds to address the significant mental health inequalities observed in the study population.

Socioeconomic status and health behavior in children and adolescents: a systematic literature review.

Socioeconomic status affects individuals' health behaviors and contributes to a complex relationship between health and development. Due to this complexity, the relationship between SES and health behaviors is not yet fully understood. This literature review, therefore, aims to assess the association between socioeconomic status and health behaviors in childhood and adolescence. Preferred Reporting for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis protocol guidelines were used to conduct a systematic literature review. The electronic online databases EBSCO Host, PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct were utilized to systematically search published articles. The Joanna Briggs Institute's critical appeal tool was used to assess the quality of included studies. Eligibility criteria such as study context, study participants, study setting, outcome measures, and key findings were used to identify relevant literature that measured the association between socioeconomic status and health behaviors. Out of 2,391 studies, only 46 met the final eligibility criteria and were assessed in this study. Our review found that children and adolescents with low socioeconomic status face an elevated risk of unhealthy behaviors (e.g., early initiation of smoking, high-energy-dense food, low physical activity, and involvement in drug abuse), in contrast to their counterparts. Conversely, children and adolescents from higher socioeconomic backgrounds exhibit a higher prevalence of health-promoting behaviors, such as increased consumption of fruit and vegetables, dairy products, regular breakfast, adherence to a nutritious diet, and engagement in an active lifestyle. The findings of this study underscore the necessity of implementing specific intervention measures aimed at providing assistance to families from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds to mitigate the substantial disparities in health behavior outcomes in children and adolescents.

Knowledge on tuberculosis and utilization of DOTS service by tuberculosis patients in Lalitpur District, Nepal.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis is one of the major infectious diseases and is both complex and serious. It is spread from person to person through the air, causing a public health burden, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This study aims to assess the knowledge on tuberculosis and the utilization of Directly-Observed Therapy, Short Course (DOTS) service from the public DOTS centers in Lalitpur district of Nepal. METHOD: A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 23 DOTS centers in Lalitpur district. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was applied to assess the knowledge on tuberculosis and utilization of DOTS among people living with tuberculosis. RESULTS: Among 390 respondents, 80% of patients had knowledge of tuberculosis and 76.92% utilized the DOTS service from the DOTS center. People of higher age (50-60 years) [aOR; 13.96, 95% CI 4.79,40.68], [aOR; 10.84,95% CI 4.09,28.76] had significantly more knowledge on TB and utilization of the DOTS service compared to the younger group. Additionally, those who completed twelfth class [aOR; 2.25, 95% CI 0.46,11.07] and [aOR;2.47, 95% CI 0.51,11.28] had greater knowledge of Tuberculosis and utilization of DOTS compared to those who had not completed twelfth class. Likewise, compared to urban residents, respondents in rural areas (aOR; 0.51, 95% CI 0.27,0.97) had less knowledge of tuberculosis, (aOR; 0.57, 95% CI 0.32,1) and less chance of utilization of the DOTS service from the DOTS center. CONCLUSION: Approximately one quarter of patients did not have adequate knowledge of tuberculosis and were not utilizing the DOTS service, particularly in younger age groups, people living in a combined family, with no education, poor economic position, and from rural areas. Findings of this study revealed that some specific programs are needed for enhancing the knowledge and utilization of DOTS, particularly for those patients whose economic situations extended from low to mid range.

Educational Intervention of Intention Change for Consumption of Junk Food among School Adolescents in Birgunj Metropolitan City, Nepal, Based on Theory of Planned Behaviors.

Consumption of junk food among adolescents has been recognized as a serious health problem in the world. Therefore, this study aims to assess the effectiveness of an educational intervention program (interactive lecture) based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) for reducing junk food consumption among school adolescents in Birgunj Metropolitan City, Nepal. A structured questionnaire was deployed for collecting the data from four government schools. Pretest and Posttest group study design and simple random sampling techniques were used. A multiple linear regression model and a paired t-test were used to assess the effectiveness of an educational intervention program. The theory of planned behavior indicates that behavioral intention of junk food consumption was different in pretest and posttest [5.43 ± 1.3 and 7.96 ± 0.3]. Furthermore, the average score of attitude toward junk food consumption was 11.9 ± 1.5 and 16.3 ± 1.6. Meanwhile, perceived behavior control (PBC) toward junk food was also different after intervention [2.42 ± 0.50 and 3.13 ± 0.58]. The interactive lecture method was proved an effective education program for changing the intentions of adolescent students and preventing them from consuming junk food which were statistically significant (<0.05). In addition, behavioral intention of junk food consumption, attitude toward junk food consumption, and perceived behavioral control toward junk food were statistically significant (<0.05). Therefore, study concluded that the intervention program has positive influence on the perceived behavior without control group of school-going adolescents.

Estimation of under-5 child mortality rates in 52 low-migration countries.

Reduction of the under-5 mortality rate is a target of the Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate under-5 child mortality rates in 52 low-migration countries using population data. The study utilized population data from the US Census Bureau from 1990 to 2015. The method involved first estimating mortality rates for countries with negligible net migration and then applying these rates to countries with matching mortality profiles, where it is reasonable to assume that migration is negligible for children under the age of 5 years. The highest child mortality was concentrated in the African region, followed by Asia and the Western region. However, steady progress in child mortality trends was concentrated in low-income countries. This simple method demonstrated that child mortality has significantly improved in high-income countries, followed by middle- and low-income countries. To reduce the under-5 mortality rates even further in these 52 countries, there is a need to accelerate equitable plans and policies related to child health to promote children's longevity and survival.

Sexual harassment in public transportation among female student in Kathmandu valley.

PURPOSE: Sexual harassment has been recognized as a serious problem in the world. It reduces the dignity of human rights. Therefore, this study aims to identify the prevalence of sexual harassment in public transportation and its consequences on female students in the Kathmandu valley of Nepal. METHODS: A structured questionnaire was applied for collecting the data from five health science locations in the Kathmandu Valley. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify the association with sexual harassment and its determinants. RESULTS: The female student who lived far away from campus (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =9.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] =0.56, 14.03) and lived alone (AOR =10.44, 95% CI =2.83, 38.46) had more chance to be harassed. However, those students who traveled sometimes (AOR =0.01, 95% CI =0, 0.03) had a lower chance to face sexual harassment in public transportation. CONCLUSION: Sexual harassment in public transportation was found to be significantly higher in female students who live alone and who travel more frequently in the evening. In addition, the study concluded that public vehicles are strongly associated with sexual harassment among female students in the Kathmandu Valley.

Factors Associated With Stillbirth Among Pregnant Women in Nepal.

OBJECTIVES: Stillbirth is a common adverse pregnancy outcome that represents a distressing and traumatic event for women and their partners. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with stillbirth in ever-pregnant women in Nepal. METHODS: This study utilized the individual women's dataset from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey, conducted in 2016. The dependent variable of interest was whether women had at least 1 stillbirth during their lifetime. The associations between independent variables and the dependent variable of the study were analyzed using a multiple logistic regression model. RESULTS: Among 8918 ever-pregnant women aged 15-49 years, 488 had experienced at least 1 stillbirth during their lifetime, representing 5.5% of the total. After adjusting each factor for the confounding effects of other factors, maternal age, maternal education, place of residence, and sub-region remained significantly associated with having experienced stillbirth. CONCLUSIONS: Stillbirth continues to be a major problem among women, especially those with higher maternal age, those who are illiterate, and residents of certain geographical regions. To minimize stillbirth in Nepal, plans and policies should be focused on women with low education levels and residents of rural areas, especially in the western mountain and far-western hill regions.

Patterns and trends of malaria in 25 risk districts of Nepal from 2001 to 2017.

PURPOSE: Malaria has been one of a major infectious parasitic disease in Nepal. Although the number of cases is gradually getting declined since last decade. Therefore, study aims to identify the trends and spatial patterns of malaria among 25 risk districts of Nepal. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study utilized the secondary data of malaria cases from the annual reports (2001-2017) of Department of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Population of Nepal. Linear regression of log-transformed incidence rates model was used for assessing variation of malaria cases for year and districts. RESULTS: There was evidence of decrease in the trend of malaria (2001-2009); however, the upward trend was revealed in 2010, after that, it starts to decline and again in 2017, it started to grow up. The malaria cases were marked variations by location with higher rates occurring in Dadeldhura, Kanchanpur, Kailali, Bardiya, and Jhapa districts, respectively. CONCLUSION: In this regards, malaria cases are still causing the threat in the Terai district of Nepal; however, there were fluctuating patterns of disease noted during the study periods.

HIV awareness and safe sexual behaviors among female sex workers in Kathmandu valley of Nepal.

PURPOSE: Knowledge on HIV and safe sex practices are the main determinants for the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS transmission. The aim of this study was to assess HIV awareness and safe sexual behavior among the female sex workers (FSWs) in the Kathmandu valley of Nepal. METHODS: The study was based on data secondary to Integrated Biological and Behavioral Surveillance surveys of 2093 FSWs in Kathmandu valley from 2006 to 2015. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify the factors associated with knowledge and misconceptions about HIV (BCDEF) and safe sexual practices (consistent condom use with regular clients and nonpaying partners). RESULTS: FSWs who had secondary education (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=2.08, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.60, 2.70) and visited the drop-in center (DIC) (AOR=1.34, 95% CI=1.02, 1.75) in the last year had more knowledge and misconceptions about HIV (BCDEF). FSWs who had consistent condom use with nonpaying partners (AOR=1.60, 95% CI=1.23, 2.09), had a HIV test (AOR=1.34, 95% CI=1.02, 1.76), met peer educators (PEs) (AOR=1.49, 95% CI=1.17, 1.91) and visited the DIC in the last year (AOR=1.32, 95% CI=1.01, 1.72) had a higher chance of condom use with clients. Married FSWs (AOR=2.23, 95% CI=1.57, 3.17) and FSWs who met PEs in the last year were more likely to have condom use with nonpaying partners (AOR=1.42, 95% CI=1.04, 1.93). CONCLUSION: Knowledge and misconceptions about HIV has decreased over the years among FSWs; however, consistent condom use with regular clients and nonpaying partners has significantly increased. HIV intervention programs were strongly associated with safe sexual practices among FSWs and need to be strengthened.