Search results for: mental health equity

Authors: Panas Gerasimos, Kotidou Varvara, Halkiopoulos Constantinos, Gkintoni Evgenia

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As a result of growing technology and briefing by the internet, users resort to the internet and subsequently to the opinion of an expert. In many cases, they take control of their health in their hand and make a decision without the contribution of a doctor. According to that, this essay intends to analyze the confidence of searching health issues on the internet. For the fulfillment of this study, there has been a survey among doctors in order to find out the reasons a patient uses the internet about their health problems and the consequences that health information could lead by searching on the internet, as well. Specifically, the results regarding the research of the users demonstrate: a) the majority of users make use of the internet about health issues once or twice a month, b) individuals that possess chronic disease make health search on the internet more frequently, c) the most important topics that the majority of users usually search are pathological, dietary issues and the search of issues that are associated with doctors and hospitals. However, it observed that topic search varies depending on the users’ age, d) the most common sources of information concern the direct contact with doctors, as there is a huge preference from the majority of users over the use of the electronic form for their briefing and e) it has been observed that there is large lack of knowledge about e-health services. From the doctor's point of view, the following conclusions occur: a) almost all doctors use the internet as their main source of information, b) the internet has great influence over doctors’ relationship with the patients, c) in many cases a patient first makes a visit to the internet and then to the doctor, d) the internet significantly has a psychological impact on patients in order to for them to reach a decision, e) the most important reason users choose the internet instead of the health professional is economic, f) the negative consequence that emerges is inaccurate information, g) and the positive consequences are about the possibility of online contact with the doctor and contributes to the easy comprehension of the doctor, as well. Generally, it’s observed from both sides that the use of the internet in health issues is intense, which declares that the new means the doctors have at their disposal, produce the conditions for radical changes in the way of providing services and in the doctor-patient relationship.

Keywords: cognitive models, health marketing, e-health, psychological factors, digital marketing, e-health services

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Authors: Arnold Sanda Layuk

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Fraud in the disclosure of financial statements by management shows that agency conflict is an important issue in the company. The conflict has consequences for the agency costs that must be borne and has an impact on the firm's performance. The effect of agency costs on firm performance is investigated in this study, as well as whether several variables such as corporate governance mechanisms can positively moderate the agency cost and firm performance relationship. The agency cost is measured by the asset utilization ratio and discretionary expenditure ratio. The firm's performance is represented by the return on equity. Data was collected from the manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2015 to 2019, then regressed on the panel data using the panel corrected standard error model (PCSE). According to the findings, agency costs are negatively related to firm performance, which supports previous empirical research findings. It also found that the agency cost and firm performance relationship is significantly moderated by board size and ownership concentration as the representatives of corporate governance mechanisms. It suggests that corporate governance can become tools to reduce agency costs and increase firm performance as well. The empirical evidence adds to previous research on agency conflict, particularly in emerging markets. These findings are expected to supplement previous research and provide additional information to shareholders in order to control opportunistic management decisions that affect their investments and discretionary operational expenses.

Keywords: agency cost, corporate governance, asset utilization ratio, firm performance

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Authors: Tony Chapman-Wilson

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Applied theatre is not an ultimate vehicle to create social change; but is more an opportunity of hope that the production material might affect this. Theatre-makers are able to deconstruct socially and politically challenging themes to encourage their audience to witness lived experiences as they consider themes of concern and injustice. This allows writers to (re) present the lived experiences of trans people, and for social injustice, continued transphobia, and lack of equity to be presented to an audience for debate. There needs to be a stronger position and presence of trans voices and active participation presented of these rather than just that of the cisgender-lens and standpoint. This research examines the relationship between human rights and theatre and considers global examples of this practice, as well as exploring the negatives formed from this relationship, and how this may be developed in the future. This focusses on the ability of theatre to denounce the violations of human rights and considers the power of theatre to support the importance of the awareness of violations to human rights for the raised awareness and potential for action of the audience – who may themselves be part of the oppressed, or indeed an oppressor. The fundamental assertion here is not one of evidenced social change, but of awareness raising of the audience and the potential for social activism and action. The practice of applied theatre is one that is experienced by the audience and the project participants alike, with the intention that theatre may consider how people interact with one another. This paper examines the opportunity of verbatim theatre techniques to allow for a cis-led trans-collaborative research project to (re) present intergenerational trans identities.

Keywords: applied theatre, verbatim, transgender, social justice

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Authors: Qirat Naz

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The aim of this research study is to explore the perspectives of migrants and interpreters from diverse backgrounds on language barriers, their English language proficiency and access to health care facilities. A qualitative research methodology was used including in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Data was collected from 20 migrants who have difficulty conversing in the English language and 12 interpreters including family members and friends who provide translation services as part of accessing health care. The findings seek to address three key research questions: how language is a barrier for non-national language speakers to access the health care facilities, what is the impact of various socio-cultural and linguistic backgrounds on health compliance, and what is the role of interpreters in providing access to, usage of, and satisfaction with health-care facilities. The most crucial component of providing care was found to be effective communication between patient and health care professionals. Language barrier was the major concern for healthcare professionals in providing and for migrants in accessing sufficient, suitable, and productive health care facilities. Language and sociocultural background play a significant role in health compliance as this research reported; respondents believe that patients who interact with the doctors who have same sociocultural and linguistic background benefit from receiving better medical care than those who do not. Language limitations and the socio-cultural gap make it difficult for patients and medical staff to communicate clearly with one another, which has a negative effect on quality of care and patient satisfaction. The use of qualified interpreters was found to be beneficial but there were also drawbacks such as accessibility and availability of them in a timely manner for patient needs. The findings of this research can help health care workers and policy makers working to improve health care delivery system and to create appropriate strategies to overcome this challenge.

Keywords: migration, migrants, language barrier, healthcare access

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Authors: Amaraporn Puraya, Roongtiva Boonpracom, Somsak Thojampa, Sirikanok Klankhajhon, Kittisak Kumpeera

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The objective of this qualitative research was to study the elderly health care process by community participation. Data were collected by quality research methods, including secondary data study, observation, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions and analyzed by content analysis, reflection and review of information. The research results pointed out that the important elderly health care process by community participation consisted of 2 parts, namely the community participation development process in elderly health care and the outcomes from the participation development process. The community participation development process consisted of 4 steps as follows: 1) Building the leadership team, an important social capital of the community, which started from searching for both formal and informal leaders by giving the opportunity for public participation and creating clear agreements defining roles, duties and responsibilities; 2) investigating the problems and the needs of the community, 3) designing the elderly health care activities under the concept of self-care potential development of the elderly through participation in community forums and meetings to exchange knowledge with common goals, plans and operation and 4) the development process of sustainable health care agreement at the local level, starting from opening communication channels to create awareness and participation in various activities at both individual and group levels as well as pushing activities/projects into the community development plan consistent with the local administration policy. The outcomes from the participation development process were as follows. 1) There was the integration of the elderly for doing the elderly health care activities/projects in the community managed by the elderly themselves. 2) The service system was changed from the passive to the proactive one, focusing on health promotion rather than treating diseases or illnesses. 3) The registered nurses / the public health officers can provide care for the elderly with chronic illnesses through the implementation of activities/projects of elderly health care so that the elderly can access the services more. 4) The local government organization became the main mechanism in driving the elderly health care process by community participation.

Keywords: elderly health care process, community participation, elderly, Thailand

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Authors: Areej Makeineldein Mustafa

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The study evaluates the management processes and healthcare provider compliance with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommendations for constipation management. We aimed to evaluate the adherence to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines in the management of constipation during the period from February to June 2023. We collected data from a random sample ( 51 patients) over 4 months with inclusion criteria for patients above 60 who were just admitted to the care of the elderly department during this period. Patient age, sex, medical records for constipation, acute or chronic constipation, or opioid-induced constipation, and treatment options were used to identify constipation and the type of treatment given. Our findings indicate that there is a gap between practice and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline steps; only 3 patient was given medications according to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines in order of combination or steps of escalation. Addressing these gaps could potentially lead to enhanced patient outcomes and an overall improvement in the quality of care provided to individuals suffering from constipation.

Keywords: constipation, elderly, management, patient

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Authors: Ming-Dong Wang, Abigail F. Ruby, Michelle E. Ross

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Methylphenidate is a first-line treatment drug for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a common mental health disorder in children and adolescents. Over the last several decades, the rate of children and adolescents using ADHD medication has been increasing in many countries. A recent study found that the prevalence of ADHD medication use among children aged 3-18 years increased in 13 different world regions between 2001 and 2015, where the absolute increase ranged from 0.02 to 0.26% per year. The goal of this study was to examine the use of methylphenidate in Canadian children and its associated adverse reactions. Methylphenidate use information among young Canadians aged 0-14 years was extracted from IQVIA data on prescriptions dispensed by pharmacies between April 2014 and June 2020. The adverse reaction information associated with methylphenidate use was extracted from the Canada Vigilance database for the same time period. Methylphenidate use trends were analyzed based on sex, age group (0-4 years, 5-9 years, and 10-14 years), and geographical location (province). The common classes of adverse reactions associated with methylphenidate use were sorted, and the relative risks associated with methylphenidate use as compared with two second-line amphetamine medications for ADHD were estimated. This study revealed that among Canadians aged 0-14 years, every 100 people used about 25 prescriptions (or 23,000 mg) of methylphenidate per year during the study period, and the use increased with time. Boys used almost three times more methylphenidate than girls. The amount of drug used was inversely associated with age: Canadians aged 10-14 years used nearly three times as many drugs compared to those aged 5-9 years. Seasonal methylphenidate use patterns were apparent among young Canadians, but the seasonal trends differed among the three age groups. Methylphenidate use varied from region to region, and the highest methylphenidate use was observed in Quebec, where the use of methylphenidate was at least double that of any other province. During the study period, Health Canada received 304 adverse reaction reports associated with the use of methylphenidate for Canadians aged 0-14 years. The number of adverse reaction reports received for boys was 3.5 times higher than that for girls. The three most common adverse reaction classes were psychiatric disorders, nervous system disorders and injury, poisoning procedural complications. The number one commonly reported adverse reaction for boys was aggression (11.2%), while for girls, it was a tremor (9.6%). The safety profile in terms of adverse reaction classes associated with methylphenidate use was similar to that of the selected control products. Methylphenidate is a commonly used pharmaceutical product in young Canadians, particularly in the province of Quebec. Boys used approximately three times more of this product as compared to girls. Future investigation is needed to determine what factors are associated with the observed geographic variations in Canada.

Keywords: adverse reaction risk, methylphenidate, prescription trend, use variation

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Authors: Gikunda Aloise, Mjema Saida, Barasa Herbert, Wanyungu John, Kimani Maureen

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Background: Community Health Workforce (CHW) is health care providers at the community level (Level 1) and serves as a bridge between the community and the formal healthcare system. This human resource has enormous potential to extend healthcare services and ensures that the vulnerable, marginalized, and hard-to-reach populations have access to quality healthcare services at the community and primary health facility levels. However, these cadres are neither recognized, remunerated, nor in most instances, registered in a master list. Management and supervision of CHWs is not easy if their individual demographics, training capacity and incentives is not well documented through a centralized registry. Description: In February 2022, Amref supported the Kenya Ministry of Health in developing a community health workforce database called Community Health Workers Master List Registry (CHWML), which is hosted in Kenya Health Information System (KHIS) tracker. CHW registration exercise was through a sensitization meeting conducted by the County Community Health Focal Person for the Sub-County Community Health Focal Person and Community Health Assistants who uploaded information on individual demographics, training undertaken and incentives received by CHVs. Care was taken to ensure compliance with Kenyan laws on the availability and use of personal data as prescribed by the Data Protection Act, 2019 (DPA). Results and lessons learnt: By June 2022, 80,825 CHWs had been registered in the system; 78,174 (96%) CHVs and 2,636 (4%) CHAs. 25,235 (31%) are male, 55,505 (68%) are female & 85 (1%) are transgender. 39,979. (49%) had secondary education and 2500 (3%) had no formal education. Only 27 641 (34%) received a monthly stipend. 68,436 CHVs (85%) had undergone basic training. However, there is a need to validate the data to align with the current situation in the counties. Conclusions/Next steps: The use of CHWML will unlock opportunities for building more resilient and sustainable health systems and inform financial planning, resource allocation, capacity development, and quality service delivery. The MOH will update the CHWML guidelines in adherence to the data protection act which will inform standard procedures for maintaining, updating the registry and integrate Community Health Workforce registry with the HRH system.

Keywords: community health registry, community health volunteers (CHVs), community health workers masters list (CHWML), data protection act

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Authors: Ivy Chumo, Sheillah Simiyu, Hellen Gitau, Isaac Kisiangani, Caroline Kabaria Kanyiva Muindi, Blessing Mberu

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The global sanitation workforce bridges the gap between sanitation infrastructure and the provision of sanitation services through essential public service work. Manual pit emptiers often perform the work at the cost of their dignity, safety, and health as their work requires repeated heavy physical activities such as lifting, carrying, pulling, and pushing. This exposes them to occupational and environmental health hazards and risking illness, injury, and death. The study will extend the studies by presenting occupational health risks and suggestions for improvement in informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya. This is a qualitative study conducted among sanitation stakeholders in Korogocho, Mukuru and Kibera informal settlements in Nairobi. Data were captured using digital voice recorders, transcribed and thematically analysed. The discussion notes were further supported by observational notes made during the interviews. These formed the basis for a robust picture of occupational health of manual pit emptiers; a lack or inappropriate use of protective clothing, and prolonged duration of working hours were described to contribute to the occupational health hazard. To continue working, manual pit emptiers had devised coping strategies which include working in groups, improvised protective clothing, sharing the available protective clothing, working at night and consuming alcohol drinks while at work. Many of these strategies are detrimental to their health. Occupational health hazards among pit emptiers are key for effective working and is as a result of a lack of collaboration amongst stakeholders linked to health, safety and lack of PPE of pit emptiers. Collaborations amongst sanitation stakeholders is paramount for health, safety, and in ensuring the provision and use of personal protective devices.

Keywords: sanitation, occupational health, manual emptiers, informal settlements

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Authors: Tareq Aljaber

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The number of mobile health apps is growing at a fast frequency as it's nearly doubled in a year between 2015 and 2016. Though, there is a lack of an effective evaluation framework to verify the usability and reliability of mobile phone health education applications which would help saving time and effort for the numerous user groups. This abstract describing a framework for evaluating mobile applications in specifically mobile health education applications, along with a guidance select tool to assist different users to select the most suitable mobile health education apps. The effective framework outcome is intended to meet the requirements and needs of the different stakeholder groups additionally to enhancing the development of mobile health education applications with software engineering approaches, by producing new and more effective techniques to evaluate such software. This abstract highlights the significance and consequences of mobile health education apps, before focusing the light on the required to create an effective evaluation framework for these apps. An explanation of the effective evaluation framework is going to be delivered in the abstract, beside with some specific evaluation metrics: an efficient hybrid of selected heuristic evaluation (HE) and usability evaluation (UE) metrics to enable the determination of the usefulness and usability of health education mobile apps. Moreover, an explanation of the qualitative and quantitative outcomes for the effective evaluation framework was accomplished using Epocrates mobile phone app in addition to some other mobile phone apps. This proposed framework-An Evaluation Framework for Mobile Health Education Apps-consists of a hybrid of 5 metrics designated from a larger set in usability evaluation and heuristic evaluation, illuminated grounded on 15 unstructured interviews from software developers (SD), health professionals (HP) and patients (P). These five metrics corresponding to explicit facets of usability recognised through a requirements analysis of typical stakeholders of mobile health apps. These five hybrid selected metrics were scattered across 24 specific questionnaire questions, which are available on request from first author. This questionnaire has been sent to 81 participants distributed in three sets of stakeholders from software developers (SD), health professionals (HP) and patients/general users (P/GU) on the purpose of ranking three sets of mobile health education applications. Finally, the outcomes from the questionnaire data helped us to approach our aims which are finding the profile for different stakeholders, finding the profile for different mobile health educations application packages, ranking different mobile health education application and guide us to build the select guidance too which is apart from the Evaluation Framework for Mobile Health Education Apps.

Keywords: evaluation framework, heuristic evaluation, usability evaluation, metrics

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Authors: Mehwish Sarfaraz Ahmad

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Background: There is a prevailing perception in Pakistan that private hospitals offer better services than government hospitals. Unfortunately, Pakistan faces challenges in providing efficient healthcare due to limited resources and management capabilities, resulting in demotivation among healthcare workers. Aim: The purpose of this study was to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the occupational health and well-being of healthcare workers in both public and private sector tertiary care hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan, to compare the well-being of healthcare professionals in these two sectors and investigate the influence of workplace culture and experiences on their overall health. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated International Questionnaire, and data from 440 participants was collected using a stratified random sampling technique from a diverse group of healthcare professionals from the public and private tertiary care hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan. The researcher conducted a comparative analysis using appropriate statistical tests, such as Anova, t-tests, chi-square tests, and regression analysis, to explore potential relationships between various factors. Results: The majority of respondents (70.2%) reported their health as "Good" or "Very good, a small percentage (8.2%) rated their health as "Poor," while 24.1% considered their health as "Fair". 39.6% reported being satisfied with their workplace culture, while a majority of 60.4% indicated being unsatisfied with their workplace culture. Results showed that workplace culture has a positive correlation with the overall health and well-being of healthcare professionals. The study found significant differences in health ratings, prevalence of chronic health conditions, workplace culture, and safety perceptions between healthcare professionals in public and private sector tertiary care hospitals. Conclusion: The study's findings emphasize the significance of promoting a positive workplace culture, ensuring workplace safety, and addressing chronic health conditions among healthcare workers.

Keywords: occupational health and well-being, workplace culture, frequency of fatigue, availabity of benefits

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Authors: Saira Mehnaz, Ali Jafar Abedi, Shazia Farooq Fazli, Sakeena Mushfiq, Zulfia Khan, M. Athar Ansari

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Introduction: Public health spending is a necessity in an underdeveloped country like India. The people are already suffering from poverty and that clubbed with out of pocket expenditure leads them to a very catastrophic situation, reducing the overall access to healthcare. Objectives: This study was designed to determine the usual source of medical care opted, the illness pattern, the expenditure incurred on illness and its source of procurement by the study population. It also intended to assess this expenditure as a determinant of access to health care. Methodology: Cities like Aligarh, which are classified as B grade cities in India are thought to be ripe sites for getting livelihood and hence are almost half filled with migrants living in urban slums. A cross sectional study was done to study the newer slum pockets. 3409 households with a population of 16,978 were studied with the help of pretested questionnaire; SPSS 20 was used for statistical analysis. Results and Conclusions: In our study, we found that almost all the households suffered from catastrophic health expenditure. The study population, which was already vulnerable owing to their low socio-economic and migrant status was further being forced with into poverty and indebtedness on account of expenditure on illness. This lead to a significant decrease in access to health. National health financing systems should be designed to protect households from financial catastrophe, by reducing out-of-pocket spending.

Keywords: access to healthcare, catastrophic health expenditure, new urban slums, out of pocket expenditure

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Authors: K. Piórkowska

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The overarching aim of the paper is to incorporate the micro-foundations perspective in strategic management and offering possibilities to bridge the macro–micro divide, to review the concept of habits, as well as to propose research findings and directions in terms of further exploring the habit construct and its impact on higher epistemological level phenomena (for instance organizational routines, which is a domain inherently multilevel in nature). To realize this aim, the following sections have been developed: (1) habits’ origins, (2) habits – cognitive constellations, (3) interrelationships between habits and mental representations, intentions, (4) habits and organizational routines, and (5) habits and routines linkages with adaptation. The conclusions that have been made support recent and current studies linking the level of individual heterogeneous agents with the level of macro (organizational) outcomes.

Keywords: behaviorism, habits, micro-foundations, routines

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Authors: Mohammed Murtuza Soofi

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Purpose: Marketers and Researchers alike have simultaneously, yet in mutually exclusive instances, promote the use of humour by brands in their communication and gendering of brands, as both enhance brand equity and can generate positive attitudinal responses from customers. However, the gendering of brands comes with associated gendered stereotypical expectations. The current paper consolidates the long standing literature on gender role/stereotype theory and brand gender theories establishing a theoretical framework for understanding how gender-based stereotypes about humour can influence consumers’ attitudinal responses towards brands. Design/methodology/approach: Using parallel constrain satisfaction theory as domain theory to explain the highhandedness of stereotypes and gender stereotype theories (particularly around feminine use of humour), we explain why gender based stereotypes could constrain brand behaviors, and in turn, feminine brands get penalised for using witty, aggressive and self-enhancing humor. Findings: Extension of gender stereotypes to anthropomorphised brands will lead consumers to judge the use of negative humour by a feminine brand as less appropriate, which will trigger the causal chain of reduced sense of communal appropriateness and brand warmth which will result in a negative attitude towards the brand. Originality/value: Brand gendering being susceptible to gender based stereotypes, has very little attention in the literature and hence use of negative humour (stereotypical male behaviour), has never been studied in the context of gendered brands. It also helps understand to what extent stereotypes will impact attitudinal responses to the brand. Our work can help understand when heavily gendered brands can optimise the use of humour and when they can avoid it.

Keywords: brand femininity, brand gender, gender stereotypes, humour

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Authors: Vojtěch Gybas, Libor Klubal, Kateřina Kostolányová

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This case study responds to the current trends in ICT. Mobile Touch iPads can provide very good assistance to disabled seniors. The intuitive tablet environment, the possibility of the formation environment and its portability, has a very positive effect on the use of particular communication. For comparison, using a conventional PC/notebook, word processor, keyboard and computer mouse compared to the iPad and selected applications. The results of this case study show that the use of mobile touch devices iPad for seniors with mental retardation is a great benefit. These devices do not require high demands on graphomotorics like a standard PC devices.

Keywords: ICT, iPad, handicapped seniors, communication, computer/notebook, applications, text editor

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Authors: Thuraya Ahmed Hamood Al Shidhani

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Sports Medicine injuries are very common in primary health care. It is not necessary related to direct trauma, but it could be because of repetitive stress and overuse injuries. Knowledge of Primary Health care providers about the common sports medicine injuries and when to refer to a specialist is essential. Common sports injuries are muscle strain, joint sprain, bone bruise, Patellofemoral pain syndrome, Anterior cruciate ligament injuries, meniscal injuries, ankle ligaments injuries, concussion, Rotator cuff tendinosis/impingement syndrome, lateral and medial epicondylitis and fractures. Systematic approach is very useful in evaluation of sports injuries. RICE is important in initial management. Physiotherapy is essential for rehabilitation. Definitive Management is dependent on patient’s condition and function.

Keywords: common, sports medicine injuries, primary health care, injuries

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Authors: Elitaria Bestri Agustina Siregar, Boni Fasius Siregar

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The paper concerned with the transitivity in the reading passage of English textbook for Senior High School. The six types of process were occurred in the passages with percentage as follows: Material Process is 166 (42%), Relational Process is 155 (39%), Mental Process is 39 (10%), Verbal Process is 21 (5%), Existential Process is 13 (3), and Behavioral Process is 5 (1%). The material processes were found to be the most frequently used process type in the samples in our corpus (41,60 %). This indicates that the twenty reading passages are centrally concerned with action and events. Related to developmental psychology theory, this book fits the needs of students of this age.

Keywords: transitivity, types of processes, reading passages, developmental psycholoy

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Authors: Mihika Shivkumar, Krishna Kumar, C. Perisamy

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3D printing is a method of manufacturing wherein materials, such as plastic or metal, are deposited in layers one on top of the other to produce a three dimensional object. 3D printing is most commonly associated with creating engineering prototypes. However, its applications in the field of human health care have been frequently disregarded. Medical applications for 3D printing are expanding rapidly and are envisaged to revolutionize health care. Medical applications for 3D printing, both present and its potential, can be categorized broadly, including: creation of customized prosthetics tissue and organ fabrication; creation of implants, and anatomical models and pharmaceutical research regarding drug dosage forms. This piece breaks down bioprinting in the healthcare sector. It focuses on the better subtle elements of every particular point, including how 3D printing functions in the present, its impediments, and future applications in the health care sector.

Keywords: bio-printing, prototype, drug delivery, organ regeneration

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Authors: Uvais Qidwai, Amor Moursi, Mohamed Tahar, Malek Hamad, Hamad Alansi

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This paper focuses on the development and implementation of an advanced plant health monitoring system with an AI backbone and IoT sensory network. Our approach involves addressing the critical environmental factors essential for preserving a plant’s well-being, including air temperature, soil moisture, soil temperature, soil conductivity, pH, water levels, and humidity, as well as the presence of essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Central to our methodology is the utilization of computer vision technology, particularly a night vision camera. The captured data is then compared against a reference database containing different health statuses. This comparative analysis is implemented using an AI deep learning model, which enables us to generate accurate assessments of plant health status. By combining the AI-based decision-making approach, our system aims to provide precise and timely insights into the overall health and well-being of plants, offering a valuable tool for effective plant care and management.

Keywords: deep learning image model, IoT sensing, cloud-based analysis, remote monitoring app, computer vision, fuzzy control

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Authors: Seedwell Sithole

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One of the persistent problems in accounting education is how to effectively support students’ learning. A promising technique to this issue is to investigate the extent that learning is determined by the design of instructional material. This study examines the academic performance of students using three instructional designs in financial accounting. Student’s performance scores and reported mental effort ratings were used to determine the instructional effectiveness. The findings of this study show that accounting students prefer graph and text designs that are integrated. The results suggest that spatially separated graph and text presentations in accounting should be reorganized to align with the requirements of human cognitive architecture.

Keywords: accounting, cognitive load, education, instructional preferences, students

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Authors: Gulmira Umarova

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The data on the assessment of the influence of environmental risk to the health of the population of Uralsk in the West region of Kazakhstan were presented. Calculation of non-carcinogenic risks was performed for such air pollutants as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide. Here with the critical organs and systems, which are affected by the above-mentioned substances were taken into account. As well as indicators of primary and general morbidity by classes of diseases among the population were considered. The quantitative risk of the influence of substances on organs and systems is established by results of the calculation.

Keywords: environment, health, morbidity, non-carcinogenic risk

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Authors: Christina Kirsch, Adam Hatzigiannis

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Rail operators and maintainers worldwide are increasingly replacing walking patrols in the rail corridor with mechanized track patrols -essentially data capture on trains- and on-screen reviews of track infrastructure in centralized review facilities. The benefit is that infrastructure workers are less exposed to the dangers of the rail corridor. The impact is a significant change in work design from walking track sections and direct observation in the real world to sedentary jobs in the review facility reviewing captured data on screens. Defects in rail infrastructure can have catastrophic consequences. Reviewer performance regarding accuracy and efficiency of reviews within the available time frame is essential to ensure safety and operational performance. Rail operators must optimize workload and resource loading to transition to on-screen reviews successfully. Therefore, they need to know what workload assessment methodologies will provide reliable and valid data to optimize resourcing for on-screen reviews. This paper compares objective workload measures, including track difficulty ratings and review distance covered per hour, and subjective workload assessments (NASA TLX) and analyses the link between workload and reviewer performance, including sensitivity, precision, and overall accuracy. An experimental study was completed with eight on-screen reviewers, including infrastructure workers and engineers, reviewing track sections with different levels of track difficulty over nine days. Each day the reviewers completed four 90-minute sessions of on-screen inspection of the track infrastructure. Data regarding the speed of review (km/ hour), detected defects, false negatives, and false positives were collected. Additionally, all reviewers completed a subjective workload assessment (NASA TLX) after each 90-minute session and a short employee engagement survey at the end of the study period that captured impacts on job satisfaction and motivation. The results showed that objective measures for tracking difficulty align with subjective mental demand, temporal demand, effort, and frustration in the NASA TLX. Interestingly, review speed correlated with subjective assessments of physical and temporal demand, but to mental demand. Subjective performance ratings correlated with all accuracy measures and review speed. The results showed that subjective NASA TLX workload assessments accurately reflect objective workload. The analysis of the impact of workload on performance showed that subjective mental demand correlated with high precision -accurately detected defects, not false positives. Conversely, high temporal demand was negatively correlated with sensitivity and the percentage of detected existing defects. Review speed was significantly correlated with false negatives. With an increase in review speed, accuracy declined. On the other hand, review speed correlated with subjective performance assessments. Reviewers thought their performance was higher when they reviewed the track sections faster, despite the decline in accuracy. The study results were used to optimize resourcing and ensure that reviewers had enough time to review the allocated track sections to improve defect detection rates in accordance with the efficiency-thoroughness trade-off. Overall, the study showed the importance of a multi-method approach to workload assessment and optimization, combining subjective workload assessments with objective workload and performance measures to ensure that recommendations for work system optimization are evidence-based and reliable.

Keywords: automation, efficiency-thoroughness trade-off, human factors, job design, NASA TLX, performance optimization, subjective workload assessment, workload analysis

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Authors: Bushra Alghamdi, Alla Alsharif, Hamzah Aljohani, Saba Kassim

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Introduction: Collaborative work has always been acknowledged as a fundamental concept in delivering oral health care. Aim: This study aimed to assess the perception and attitude of pharmacists in oral health promotion and to determine the confident levels of pharmacists in delivering advice on oral health problems. Methods: An observational cross-sectional survey, using self-administered anonymous questionnaires, was conducted between March and April 2017. The study recruited a convenience sample of registered community pharmacists who were working in local private pharmaceutical stores in the urban area of Madinah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). A preliminary descriptive analysis was performed. Results: Thirty-five pharmacists have completed the surveys. All participants were males, with a mean age of 35.5 ( ± 6.92) years. Eighty-six percent of the participants reported that pharmacists should have a role in oral health promotion. Eighty percent have reported adequate level of confident when giving advice on most of the common oral health problems that include; oral health related risk behaviors such as tobacco cessation (46%), bleeding gums (63%) and sensitive teeth (60%). However, higher percentages of pharmacists have reported low confident levels when giving advice in relation to specific domain of dentistry, such as lost dental fillings (57%), loose crowns (60%), trauma to teeth (40%), denture-related problems (51%) and oral cancer (6.9%). Conclusion: Community pharmacists recognized their potential role in promoting oral health in KSA. Community pharmacists had varying levels of ability and confidence to offer support for oral health. The study highlighted that inner professional collaboration between pharmacists and dental care healthcare should be enhanced.

Keywords: community, oral health, promotion, pharmacist

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Authors: Divya Ramaseshan

Abstract:

The indigenous beauty of a space supported by its local context is unmatchable. India, known to be a hub for varied cultural significance, has one of the best uses of vernacularism. This paper focuses on the traditional houses present in Thirumayilai, Mylapore, one of the oldest and most populous cities in Chennai. The Mylapore houses are known for their Agraharam style with thinnai, courtyard, and sloping roof characteristics. These homes had a combined influence of Indian, Islamic as well as Neo-classical architecture in their design. The design of the houses reflects the lives of Brahmin communities which have almost vanished from sight now. According to the growing demands of local residents as well as urbanization, many houses have been renovated. Some of those structures have been conserved in certain streets showcasing their historical identity. Other structures have either been demolished or redesigned based on people’s needs. Those structures have been identified and studied to understand the comparative features that have been changed. Many of those were in direct relevance to the city’s climate, family size, socializing habits, and local materials. Being a temple town, Mylapore has contour variations sloping towards various water bodies. These factors have been considered for building homes as well. The study aims to list down the possible design guidelines that could be effective in today’s construction field. The pros and cons are analyzed, and the respective methodologies are framed. Our modern construction technologies have brought in the best visual aesthetics in a short frame of time, but the serene touch of teak wood, walking through paved stones, daydreaming in the sunlit courtyards, and chitchatting in porticos are always cherished. Architects around the world are trying hard to achieve such appreciated design elements in upcoming projects with the best use of modern technology. This will also improvise people’s mental health in the comfort of their homes.

Keywords: Agraharam, Mylapore, traditional, vernacularism

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Authors: Shittu Bisi Agnes

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Studies on households’ willingness to pay for environmental and general health safety in the advent of Ebola virus Diseases in Nigeria was carried out. This is aimed at revealing the means by which the virus was eventually eradicated in Nigeria as widely claimed in the media. This study therefore attempted to determine the environmental and general health condition in the State Of Osun, how socio-economic characteristics of the people affected willingness to pay. And also provide platform for the reduction of environmental and general health problems. Data were collected with the aid of well-structured questionnaire and administer 150 randomly selected people of study area, and oral interview was also utilized. Data collected were analyzed using both descriptive tools and inferential statistics vis-a-viz regression analysis. Findings showed 92.5% of respondents was aware of ebola virus diseases outbreak in Nigeria, 8.5% was unaware of any disease outbreak. And 65.7% of respondents was strongly willing to pay for environmental and general health safety 27.1% was fairly willing, 5.7% was indifferent and 1.7% was unwilling to pay. 5% rated the level of environmental and general health condition in the area has been good, 53.6% rated theirs has been fair, 33.6% as been poor. The average willingness to pay per household per month were #500.00, #250.00, #150.00 and #100.00 respectively for the four categories. It was recommended that policy instruments to increase peoples' income will accelerate eradication of environmental and general health problems, environmental health education in form of talk shop, workshop, lectures and seminars could be organized at the political ward levels, churches, mosque, and at schools. Environmental and general health safety related information could be disseminated through mass media, market women, and functional unions.

Keywords: ebola virus diseases (EVD), socio-economic, safety, pay, Osun

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Authors: Serena Salvi

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Ageistic stereotypes and practices have become a normal and therefore pervasive phenomenon in various aspects of everyday life. Over the past years, renewed awareness towards self-directed age stereotyping in older adults has given rise to a line of research focused on the potential role of attitudes towards ageing on seniors’ health and functioning. This set of studies has showed how a negative internalisation of ageistic stereotypes would discourage older adults in seeking medical advice, in addition to be associated to negative subjective health evaluation. An important dimension of mental health that is often affected in older adults is represented by sleep quality. Self-reported sleep quality among older adults has shown to be often unreliable when compared to their objective sleep measures. Investigations focused on self-reported sleep quality among older adults have suggested how this portion of the population would tend to accept disrupted sleep if believed to be up to standard for their age. On the other hand, unrealistic expectations, and dysfunctional beliefs towards sleep in ageing, might prompt older adults to report sleep disruption even in the absence of objective disrupted sleep. Objective of this study is to examine an association between personal attitudes towards ageing in adults aged 60+ and dysfunctional sleep related cognition. More in detail, this study aims to investigate a potential association between personal attitudes towards ageing, sleep locus of control and dysfunctional beliefs towards sleep among this portion of the population. Data in this study were statistically analysed in SPSS software. Participants were recruited through the online participants recruitment system Prolific. Inclusion of attention check questions throughout the questionnaire and consistency of responses were looked at. Prior to the commencement of this study, Ethical Approval was granted (ref. 39396). Descriptive statistics were used to determine the frequency, mean, and SDs of the variables. Pearson coefficient was used for interval variables, independent T-test for comparing means between two independent groups, analysis of variance (ANOVA) test for comparing the means in several independent groups, and hierarchical linear regression models for predicting criterion variables based on predictor variables. In this study self-perceptions of ageing were assessed using APQ-B’s subscales, while dysfunctional sleep related cognition was operationalised using the SLOC and the DBAS16 scales. Of the final subscales taken in consideration in the brief version of the APQ questionnaire, Emotional Representations (ER), Control Positive (PC) and Control and Consequences Negative (NC) have shown to be of particularly relevance for the remits of this study. Regression analysis show how an increase in the APQ-B subscale Emotional Representations (ER) predicts an increase in dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes towards sleep in this sample, after controlling for subjective sleep quality, level of depression and chronological age. A second regression analysis showed that APQ-B subscales Control Positive (PC) and Control and Consequences Negative (NC) were significant predictors in the change of variance of SLOC, after controlling for subjective sleep quality, level of depression and dysfunctional beliefs about sleep.

Keywords: sleep-related cognition, perceptions of aging, older adults, sleep quality

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Authors: Lin Wenli, Fu Linchun, Zhang Yi, Wu Ming

Abstract:

To meet the demands of long-life and high-intelligence for satellites, the electrical power system should be provided with self-health condition evaluation capability. Any over-stress events in operations should be recorded. Based on Linear stresses accumulation damage theory, accumulative damage analysis was performed on thermal-mechanical-electrical united stresses for three components including the solar array, the batteries and the power conditioning unit. Then an overall health percentage evaluation model for satellite electrical power system was built. To obtain the accurate quantity for system health percentage, an automatic feedback closed-loop correction method for all coefficients in the evaluation model was present. The evaluation outputs could be referred as taking earlier fault-forecast and interventions for Ground Control Center or Satellites self.

Keywords: satellite electrical power system, health percentage, linear stresses accumulation damage, evaluation model

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Authors: Zasha Romero, Roberto Trevino, Lin Wang, Elizabeth Alanis, Jesus Cuellar

Abstract:

Background: There is a strong relationship between low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and high adiposity levels. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of the Bienestar/Neema Coordinated School Health Program (BN CSHP) on the CRF of preschool children. Methods: This is a randomized cluster trial conducted in preschools of two school districts located along the Texas-Mexico border. Of 48 eligible schools, 28 were randomly selected (intervention, n=14; control, n=14). Family demographics and household health characteristics were collected from parents. CRF, as measured by the Progressive Anaerobic Capacity Endurance Run (PACER) fitness test, was collected from the children. A generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) was used to analyze the data. Results: Family demographics, household health characteristics, and children’s weight, obesity prevalence, and sedentary activity were similar among both treatment groups. After adjusting for covariates, the number of laps run by children in the control group increased by 23% (CI: -5% to 60%) per each data collection period compared with 53% (CI: 7% to 119%) in the intervention group. Conclusions: Children in the BN CSHP, compared to those in the control group, had a significantly higher increase in their CRF. This finding is important because of the health benefits of CRF in children.

Keywords: coordinated school health program, cardiorespiratory fitness, obesity, border health, preschool, physical education, movement

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Authors: Arezoo Fallahi

Abstract:

Introduction: Exposure to second-hand smoke is an important global health problem and threatens the health of people, especially children and women. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of education based on the Health Belief Model on preventive behaviors of exposure to second-hand smoke in women. Materials and Methods: This experimental study was performed in 2022 in Sanandaj, west of Iran. Seventy-four people were selected by simple random sampling and divided into an intervention group (37 people) and a control group (37 people). Data collection tools included demographic characteristics and a second-hand smoke exposure questionnaire based on the Health Beliefs Model. The training in the intervention group was conducted in three one-hour sessions in the comprehensive health service centers in the form of lectures, pamphlets, and group discussions. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 21 and statistical tests such as correlation, paired t-test, and independent t-test. Results: The intervention and control groups were homogeneous before education. They were similar in terms of mean scores of the Health Belief Model. However, after an educational intervention, some of the scores increased, including the mean perceived sensitivity score (from 17.62±2.86 to 19.75±1.23), perceived severity score (28.40±4.45 to 31.64±2), perceived benefits score (27.27±4.89 to 31.94±2.17), practice score (32.64±4.68 to 36.91±2.32) perceived barriers from 26.62±5.16 to 31.29±3.34, guide for external action (from 17.70±3.99 to 22/89 ±1.67), guide for internal action from (16.59±2.95 to 1.03±18.75), and self-efficacy (from 19.83 ±3.99 to 23.37±1.43) (P <0.05). Conclusion: The educational intervention designed based on the Health Belief Model in women was effective in performing preventive behaviors against exposure to second-hand smoke.

Keywords: education, women, exposure to secondhand smoke, health belief model

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Authors: Zohre Shahhosseini, Mehdi Pourasghar, AliReza Khalilian, Fariba Salehi

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Objective: The prevalence of anxiety during pregnancy, particularly in developing countries, and its adverse effects on mother and baby, can make pregnancy unpleasant for pregnant women. The effect of anxiety during pregnancy on birth outcomes and children can be a justification for screening of anxious pregnant women in periodic pregnancy care and helping them. In this study, researchers have investigated effects and comparison of group counseling (Cognitive therapy) and interactive lectures on anxiety during pregnancy of primiparas. Methods: The population studied in this semi-experimental trail was nulliparous pregnant women with backgrounds in health care centers in Sari city .They were studied during a period of 3 months from early March to end May 2016. Sample size in this study was 91 patients, who were randomly assigned to three groups: group counseling, interactive lecture, and control group. Demographic questionnaire and Speilberger State –Trait Anxiety Inventory (SPAI) was completed for all three groups after obtaining letter of consent and completing the initial checklist. Then interventions included 4 sessions for group counseling and 4 sessions for interactive lecture which were implemented in two sessions a week. 4 weeks after interventions, Speilberger State – Trait Anxiety Inventory (SPAI), completed by both group counseling and interactive lectures groups again. In control group, the second questionnaire was also completed 4 weeks after completing the initial questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using spss software version 18. At first, the Kalmogorov-Smiranov test was carried out and then chi square tests, Independent t-test, paired t-test, ANOVA test, and Dunnett's post hoc test were applied. Results: Findings show that group counseling and interactive lecture with reducing state and trait anxiety in significant level of P=0/000 contribute to reduction of anxiety in nulliparous pregnant mothers. However, in this study, group counseling was more effective than an interactive lecture in reducing participants' anxiety, but this difference was not significant (P≥0/05). Conclusions: According to the results of this study, it is suggested that by screening of psychological - mental problems of pregnant women in periodic care during pregnancy be considered by revised prenatal care plans and creation of counseling and training units at health centers. Besides owing to the fact that both interactive lecture and group counseling method were effective in reducing anxiety, these methods should be used proportionate to situations and facilities.

Keywords: anxiety, group counseling, cognitive therapy, interactive lecture, nulliparous

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