Irene A. Jillson

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs of Patients with Chronic Liver Disease

OBJECTIVES To explore knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and barriers to care among patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). METHODS Three separate, one-time-only, 60-minutes focus group sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using an editing style of analysis. RESULTS In total, 13 focus group participants provided 254 discrete comments. Emerging themes included: negative lifestyles/behaviors, lack of CLD knowledge, negative attitudes/emotions, stigma and negativity, health insurance, inaccessible/high cost medical care, drug/alcohol abuse, and discriminately sharing CLD diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS Participants felt lack of CLD knowledge was a key factor in how patients perceived prevention, risks, causes, and treatment. These findings contribute to the important, yet limited, base of knowledge about CLD and provide a benchmark for future, more extensive studies and interventions.

Knowledge and perceptions of hepatitis c infection and pesticides use in two rural villages in Egypt

BackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most fatal types of malignancy, is increasing worldwide, and particularly in Egypt where there is a confluence of its contributing factors, including high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, widespread use of pesticides, and diets that are contaminated by aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in rural areas. We investigated knowledge, attitudes, and prevention practices related to HCV infection and pesticides use in rural Egypt, where over half of the population resides and agriculture is the predominant occupation.MethodsFrom two rural villages we recruited 67 residents aged 18–80 years, who completed a 40-item survey that included questions about demographics, knowledge of and protective measures relevant to pesticides use in the home and in agriculture, awareness and perceptions of HCV infection and its treatment and prevention.ResultsAmong the 67 study participants, gender distribution was equal, the mean age was 47.2, and one third never attended school. More than 50% reported using pesticides at home, but fewer reported having some knowledge about its health effects. Twelve participants were agricultural workers, and 11 of them applied pesticides in the field and knew about their toxicity; however only one person was correctly using the appropriate protective equipment. Among all the participants, 52 did not know what causes HCV infection, and 42 of those who knew it was a virus mentioned incorrect modes of transmission; and 30 did not know the disease manifestations.ConclusionIn rural Egypt, there is a significant lack of knowledge of HCV infection and its transmission mode and limited use of protective measures against pesticides despite familiarity with these chemicals.

Substance Use by Egyptian Youth: Current Patterns and Potential Avenues for Prevention

Background. Substance abuse in Egypt is a serious public health threat. Recent studies have demonstrated increases in the prevalence of the use of tobacco, illegal drugs, and over-the-counter drugs, particularly among youth. Methods. We conducted focus groups with a total of 40 male and female youth participants, ages 12–14 and 15–18, recruited from two different areas (Cairo and Alexandria) in 2012. We investigated their knowledge and perceptions regarding current substance use, its sources, and promoting and protecting factors, broadly addressing the use of tobacco products, illicit and prescription drugs, inhaled substances such as glue and solvents, and alcohol. Results. Our findings suggest that: (1) youth in Egypt had access to and were actively using substances encountered in similar research worldwide, including tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs, glue sniffing, and pharmaceutical agents; (2) smoking cigarettes and using hashish were the most common practices, and Tramadol was the most commonly used pharmaceutical drug; (3) peer pressure from friends stood out as the most common reason to start and continue using substances, followed by adverse life events and having a parent or family member who used substances; (4) strict parenting, religiosity, and having non-user friends were among the factors perceived by youth to prevent substance use or help them quit using substances; (5) most youths were aware of the adverse health effects of substance use. Conclusion. These findings will inform the design of quantitative surveys aimed at estimating the prevalence of specific behaviors related to substance use among youth and potential avenues for prevention.

Parental perceptions of congenital cardiovascular malformations in their children.

We assessed parental attitudes towards congenital cardiovascular malformations in their children in a cross-sectional study in Egypt. Parents face many problems related to concerns about their childs prognosis, but these associations with parental stress have never been evaluated in Egypt or examined in relation to religiosity in a predominantly Muslim society. Accordingly, we conducted interviews in Cairo with mothers of 99 sequential infants born with conotruncal heart malformations (cases) and 65 mothers of age-matched controls. The survey assessed healthcare access and usage, knowledge of congenital cardiovascular malformations, religiosity, the Locus of Control Scale, and the Parenting Stress Index. Results showed that 45% of the mothers of cases had correct knowledge about their childs diagnosis; 85% were satisfied with the clinical care; and 79% reported that the cost of care was burdensome. Compared with parents of cases, parents of controls were more likely to report stress overall and all its subscales. Regarding belief about locus of control over health, God as a determining factor was given the highest endorsement. Mothers in the congenital cardiovascular malformations group reported a higher level of parental locus of control than did those in the control group. The correlations between stress and locus of control were stronger in the control than in the case group. Religiosity was related neither to stress nor to locus of control. Future studies can explore the roles that personal, familial, and societal factors play in exacerbating or reducing stress levels among parents of sick children, particularly in developing countries where economic pressures are acute.

Knowledge and Beliefs of Malaysian Adolescents Regarding Cancer

BACKGROUND Few studies have explored the knowledge and attitudes of adolescents toward cancer prevention and treatment. This lack of research and its potential utility in the development of new educational initiatives and screening methods, or the reconstruction of existing ones, provided the impetus for this study. The primary research aim was to assess secondary school student knowledge of cancer and determine whether or not they possessed basic knowledge of cancer symptoms, risk factors, and treatments and to determine the relationship between cancer knowledge and key demographic factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS The Management and Science University conducted a cross-sectional study analyzing responses through cross-tabulation with the socio-demographic data collected. RESULTS The findings of our quantitative analysis suggest that Malaysian youth generally possess a moderate knowledge about cancer. Quantitative analyses found that socioeconomic inequalities and bias in education present as important factors contributing to cancer awareness, prevention, and treatment among Malaysian adolescents. CONCLUSIONS The findings indicate that Malaysian youth generally possess a moderate knowledge about cancer but the current deficiencies in initiatives directed to cancer awareness continue to hinder the improvement in prevention of cancer among Malaysian adolescents.

Turnover of nurse anesthetists: the similarities and differences between countries

Background For more than a decade, both the United States (US) and the Netherlands have been struggling to control health care costs. The demand for nurse anesthetists, or in the US, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA), has increased in both countries due to the increased substitution of nurse anesthetists for anesthesiologists in surgery, with the goal of reducing health care costs. Additionally, the aging of the population in both countries has increased the demand for health care services. The health care systems and related outcomes of the two countries were quite dissimilar. The US relies more on private insurance than other high-income countries. Previously the Netherlands provided care for all citizens through non-competing regional sickness funds. These laws changed in 2006; moving the Netherlands’ system closer to the US system.