Public Transport or a Landmine: Insecurities, Harassment and its Effect on Mental Health in Women Using Public Transport System in Chennai District, Tamil Nadu

Background: Crimes against women committed while traveling in public transportation is seldom understood, analyzed, and reported. The World Health Organization has stated that any form of violence against women must be considered a public health emergency. As a result of abuse, their overall health is impacted. This study was conducted to find the prevalence of insecurity and characterization of harassment among female passengers while traveling on public transport.Subjects and Method: The cross-sectional study was conducted in the Chennai district, Tamilnadu between November 2023 to March 2024. A total of 270 women above 18 years of age and using public transport for a minimum period of 6 months for daily commuting were included as study participants selected using a simple random sampling method. Data related to Subjective fear of traveling alone in public transport was used as a dependent variable which was collected using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire comprised of questions related to sociodemographic characteristics, having faced verbal/physical harassment, and having experienced stalking while traveling in public transport, which were used as independent variables. Subjective response to harassment was assessed using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). Data was analyzed using SPPS version 26. Chi-square and logistic regression analysis were used to find the predictors that lead to the fear of traveling alone.Results: A total of 270 participants were included in the study. The predictors for developing fear of travelling alone in public transport system were, belonging to a nuclear family (aOR= 2.12; 95% CI= 1.23 to 3.32), women who faced any kind of harassment (aOR= 2.56; 95% CI= 1.76 to 3.84), faced physical harassment (aOR= 3.92; 95% CI= 2.45 to 5.67) and faced verbal harassment (aOR= 4.11; 95% CI= 1.87 to 6.34).Conclusion: It’s not only enough to bring about policies, but the common public must be educated about harassments that happen on public transport. A special task force must be formed to apprehend the assailants

Village as Contextual Factors and Other Risk Factors Related with the Incidence of Clinical Tuberculosis in Children in Wonogiri, Central Java: A Multilevel Analysis

Background: Indonesia is in the second rank with the highest burden of tuberculosis (TB) in the world. Childhood is a period of rapid growth, the body still has a low immune system so it is susceptible to disease including tuberculosis in children which requires control efforts. This study aims to analyze the influence of risk factors and village contextual factors on the incidence of TB in children.Subjects and Method: Case-control study research was conducted in 82 villages in Wonogiri Regency, from November to December 2023. A sample of 200 children aged 0 to 4 years old was selected through fixed disease sampling. The dependent variable of this study was the incidence of TB in children. The independent variables in this study were stunting, contact history, exposure to cigarette smoke, home sanitation, gender, parental education, child age, parental income, BCG immunization status, and village contextual influences. Data on TB disease was obtained from the Tuberculosis Information System Application (SITB) at the Wonogiri District Health Service in 2023. Other data was collected through questionnaires. The data analysis was done through multilevel multiplelogistic regression.Results: The factors that increased the incidence of TB in children were stunting (OR= 10.94; CI 95%= 2.50 to 47.90; p= 0.001), contact history to TB (OR= 8.37; CI 95%= 1.60 to 43.83; p= 0.012), and exposure to cigarette smoke (OR= 7.36; CI 95%= 1.99 to 27.14; p= 0.003). The reducing factors were healthy sanitation (OR= 0.24; CI 95%= 0.08 to 0.78; p= 0.017), female children (OR= 0.40; CI 95%= 0.15 to 1.05; p= 0.062), and parents with ≥high school education (OR= 0.40; CI 95%= 0.15 to 1.05; p= 0.062). There was no relationship between age (OR= 0.93; CI 95%= 0.13 to 6.23; p= 0.940), parental income (OR= 1.14; CI 95%= 0.40 to 3.25; p= 0.807), and BCG immunization status (OR= 0.12; CI 95%= 0.00 to 105.98; p= 0.550). Village has a contextual influence on the incidence of clinical TB in children (ICC= 52.95%).Conclusion: The risk of clinical TB in children increased with stunting, a history of TB contact and exposure to cigarette smoke, it decreased with healthy home sanitation, female gender, parents with ≥high school education. There was no relationship between age, parental income, and BCG immunization status. The village has a contextual effect on the incidence of clinical TB in children

Correlations between History of Contact with Infected Person and Measles Vaccination Status on the Risk of Measles Incidence in Children: Meta-Analysis

Background: Measles is a disease that can be prevented by immunization (VPD), which is highly contagious and often causes widespread outbreaks and can cause lifelong complications and death. Some evidence suggests that the risk of measles is due to contact history and vaccine status. This study aims to estimate the magnitude of the relationship between contact history and vaccine status with the incidence of measles in children, through a meta-analysis of primary studies conducted by previous authors.Subjects and Method: This research is a systematic review and meta-analysis with PICO as follows, Population: children. Intervention: contact history, vaccine status. Comparison: no contact history, no vaccine. Outcome: measles. The articles used in this research were obtained from three databases, namely PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct, using the keys "History contact" AND "Vaccine" OR "Vaccinated" OR "Immunization" AND "Measles" AND "Children. The included articles were full-text with a case-control study design from 2012 to 2023 and reported the adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) in multivariate analysis. Article selection was carried out using the PRISMA flow diagram. Articles were analyzed using the Review Manager 5.3 application.Results: A total of 8 case-control studies involving the African continent and the Asian continent were selected for meta-analysis. Children with a history of contact have an increased risk of developing measles 4.38 times compared with children without a history of contact, and this relationship is statistically significant (aOR=4.38; 95% CI=1.36 to 14.09; p= 0.010). Children who had been given the measles vaccine had a reduced risk of getting measles 0.30 times compared to children who had not been given the measles vaccine, and this result was statistically significant (aOR= 0.30; 95% CI= 0.22 to 0.40; p< 0.001).Conclusion: Contact history statistically significantly increases the risk of getting measles in children, vaccine statistically significantly reduces the risk of getting measles in children. Keywords: Contact history, vaccine status, measles, children

Enhancing Anxiety Management in Post-Tuberculosis Patients through Psychoeducational Intervention in Baki Community Health Center

Background: Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis by air-borne transmission. TB patients are at risk of psychosocial disorders during treatment and post-treatment. This study aims to analyze the effect of psychoeducation on the level of anxiety experienced relapse in patients after Tuberculosis treatment.Subjects and Method: This study used a quasi-experimental design of a posttest pretest at the Baki Health Center, Sukoharjo Regency, Central Java, Indonesia from June to July 2023. The sample was 30 people in the treatment group, namely post-tuberculosis treatment patients, and 30 people in the control group by paying attention to the inclusion criteria, the sample was selected in total sampling. The dependent variable is anxiety and the independent variable is psychoeducation. Psychoeducation was provided with intervention for 3 sessions with a time of 25-30 minutes and anxiety was measured by the HALS questionnaire. The data was analyzed by the Mann-Whitney test.Results: After the intervention, the psychoeducational group had a decrease in anxiety scores (Mean = 7; SD= 4.68) than the control group (Mean= 4.07; SD= 3.14) with p=0.006.Conclusion: Psychoeducation for post-tuberculosis treatment patients can continue to be carried out to reduce the level of anxiety about tuberculosis recurrence and awareness of the impact of the disease

Meta-Analysis: Effects of Smoking, Alcohol Consumption, and Low Physical Activity on Osteoporosis in Adults

Background: Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease characterized by low mineral bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue. This study aims to analyze the effect of smoking, alcohol consumption, and low physical activity on osteoporosis in adults.Subjects and Method: This was a meta-analysis study using the PICO format. Population: Adults, Intervention: Smoking, Alcohol Consumption, Low Physical Activity, Comparison: No Smoking, No Alcohol Consumption, High Physical Activity, Outcome: Osteoporosis. Articles were searched using online databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct. The search for articles using the keywords "Smoking" OR "Tobacco" AND "Alcohol consumption" OR "Drinking" AND "Physical activity" OR "Exercise" AND "Osteoporosis" OR "Bone mineral density" AND "Cross-sectional". The inclusion criteria for articles used were articles published in 2013-2023. Articles were filtered using PRISMA flow diagrams and analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.4.Results: The meta-analysis used 15 articles with cross-sectional studies from Ireland, Nepal, Taiwan, South Korea, China, Iran, America, Brazil, India, Congo, and Thailand with a total sample of 111,478 samples. The risk of osteoporosis increased with smoking (aOR= 1.49; CI 95%= 1.04 to 2.16; p= 0.030), alcohol consumption (aOR= 1.04; CI 95%= 0.84 to 1.30; p = 0.690), and low physical activity (aOR= 1.17; CI 95%= 0.92 to 1.48; p= 0.210).Conclusion: Smoking, alcohol consumption, and low physical activity increase the risk of osteoporosis in adults. Keywords: smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, osteoporosis

Identification and Antifungal Susceptibility Pattern of Candida Isolates Recovered from Urine and Blood Specimens from Patients Admitted in Wards of a Tertiary Care Hospital, North Delhi

Background: Candida species are responsible for various clinical infections ranging from mucocutaneous infection to life-threatening invasive diseases. Increased resistance to antifungal drugs during the last decade has become a serious concern. Therefore, identification of Candida up to species level and its antifungal susceptibility testing is very important in the management of Candida infections. This study aimed to identify these organisms and study their susceptibility patterns.Subjects and Method: A retrospective study was conducted over 9 months (July 2022 to March 2023) from urine and blood samples collected from 80 IPD patients admitted to various wards of Hindu Rao Hospital. The samples were selected based on their growth on blood agar. The variables of interest are the different species of Candida and susceptibility to antibiotics. Identification of Candida species was done by Gram stain, Germ tube formation test, color on HiCrome Candida agar medium, chlamydospore formation on corn meal agar, and VITEK 2 Compact System. The MICs were interpreted according to the CLSI guidelines 2022.Results: 47 and 33 of urine and blood cultures were positive for Candida species respectively. Most of the isolates were from the Paediatric ward (28.75%), followed by the Medicine ward (27.5%). The most common species was C. tropicalis (56.25%) followed by C. albicans (23.75%). Most species of Candida were sensitive to amphotericin B, fluconazole, voriconazole, caspofungin, micafungin, and flucytosine except Candida albicans which showed 100% resistance to amphotericin B and Candida krusei which showed 66% sensitivity to voriconazole and 33% to caspofungin.Conclusion: Candida colonization has a considerable prevalence among patients hospitalized in our hospital. The species identification of Candida isolates along with their antifungal susceptibility pattern can help the clinician in better treatment of patients with candiduria and candidemia. Keywords: Candida, bloodstream infection, minimum inhibitory concentratio

The Prevalence and Distribution of Domiciliary Cockroaches in Rural Areas: A Cross-Sectional Study Design in Limpopo Province

Background: Cockroach infestation raises health concerns in the communities. The study aimed to identify the type of cockroach species found in the rural parts and assess the distribution of cockroach species in the area.Subjects and Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the households found in Ward 2 villages, Bolobedu and Limpopo Province in March 2021. A total of 120 households were selected using a multistage sampling strategy. Structured interviews were conducted to gather information about cockroach infestation in the households. The variables of interest in this study included the locations of cockroach sightings, pest control strategies used, and cockroach species trapped. A total of 1,186 cockroaches were trapped using a size 21×15 cm2 sticky paper sheet. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 29.Results: About 751 (64%) of cockroaches were trapped in the indoor environment and 427 (36%) in the outdoor environment. Three species of cockroaches were identified as B. germanica, B. orientalis and P. americana cockroach. Sixty-nine (66%) of the households used spray or aerosol as a control strategy to reduce the cockroach population.Conclusion: Irrespective of the villages where the cockroaches were trapped, B. germanica was the most prevalent species across the villages. Effective control strategies are required to also reduce the likelihood of pesticide resistance as well as decrease the exposure of humans to pesticide residues. Keywords: Blattella germanica, Blatta orientalis, Periplaneta americana, prevalence, distributio

The Impact of Sugar Intake, Household Income, and Maternal Education on the Occurrence of Dental Caries in Children: A Meta-Analysis

Background: In Indonesia, the prevalence of dental caries in early childhood is still very high, around 93%. This study aims to analyze and estimate the magnitude of the relationship between sugar consumption, family income, and maternal education and the incidence of dental caries in children, through a meta-analysis of primary studies conducted by previous authors. Subjects and Method: This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis using PICO as follows, Population: children aged 1 to 5 years 11 months, Intervention: high sugar consumption, high family income, high maternal education, Comparison: low sugar consumption, low family income, low maternal education, and Outcome: dental caries. The articles used in this study were obtained from three databases, namely PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct, using the key­words "Sugar" OR "Sweet food" AND "Household income" OR "Parental income" AND "Parental education" OR "Education status" AND "Dental caries" AND "Child" OR "Children" AND "Cross-sectional" AND “aOR”. The included articles were full-text in English, with a cross-sectional study design from 2013 to 2023, and reported adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) in multivariate analysis. Article selection was carried out using the PRISMA diagram and analyzed using the ReMan 5.3 application. Results: A total of 11 cross-sectional were selected for meta-analysis. Children who frequently consume sugar have an increased risk of dental caries 1.50 times compared to children who rarely consume sugar, and this is statistically significant (aOR=1.50; 95% CI=1.32 to 1.70; p<0.001). Children from families with high incomes had a reduced risk of dental caries 0.65 times compared to children from families with low incomes, and this was statistically significant (aOR=0.65; 95% CI=0.59 to 0.71; p<0.001). Children who have highly educated mothers have a reduced risk of dental caries 0.71 times compared to children who have mothers with low education, and this is statistically significant (aOR=0.71; 95% CI=0.64 to 0.78; p<0.001). Conclusion: Sugar consumption statistically significantly increases the incidence of dental caries in children. High family income and high maternal education statistically significantly reduce the incidence of dental caries in children

Multilevel Analysis of Factors Affecting Depression Risk among the Elderly: Loneliness, Living Status, Physical Activity, Age, Gender, and Education

Background: There is still a high prevalence of depression in the elderly which is affected by loneliness, low physical activity, gender, last education, and residence status. Elderly people who live alone or have lost a life partner are more prone to depression. Although family support and public health services such as Posyandu are expected to protect against the risk of depression, there have not been many studies that have examined in depth the influence of Posyandu as a contextual factor in reducing the risk of depression in the elderly. This study aims to analyze the influence of these factors and the role of Posyandu in reducing the risk of depression.Subjects and Method: This study used a cross-sectional design conducted in 25 Posyandu Elderly in Grogol District, Sukoharjo Regency from August to September 2024. A total of 204 elderly respon-dents aged 60 years and above were selected using Stratified Random Sampling. The dependent variable in this study was depression collected using the PHQ-9 questionnaire, and loneliness was assessed by the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Other independent variables such as physical activity, gender, education, and life status were collected through structured interviews. Multilevel linear regression analysis is used to analyze the relationship between these factors and the risk of depression, taking into account the individual and contextual levels (Posyandu).Results: The average age of the respondents was 66.27 years old (Mean = 66.26, SD = 5.16), with 79.41% of them being female. Loneliness was significantly associated with an increased risk of depression (b= 0.05; CI 95%= 0.07 to 0.10; p=0.024), while living with family reduces the risk of depression (b= -6.33; CI 95%= -8.26 to -4.40; p<0.001). Physical activity did not show a significant association with depression. Gender, education level, and age are also not significant predictors of depression. Contextual speaking, posyandu has no effect as a contextual variable on the variable of depression in the Grogol sub-district (ICC=2.64%).Conclusion: Loneliness is a significant risk factor for depression in the elderly while living with family also reduces the risk of depression in the elderly

Implementation of the Information-Motivation-Behavior Skills Model in Child Development: A Path Analysis

Background: Child development problems also still occur in DI Yogyakarta. Children's development is influenced by parents in educating and nurturing children. Many factors affect maternal parenting patterns including knowledge, attitudes, motivation and skills. The purpose of the study was to analyze the contextual influence of maternal parenting behavior on the development of children under five in Sleman Regency.Subjects and Method: This study uses a cross-sectional design. The research was conducted in 25 Integrated Health Posts with a total of 200 research subjects for mothers of toddlers and children under five. The sampling techniques are stratified random sampling and simple random sampling. The independent variables in this study were information, motivation, skills/skills of child development, parenting behavior, and maternal age, while the dependent variable was the development of children under five. Data collection was carried out using a questionnaire and analyzed by path analysis.Results: Every 1 unit increase in parenting behavior (b= 0.60; CI 95%= 0.44 to 0.76; p< 0.001), skills/skills of child development through parenting behavior (b= 0.44; CI 95%= 0.33 to 0.56; p<0.001), information through parenting behavior (b=0.20; CI 95%= -.074 to 0.32; p= 0.002), motivation through parenting behavior (b= 0.18; CI 95%= 0.06 to 0.30; p= 0.003), and maternal age through parenting behavior (b= 0.05; CI 95%= -0.05; CI 95%= -0.05 to 0.15, p= 0.323) will be followed by an improvement in child development.Conclusion: The Information, Motivation, and Behavior skill model can be used to explain parenting behavior and child development. Children's development increases with good parenting behavior. Parenting behavior is influenced by children's developmental skills/skills influenced by the presence of information and motivation