Search results for: maternal health service

Authors: Amadou Darboe, Kuo Hsien-Wen

Abstract:

Background/Objective: The Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) model by Siegrist et al (1986) have been widely used to examine the relationship between psychosocial factors at work and health. It claimed that failed reciprocity in terms of high efforts and low rewards elicits strong negative emotions in combination with sustained autonomic activation and is hazardous to health. The aim of this study is to identify the association between Self-rated Health and Effort-reward Imbalance (ERI) among Nurses and Environmental Health officers in the Gambia. Method: a cross-sectional study was conducted using a multi-stage random sampling of 296 healthcare professionals (206 nurses and 90 environmental health officers) working in public health facilities. The 22 items Effort-reward imbalance questionnaire (ERI-L version 22.11.2012) will be used to collect data on the psychosocial factors defined by the model. In addition, self-rated health will be assessed by using structured questionnaires containing Likert scale items. Results: We found that self-rated health among environmental health officers has a significant negative correlation with extrinsic effort and a positive significant correlations with occupational reward and job satisfaction. However, among the nurses only job satisfaction was significantly correlated with self-rated health and was positive. Overall, Extrinsic effort has a significant negative correlation with reward and job satisfaction but a positive correlation with over-commitment. Conclusion: Because low reward and high over-commitment among the nursing group, It is necessary to modify working conditions through improving psychosocial factors, such as reasonable allocation of resources to increase pay or rewards from government.

Keywords: effort-reward imbalance model, healthcare professionals, self-rated health

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Authors: Jennifer Kehinde, Claire O’Donnell, Annmarie Grealish

Abstract:

Introduction: Breastfeeding has been shown to provide numerous health benefits for both infants and mothers. The decision to breastfeed is influenced by physiological, psychological, and emotional factors. However, the importance of equipping mothers with the necessary knowledge for successful breastfeeding practice cannot be ruled out. The decline in global breastfeeding rate can be linked to a lack of adequate breastfeeding education during the prenatal stage. This systematic review examined the effectiveness of prenatal breastfeeding education on breastfeeding uptake postpartum. Method: This review was undertaken and reported in conformity with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic Reviews and Meta-Analysis statement (PRISMA) and was registered on the international prospective register for systematic reviews (PROSPERO: CRD42020213853). A PICO analysis (population, intervention, comparison, outcome) was undertaken to inform the choice of keywords in the search strategy to formulate the review question, which was aimed at determining the effectiveness of prenatal breastfeeding educational programs in improving breastfeeding uptake following birth. A systematic search of five databases (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Medline, Psych INFO, and Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts) was searched between January 2014 until July 2021 to identify eligible studies. Quality assessment and narrative synthesis were subsequently undertaken. Results: Fourteen studies were included. All 14 studies used different types of breastfeeding programs; eight used a combination of curriculum-based breastfeeding education programs, group prenatal breastfeeding counselling, and one-to-one breastfeeding educational programs, which were all delivered in person; four studies used web-based learning platforms to deliver breastfeeding education prenatally which were both delivered online and face to face over a period of 3 weeks to 2 months with follow-up periods ranging from 3 weeks to 6 months; one study delivered breastfeeding educational intervention using mother-to-mother breastfeeding support groups in promoting exclusive breastfeeding, and one study disseminated breastfeeding education to participants based on the theory of planned behaviour. The most effective interventions were those that included both theory and hands-on demonstrations. Results showed an increase in breastfeeding uptake, breastfeeding knowledge, an increase in a positive attitude to breastfeeding, and an increase in maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy among mothers who participated in breastfeeding educational programs during prenatal care. Conclusion: Prenatal breastfeeding education increases women’s knowledge of breastfeeding. Mothers who are knowledgeable about breastfeeding and hold a positive approach towards breastfeeding have the tendency to initiate breastfeeding and continue for a lengthened period. Findings demonstrate a general correlation between prenatal breastfeeding education and increased breastfeeding uptake postpartum. The high level of positive breastfeeding outcomes inherent in all the studies can be attributed to prenatal breastfeeding education. This review provides rigorous contemporary evidence that healthcare professionals and policymakers can apply when developing effective strategies to improve breastfeeding rates and ultimately improve the health outcomes of mothers and infants.

Keywords: breastfeeding, breastfeeding programs, breastfeeding self-efficacy, prenatal breastfeeding education

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Authors: Fu-Chi Chuang, Yu-Liang, Chang, Wen-Der Wang

Abstract:

Our environment has been contaminated by many artificial chemicals, such as plastics, pesticides. Many of them have hormone-like activity and are classified as 'environmental hormone (also named endocrine disruptors)'. These chemicals interfere with or mimic hormones have adverse effects that persist into adulthood. Environmental education is an important way to teach students to become engaged in real-world issues that transcend classroom walls. Elementary education is the first stage to perform environmental education and it is an important component to help students develop adequate environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. However, elementary teachers' knowledge plays a critical role in this mission. Therefore, we use a questionnaire to survey the knowledge of environmental hormone of elementary school teachers and their learning motivation of the environmental hormone-regarding knowledge. We collected 218 questionnaires from Taiwanese elementary teachers and the results indicate around 73% of elementary teachers do not have enough knowledge about environmental hormones. Our results also reveal the in-service elementary teachers’ learning motivation of environmental hormones knowledge is positively enhanced once they realized their insufficient cognitive ability of environmental hormones. We believe our study will provide the powerful reference for Ministry of Education to set up the policy of environmental education to enrich all citizens sufficient knowledge of the effects of the environmental hormone on organisms, and further to enhance our correct environmental behaviors.

Keywords: elementary teacher, environmental hormones, learning motivation, questionnaire

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Authors: Ricky Leung

Abstract:

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have revolutionized the way health organizations approach social media. The sheer volume of data generated through social media can be overwhelming, but AI and ML can help organizations effectively manage this information to improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities. One way AI can be used to enhance social media in health organizations is through sentiment analysis. This involves analyzing the emotions expressed in social media posts to better understand public opinion and respond accordingly. This can help organizations gauge the impact of their campaigns, track the spread of misinformation, and improve communication with the public. While social media is a useful tool, researchers and practitioners have expressed fear that it will be used for the spread of misinformation, which can have serious consequences for public health. Health organizations must work to ensure that AI systems are transparent, trustworthy, and unbiased so they can help minimize the spread of misinformation. In conclusion, AI and ML have the potential to greatly enhance the use of social media in health organizations. These technologies can help organizations effectively manage large amounts of data and understand stakeholders' sentiments. However, it is important to carefully consider the potential consequences and ensure that these systems are carefully designed to minimize the spread of misinformation.

Keywords: AI, ML, social media, health organizations

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Authors: Sultan Alotaibi, Dmitri Roussinov

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Many governments recently started to change the ways of providing their services by allowing their citizens to access services from anywhere without the need of visiting the location of the service provider. Mobile government (M-government) is one of the techniques that fulfill that goal. It has been adopted by many governments. M-government can be defined as an implementation of Electronic Government (E-Government) by using mobile technology with the aim of improving service delivery to citizens, businesses and all government agencies. There have been several research projects developing models to understand the behavior of individuals towards the adoption of m-government. This paper proposes a model for adoption of m-government services in Saudi Arabia by extending Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by introducing external factors. This paper also reports on the development of a survey instrument designed to measure user perception of mobile government acceptance. A survey instrument has been developed by using existing scales from prior instruments and a pilot study has been conducted by distributing the survey to 33 participants. As a result, a survey instrument has been refined to retain 43 items. The results also showed that the reliabilities of all the scales in the survey instrument are above the levels acceptable in current academic research, thus the instruments developed by us are capable of analyzing the factors in M-government adoption.

Keywords: TAM, m-government, e-government, model, acceptance, mobile government

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Authors: Youru Zhou

Abstract:

This paper seeks to unveil the quality assurance practices in the Chinese translation industry. Since China’s reform and opening up, the Chinese language service industry has enjoyed impressively rapid growth. However, while still in its early stage of professionalization, the Chinese translation industry is also facing many challenges, such as the lack of clear admission requirements, a powerful regulation authority and a great number of qualified professionals. ‘How quality is assured’ means a great deal to translation in China at this stage. In order to examine the mechanisms in which quality is assured, this paper studied four international and national standards that have gained widespread adoption by Chinese translation companies and examined the content that is relevant to translation quality assurance. Case studies with six selected Chinese translation companies of different sizes were conducted to confirm and exemplify the descriptions on the standards. It has been found that quality in the industry is a relative concept which is mainly determined by the demand of clients. Furthermore, the procedures of translation can vary from task to task dependent on the agreement made between the service provider and clients. Finally, there are companies relying on expert-oriented mechanisms to assure the quality of translation, while other companies and standards insist on process-oriented ones.

Keywords: case study, Chinese translation industry, professional practice, translation quality assurance, translation standards

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Authors: Yanqun Li, Hong Geng

Abstract:

The rapid urbanization process taking big cities as the main body leads to the unequal configuration of urban and rural areas in the aspects of land supply, industrial division of labor, service supply and space allocation, and induces the shrinking characterization of service energy, industrial system and population vitality in small towns. As an important spatial unit in the spectrum of urbanization that serves, connects and couples urban and rural areas, the shrinking phenomenon faced by small towns has an important influence on the healthy development of urbanization. Based on the census of small towns in Wuhan metropolitan area, we have found that the shrinking of small towns is a passive contraction of elastic tension under the squeeze in cities. Once affected by the external forces such as policy regulation, planning guidance, and population return, small towns will achieve expansion and growth. Based on the theory of complex adaptive systems, this paper comprehensively constructs the development index evaluation system of small towns from five aspects of population, economy, space, society and ecology, measures the shrinking level of small towns, further analyzes the shrinking characteristics of small towns, and identifies whether the shrinking is elastic or not. And then this paper measures the resilience ability index of small town contract from the above-mentioned five aspects. Finally, this paper proposes an adaptive mechanism of urban-rural interaction evolution under fine division of labor to response the passive shrinking in small towns of Wuhan. Based on the above, the paper creatively puts forward the planning response measures of the small towns on the aspects of spatial layout, function orientation and service support, which can provide reference for other regions.

Keywords: complex adaptive systems, resiliency shrinking, adaptation mechanism, planning response

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Authors: Faizul Azly Abd Dzubir, Muhammad F. Othman

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Conventional structural health monitoring approach for mechanical equipment uses inspection data from Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) during plant shut down window and fitness for service evaluation to estimate the integrity of the equipment that is prone to crack damage. Yet, this forecast is fraught with uncertainty because it is often based on assumptions of future operational parameters, and the prediction is not continuous or online. Advanced Diagnostic and Prognostic Technology (ADaPT) uses Acoustic Emission (AE) technology and a stochastic prognostic model to provide real-time monitoring and prediction of mechanical defects or cracks. The forecast can help the plant authority handle their cracked equipment before it ruptures, causing an unscheduled shutdown of the facility. The ADaPT employs process historical data trending, finite element analysis, fitness for service, and probabilistic statistical analysis to develop a prediction model for crack initiation and growth due to mechanical damage. The prediction model is combined with live equipment operating data for real-time prediction of the remaining life span owing to fracture. ADaPT was devised at a hot combined feed exchanger (HCFE) that had suffered creep crack damage. The ADaPT tool predicts the initiation of a crack at the top weldment area by April 2019. During the shutdown window in April 2019, a crack was discovered and repaired. Furthermore, ADaPT successfully advised the plant owner to run at full capacity and improve output by up to 7% by April 2019. ADaPT was also used on a coke drum that had extensive fatigue cracking. The initial cracks are declared safe with ADaPT, with remaining crack lifetimes extended another five (5) months, just in time for another planned facility downtime to execute repair. The prediction model, when combined with plant information data, allows plant operators to continuously monitor crack propagation caused by mechanical damage for improved maintenance planning and to avoid costly shutdowns to repair immediately.

Keywords: mechanical damage, cracks, continuous monitoring tool, remaining life, acoustic emission, prognostic model

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Authors: Yanjie Zhu, André Jesus, Irwanda Laory

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Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), involving data acquisition, data interpretation and decision-making system aim to continuously monitor the structural performance of civil infrastructures under various in-service circumstances. The main value and purpose of SHM is identifying damages through data interpretation system. Research on SHM has been expanded in the last decades and a large volume of data is recorded every day owing to the dramatic development in sensor techniques and certain progress in signal processing techniques. However, efficient and reliable data interpretation for damage detection under environmental variations is still a big challenge. Structural damages might be masked because variations in measured data can be the result of environmental variations. This research reports a novel method based on single-channel Blind Signal Separation (BSS), which extracts environmental effects from measured data directly without any prior knowledge of the structure loading and environmental conditions. Despite the successful application in audio processing and bio-medical research fields, BSS has never been used to detect damage under varying environmental conditions. This proposed method optimizes and combines Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD), Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Independent Component Analysis (ICA) together to separate structural responses due to different loading conditions respectively from a single channel input signal. The ICA is applying on dimension-reduced output of EEMD. Numerical simulation of a truss bridge, inspired from New Joban Line Arakawa Railway Bridge, is used to validate this method. All results demonstrate that the single-channel BSS-based method can recover temperature effects from mixed structural response recorded by a single sensor with a convincing accuracy. This will be the foundation of further research on direct damage detection under varying environment.

Keywords: damage detection, ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD), environmental variations, independent component analysis (ICA), principal component analysis (PCA), structural health monitoring (SHM)

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Authors: B. O. Adegoke, B. O. Ola, D. T. Ademiluyi

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This paper examines the use of computer and its related health hazard among computer users in South-Western zone of Nigeria. Two hundred and eighteen (218) computer users constituted the population used to evaluate association between posture, extensive computer use and related health hazard. The instruments for the study are a questionnaire on demographics, lifestyle, body features and work ability index while mean rating, standard deviation and t test were used for data analysis. Identified health related hazard include damages to the eyesight, bad posture, arthritis, musculoskeletal disorders, headache, stress and so on. The results showed that factors such as work demand, posture, closeness to computer screen and excessive working hours on computers constitute health hazards in both old and young computer users of various gender. It is therefore recommended that total number of hours spent with computer should be monitored and controlled.

Keywords: computer-related health hazard, musculoskeletal disorders, computer usage, work ability index

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Authors: B. Khorsandi Talab, M. Kordi

Abstract:

It is highly deplorable that every year, theft behavior among employees of the insurance industry is growing throughout the world. A very significant source of contraction (despite many costly technological and widespread security measures) needs to be addressed and prevented. Employee and agent theft cannot be ignored as it causes significant losses to employers. This study investigates the workplace factors that affect the insurance employee and agent theft behavior. Although identifying theft is difficult, this study will help employers to further understand employees’ theft behavior. This study was conducted in two service small and medium organizations (two branches of insurance companies) in ALBORZ’s capital city, KARAJ. Data has been collected via questionnaire from 30 employees and agents consisting employees and supervisors of branches and agencies. According to the results, it must be acknowledged that compensation, organizational justice, internal control systems, penalties and personal characteristics were associated with employees' theft behavior, it is despite the fact that, no effect could be assumed for organizational ethics and requirement in this case. Nevertheless, poor financial status cannot be considered as the driving factor in pushing employees to steal property as well as increasing their theft behavior. As mentioned earlier, the purpose of this study was to determine the factors contributing to employees’ theft (insurance employees and agencies) behavior in insurance organizations in Karaj.

Keywords: service theft, employee theft behavior, work theft, insurance agency, SMEs

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Authors: Pierre Angelo Alino, Rafael Alejandro Ang, Maria Carmela Espanol, Dominic Gerard Ferreol, Jendrietch Adrian Lopez

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This study aims to explore the differences in perception between Generation X and Generation Z towards mental health and mental health illnesses. Through this study, the researchers seek to identify and explore the differences that exist in the generational perception and determine the possible factors that influence the difference in perception. In order to achieve this, we conducted two focus group discussions (FGD), one composed of Generation X and the other composed of Generation Z. Participants for both focus group discussions were recruited through purposive sampling and online recruitment methods. In these discussions, they were asked questions relating to their personal history, experiences with mental health, and related illnesses, as well as their opinions regarding the subject matter. Afterwhich, we analyzed our data through a thematic analysis. Our study’s findings indicate notable differences in the perception of mental health as well as mental illness between the members of Generations X and Z. Additionally, factors such as culture, personal history, and intimate relationships influence the perceptions of mental health between generation groups.

Keywords: generational difference, mental health, mental health illness, perception

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Authors: Solomon Weldegebriel Gebrelibanos

Abstract:

Water is one of the most important substances in human life that can give a human liberality with its cost and availability. Water comes from rainfall and runoff and reaches the ground as runoff that is stored in a river, ponds, and big water bodies, including sea and ocean and the remaining water portion is infiltrated into the ground to store in the aquifer. Water can serve human beings in various ways, including irrigation, water supply, hydropower and soon. Water supply is the main pillar of the water service to the human being. Water supply distribution in Addis Ababa arises from Legedadi, Akakai, and Gefersa. The objective of the study is to measure the performance of the water supply distribution in Addis Ababa city. The water supply distribution model is developed by computer-aided design software. The model can analyze the operational change, loss of water, and performance of the network. The two design criteria that have been employed to analyze the network system are velocity and pressure. The result shows that the customers are using the water at high pressure with low demand. The water distribution system is older than the expected service life with more leakage. Hence the study recommended that fixing Pressure valves and new distribution facilities can resolve the performance of the water supply system

Keywords: distribution, model, pressure, velocity

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Authors: Silpa Mariyam John, S. Baburaj, Prajit Geevarghese

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Diabetes accelerates pregnancy and can cause adverse effects on the fetus. Studies have shown that fetal abdominal circumference measured in ultrasound is an early parameter for the assessment of macrosomia. The objective of the study is to compare the fetal abdominal circumferences between diabetes and non-diabetic mothers. It was a comparative cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Trivandrum, Kerala, with a sample size calculated as 95 for each group. All mothers taking antenatal care and delivering at the hospital were included after obtaining consent. The mothers and their newborns were divided into 2 groups (diabetic and non-diabetic). Relevant fetal biometry values were collected from medical records, and birth weight was measured by a calibrated electronic weighing machine after birth. The data were entered in MS EXCEL and analyzed. It was found that there is a significant relationship between the fetal abdominal circumference and birthweight in diabetic mothers during the first and third trimesters.

Keywords: newborn, diabetes, abdominal circumference, ultrasound

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Authors: Lisandy A. Suryana, Lidia Mayangsari, Santi Novani

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Creative industry in Indonesia become an important aspect of the economy. One of the sectors of creative industry which give the highest contribution toward Indonesia’s GDP is fashion sector. In line with the target of Indonesia in 2020 to be the qibla’ of moeslem fashion of the world, all of the stakeholders of the business ecosystem should collaborate. Rather than focus on the internal aspects of producer, external aspects such as customers, government, community, etc. become important to be involved in the ecosystem to support the development and sustainability of those fashion sector. Unfortunately, although Indonesia has the biggest moeslem population, the number of hijab business penetration only 10%. Therefore, this research aims to analyze and develop the virtual co-creation platform for hijab creative industry as the strategy to achieve sustainability and increase the market share. This preliminary research describes the main stakeholders in the hijab creative industry based on business model approach. This business model is adapted by considering the service science context, and the data is collected by using the qualitative approach especially in-depth interview. This business model shows the relationship between resource integration, value co-creation, the value proposition of the company, and also the financial aspect of the business.

Keywords: value co-creation, Hijab Fashion Industry, creative industry, service business model, business model canvas

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Authors: Adistya Maulidya, Mujuna Abbas, Nur Assyifa, Putri Dewi Gutiyani

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Countries are moving forward to develop databases from electronic health records for monitoring and research. Since the issuance of Information and Electonic Transaction Constitution No. 11 of 2008 as well as Minister Regulation No. 269 of 2008, there has been a gradual progress of Indonesian hospitals adopting Electonic Health Record (EHR) in its systems. This paper is the result of a literature study about the progress that has been made in Indonesia to develop national health information infrastructure through EHR within the hospitals. The purpose of this study was to describe trends in adoption of EHR systems among hospitals in Indonesia from 2008 to 2015 as well as to assess the preparedness of Indonesian national health information infrastructure facing ASEAN Economic Community.

Keywords: adoption, Indonesian hospitals, electronic health record, ASEAN economic community

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Authors: Aedah Abd Rahman

Abstract:

Software organisations may implement single or multiple frameworks in order to remain competitive. There are wide selection of generic Software Process Improvement (SPI) frameworks, best practices and standards implemented with different focuses and goals. Issues and difficulties emerge in the SPI practices from the context of software development and IT Service Management (ITSM). This research looks into the integration of multiple frameworks from the perspective of software development and ITSM. The research question of this study is how to define steps of methodology to solve the multi model software process improvement problem. The objective of this study is to define the research approach and methodologies to produce a more integrated and efficient Multi Model Process Improvement (MMPI) solution. A multi-step methodology is used which contains the case study, framework mapping and Delphi study. The research outcome has proven the usefulness and appropriateness of the proposed framework in SPI and quality practice in Malaysian software industries. This mixed method research approach is used to tackle problems from every angle in the context of software development and services. This methodology is used to facilitate the implementation and management of multi model environment of SPI frameworks in multiple domains.

Keywords: Delphi study, methodology, multi model software process improvement, service management

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Authors: Jin Lam, Joe Au

Abstract:

This study aims to investigate the impact of practicing expressive textile arts on the underprivileged people namely, ex-offenders after taking a three-month textile arts and fashion creativity workshops from a service-learning subject, offered by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in May 2016. In this service-learning subject, the subject lecturers, students and ex-offenders co-designed various expressive textile artworks together. During the creative process, the ex-offenders could enhance their self-confidence and rebuild a satisfactory identity through practicing expressive textile arts and fashion creativity. Ten textile arts prototypes in the format of fashion garments were presented in a mini fashion show and an exhibition, both at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in July 2016. A quantitative research method was adopted and a questionnaire survey was conducted in this study. The research findings suggest that positive impacts are found on the ex-offenders’ perceptions of ‘feelings and thoughts before attending the workshops’, ‘feelings and thoughts during the workshops’, ‘attitude toward the textile arts materials’, and ‘attitude toward the expressive textile artworks’.

Keywords: creativity, design, expressive textile arts, fashion, underprivileged people

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Authors: Jennifer Kehinde, Claire O'donnell, Annmarie Grealish

Abstract:

Introduction: Breastfeeding has been shown to provide numerous health benefits for both infants and mothers. The decision to breastfeed is influenced by physiological, psychological, and emotional factors. However, the importance of equipping mothers with the necessary knowledge for successful breastfeeding practice cannot be ruled out. The decline in global breastfeeding rate can be linked to lack of adequate breastfeeding education during prenatal stage.This systematic review examined the effectiveness of prenatal breastfeeding education on breastfeeding uptake postpartum. Method: This review was undertaken and reported in conformity with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic Reviews and Meta-Analysis statement (PRISMA) and was registered on the international prospective register for systematic reviews (PROSPERO: CRD42020213853). A PICO analysis (population, intervention, comparison, outcome) was undertaken to inform the choice of keywords in the search strategy to formulate the review question which was aimed at determining the effectiveness of prenatal breastfeeding educational programs at improving breastfeeding uptake following birth. A systematic search of five databases (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Medline, Psych INFO, and Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts) were searched between January 2014 until July 2021 to identify eligible studies. Quality assessment and narrative synthesis were subsequently undertaken. Results: Fourteen studies were included. All 14 studies used different types of breastfeeding programs; eight used a combination of curriculum based breastfeeding education program, group prenatal breastfeeding counselling and one-to-one breastfeeding educational programs which were all delivered in person; four studies used web-based learning platforms to deliver breastfeeding education prenatally which were both delivered online and face to face over a period of 3 weeks to 2 months with follow-up periods ranging from 3 weeks to 6 months; one study delivered breastfeeding educational intervention using mother-to-mother breastfeeding support groups in promoting exclusive breastfeeding and one study disseminated breastfeeding education to participants based on the theory of planned behaviour. The most effective interventions were those that included both theory and hands-on demonstrations. Results showed an increase in breastfeeding uptake, breastfeeding knowledge, increase in positive attitude to breastfeeding and an increase in maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy among mothers who participated in breastfeeding educational programs during prenatal care. Conclusion: Prenatal breastfeeding education increases women’s knowledge of breastfeeding. Mothers who are knowledgeable about breastfeeding and hold a positive approach towards breastfeeding have the tendency to initiate breastfeeding and continue for a lengthened period. Findings demonstrates a general correlation between prenatal breastfeeding education and increased breastfeeding uptake postpartum. The high level of positive breastfeeding outcome inherent in all the studies can be attributed to prenatal breastfeeding education. This review provides rigorous contemporary evidence that healthcare professionals and policymakers can apply when developing effective strategies to improve breastfeeding rates and ultimately improve the health outcomes of mothers and infants.

Keywords: breastfeeding, breastfeeding programs, breastfeeding self-efficacy, prenatal breastfeedng education

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Authors: Victor Oyewumi Ogunbiyi

Abstract:

Food waste is a global sustainability issue that demands that multiple stakeholders participate in solving it. This article examines how different food system stakeholders are held responsible in the policy debate related to food waste reduction. The study adopts a qualitative approach, paying attention to the views of both public and private policymakers and constructing their views relating to opportunities and policy initiatives towards waste reduction. The data consists of a list of opportunities and food policy initiatives in the development process in Nigeria. The authors identify three emerging opportunities: sectoral growth, technological demands in food service, and sustainable collaborative behaviour. The findings also revealed key policy initiatives for development: law and regulations, multi-stakeholder collaboration, economic incentives, research, and new knowledge. The study extends the marketing literature on food sustainability by investigating several stakeholders’ roles beyond the practical management of the food services sector. Additionally, considering policy initiative development for food waste mitigation sheds light on how stakeholders’ policy initiatives can sustain the food service sector. Finally, the authors outline policy implications.

Keywords: multistakeholder engagement, food services, food waste, policy initiatives, Nigeria

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Authors: Oluwaseun Adeleke, Samuel O. Ikani, Fidelis Edet, Anthony Nwala, Mopelola Raji, Simeon Christian Chukwu

Abstract:

Background The Delivering Innovations in Selfcare (DISC) project promotes universal access to quality selfcare services beginning with subcutaneous depot medroxy progesterone acetate (DMPA-SC) contraceptive self-injection (SI) option. Self-inject (SI) offers women a highly effective and convenient option that saves them frequent trips to providers. Its increased use has the potential to improve the efficiency of an overstretched healthcare system by reducing provider workloads. State Social and Behavioral Change Communications (SBCC) Officers lead project demand creation and service delivery innovations that have resulted in significant increases in SI uptake among women who opt for injectables. Strategies Service Delivery Innovations The implementation of the "Moment of Truth (MoT)" innovation helped providers overcome biases and address client fear and reluctance to self-inject. Bi-annual program audits and supportive mentoring visits helped providers retain their competence and motivation. Proper documentation, tracking, and replenishment of commodities were ensured through effective engagement with State Logistics Units. The project supported existing state monitoring and evaluation structures to effectively record and report subcutaneous depot medroxy progesterone acetate (DMPA-SC) service utilization. Demand creation Innovations SBCC Officers provide oversight, routinely evaluate performance, trains, and provides feedback for the demand creation activities implemented by community mobilizers (CMs). The scope and intensity of training given to CMs affect the outcome of their work. The project operates a demand creation model that uses a schedule to inform the conduct of interpersonal and group events. Health education sessions are specifically designed to counter misinformation, address questions and concerns, and educate target audience in an informed choice context. The project mapped facilities and their catchment areas and enlisted the support of identified influencers and gatekeepers to enlist their buy-in prior to entry. Each mobilization event began with pre-mobilization sensitization activities, particularly targeting male groups. Context-specific interventions were informed by the religious, traditional, and cultural peculiarities of target communities. Mobilizers also support clients to engage with and navigate online digital Family Planning (FP) online portals such as DiscoverYourPower website, Facebook page, digital companion (chat bot), interactive voice response (IVR), radio and television (TV) messaging. This improves compliance and provides linkages to nearby facilities. Results The project recorded 136,950 self-injection (SI) visits and a self-injection (SI) proportion rate that increased from 13 percent before the implementation of interventions in 2021 to 62 percent currently. The project cost-effectively demonstrated catalytic impact by leveraging state and partner resources, institutional platforms, and geographic scope to scale up interventions. The project also cost effectively demonstrated catalytic impact by leveraging on the state and partner resources, institutional platforms, and geographic scope to sustainably scale-up these strategies. Conclusion Using evidence-informed iterations of service delivery and demand creation models have been useful to significantly drive self-injection (SI) uptake. It will be useful to consider this implementation model during program design. Contemplation should also be given to systematic and strategic execution of strategies to optimize impact.

Keywords: family planning, contraception, DMPA-SC, self-care, self-injection, innovation, service delivery, demand creation.

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Authors: Naila Awan, Shahrukh Inam

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This study was conducted to highlight the role of basic health units in district Swabi, which provides primary health services to the people of district Swabi having four tehsils. Tehsil Swabi was selected purposively for the study. Three villages were purposively selected from district Swabi. A sum of 110 respondents was randomly selected for interview i.e., 27 from Botakaa, 39 from Gulatee, and 44 from Darra Cham, using proportion allocation sampling technique. A pretested and well-designed interview schedule was used to collect as per the objective and Chi square test was applied to find an association between the quality of medicines and health improvement. The output of the test shows that the government was doing its best and providing enough facilities to the individuals at the healthcare units, and they were utilizing them. These resources were easily accessible to the people of the community. Medicines provided by the government were of good quality and quantity. There were also school health sessions and community health sessions (SHS/CHS) to deliver useful information and awareness regarding health problems and diseases were conducted. The staff of the BHU was present at work time and was performing their duties. The respondents seemed satisfied with their behavior and the duty of the staff. However, there were no emergency resources existing at the BHU after the working hours of the medical staff. It is recommended that government should provide appropriate quantity and quality of medicines to the basic health units so that these healthcare units don’t have to face any shortages regarding medicines at the end of the month. In addition, laboratory and blood testing facilities need to be provided in the basic health units, and also the infrastructure should be made suitable, satisfactory, and more functional.

Keywords: community health session, basic health units, outpatient department, tuberculosis

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Authors: Mornay Roberts-Lombard

Abstract:

Consumers’ perceptions of value are crucial to ensuring their future commitment and behavioral intentions. As a result, service providers, such as Islamic banks, must provide their customers with products and services that are regarded as valuable, stimulating, collaborative, and competent. Therefore, the value provided to customers must meet or surpass their expectations, which can drive customers’ commitment (affective and calculative) and eventually favorably impact their future behavioral intentions. Consequently, Islamic banks in South Africa, as a growing African market, need to obtain a better understanding of the variables that impact Islamic banking customers’ value perceptions and how these impact their future behavioral intentions. Furthermore, it is necessary to investigate how customers’ perceived value perceptions impact their affective and calculative commitment and how the latter impact their future behavioral intentions. The purpose of this study is to bridge these gaps in knowledge, as the competitiveness of the Islamic banking industry in South Africa requires a deeper understanding of the aforementioned relationships. The study was exploratory and quantitative in nature, and data was collected from 250 Islamic banking customers using self-administered questionnaires. These banking customers resided in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Exploratory factor analysis, Pearson’s coefficient analysis, and multiple regression analysis were applied to measure the proposed hypotheses developed for the study. This research will aid Islamic banks in the country in potentially strengthening customers’ future commitment (affective and calculative) and positively impact their future behavioral intentions. The findings of the study established that service quality has a significant and positive impact on perceived value. Moreover, it was determined that perceived value has a favorable and considerable impact on affective and calculative commitment, while calculative commitment has a beneficial impact on behavioral intention. The research informs Islamic banks of the importance of service engagement in driving customer perceived value, which stimulates the future affective and calculative commitment of Islamic bank customers in an emerging market context. Finally, the study proposes guidelines for Islamic banks to develop an enhanced understanding of the factors that impact the perceived value-commitment-behavioral intention link in a competitive Islamic banking market in South Africa.

Keywords: perceived value, affective commitment, calculative commitment, behavioural intention

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Authors: Sibonakaliso Shadrack Nhlabathi

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In South Africa local governments which are charged with the provision of services and amenities, frequently, face challenges of public protests against what the public perceives to be poor services. Public protests are common, even though the Integrated Development Plan, a central public participation document, which informs local government planning and resources management, ought to be a reflection of the voices of the beneficiary communities. The Integrated Development Plan concept –which evolved from the international discourse on governance, planning, and urban management of the 1990s, and, which bears similarities to the UK’s approaches to urban management and planning– is a significant concept in the planning practice in South Africa. Against this backdrop of the spread of public protests and the supposedly public participation in IDP formulation, this study investigated the extent to which residents of the city of uMhlathuze municipality, South Africa, could use Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Story Maps to enhance public participation in the provision of services and amenities. To this effect, this study collected and analysed data obtained through interactive web maps or hard copy maps; this map data was accompanied by research participants’ attributes data. Research participants identified positive or negative service delivery areas. Positive places were the places which the residents represented as good infrastructural, and amenities areas and weak places were marked as poor amenities. Participants then located each of their identified strong or weak places as points on the GIS Story Maps or on hard copy maps of the city. The information which participants provided was subsequently analysed to produce maps of patterns of service provision. In this way, the study succeeded to identify places that needed attention regarding delivery of services and amenities. Thus, this study advanced service provision through GIS Story Maps.

Keywords: GIS, IPD, South Africa, story maps

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Authors: Rosemary I. Eneji, Stephen Adi Odey, Edem Carole, Eucharia Nwagbara

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Sexual and reproductive health behaviors are the main causes of death, disability, and disease among adolescents in Nigeria. In this study, we determined the accessibility of youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services to secondary school adolescents in southern Cross River state, Nigeria. Nineteen randomly selected public secondary schools across the seven local government areas in the zone were used. The respondents were four hundred senior secondary (classes SSI - SS3) students aged 15-19 years, comprising 63.7% females and 36.3% males. A 50-item structured questionnaire was used for the study. There was a strong influence of age and sex of adolescents, income and occupation of parents, knowledge and awareness of adolescents, and tradition on the accessibility and use of youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services (YFSRHS) to the adolescents. The attitude of health workers towards accessibility was of little effect. Overall, youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services were not easily accessible to adolescents in the study area. Thus, there is need to enforce adolescent reproductive health policies in the area. Training and use of trained caregivers and peer educators to attend to adolescents and the inclusion of adolescent reproductive health as a subject in the curriculum are strongly recommended.

Keywords: youth, reproductive health, cross river state, secondary schools, Nigeria

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Authors: Javad Yarmahmoudi, Alireza Mirzaee

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Many active and passive structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques have been developed for detection of the defects of plates. Generally, riveted joints hold the plates together and their failure may create accidents. In this study, well known active and passive methods were modified for the evaluation of the health of the riveted joints between the plates. The active method generated Lamb waves and monitored their propagation by using lead zirconate titanate (PZT) disks. The signal was analyzed by using the wavelet transformations. The passive method used the Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors and evaluated the spectral characteristics of the signals by using Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT). The results indicated that the existing methods designed for the evaluation of the health of individual plates may be used for inspection of riveted joints with software modifications.

Keywords: structural health monitoring, SHM, active SHM, passive SHM, fiber bragg grating sensor, lead zirconate titanate, PZT

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Authors: C. Okonkwo Ugochukwu, E. Sinebe Jude, N. Odoh Blessing, E. Okafor Christian

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In this paper, a modification on repair workshop queuing system using multi priority scheme was carried out. Chi square goodness of fit test was used to determine the random distribution of the inter arrival time and service time of crankshafts that come for maintenance in the workshop. The chi square values obtained for all the prioritized classes show that the distribution conforms to Poisson distribution. The mean waiting time in queue results of non-preemptive priority for 1st, 2nd and 3rd classes show 0.066, 0.09, and 0.224 day respectively, while preemptive priority show 0.007, 0.036 and 0.258 day. However, when non priority is used, which obviously has no class distinction it amounts to 0.17 days. From the results, one can observe that the preemptive priority system provides a very dramatic improvement over the non preemptive priority as it concerns arrivals that are of higher priority. However, the improvement has a detrimental effect on the low priority class. The trend of the results is similar to the mean waiting time in the system as a result of addition of the actual service time. Even though the mean waiting time for the queue and that of the system for no priority takes the least time when compared with the least priority, urgent and semi-urgent jobs will terribly suffer which will most likely result in reneging or balking of many urgent jobs. Hence, the adoption of priority scheme in this type of scenario will result in huge profit to the Company and more customer satisfaction.

Keywords: queue, priority class, preemptive, non-preemptive, mean waiting time

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Authors: Patricia Portugal Marques de Carvalho Lourenço

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Mental Health, mental illnesses, and suicide are old topics made young. While broadly addressed on a global scale to various extents and degrees, mental health, mental disorders, and suicide remain to a large extent a, taboo in a number of societies such as the Chinese. The country’s report on mental health was scrutinized for an in-depth understanding of the prevalence of mental disorders domestically, emphasizing depression, which is more accentuated in rural settings than urban, affecting a significant number of students, retired individuals and that unemployed country-wise. Depression in China is linked to anxiety in younger years, both decreasing as the population grows in age. Mental health, mental disorders and suicide remain for the most part, “forgotten”, despite statistically significant and the media’s yet small efforts in educating the population about the terms i.e. through online/television dramas that approach the topics, trying to demystify them. Whereas crucial to openly address mental health, mental disorders, and suicide, the issues remain an ongoing challenge in China, where series draw light into a reality the media and the population do not broadly converse about. The media in general and the entertainment media, in particular, have a vital role in helping China acknowledge mental health, mental disorders and suicide, albeit having a long way to go in assisting the Chinese population in dealing with the health of their inner minds.

Keywords: mental health, mental disorders, suicide, media, China, Chinese entertainment

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Authors: Joanne Robertson, Awneet Sivia

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Preparing aspiring teachers to become advocates for social justice reflects a fundamental commitment for teacher education programs in Canada to create systemic educational change. The goal is ultimately to address inequities in K-12 education for students from multiple identity groups that have historically been marginalized and oppressed in schools. Social justice is described as an often undertheorized and vague concept in the literature, which increases the risk that teaching for social justice remains a lofty goal. Another concern is that the social justice agenda in teacher education in North America ignores pedagogies related to subject-matter knowledge and discipline-based teaching methods. The question surrounding how teacher education programs can address these issues forms the basis for the research undertaken in this study. The paper focuses on a qualitative research project that examines how an Equity Literature Circles (ELC) framework within a language arts methods course in a Bachelor of Education program may help pre-service teachers better understand the inherent relationship between literacy instructional practices and teaching about and for social justice. Grounded in the Freireian (2018) principle of praxis, this study specifically seeks to understand the impact of Equity Literature Circles on pre-service teachers’ understanding of current social justice issues (reflection), their development of professional competencies in literacy instruction (practice), and their identity as advocates of social justice (action) who address issues related to student diversity, equity, and human rights within the English Language Arts program. In this paper presentation, participants will be provided with an overview of the Equity Literature Circle framework, a summary of key findings and recommendations from the qualitative study, an annotated bibliography of suggested Young Adult novels, and opportunities for questions and dialogue.

Keywords: literacy, language, equity, social justice, diversity, human rights

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Authors: Danilsa Lorduy, Liliana Valle

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Assessment and evaluation are inextricable parts of the teaching learning process. Evaluation practices concerns are gaining popularity among curriculum developers an educational researchers, particularly in Colombian regions where English language is taught as a foreign language EFL. This study addressed one of those issues, which are the unbalanced in –services’ evaluation practices perceived in school classes. They present predominance on the written test among the procedures they use to evaluate; therefore, the purpose of this case study was to explore in-service teachers’ evaluation practices, their beliefs about evaluation and to establish an eventual connection between practices and beliefs. To this end, classroom observations, questionnaires, and a semi structured interview were applied to three in-service English teachers from different schools in a city in Colombia. The findings suggested that teachers’ beliefs indicate a formative inclination and they actually are using a variety of procedures different from test but they seem to have some issues regarding their appropriateness for application Moreover, it was found that teachers’ practices are being influenced by external factors such as school requirements and national policies. It could be concluded that the predominance in using tests is not only elicited by teachers’ beliefs but also by national test results 'Pruebas Saber' and law 115 demanding. It was also suggested that further quantitative research is needed to demonstrate connections between overuse of testing procedures and 'Pruebas Saber' national test.

Keywords: beliefs, evaluation, external factors, national test

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