Examining Asian Parents' Perspectives and Challenges in Sexual and Reproductive Health Education with Implications for Public Health: A Systematic Review.

SUMMARY: In Asian cultures, discussing sexual matters with adolescents is often considered taboo and culturally or religiously sensitive. Due to a lack of knowledge and skills, many parents find approaching such a topic with their children challenging, fearing that raising such an issue will bring concerns about encouraging promiscuity. This systematic review aims to assess evidence on Asian parents' perspectives and practices regarding delivering sexuality information to adolescents. It also seeks to identify the factors that facilitate or hinder the effective delivery of such knowledge. The electronic databases EBSCO-CINAHL, Scopus, and Science Direct were searched using keywords and synonyms such as "sexuality information," "sexuality education," "parent-child," "communication," and "Asian." The studies' quality was assessed using the Mixed-Method Assessment Tool. A comprehensive database search identified 1392 potentially relevant literature sources for this review. Following the application of inclusion criteria, a final set of 16 eligible full-text research articles was selected for inclusion in the review. In most quantitative literature, parents were found to have a good level of knowledge, whereas most qualitative studies reported the opposite, indicating inadequate knowledge. Seven studies highlighted the cultural denial of delivering regarding sexuality, whereas six studies emphasized the need for parental support. Negative experiences, including discomfort, shyness, embarrassment, fear of intimidation, and fearful encounters, were reported in the literature. In conclusion, this review aims to pinpoint gaps and challenges in the delivery of sexuality education among Asian parents, offering valuable insights for public health practitioners and policymakers.

FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PREGNANCY AMONG UNMARRIED WOMEN IN MALAYSIA.

Pregnancy among unmarried women may have negative social and health implications in Malaysia. The number of pregnancies among unmarried women has increased in Malaysia, but the socio-demographic profile of these women is unclear. This study aims to evaluate the characteristics of unmarried pregnant women and the factors associated with unmarried pregnancies among young women in Malaysia. We conducted a cross sectional study at six hospitals and six women's shelters in Peninsular Malaysia during 2011-2012. Unmarried pregnant women were compared with married pregnant women. Participants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire asking for socio-demographic data, family background, risky sexual behavior, social support and pregnancy details. A total of 484 women (239 unmarried and 245 married) were included in the study. Most unmarried subjects were adolescents, from urban areas, from a low socioeconomic group, and lived with parents prior to pregnancy. Age (OR=0.67; 95% CI: 0.61-0.74), studying status (OR=17.33; 95% CI: 2.65-113.19), alcohol use (OR=40.46; 95% CI: 2.51-652.38) exposure to pornographic material (OR=13.48; 95% CI: 3.24-56.01), contraceptive use (OR=0.20; 95% CI: 0.08-0.51), and social support (OR=0.90; 95% CI: 0.86-0.94) were all associated with unmarried pregnancy. These factors need to be considered when.designing an intervention program.

Development and effectiveness of online teaching on practical skills among nursing students: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this meta-analysis was to assess the effects of online education for practical skills among nursing students. METHODS: This research was done by searching PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science electronic databases from inception to August 18, 2023, to identify English-language articles. Data extraction, quality assessment, and literature screening were carried out independently by two researchers. The Cochrane risk of bias tool and the Methodological Items for Nonrandomized Studies (MINORS) tool were used to assess the risk of bias of the included studies. Meta-analysis was carried out using Review Manager (RevMan) version 5.3 software. RESULTS: Eighteen studies involving 2274 nursing students met the inclusion criteria. Nursing students' skills (SMD = 0.43, 95 % CI [0.33, 0.54], P<0.00001), knowledge (SMD = 0.16, 95 % CI (0.02, 0.30], P = 0.02), satisfaction (SMD = 0.29, 95 % CI (0.10, 0.47], P < 0.01), and confidence (SMD = 0.56, 95 % CI [0.29, 0.83], P < 0.0001) were all significantly improved by the online teaching intervention compared with traditional face-to-face instruction. Self-efficacy (SMD = 0.1, 95 % CI [-0.13, 0.33], P = 0.41) was also improved, but the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Online learning is a novel and efficient approach to teaching practical skills to nursing students. Online education can enhance students' knowledge, skills, confidence, and learning satisfaction, and it is superior to traditional classroom instruction. The findings of this study can serve as a basis for the development of standardized online teaching techniques and assessment metrics.