Project description:BackgroundAround 48% of all pregnancies in low- and middle-income countries are unintended. Unintended pregnancy may contribute to lower use of antenatal care (ANC); however, current research in the area is largely inconclusive due to the methodological approaches applied.MethodsResponses from 4493 women extracted from the 2014 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) were used to assess the association between unintended pregnancy and subsequent uptake of at least one and at least four skilled ANC visits. For this, Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models with informative priors (representing a range of values within which the researcher is certain the true effect of the parameters included lies) were used, adjusting for other factors that affect ANC uptake. Informative priors were selected from the BDHS data collected in 2004, 2007, and 2011.ResultsAround 64% of women in Bangladesh who had at least one pregnancy within 3 years prior to the survey (that ended in a live birth) received ANC at least once, and of these around 32% used ANC at least four times. Mistimed (aOR, 0.73, 95% Cred I, 0.66-0.81) and unwanted (aOR, 0.69, 95% Cred I, 0.64-0.75) pregnancy were associated with reduced odds of attending the recommended minimum of four skilled ANC visits compared with wanted pregnancy. These likelihoods were even lower for at least one skilled ANC visit among women with a mistimed (aOR, 0.59, 95% Cred I, 0.53-0.65) or an unwanted pregnancy (aOR, 0.67, 95% Cred I, 0.61-0.74) than women with a wanted pregnancy.ConclusionsIn Bangladesh, more than one-quarter of women who report an unintended pregnancy at conception and do not terminate the pregnancy are at high risk of not using ANC. It is important for policies to include women with unintended pregnancy in mainstream healthcare services. This will increase the use of ANC and reduce associated adverse consequences.
Project description:ObjectivesTo determine the national prevalence of risk factors of non-communicable diseases (NCD) in the adult population of Bangladesh.DesignThe study was a population-based national cross-sectional study.SettingThis study used 496 primary sampling units (PSUs) developed by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. The PSUs were equally allocated to each division and urban and rural stratum within each division.ParticipantsThe participants were adults aged 18 to 69 years, who were usual residents of the households for at least 6 months and stayed the night before the survey. Out of 9900 participants, 8185 (82.7%) completed STEP-1 and STEP-2, and 7208 took part in STEP-3.Primary and secondary outcomeThe prevalence of behavioural, physical and biochemical risk factors of NCD. Data were weighted to generate national estimates.ResultsTobacco use was significantly (p<0.05) higher in the rural (45.2%) than the urban (38.8%) population. Inadequate fruit/vegetable intake was significantly (p<0.05) higher in the urban (92.1%) than in the rural (88.9%) population. The mean salt intake per day was higher in the rural (9.0 g) than urban (8.9 g) population. Among all, 3.0% had no, 70.9% had 1 to 2 and 26.2% had ≥3 NCD risk factors. The urban population was more likely to have insufficient physical activity (adjusted OR (AOR): 1.2, 95% CI: 1.2 to 1.2), obesity (AOR: 1.5, 95% CI: 1.5 to 1.5), hypertension (AOR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.3 to 1.3), diabetes (AOR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.6 to 1.6) and hyperglycaemia (AOR: 1.1, 95% CI: 1.1 to 1.1).ConclusionsConsidering the high prevalence of the behavioural, physical and biochemical risk factors, diverse population and high-risk group targeted interventions are essential to combat the rising burden of NCDs.
Project description:BackgroundQuality of cardiovascular disease (CVD) preventive care is suboptimal. Recent data correlated increasing years in practice for physicians with lower-quality health care.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to assess physician awareness/adherence to national blood pressure, cholesterol, and CVD prevention guidelines for women according to physician/practice characteristics.DesignStandardized online survey and experimental case studies were administered to 500 randomly selected U.S. physicians. Multivariable regression models tested physician age, gender, specialty, and practice type as independent predictors of guideline awareness/adherence.ResultsCompared with older physicians (50+ years), younger physicians (<50 years) reported a lower level of awareness of cholesterol guidelines (P=.04) and lower incorporation of women's guidelines (P=.02). Yet, older physicians were less likely to recommend weight management for high-risk cases (P=.03) and less confident in helping patients manage weight (P=.045) than younger physicians. Older physicians were also less likely to identify a low-density lipoprotein<100 mg/dL as optimal versus younger physicians (P=.01), as were solo versus nonsolo practitioners (P=.02). Solo practitioners were less aware of cholesterol guidelines (P=.04) and were more likely to prescribe aspirin for low-risk female patients than nonsolo practitioners (P<.01). Solo practitioners rated their clinical judgment as more effective than guidelines in improving patient health outcomes (P<.01) and more frequently rated the patient as the greatest barrier to CVD prevention versus nonsolo practitioners (P<.01).ConclusionsThough guideline awareness is high, efforts to promote their utilization are needed and may improve quality outcomes. Targeted education and support for CVD prevention may be helpful to older and solo physicians.
Project description:ObjectivesProtective vaccinations are important in maintaining health and reducing suffering from infectious diseases. Also, vaccine-preventable infectious diseases are associated with the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases.AimThe study aimed to test adults' knowledge of the role of protective vaccinations in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, and their opinions on the quantity of the information provided by doctors in this regard.MethodsA total of 700 adults participated in the study, most of whom were women (500; 71.43%). The study used an original questionnaire containing questions covering vaccinations and cardiovascular diseases, and the general characteristics of the participants. The inclusion criteria for the study were 18 years of age and written informed consent to participate in the study.ResultsOver 60% of the participants did not know of, or denied the possibility of, developing cardiovascular diseases as a result of avoiding required preventive vaccinations. More than half of the participants stated that there is no need to recommend influenza vaccination to patients with cardiovascular diseases. Over 70% of participants stated that family doctors did not provide sufficient information about protective vaccinations.ConclusionIn these adults, knowledge of the role of preventive vaccinations in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases was low, and the quantity of the information provided by doctors about preventive vaccinations were considered to be insufficient. Public awareness of the effects of avoiding preventive vaccinations should be raised especially among people with CVD.
Project description:BackgroundSecondary traumatic stress is common for emergency nurses working in trauma care, but it is unknown whether this secondary traumatic stress negatively correlates to work productivity.ObjectiveThe purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between secondary traumatic stress and work productivity of emergency nurses who provide trauma patient care in the emergency department.MethodsThis study used a cross-sectional survey design with a systematic random sample of emergency nurses. Respondents (N = 255) completed the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) and the Healthcare Productivity Survey (HPS) on the basis of trauma patient care within the preceding 30 days. A 2-tailed Pearson correlation was calculated to explore the relationship between secondary traumatic stress and work productivity for emergency nurses providing trauma patient care.ResultsMean IES-R score was 19.1, and HPS score was 2.7. About 38% of respondents reported high secondary traumatic stress, and 29% reported decreased work productivity. Although overall correlation between IES-R and HPS was not significant, IES-R-Intrusion was significantly correlated with HPS-Cognitive Demands (p = .003) and HPS-Safety and Competency (p = .011), IES-R-Avoidance with HPS-Safety and Competency (p = .003), and IES-R-Hyperarousal with HPS-Cognitive Demands (p = .002) and HPS-Handle/Manage Workload (p = .015).ConclusionsSecondary traumatic stress and decreased work productivity were significant problems for some emergency nurses. To address this problem, employers can provide stress reduction and management techniques to emergency nurses providing trauma patient care. In addition, emergency nurses need to be proactive in seeking social support and using stress mitigation and reduction programs.
Project description:Since March 2020, the Cameroonian government implemented nationwide measures to stall COVID-19 transmission. However, little is known about how well these unprecedented measures are being observed as the pandemic evolves. We conducted a six-month online survey to assess the preventive behaviour of Cameroonian adults during the COVID-19 outbreak. A five-point adherence score was constructed based on self-reported observance of the following preventive measures: physical distancing, face mask use, hand hygiene, not touching one's face, and covering the mouth when coughing or sneezing. Predictors of adherence were investigated using ordinal logistic regression models. Of the 7381 responses received from all ten regions, 73.3% were from male respondents and overall mean age was 32.8 ± 10.8 years. Overall mean adherence score was 3.96 ± 1.11 on a scale of 0-5. Mean weekly adherence scores were initially high, but gradually decreased over time accompanied by increasing incidence of COVID-19 during the last study weeks. Predictors for higher adherence included higher age, receiving COVID-19 information from health personnel, and agreeing with the necessity of lockdown measures. Meanwhile, experiencing flu-like symptoms was associated with poor adherence. Continuous observance of preventive measures should be encouraged among Cameroonians in the medium- to long-term to avoid a resurgence in COVID-19 infections.
Project description:BackgroundIn South Asia, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are an increasing public health concern. One strategy for dealing with the growing CVDs epidemic is to make health facilities more ready to provide CVDs services. The study's objectives were to: (1) assess healthcare facilities' readiness to offer CVDs services; and (2) identify the variables that influence such readiness.MethodsThis study employed data from the Afghanistan Service Provision Assessment Survey 2018-2019, Bangladesh Health Facility Survey 2017, and Nepal Health Facility Survey 2021 that were cross-sectional and nationally representative. In Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, 117, 368, and 1,381 health facilities, respectively, were examined. A total of 10 items/indicators were used to measure a health facility's readiness to provide CVDs services across three domains.ResultsThe mean readiness scores of managing CVDs were 6.7, 5.6, and 4.6 in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, respectively. Availability of trained staff for CVD services are not commonly accessible in Afghanistan (21.5%), Bangladesh (15.3%), or Nepal (12.9%), except from supplies and equipment. Afghanistan has the highest levels of medicine and other commodity availability. Among the common factors linked with readiness scores, we ought to expect a 0.02 unit rise in readiness scores for three nations for every unit increase in number of CVDs care providers. In Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, availability of both diagnosis and treatment facilities was associated with increases in readiness scores of 27%, 9%, and 17%, respectively. Additionally, an association was observed between nation-specific facility types and the readiness scores.ConclusionsCountry-specific factors as well as universal factors present in all three nations must be addressed to improve a health facility's readiness to provide CVDs care. To create focused and efficient country-specific plans to raise the standard of CVD care in South Asia, more investigation is necessary to ascertain the reasons behind country-level variations in the availability of tracer items.
Project description:ImportanceRecently, 12 randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have demonstrated the efficacy of novel therapies for mainly secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, given the potential overlapping eligibility of the RCTs, along with the cost of the new therapies, there are uncertainty and questions about implementing these RCT findings in real-world clinical practice.ObjectiveTo determine the eligibility and preventive potential for these new preventive therapies in a contemporary population.Design, setting, and participantsThis population-based contemporary cohort study included 6292 patients with known ischemic heart disease (IHD) and 2277 with a previous myocardial infarction (MI) enrolled between November 2003 and February 2015. Analyses were performed in the Copenhagen General Population Study with a mean (SD) of 7.7 (3.5) years of follow-up. The data were analyzed between January and October 2019.Main outcomes and measuresWe determined the drug eligibility and evidence-based potential for preventing major cardiovascular events of the 12 cardiovascular drugs tested in the following recent RCTs: IMPROVE-IT, PEGASUS, EMPA-REG, LEADER, SUSTAIN-6, FOURIER, CANVAS, REVEAL, CANTOS, COMPASS, ODYSSEY-OUTCOMES, and REDUCE-IT. The analyses were performed in patients with known IHD or with a previous MI at baseline.ResultsOf 6292 participants, 3861 (61%) were men and the mean (interquartile range) age was 69 (62-76) years. In patients with IHD or MI at baseline, eligibility for 1 or more new medications was 80% (n = 5036) and 99% (n = 2273), respectively, by meeting RCT enrollment criteria. Dividing the new therapies into 4 drug classes (lipid-modifying, antithrombotic, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic drugs), 2594 and 1834 patients with IHD or MI (41% and 81%, respectively) were eligible for 2 or more drug classes simultaneously. The 5-year estimated percentage of major cardiovascular events that could be prevented for each new therapy was 1% to 20% in patients with IHD or MI at baseline.Conclusions and relevanceMost patients with known IHD or previous MI are eligible for additional new secondary prevention therapies. This raises questions for the cardiovascular community and health care authorities about access to these potentially expensive therapies, including strategies for prioritizing their use.
Project description:This paper examines the causal impact of retirement on preventive care use by focusing on breast cancer screening. It contributes to a better understanding of the puzzling results in the literature reporting mixed effects on health care consumption at retirement. We use five waves of data from the Eurobarometer surveys conducted between 1996 and 2006, covering 25 different European countries. We address the endogeneity of retirement by using age thresholds for pension eligibility as instrumental variables in a bivariate probit model. We find that retirement reduces mammography use and other secondary preventive care use. Our results suggest that health status, income, and knowledge on cancer prevention and treatment contribute little to our understanding of the effects of retirement. Instead, our evidence suggests important effect heterogeneity based on the generosity of the social health insurance system and organized screening programs.
Project description:BackgroundThe liver fat score (LFS) has been proposed to be a simple non-invasive marker of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is highly prevalent in the general population. We tested its association with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and prognosis.Methods17,244 adult participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2016 were included. LFS is calculated from variables including serum aspartate transaminase/alanine transaminase (AST/ALT) ratio, fasting serum aspartate transaminase (AST) level, fasting serum insulin level, presence of metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus. In cross-sectional analysis, logistic regression was used to examine the association of the LFS with coronary heart disease (CHD), myocardial infarction (MI), congestive heart failure (CHF), stroke and angina pectoris. Mortality during follow-up was analysed using Cox proportional hazard regression.ResultsLFS was associated with CHD (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.09 per standard deviation [SD], 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.03-1.15) (p = .003), CHF (1.11, 1.04-1.18) (p = .003) and angina pectoris (1.08, 1.02-1.13) (p = .005). LFS was not associated with MI or stroke, but was associated with increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality with hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.10 (95% CI: 1.07-1.13) (p < .001) and 1.12 (95% CI: 1.06-1.17) (p < .001), respectively.ConclusionsNAFLD is usually asymptomatic, but this large study of a large general population shows that LFS is associated with CHD, CHF, angina pectoris, cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Determining the LFS is worthwhile, as it identifies people with NAFLD, who may also be at increased cardiovascular risk.Key MessagesLiver fat score (LFS), a non-invasive marker of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is associated with coronary heart disease (CHD), congestive heart failure (CHF) and angina.LFS is also associated with increased cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.Determining the LFS is worthwhile as it identifies people with NAFLD as well as increased cardiovascular risk.