• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2279-2283
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• 2012

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections and oncogenic HPV is the main cause of cervical cancer. However, HPV vaccination is already available as the primary preventive method against cervical cancer. The objective of this study was to determine the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of HPV vaccination among Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Malaya (UM) students. This study was conducted from March until August 2009. Pre-tested and validated questionnaires were filled by the third year UKM (n=156) and UM (n=149) students from medical, dentistry and pharmacy faculties. The results showed that the overall level of knowledge on HPV infection, cervical cancer and its prevention among respondents was high and the majority of them had positive attitude towards HPV vaccination. Medical students had the highest level of knowledge (p<0.05). Very few students (3.6%) had already taken the vaccine with no significant difference between the two Universities (p=0.399). In conclusion, the knowledge and attitude of the respondents were high and positive, respectively. Only few students took HPV vaccination. Thus, more awareness campaigns and HPV vaccination services should be provided at universities' campuses with the price of the HPV vaccine reduced for the students.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.253-263
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was done to explore the predictors asssociated with Korean women smokers' intentions to quit smoking. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study including 3,578 women smokers. Data from the 2010 Community Health Survey conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were examined and analyzed using SPSS 21.0 for multiple logistic regression. Results: Of the women smokers 52.2% reported having an intention to quit smoking but only 3.9% had received education in smoking cessation. In the logistic analysis, factors associated with intention to quit smoking were age (Odds ratio and 95% [confidence interval]: 0.97 [0.96-0.98]), health-related quality of life (OR=2.39 [1.14-5.03]), perceived stress (OR=1.11 [1.00-1.22]), marital status (OR=0.93 [.86-1.00]), age of starting to smoke (OR=1.14 [1.04-1.24]), number of cigarettes per day (OR=0.84 [0.76-0.93]), exposure to smoking-quitting campaigns (OR=1.48 [1.22-1.80]), previous attempts at weight-control (OR=1.37 [1.15-1.63]), frequency of alcohol use (OR=1.16 [1.01-1.34]), hypercholesterolemia (OR=1.62 [1.18-2.24]), experiences of trying to quit smoking (OR=4.04 [3.45-4.73]), and regular medical check-up (OR=1.13 [1.03-1.43]). Conclusion: Identifying factors associated with the intentions to quit smoking provides possibilities for shaping effective policies and programs to increase smoking cessation among Korean women.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.10
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• pp.197-205
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• 2021

This study aims to investigate factors influencing customer behavior towards nylon bags and single-use plastics. These factors are environmental protection awareness, health protection awareness, sense of responsibility, expectations, and green marketing. A quantitative method with the use of surveys is deployed to collect data of young people under 30, generating 1650 valid responses. The collected data is then analyzed with SPSS 22, using Cronbach's Alpha and Exploratory Factor Analysis to test the reliability of the model before validating the hypotheses by regression analysis. The study found that the majority of respondents are inclined to use plastic bags, despite their environmental awareness. The results also demonstrate that health consciousness, environmental concerns, self-driven responsibility for the sustainability of young people have a significant impact on their behaviors in using nylon bags and plastic products, whereas expectation and green marketing are confirmed not to be the factors. The study suggests that if green marketing is to gain higher influence, an increase in research and development to support other environmentally friendly packaging would be the right path. Finally, this research proposes some feasible recommendations for the government, which include imposing bolder and more targeted environmental policies on consumers and introducing educational campaigns to raise awareness about minimizing plastic consumption.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.208-211
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate COVID-19 vaccination intentions in Korean parents for their children aged 5 to 11 years and the factors influencing them. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of 363 parents of children aged 5 to 11 years was conducted in Korea in April 2022. Data were analyzed using independent t-test, χ² -test, Fisher's exact test, and hierarchical logistic regression analysis using SPSS/WIN 26.0 and MedCalc software version 20.113. Results: Of 363 Korean parents with children aged 5 to 11, 42.4% intended to vaccinate their children. Significant factors influencing vaccination intention were the second or third birth order of children (OR = 3.45, 95% CI = 1.45~8.21), vaccine hesitancy-confidence (OR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.51~2.65), vaccine hesitancy-collective responsibility (OR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.10~2.25), and COVID-19 anxiety-avoidance (OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.13~2.11). Conclusion: Findings suggest that COVID-19 vaccine campaigns based on reliable information and evidence from health authorities are needed to increase COVID-19 vaccination. Well-designed health communications for the target population may help to increase parental vaccine acceptance.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.365-380
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• 2011

This study was conducted to investigate the association between socio-demographic factors and attitudes toward antibiotic resistance and consumer's knowledge on antibiotic use for common cold. Telephone survey was conducted between June 24 and July 2, 2009, among 1,015 adults who were randomly stratified by age, sex and area. A total of 921 respondents were included in the analysis. Logistic regression was used to analyze the influence of socio-demographic factors on knowledge and attitudes. A total of 452 respondents(49.1%) recognised that they knew about antibiotic resistance and 769 respondents(83.5%) worried that antibiotic resistance is a serious problem in Korea. A total of 577 respondents(62.7%) had adequate knowledge on antibiotic use and resistance. Multiple logistic regression showed that younger age and higher education level were associated with adequate knowledge. The odds ratio of appropriate knowledge among persons with college degrees was 5.25(95% CI, 2.78-9.90) compared to those with elementary or less education. Sex and income variable were not predictors of adequate knowledge on antibiotic use and resistance. This study showed that consumers with less education had inadequate knowledge on antibiotic use for common cold. Even though consumers in their 40s and 50s thought they knew about antibiotic resistance, there is a need to improve their knowledge. Education campaigns for appropriate antibiotic use have to be differentiated among consumers with different socio-demographic characteristics.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2547-2556
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• 2012

Objectives: Smoking among university students represents a formidable and global public health challenge. We assessed the associations between socio-demographic, health and wellbeing variables as independent variables, with daily smoking, attempts to quit smoking, and agreement with smoking ban as dependent variables. Methods: A sample of 3258 undergraduate students from eleven faculties at Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt, completed a general health questionnaire. Results: Overall daily or occasional smoking in last three months prior to the survey was about 9% (8% occasional and 1% daily smokers), and smoking was generally more prevalent among males (male=17%, female=0.6%, P < 0.001). After adjustment for confounders, not having normal BMI and having a mother who completed at least bachelor's degree education was positively associated with daily smoking, and conversely, no history of illicit drug use was a protective factor. About 76% of smokers had attempted to quit smoking within the last 12 months prior to the survey. Although a large proportion of students agreed/strongly agreed with the banning of smoking at university altogether (87%), such agreement was less likely among smokers. Conclusion: There is need for implementation of non-smoking policies on university premises, as well as regular up-to-date information on, and the periodic/yearly monitoring of tobacco use by university students employing standardised data collection instruments and reference periods. In addition, it would be valuable to develop campus-based educational/ awareness campaigns designed to counteract tobacco advertisement directed towards young people in Middle East countries. Otherwise, the danger could be that the current relatively low smoking prevalence among university students may escalate in the future.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.241-250
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• 2012

Objectives: This study was performed to investigate hygienic behavior of food handlers and general population focusing on awareness of hand-washing and the microbial load of their hands. Methods: A questionnaire survey and microbiological analysis were carried out for sixty-four people each. Samples for microbiological analysis were collected through the glove-juice method from the hands, and were analyzed for the presence of aerobic plate counts, total coliform, fecal coliform, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella spp. according to the Food Code of Korea. Results: In the survey, significant differences between the food handlers and general population (p < 0.01) were found in hand-washing frequency, duration, use of hand-washing agents, washing parts of hands, hand-drying method, and method of turning off water. In eight different situations among the ten particular situations in their daily life, more food handlers responded to wash their hands than general population (p < 0.05). Bacterial load on hands with general population was consistently higher than with food handlers (p < 0.05), however, percentages of positive hands of S. aureus and Salmonella spp. were not. Conclusions: Poor hand hygiene practices were indicated by the positive results for E. coli, S. aureus, and Salmonella spp. on the hands of some respondents in both groups. This study reveals that there is the need for programs or campaigns to increase hand-washing practices of both groups.

• CELLMED
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.2.1-2.17
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• 2014

The plant kingdom is considered to be a repository of modern medicine, attributable to their rich source of bio-active molecules and secondary metabolites. It is indeed the Nutraceuticals that enhance immunity and ensure a healthier life because of their prophylactic and therapeutic values. Over centuries, papaya [Caricaceae; (Carica papaya Linn.)] is a renowned nutritious and medicinal plant. Each part of the papaya like root, stem, leaf, flower, fruit, seed, rinds, and latex has its own nutraceutical properties. It serves as food, cooking aid, and Ethnomedicine to prevent and treat wide-range of diseases and disorders. It has also been traditionally used as appetite enhancer, meat tenderizer, purgative, medicinal acne, abortifacient and vermifuge. Over decades, a series of scientific attempts were made to authenticate the nutraceutical properties of papaya. These studies validated that the papaya has antiplasmodial, antitrichochramal, antitrichomonal, antidengue, and anti-cancer activities. They have also exhibited that papaya possesses antiseptic, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and contraceptive features, and it helps in the management of sickle-cell anaemia, HIV, heart diseases and digestional disorders too. Nevertheless, the responsible bio-active molecules and their mode of actions remain indistinct and imprecise, and this calls for further pharmacological and clinical research on them. Conclusively, papaya is one of the naturally gifted plants; though its nutraceutical properties as a food or as a quasi-drug are poorly understood or undervalued by people. Accordingly, this scrutiny, demand for instigation of public health awareness campaigns to promote papaya consumption, so that the society shall acquire optimal benefits of papaya and in turn prevent and alleviate various diseases and illness.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.533-540
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• 2017

Schistosoma mansoni is highly endemic in Tanzania and affects all age groups at different degrees. However, its control approach does not include adult individuals who are equally at risk and infected. To justify the inclusion of adult individuals in MDA programs in Tanzania, the present study focused on determining the prevalence of S. mansoni infection and its related morbidities among adult individuals. This was a cross sectional study conducted among 412 adult individuals aged 18-89 years living in selected villages of Rorya and Butiama districts located along the shoreline of the Lake Victoria. A pretested questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic and socio-economic information of participants. Ultrasonographic examinations were conducted for all study participants using the Niamey protocol. A single stool sample was obtained from all study participants and examined for S. mansoni using the Kato-Katz technique. The study revealed a high prevalence of S. mansoni (56.3%), and the majority of infected individuals had a light intensity of infection. Ultrasonographic findings revealed that 22.4% of adult individuals had periportal fibrosis (PPF) (grade C-F), with 18.4% having grade C and D and 4% having grade E and F. Males had the highest prevalence of PPF (31.7% vs 10.8%, P<0.001). Organomegaly was common with 28.5% and 29.6% having splenomegaly and hepatomegaly, respectively. S. mansoni infection and its related morbidities included PPF, hepatomegaly, and splenomegaly were common among adult individuals. To reduce the level of transmission of S. mansoni infection, planned mass drug administration campaigns should include adult individuals living in these villages.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.13
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• pp.5415-5420
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• 2015

Background: The present study was designed to ascertain knowledge about HPV, cervical cancer (CC) and the Pap test among female dental students of Panineeya Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Hyderabad, India. Materials and Methods: A self-administered questionnaire covering demographic details, knowledge relating to human papilloma virus (HPV) (8 items), cervical cancer (4 items) and the Pap smear (6 items) was employed. Responses were coded as "True, False and Don't Know". Mean and standard deviation (SD) for correct answers and levels of knowledge were determined. Results: Based on the year of study, significant differences in knowledge of HPV werenoted for questions on symptoms (p=0.01); transmission from asymptomatic partners (p=0.002); treatment with antibiotics (p=0.002); start of sexual activity (p=0.004); and recommended age for HPV vaccination (p=0.01). For knowledge regarding CC, significance was observed for the age group being affected (p=0.008) and symptoms of the disease in early stages (p=0.001). Indications for Pap smear tests like symptoms' of vaginal discharge (p=0.002), marital status (p=0.01) and women with children (p=0.02) had significant difference based on the year of study. Based on religion, transmission of HPV via pregnancy, HPV related diseases except CC and preventive measures except condom use and oral contraceptives showed significant differences. However, significant variation with religion was observed only for two preventive measures of CC (Pap test; p=0.004) and HPV vaccination (p=0.003). Likewise, only the frequency of Pap test showed a significant difference for religion (p=0.001). Conclusions: This study emphasizes the lack of awareness with regard to HPV, CC and screening with pap smear even among health professionals. Hence, regular health campaigns are essential to reduce the disease burden.