COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy among ethnic minorities in Hong Kong.

Ethnic minorities account for 8% of the Hong Kong population, most are Filipino and Indonesian domestic helpers taking care of children and the elderly. To understand the COVID-19 vaccination rates and factors associated with vaccine acceptance of ethnic minorities, we performed a cross-sectional questionnaire study recruiting Hong Kong ethnic minorities aged ≥18 years between 1 July and 18 July 2021 in public areas. Demographics, knowledge about COVID-19, vaccination status, intention and reasons to receive the vaccine, and planning to be re-vaccinated were analyzed. Continuous and categorical variables were compared using unpaired t-test and Chi-square test, respectively. Potential confounders were adjusted using multiple logistic regression. 2,012 ethnic minorities participated, with a mean age of 39 years, of which 97.6% were female, 79.5% were Filipino, and 17.5% were Indonesian. 80.6% of participants were categorized as vaccine acceptance, and 69.2% were willing to be re-vaccinated. There were significantly more Filipinos than Indonesians in the vaccine acceptance group (p < .001). Subjects in the vaccine acceptance group were more likely to have higher education (p < .001), a higher COVID-19 knowledge score (p < .001), received information from the Government website (p = .003) and not from their friends or family members (p = .02), and were more confident in judging the accuracy of the information (p < .001). Logistic regression showed the mean knowledge score (ß = 3.07, p < .001) and receiving information from official Government websites (adjusted OR = 1.37, p = .03) were significant factors that positively influenced vaccine acceptance. The Hong Kong Government should improve COVID-19 vaccination acceptance among ethnic minorities through public education using official channels.

Development of an explanatory model to explore cervical cancer screening behaviour among South Asian women: The influence of multilevel factors.

PURPOSE: To develop an explanatory model, built on an ecological basis, and examine the relational effects of multilevel factors on screening behaviour among South Asian immigrant women. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, exploratory correlational study using path analysis. 776 South Asian immigrant women were recruited from community in Hong Kong. A self-administered survey with eight sections covering socio-demographics, recommendations received from others, previous screening experience, knowledge of the disease and screening, attitudes and perceptions, level of acculturation, cultural barriers to screening and perception of cancer fatalism was used to collect data. Path analysis was done to test the hypothesised model. FINDINGS: The final model obtained an acceptable model fit with x2/df = 2.52, RMSEA = 0.044, CFI = 0.95 and TLI = 0.93. A total of 15 factors, ranging from intra-personal to community level, were identified as being associated with South Asian immigrant women's cervical cancer screening behaviour. Three factors at the community level (language use, modesty and crisis orientation) had an inter-relationship with three intra-personal factors (perceived barriers to screening, cancer fatalism and perceived benefits of screening) and hence affected screening uptake. CONCLUSIONS: South Asian women's cervical cancer screening behaviour is affected by multi-level factors. Efforts should be made to change the current health-promoting strategies and attract more involvement from appropriate stakeholders, incorporating cultural and socio-environmental components in future interventions.

Nepal - exploited by older married man - young unmarried mother accused of infanticide.

In Nepal, it is considered sinful for a woman to have sexual intercourse before marriage while the male is exonerated. The female will be branded a loose character outcast by family and society. Only a small percentage of women who feel the other way and stand mentally strong or who have family support come out to seek justice. Despite the stringent law, the loopholes in the justice mechanism re-victimise female victims. We report a case where a young unmarried pregnant woman who gave birth alone was charged with infanticide.

Prevalence of Type I Lip Print among Medical Students in a Medical College of Nepal.

INTRODUCTION: Lip prints, due to their unique patterns are typical to an individual, hence, used for personal identification. They vary in predominance, gender and race among different populations. The objective is to study their distribution among medical students and identify the predominant type. METHODS: The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on the medical students of Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences, from April 2019 to May 2019 after the ethical approval. Convenience sampling was used. The prints were classified according to Suzuki and Tsuchihashi. The collected data was entered in SPSS to determine the frequency and percentage. Sub group analysis was done on basis of gender and types of lip print. RESULTS: Out of 205 participants, prevalence of type I lip print among medical students is 70 (34.1%). Type I lip print was found to be most common followed by Type II in 57 (27.8%) and Type V in 6 (2.9%). One hundred forty one (68.8%) were male and 64 (31.2%) were female. The predominating pattern in RUQ; LUQ; LLQ; RLQ among male and female is Type I 46 (32.6%) and Type I 39 (27.7%); Type II 39 (27.7%) and Type II 44 (31.2%); Type I 19 (29.7%) and Type II 19 (29.7%); Type I 31 (48.4%)and Type I 27 (42.2%) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Type I was the most common while Type V was the least common lip print. However, there was variation in its frequency and distribution according to the quadrant and sex.

Prevalence of Maternal Anemia in A Tertiary Care Hospital in Western Nepal.

INTRODUCTION: Maternal anemia is a common problem in developing countries like Nepal accounting for around 30-50% of women becoming anemic during pregnancy. The present study aims to find out the prevalence of maternal anemia in a tertiary care hospital in Western Nepal. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at Devdaha Medical College, Bhaluhi, Rupandehi, Nepal from October 2018 to May 2019 after taking ethical approval from the institutional review committee with the approval number: 012/2018. Three eighty three samples were taken and convenient sampling was done to reach the sample size. Data were collected from the study population after taking consent and entered in a predesigned proforma. It was then entered in an SPSS; point estimate at 95% CI was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data. RESULTS: During the study period, out of 383 mothers, 230 (60.2%) mothers were anemic at 95% CI (10.6-10.8%); of which 172 (74.8%) were moderately anemic while 58 (25.2%) were mild anemic. The mean maternal Haemoglobin was 9.5±1.76SD. The mean maternal age was 24.24±3.26 SD; mean gestational age at the time of delivery was 36.08±1.77 SD. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of maternal anemia in this study is found to be higher than the national data which implies that maternal anemia is still a public health issue which needs to be addressed in spite of safe motherhood program launched by the government of Nepal.

Clinical Profile of Neonates with Respiratory Distress in a Tertiary Care Hospital.

INTRODUCTION: Respiratory distress in newborns is a very common reason for admission in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit which may be transient or pathological; morbidity is high if not prompted for early diagnosis and treatment. The present study is undertaken to find out the clinical profile of neonates with respiratory distress in infants in a tertiary care hospital in western Nepal. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in a tertiary care hospital in the western region of Nepal from April 2017 to March 2018 after approval from the institutional review committee. Sample size was calculated and consecutive sampling was done to reach the sample size. Data were collected from the study population after taking consent and entered in a predesigned proforma. It was then entered in a Statistical Package for Social Sciences, data analysis was done to find frequency and proportion for binary data. RESULTS: Tachypnea was the most common presentation 77 (69.36%). Out of 1694 live deliveries during the study period, the prevalence of respiratory distress was 6.55 % in the total live deliveries while 30.83 % in admitted cases in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Survival rate was 95.50% while mortality rate accounted for 4.50%. CONCLUSIONS: Perinatal asphyxia accounted for the commonest cause of respiratory distress. To lessen the morbidity and mortality of the neonates with respiratory distress it is advocated that we practice proper and timely neonatal resuscitation, recognize the risk factors as early as possible so that perinatal asphyxia can be minimized.

An autopsy study of liver injuries in a tertiary referral centre of eastern Nepal.

BACKGROUND: Liver is the largest gland in the body and it frequently gets wounded. The objective of this study was to determine the patterns, types and severities of liver injuries which were caused by mechanical trauma and to study the organs associated with liver injuries. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a hospital based, cross sectional study which was conducted on the autopsies showing the evidence of liver injuries in the mortuary of a tertiary hospital in eastern Nepal. All consecutive autopsy cases which were handled within one year's time (n=46) were included in our study. The cases were studied in detail for liver injuries, which included age, sex, severity, associated injuries, site of the injury, description of the injury, etc. RESULTS: The mean age of the victims was 33.87 years and there was a male: female ratio of 3.6:1. The injuries had resulted from blunt trauma in 41 (89.1%) cases, the most common of which was road traffic accidents, constituting 37(80.4%) cases. Grade III injuries were seen in 14 (30.4%) cases. Laceration of the liver was the most frequent finding that was evident in 34 (73.9%) cases. Right lobe of the liver was injured in 30 (74%) cases. The sole presence of liver injuries among abdomino-pelvic organs was seen in 14 (30.4%) cases. In 40 (87%) cases, liver injuries were associated with other regional injuries. CONCLUSION: Laceration is the most common liver injury among autopsy cases. Right lobe is mostly affected and grade III injuries are the most common ones. Liver injuries are frequently associated with other abdomino-pelvic organs and multiple regional injuries.